Modifications, not Moderators
Let's be honest about this we are all just pouring money down the drain aren't we?
I recently bought a MY00 for £12,500 spent £1k at Powerstation getting the handling /brakes sorted, almost another grand when you include the fitting & VAT for a complete H&S exhaust, £50 for a new filter, £100 for clear indicators and silver bulbs, £65 for new Samco hoses, Thank God it came with 17" alloys otherwise that would have been another grand with tyres.
I have it in my head that I need a SECS with Oil & Temp sensors another £600, I've also got BR Developments on my shoulder whispering in my ear to get a custom ECU map and a 3 port boost solenoid all for the measley sum of £900 with the VAT.
See what I mean, if I sold this car next week I'd get no where near this money back.
I think Imprezas should come with a government health warning.
The high insurance and servicing costs I can live with that's part and parcel of owning such a car, but mods, what is the point?
Convince me?

 

I can't. All I can say is if you like your scoobys with more to start with, either buy an imported STI (preferebly a TypeR) then you won't have to do many mods. Or buy one thats already modded to your tastes.

I bought a TypeR and the only mods I'll be doing is a set of 18's and a dash mounted tripple pod setup. Everything else is already to a high enough standard.

 

Mods are almost as important as servicing... see somthing, get it.... if you don't get it you'll only get it next week. If you have the bug no amount of sense will save you.

 

mods are what makes your car special to you, everyone likes something different and if your not happy with the acceleration of the car its the only way to better it, you could always leave your impreza bog standard and see how long it takes you to get bored with that. NOT long i would expect took 1 week for me.

 

cars are not worth it.

but what else would you do with the money ?

wine women & song ?

mmm dont sound too bad to me

my escort is worth more now it has been modded than if it was standard

My WRX does not owe me any money so spending some on it does not bother me.

the wifes people carrier has been modded , Max power stickers, now worth twice what she paid for in april

 

....Well theres no point being the 'Richest bloke in the graveyard'

Jon...thats what i tell myself,anyway

 

That's it for me, no more mods (famous last words)
I could have bought a brand new WRX for the money I've spent on this car

 

John,

Personally I feel they are, when you can buy a basic model spend a few grand and you have a Ferrari beating car.

Well worth it.............

 

LOL @ Xtreeme Scoobies when I clicked your profile
You are excluded from this debate as you might be slightly biased as mods are your bread & butter

 

Which would be an ideal car once the exhaust is sorted out and the ECU is tweaked to give a little more and the understeer corrected

 

I'm the wrong man to ask as I'm starting down that road again!!

My previous car was very fast, but there were lots of modifications, some for comfort, some for performance, some for monitoring and some for just pure tarty appeal!!!

I could have bought a brand new Porsche Boxster, instead of the car and the modifications!

I guess the question is, do you want an open top hair dressers car, or something that kept Porsche C4's and Ferrari 355's in check!!

[Edited by Andy Tang - 5/29/2003 9:20:25 AM]

 

Mods that do nothing = max power and pointless

Mods that make a difference = worth it to you, but not when you sell.

 

IMHO, the best mod is to make sure you can drive the thing properly - go on a decent driving course and reap the benefits

It's one mod you won't have to sell when the car goes.

OK, it's dull, but it seems to work.

 

This is my justification for the money I have spent so far...

I love the look of the MY99/00, the only thing it needed when it came out of the factory were 17" alloys, clear indicators, and that horrible orange wedge colour coded. All have now been done and not a penny more will be spent on looks.

Engine needed a full de-cat and air filter to free up some power, Brakes & intercooler hoses upgraded to compensate for this.
Handling was good out of the box, but only due to the AWD. A visit to Powerstation sorted this out, I will not bore you with the details but at least £750 spent on suspension.

So that is really where most sensible people stop modding, once they've sorted the important things out.
But what I am having trouble justifying are are the add-ons eg: SECS data monitor, Driving lamps, Turbo timer, ICE, new headlight bulbs etc etc, the list goes on. Are these just a waste of money and what other usefull mods could I invest this money on instead?
Cheers

 

John

The PIAA driving lamps were by far the best mod I spent any money on and the cost of these can easily be justified when you see the way it turns nightime into day Brilliant and you must go and buy them NOW

 

its done because its fun & we enjoy it, not because we'll ever see our money again, same as beer & **** holidays & stuff, we mod our cars as a bit of a hobby & we enjoy the buzz of trying out the mod for the first time when its fitted etc/

 

Elmer and Met have got it right. The idea is to make an outstanding car go just that bit better, or even a lot better depending on what you are prepared to spend and how much reliability to sacrifice. if you want to make it look different even though it does nothing for the performance, so what! As long as you get fun out of it. I personally like the thought of making it run more efficiently and getting some more perfomance of the type I want from the car as well.

If you are talking about getting pleasure out of your ownership of the car then you have to forget about how much money you will get back if you sell it. Nothing is for nothing. Worship the car not money and you will be a much happier chap

Les

 

just read my prev post again & i didnt mean **** holidays! no that homosexuals dont spend a lot of money on holidays of course, i actually meant ****(cigarettes) AND holidays & not Holidays for Homosexuals. anyway i'll stop digging now......................

[Edited by met - 5/29/2003 10:57:44 AM]

 

Subaru will have chosen each car's spec to be the best compromise for most owners. Each mod will probably make the car worse in one way at the same time as making it better in another e.g. more power will probably decrease engine life and fuel economy, better handling gives a worse ride.

If you're happy with the trade-off then it's worth it. Personally, I don't like to risk spending a load of cash on making my car worse ;-)

 

Or another view:

Subaru will have chosen each car's spec to enable them to build the car down to a price to compete in their chosen market sector, often comprimising performance and ability.

 

I've just spent £150 on a Scooby sport Down pipe and £50 getting it fitted and can honestly say it's the best £200 I've ever spent

 

For me Mod's is another name for fireworks, a little more fun, longer lasting, but still burns away your cash....

or mechanical crack ;-).....


M

 

I wonder how differently peoples spending habits would be if Scoobynet didn't exist?
This place is the spark to a raging inferno.
But I like it


[Edited by john coffey - 5/29/2003 9:18:38 PM]

 

:-)

 

Do mods make sense?
...of course not! We do it because we want to, and because we can. Accept that it's an expensive hobby, not merely a means of transport - and you'll sleep better at night. Poorer, but (hopefully) with a less conflicted conscience!

 

it all makes sense the first time you see a TT225 going backwards in your mirror as you give him some Cusco ans AP around a corner..................well worth 4k of handling mods,to see the smug smile disappear off his face

 

Can't see anything wrong in that

Les