so ive been lurking here a bit, and it seems like most people have to apply mods as soon as they get their car. some are even planning their mods before they even get the car. this seems kinda crazy to me honestly since you already put so much money into the car and you're thinking you got a really good deal. then after all is said and done you could of just had a better more expensive car.
i dont get the big rush to do mods right away, i can understand originality but it seems like overkill sometimes...

 

Well everyone has there own idea of a good time. Me? I would rather pay 17k for a car with potential like the tC then 25k for a car that has alot of upgrades already. Theres nothing I get more pleasure from then sitting in my driveway on a Sunday morning tinkering with my vehicle. Even if its something as simple as a few dollars for painting the calipers I LOVE IT! Id rather put 8k into my 17k car then buy a 25k car from the get go.

 

Ditto, I bought an Xb that is a stripper, becuase I planned on modding it myself, and I have, from lowerring to video to stereo and alarm, front grille, cold air intake, exhaust heaader, all me. I even started offering DIY kits. We modder enjoy what we do, and have a lot of fun doing it. Nothing like the feeling on knowing you did it yourself. Bill

 

It's all part of making the car your own. It's also very addictive. When I bought mine I was just looking for economical transportation because I knew I was switching jobs and I'd be doing a lot more driving. The next thing I knew I was buying and intake for a little more power. Then I just had to have the exhaust. Oooh, I really need graphics, lights, paint, and the list goes on. It's a sort of hobby, like building model cars except life-sized.

 

excitement.... pure excitement!

 

I bought the base model xB also, cuz I didn't plan on modding the car, just commuting. I tinted the windows within the first week, and then went to a meet, it was all over from there.

I'd like to THANK Roger (Scionara) for causing me to spend beaucoup money on my COMMUTE car!

 

as for the tC...mods, it can use some, like better springs, cold air intake, possibly better exhaust. interior mods include stuff like adding an aux input to the cd player, or replacing it all together, why you ask? well, because not all people are happy with a completely stock car.

 

um yea thats great i understand the need individualism, but i think the question was why does it seem like such a big rush to get everthing in the first couple months. if you plan on keeping the car for any reasonable length of time you're going to be bored with all the crap youve put on and start putting on more crap and before u know it youve just got a big pile of crap

 

^^If they get bored that's good, cause then they sell it to peeps like me.

I don't had my tC yet and I started planning my mods. One of the reasons is so I know how much I'm spending and the other is so I can do research on mods for it (i.e. TRD springs or H&R).

I can't say I'm doing mine in the first month, but two good reasons I can give: 1) so love what you're drivind/looking at EVEN more than you did before, 2) so you can get the most wear--why give the next guy all your mods in good shape.

 

i haven't modded my car yet due to lack of money but after a lot of thinking i'm gonna do home made route on the grounding kit, k&n drop in filter trd muffler and a rear sway bar and my a header

and 3 1.5 inch gauges since i don't have a convenet spot to put 'em like the xB
cause i only have a area space of 7.25 inches X 2.75 inches to work in and i probly lose the use of my cup holders in the process oh well

 

home made route?

 

you buy the parts, and put it together at home (thats with the grounding wire kit set up) ala https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=29261

 

The bottom line to me is, theres always more mods to do to a car. I have no problem startin up the 1st month or week even because I know Ill find something else I want. And when the time comes that I'm tired of modding it, Ill sell it get a new car and start the cycle over.

 

In some cases it could be explained as impatience. ie if there's only one particular brand of a particular mod out atm (knowing there will be more in the future), buying the first one up would be impatience. Not exactly the most pragmatic of methods.

However, there's nothing wrong with doing mods "early" on your car in and of itself. Or at least, I fail to see one, and you've failed to give one.

Kinda like: You're off for a week starting on Monday and I come at you with "Why on earth did you go to the amusement park on Tuesday instead of a later date? "

It makes no difference in the end.


As to "just getting a better car", you fail to take into account the fact that "better" is a subjective term. There's alot that goes into "better" (like... handling... top speed... acceleration... looks... price... rarity... popular opinion) and each of those things has a varying level of importance to each respective person.

So, why? Because it appeals to them. Obviously.

 

yes i agree, i think people are impatient and **** in general *cough* squeak rattle *cough*

i think i stated already the facts that doing mods early usually just depleats your recently depleated bank account even further as well as lowers the value of the car even more (yes mods actually lower the value in most cases). this may not apply for everyone everywhere but its a pretty consistant theory in america.

this is a stupid analogy because modifying your car has to do with financial matters. im trying to reason with people about not blowing all their money on the latest crap to come out and then whining about how theyre broke when something else comes out or whining about the car not performing well becuase the mod was poorly made and rushed into production

i wish everyone stop trying to be so politically correct. yes the tC is a nice car, i own one, i recommend it to friends. BUT, everyone knows what better means, the only reason most people here bought the car was becuase it was a good choice IN THE PRICE RANGE. my whole point is if someone handed you 25-30k to spend on a car you wouldnt be considering the tC (well at least if you know anything about cars), but thats basically what it seems like a lot of owners are spending after doing all the latest crappy mods in the first year you own it.

 

That's not what you stated to begin with. Or rather, it was poorly communicated if that was your intention. Your posts imply a problem with modding a car until it becomes as or more expensive than a "better" car + a problem with losing money over mods in general.

If instead what you're arguing is "Why don't people wait to see what else is coming out so they can get a better deal/product?" then I obviously agree with you to an extent.

It has nothing to do with being politically correct. That's what you have a problem with understanding.

Take something like the mini or the bug or hell the xB. Does price come into play? Sure. Sometimes more than not. Depends on the person. However, there are many people that simply like that car. Period. Not "I like that car but I like Jags better" but simply "I like that car". I know that's just completely shocking to some people.

IMO You want to see people as morons who don't know how to manage their money (and there are of course many). The fact of the matter is, you have no clue why people buy the cars they do or do what they do to their cars and I'm beginning to doubt you even give a rat's ___. (Disregarding people trying to sell cars and parts, does anybody?)

So, do you really care about the answer to your question, or are you just _____ing to demonstrate how stupid you feel other people are?

If it's the first, your question has been answered (as well it can be seeing as how everyone has their own reasonings behind what they do). If it's the second, I'm bored and am politely bowing out from this one.

 

Modding my car or truck is a hobby and I will always do it. I don't like having a car/truck that someone else can just go out and buy just like it. I have never been told "I seen a car/truck just like yours today"!!

This is a saying a found a while back. It's mostly for trucks but can be applied here also:


We have become part of something much more complicated than you or I will ever fully comprehend. We build more than just trucks. . . we build friendships, we build futures, we build our dreams. We drive our trucks low and hold our heads high because we have an unwritten and unspoken agreement that we will live life to the fullest and never fall victim to 'the norm'. Others laugh at us when we spend hours on end working on our trucks, yet shake our hands when we are done...

In Low We Trust

 

The big rush is basically this. We all love our cars, and no matter how hard we resist because of finacial reasons, we can't. So we order a little thing here or there (or you tell your fiance that the car comes with a TRD exhaust, fog lights, lowering springs, and a bunch of other things from the factory so she only gets mad once...). It is easy to say you are going to be good with your money and not spend it right off, but its really hard to do.

 

Yeah I agree, I don't spend mega bucks on my rides. If I don't have the cash I don't buy something. I fix up my stuff in moderation. I don't think someone should break the bank or borrow money just to mod a car.

 

Part of it comes down to having the money and wanting to be different. If you have the cash now and you want something, why not buy it? If you're going to complain later about having bought it, then it's a bad idea and you own stupid fault. But most people who plan mods early, or even before they get the car, actually do research into which things they want. I have compared the drop levels myself on the different springs out for the tC, to see which would be the most appropriate for my plans. I chose the TRD because I plan (sometime) on buying new 18's and the other aftermarket drops it about 1.5 to 2.5 inches, in which case I won't have enough safe clearence. To me, planning ahead to minimize wasting money soulnds like a GOOD idea. I just ordered the car last weekend, but I have a bunch or stuff already picked out. I don't have the money right now, but I do have plans.
Also, the comment on why not wait for a "better car?" Most people don't drop 4-5,000 in to a car a month after they get it. It's usually a multi-year process. So answer this - would you rather have a car for 17K now, or a car for 24K four years from now?