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Is 'Car Modding' Worth It?

  • Yes (Worth it).....

    Votes: 1,680 81.7%
  • No (Not Worth it).....

    Votes: 377 18.3%

Do you think 'Car Modding' is worth it?

1M views 770 replies 486 participants last post by  Coupes 
#1 ·
So what do you think? Personally unless you spend $15,000 on the car, go insane with performance I feel it's not worth it. Sure you get the 'fun' from it for a while but it does fade out and in the end, your getting 'pennies' for what you actually spent on the car. Not to mention all the problems that come up (example FI applications) among other things including legality issues, tickets, BS like that....

So my question is, in your opinion do you feel 'car modding' is a good thing (worth it) or a bad thing (not worth it)?
 
#2 ·
I think its worth it at the time you get the ideas and execute them. But I have just decided, I'm taking her back to stock. I'm 22, getting engaged in the near future, buying a house, and one day I won't even have that car (they don't last forever). I want to kick my own ass for blowing all that money on all that stuff. I could have traded my car in and got something I really wanted. In the long run it's just not worth it.
 
#113 ·
So why not just leave whatever mods you already have on your ride and enjoy them while you do have the car instead of going back to stock? I mean, if you've already spent the money and have the part installed why take them back out? If you are planning on trading it in, maybe your mods will increase the trade in value of the car. Good luck in your family building endeavors.[clap]
 
#3 ·
i think its worth it.... just a hobby to entertain me.... i always like to push myself and my car to see what i can do.... i guess it calms me down? as MySonOptimusPrime says they dont last forever but i hope my last a lot longer than i expect.... besides this is not my daily driver... have plenty of other cars... so that kind of expands my Roush's life... im not going to be in a financial situation where i need to save a lot of money so for me this works out great... already have a house and engaged so... im set...
 
#4 ·
I think it's worth it, but it definitely depends on your definition of worth I think.

It is NOT financially worth it, and anyone who thinks it is is foolish. If you spend a few hundred and expect to win all sorts of shows and national acclaim and sponsors, you're nuts. If you spend several thousand and expect to see a dollar of it back when you sell (provided you don't part out), you're also nuts.

So in that sense, it's absolutely not worth it.

For me, it's a hobby and I enjoy spending time on the car and making it mine. When I have extra money lying around, I spend it on the car because it makes me happy, and I don't really have anything else to throw my money at. It gives me something to do that I have fun with, and it makes my car feel special, to me. So for me personally, I think it's worth it.
 
#234 ·
i agree. im the type of person who likes to change things and "experiment"
being an engineering student i must know why and how things work, and if at all possible make it better.
beside that if you know something can be improved... whythehellnot
 
#5 ·
Like Lil PZEV said, its more a hobby to me, i will find things to do, make something new, build a new speaker box, fix something else, move things around. I have always hated the thought of driving a car EXACTLY like someone else's. Thats why i mod my car so it is different than every other focus out there. Makes it something i can be proud of and have something to show for. perosnally for me, its worth it.
 
#7 ·
Having been without my car for almost 4 weeks now, I would say no.

Once I get out to my next autocross, yes.
 
#8 ·
i am not really an expert in the area cause i drive a stock svt, but part of the reason why i am not modding is cause my car sees alot of miles and i need to have it running and on the road everyday for job reasons. but on the other hand i have grown up working on cars and bikes and i do enjoy spending time working on them. so if i had a car to mod that i didnt have to worry about drving day in and day out i would probably mod it so to me it would seem worth it.

it is important to rember though that investing in cars is not easy and if you mod one you most likly will not see any of that money come back
 
#9 ·
For me, I intend to do just basic mods and not get into all of the HP engine mods (cams, turbo etc..) With the exception of maybe the SVTs, most stock cars don't come exactly as the buyer would like them so to me, modding allows me to get to where I actually wanted the car to be.
 
#10 ·
^ I'm with him. Every time I see a car with nice rims, or expensive brakes, a nice exhaut tone...I never get jealous about 'my Focus not coming with that stuff'...I just think about how I can't wait until my Focus WILL have those things. :)

Everyone has something, a hobby, an obsession, that they put their time and money into...it's an escape, an expression, just about whatever you want it to be. I think it's definitely worth it.
 
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#11 · (Edited)
On the whole I would rather spend "modding" money on a higher level of car instead of pouring it into one I could never get the investment back out of. I may buy some Konis and R Compounds for SCCA events next year, but that's it.

EDIT:
I do have a different attitude about whatever will become a more dedicated racer than this car. If and when I decide to move out of the stock classes, I will probably spend some serious $$$ on the car to compete and feel fine about it. That's actually better about getting your money back too, because racers buying from racers tend to give that stuff a lot more credit.
 
#12 ·
Yes and no. When it comes to the performance, no. I just dont see the reason to spend all my money trying to make this car fast. The looks of my car is different. As of now I have drawn the line on it, but I think all the honks and comments I get on my car are worth every penny.
 
#13 ·
As a hobby, I think it's worth it. Turning a "normal" car into something special and doing the work your self has alot personal value.
However... it is definatly not practical!
If it's something that you love doing and you dont sacrafice the important things, do it!
 
#14 ·
Money wise? No .. Is it worth the enjoyment I get from the car modded in the way that it is.YES!.. The car holds the whole family on long trips and still allows a spirited drive thanks to the brake and suspension upgrades. So, allowing me to drive my wagon the way I like to drive on curvy mountain roads was and is worth the price of the Mods!
 
#15 ·
It's a good question ... personally I love modding my car, but after I crashed my previous ZX3 I started to think a little bit more what to mod and what to leave stock. In that car I had about 3-4k of audio gear invested and now I'm not sure it was worth it. I had a lot of fun with it and really enjoyed it, but I don't know if I will do it to my SVT ...

As many of you said, it's a great hobby and I will surely continue it - altough I will consider more carefully what to get and what not to get ;)
 
#16 ·
If you plan on trading it in after a couple years,,then noits not worth it. I plan on keeping my svt until i reach my midlife crisis. So for me, every penny I drop into my car is worth it. I love the focus, especially mine.
 
#17 ·
i used to go crazy moding and i dont think its worth it. but like someone said before i dont like 15 in wheels that every other focus has or my monster truck suspension. so il change some stuff but i wont void the waranty on a brand new car. thats definately not worth it.
 
#18 ·
Voted no. Simply put I would rather purchase a vehicle that I consider ideal from the showroom floor. It's tough to afford decent mods when cars are not your only interest in life. Honestly I look at gains that people are posting after having added a good deal of parts and cash to the car and just roll my eyes sometimes. Dunno, I just like to maintain a nice balance of expendable cash flow amongst all of my interest.
 
#20 ·
I think that you have to pay your monthly payments regardless, so you might as well spend some extra money and actually like your ride. You only live once, you can't take ANYthing with you, as long as you save more than you spend for old age, go for it.
 
#21 ·
I would have votes yes if your going to be seriously into it. Putting on a couple things isn't enough when it comes to modding it seems, you always have to do more. It's a cash hound, if you got it, it's fun for sure.

I guess after spending what I have on my car and looking back at the fun I got out of it, I'd probably have had that much fun if I just bought a better car to begin with. With my plans of selling my car soon and getting nothing for the mods basically, I'm sorta writing off the few thousand I have spent on a good year or so of 'fun'..... $3000+ for one year of fun is a bit expensive, I could have went to Mexico for a month with that much money.
 
#22 ·
Why not!

If you are really into cars why not. I love cars and the more I mod it the better the car looks.

Most people don't care about modding their cars because first it costs a lot and secondly they don't care about mod, has long as the car runs, it fine with them. That's what I think!

I have a 2000 Ford Focus ZX3. When I bought it I love it but after seeing everyone with the same stock parts I hated it, so I decision to mod it, Rims/Wheels, taillights, headlights and more, and now I LOVE MY CAR, I love be different or try to be different from other Focus around here. I'm doing a project myself right now with the body kit, custom made, I thin knobody will have this body kit for a focus ZX3.
 
#23 ·
^^^ that's true, you do get that 'rare' thing happenning which is always nice for the most part. I've had a few people come up to me and say "Is that a focus?" and things like "wow that's looks alot better then a typical focus" and "Where did you get that car, I've never seen one like it before" even though it's just a bodykit and a couple other things.

There's always someone 'else' out there with a better car then yours so it's addictive to keep modding. I know the next car I get is going to have rims but only rims, all this loud exhaust, etc I'm old with. $500 for a 2-3HP gain is a bit lame.......
 
#25 ·
well.. I voted no..
I always think about doing this and that... an while I plan to make it better over time, I will probably stay with basics and making sure that whatever needs replacing wil become better.

I think spending a little for a lip kit, a little chrome/decals etc. making sure you buy the best tires, good wheels and break when they need replacing is OK.. I would do it anyways. Maybe putting on the basics, like intake etc.. might be worth it as well..

but beyod that I say no..
if I had the money to waste, I would have bought C1 cars (mazda3 or volvo).. btut I couldn't afford them... now its pointless to spend thousands on a car that was a compromise (regardless of the fact that it is a dream to drive it is not a car I will be able to stick with for longer than 4-5 years... so it is not woth modding.

sorry for calling Focus a compromise, but honestly it was for me... I could not resist the Eployee pricing...

Igor
 
#26 · (Edited)
I'm not going to mod my car (well, not poor thousands of dollars into engine parts and interior/exterior modifications). If I want something faster, I'll buy something faster. And I cannot dog anyone for choosing modding as their hobby. If you have the money and really enjoy it, then more power to you (I don't have the money).

I like having a good looking car, but I'm a racer at heart. I can't see spending money on your car unless it's functional and there's value in it. But honestly, where do you spend most of your time when it involves your car? Behind the wheel. And to me, how the car drives is more important than numbers and looks. It's really all about communication with the car and yourself (for me at least), and out of the box, the Focus is a pretty intimate car. It lacks power and a good shifter, but the suspension and steering are excellent for stock.

When I'm driving down a nice bend, an on-ramp, or autocrossing, I'm not thinking about how my car looks, the warranty getting voided, or how much I'm shortening the life of my car. I'm only thinking about how much fun I'm having and every time I get out of my car after something like that, I always turn around and look at it to say, "Gah, I love my car." Basically every time. Strangely, it puts a smile on my face, and my monthly payment and the hours I spent working to pay it suddenly seem worth every penny and minute.
 
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