You
just bought a new car or you've been thinking about fixing up
your existing vehicle because someone or something turned you
onto the wonderful world of sport compacts. Now comes the realization
that it isn't just a decal package that you can slap on the
side of your car that will give you the ohhh's and ahhh's that
you want when your car rolls up. So before you put a single
penny into your car, read our recommendations.
First ask yourself, What do I want to accomplish or want my end result to be?
I want my car to go faster - If this is what you want to do, now you have to decide if you want the car to remain street legal or if you will modify it for the track. You will also want to take into consideration that certain aftermarket parts can void your warranty on your car. Check with the manufacturer as not all parts will void it. So that means that supercharger you've been eyeing is definitely out of the question until your car is completely paid off, unless of course you are like us and just want to take the risk of paying for repairs out of pocket.
I want to make my car look better or different - Simple enough, you can do this by painting it, adding a bodykit and/or adding a complete conversion kit. But the more extreme you want the look the more pennies you'll have to scrape together.
We all know that a paint job CAN cost $300, but you might as well save that money for a rainy day. If you want decent job, have about $1000 and easily more to pay for quality work. There is nothing worse than a cheap paint job.
Let's say you're thinking about a complete bodykit or even just a set of side skirts because you can't afford the whole thing. Once again, money can be a big factor. You can opt to go with a cheaper kit that will require sanding which in the end can run you much more than just buying a better quality kit. You also have to paint the pieces before installing them on your car, unless you want to look like the guy's with the pasty gray ground effects because they forgot to ask if they came painted. After buying the parts, paying for shipping, writing a check to the paint shop you still need it installed. Not just anyone can install the body kit, so don't expect your local collision repair center to do a good job. OEM and aftermarket parts are like oil and water, there are no similarities and you risk the chance of being overcharged because "Bob, the mechanic" can't figure out where and how to install your new Kaminari front (or is that a rear) bumper.
Now ask yourself, How much money do I really want to invest in my car?
This isn't your usual $14.95 oil change we're discussing, this is an investment and can be an expensive one. We know individuals who took on a second part-time job just to keep up with the cost of mods, now talk about dedication but that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to.
Make yourself a shopping list of all the items that you would like to install on your car. Now browse through our web site and jot down the cost of parts, don't forget you'll also pay for shipping. Once you have your grand total ($1500, $3700, $8400), you will need look at your finances and setup a monthly savings plan and a time frame of when you can purchase each part. Save yourself some time also by calling up installation facilities to get written quotes. This way there will be no surprises when the time comes to install your new aftermarket parts.
Lastly we ask, How much do you really know about Sport Compact Aftermarket Parts?
This isn't brain surgery but you're better off going in educated. Pick up the latest copy of Sport Compact Tuner or one of the dozens of other tuning magazines and read it from beginning to end. We also recommend visiting our featured articles section (click here to go to it) to learn more. Join a mailing list or board focused on the goals you want to achieve and LEARN FROM OTHER'S MISTAKES so you don't have to! The main goal of your research SHOULD BE to find out the things other's have done that have worked, and head in that direction. STAY AWAY from trying new things right off the bat. Most common mods that work have already been tried and proven (granted, you might get lucky with a new mod idea but for the most part, stay on the proven stuff until you have modded for a while).
After setting your goals, decide who will perform your mods - a professional or yourself. If you happen to be great at installing stuff yourself it is still a good idea to enlist the help of a professional at first. Now that the car is modified, compare your results to your goals and other cars to see if it was worth it in the end. We are going to assume that smile on your face is enough to prove it was money well spent.
