Not a bad article really.

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=29642

Its right enough

Modern cars mod them how you like

But then as they get older and start to become almost modern classics you really want a standard example

Baffling

Yeah, if I want a fast car with good handling, I would just buy one, not try and dress up something else. I have no interest in the mechanical or legal hassle that comes with modding.

 

I also wouldn't touch any used car with evidence of performance mods with a stick.

All summed up quite nicely in one paragraph imo, BUT, each to their own really.

 

 

Kiss of death
But the real kicker is, after you've thrown a fortune at your car, it's worth no more when you come to sell it - in fact, it's almost always worth less than when you started. Why? Because it's someone else's idea of tuning. Unless there's a pretty major brand behind it - say, Brabus or NISMO - secondhand buyers view all mods with deep suspicion.

I'm NOT willy waving here, but the dozens comments I get from sheeples at classic car shows regarding my Fiesta being absolutely as it was the day it came out of the showroom, and so pleased that I've not taken to adding crap to it re-inforces the arguement for me.

 

Each to their own as I say.

Yep, I have to agree. You're never satisfied.

 

Why bother.

Body mods.

Beauty in the eye of the beholder?

 

Me? No thanks. Generallyand nearly always look tacky.

Potentially slightly OT but...

I know I'd rather spend my money on my car than smoking, drinking or any other way of wasting money.

It's a hobby. All hobbies cost money, and inevitably none of them are ever profitable.

At least with a car you have something to show for your hard earned cash. (Unlike the 2 other aforementioned pastimes)

Don't know anyone that has ever said they thought they'd increase the value of their car either.

Edited 19 March, 201412 yr by Pabs

I like the photo up top .....

Yup it is to a degree.

 

Potentially slightly OT but...

I know I'd rather spend my money on my car than smoking, drinking or any other way of wasting money.
It's a hobby. All hobbies cost money, and inevitably none of them are ever profitable.
At least with a car you have something to show for your hard earned cash. (Unlike the 2 other aforementioned pastimes)

Don't know anyone that has ever said they thought they'd increase the value of their car either.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Potentially slightly OT but...

I know I'd rather spend my money on my car than smoking, drinking or any other way of wasting money.

It's a hobby. All hobbies cost money, and inevitably none of them are ever profitable.

At least with a car you have something to show for your hard earned cash. (Unlike the 2 other aforementioned pastimes)

Don't know anyone that has ever said they thought they'd increase the value of their car either.

 

I agree and it's exactly what I do as I don't drink, smoke etc...

But in the article there are a lot of valid points.

 

I tune cars for the fun and pleasure.

Not because I need to see a return on my spending come time to sell.

It can become an addiction though, I've certainly got it.

 

The secret (for me) is knowing you won't see a penny back and being comfortable with that.

You do it for the enjoyment of doing it.

It's sometimes "you can't buy what you want" too. Try and buy an untuned Octy 1 with more than 180bhp (petrol) or 130bhp (diesel), or a CitiGo with a 1.8T in it, for example.

I like the photo up top .....

K88L KA, er,,,,,,,,,,,,,right.

'Forget trying to 'improve' your car - enjoy it the way it was intended and reap the rewards'

 

Lol! most cars below say 50k are built down to a cost so will have budget parts fitted and therefore be pretty crap! 

Even cars like the Fiesta ST which is a great car is being heavily modded  to make it even better. I'm not talking about Halfords style body kits but LSD's Quality suspension, quality brakes and ECU that are even better than the std set up. 

My car was crap as std but now it's it's a cracker due to numerous mods plus as i've enjoyed modifying it i've kept it for nearly 11 years which in my book makes it good value.

Excluding fuel,maintenance, tax and insurance my modded car has so far cost me 4.7 pence a day. Spent 7k on mods.

How much has your car cost you per day?

'Forget trying to 'improve' your car - enjoy it the way it was intended and reap the rewards'

 

Lol! most cars below say 50k are built down to a cost so will have budget parts fitted and therefore be pretty crap! 

Even cars like the Fiesta ST which is a great car is being heavily modded  to make it even better. I'm not talking about Halfords style body kits but LSD's Quality suspension, quality brakes and ECU that are even better than the std set up. 

My car was crap as std but now it's it's a cracker due to numerous mods plus as i've enjoyed modifying it i've kept it for nearly 11 years which in my book makes it good value.

Excluding fuel,maintenance, tax and insurance my modded car has so far cost me 4.7 pence a day. Spent 7k on mods.

How much has your car cost you per day?

One of us must be wrong, because I make £7_000 over 9 years about £2-13 a day (ignoring resale value) and 2 years isn't going to make an order of magnitude difference to that figure.

Having said that, I agree with the base point about writing down costs over total period of ownership.

My response is "no ****, Sherlock!"

 

But then you could argue buying food (say luxury food) is a waste of money, but we all do it every now and then, and modding cars is a lot of fun!

'Tell me i'm wrong.'

 

Yep, you're wrong. You might earn money to never spend it but that's not for me. I don't really drink, I don't smoke and I don't feel the need to buy a snowboard. So I spend money keeping my car looking different and being as unique as it can be. Anything outside our scope of understanding can seem like a waste of money, but for those who enjoy what they do and what they achieve the cost is irrelevant.  

One of us must be wrong, because I make £7_000 over 9 years about £2-13 a day (ignoring resale value) and 2 years isn't going to make an order of magnitude difference to that figure.

Having said that, I agree with the base point about writing down costs over total period of ownership.

My maths is rubbish but i worked it by total cost of car with mods 19k divided by 11 years ownership= £1,727.27 divided by 365 days £4.73  not 4.7 pence as i said above lol!

I spent a fortune modifying my Strada 130TC, but funnily enough got a good price for it when I sold it. I think this was because in those days. modifying cars was really expensive, especially if you wanted more power. You had to buy cams (Alquati on my Strada iirc), new carbs, manifolds, exhausts etc the car would be in bits for days and even then your car only gained perhaps 40bhp nowadays, you take it to a man or woman with a laptop and get the same gains for pennies.  

 

Still it all goes to make me a member of the petrolhead club  (and probably explains why George Clooney has a restraining order against me) Not enough woman in it though :(

Edited 19 March, 201412 yr by Lady Elanore

I actually prefer the sleeper look. Plenty of mods, but its should always look exactly like it came out of the factory.

I actually prefer the sleeper look. Plenty of mods, but its should always look exactly like it came out of the factory.

 

I agree too, but it can be tricky.  There's no way my 330mm 6 pots are going to fit under 14" steels

I would imagine the majority of people who modify cars do so for their own pleasure and not in the hope of making more money ?

Most activities that people enjoy and spend Money on, can be seen as a waste of cash by others.

It's what we do with our pennies.... We waste them to get enjoyment... Cars...booze....computers...films...traveling...clothes...hair and beauty...Monkey puppets...( yes I have lol)... Many many many diverse ways to spend...and all equally a waste...AND worthwhile if its what you like.

I have spent a fortune changing cars over the years as I enjoy cars. Collegues that have ran the same car for donkey's years are correct, I have wasted a lot... But it was money well spent for me :-)

Someone following football to me is wasting money... To them its the right thing to do. :-)

I've absolutely NO issues with those that choose to mod. It's there perogative, and good luck to 'em, just as long as they don't start triyng to convince at sale time that the car is worth substantially more.

 

Got disposable income? Well spend it on whatever floats ya boat, and stuff what other sheeple think, and that includes ME!!

Edited 19 March, 201412 yr by Mr Ree

I would absolutely LUV to own an unmolested Cossy Escort/ Sierra/ Focus, but you try and find one that hasn't been modded and probably ragged to within an inch of its life though.

Shame to see these previous standard out of the factory classics all but eradicated now, but if you do find one, it'll probably be worth a damned sight more than a modded one.

Edited 19 March, 201412 yr by Mr Ree