Time to make a move to something else..

tough time deciding to go stock or spend the extra money and let someone else eat the extra money on mods?

If it's done right, can it be truly reliable?

what's your take on it?

2/7/2011 12:18:32 PM

you gonna sell the rally car?

2/7/2011 12:23:37 PM

his rally car is the money maker.

cant sell that.

2/7/2011 1:00:50 PM

define 'highly'?

the ones that are done right are usually the ones that you pay for the cost of the mods regardless, from what i've seen in the diesel truck world.

2/7/2011 1:44:35 PM

dont

2/7/2011 1:51:16 PM

Yeah my rule of thumb is ecu.

If the ecu and it's wiring is al hacked up... No way will I touch it.

If it was re wired with a harness by a pro then ok... But no hack jobs.

2/7/2011 2:01:13 PM

My GTO isn't really highly modified, but even with the mods it has it has been slightly annoying.

Tracking down parts or warranties in the case of a problem (ala my shifter and air intake).

Fixing things that were kinda half done (such as getting my fenders rolled ended up costing me a lot more than i expected)

I'm still not 100% sure about the tune from RPM, I should probably take it back for a re turn as I think it was tuned with an exhaust leak.

Plus you never know if they cut corners unless they really provide documentation (I won't buy a car with an after market stereo unless i see how its wired up).

Again just my singular experience, the parts and everything they put into this car are all top notch for the most part, just seems like its better if you know exactly whats going on.

I would have loved to go for a boosted one, but frankly it seems like they are all rolling disasters, and the chance that they didn't boost the piss out of it at some point and seriously shorten the life of something you can't see seems to be an always present thing.

Even with mine, I checked over it quite a bit to re assure myself it hadn't been on the bottle and then had it covertly removed.

2/7/2011 2:11:35 PM

Having bought several already modified cars, I can tell you that even if it's been put together well it may not be what you personally want. After a while you want a different exhaust, or different suspension, or you dislike some exterior modification the previous owner did. So the money saved starts to disappear when you become dissatisfied with the car even if there isn't that much actually wrong with it.

The more straight-up custom work on the car the less likely you are going to be happy in the long run, especially if it has a bunch of custom wiring. Be VERY careful of cars that have aftermarket alarm systems and remote starts. Those can be some of the biggest headaches and there is a huge potential for a novice to screw something up. Often the owners who are most proud of the work they did are the ones who did the worst jobs...

2/7/2011 2:36:01 PM

keeping the rally car, dumping my '08 prelude type R

what i mean by highly modified is a clean, lower mileage, car, that's already been built and tuned by a reputable shop. No hack jobs, or projects. something that's already finished, where the seller needs the money or just wants to move on.. perhaps like an 07 or 08 that the engine's been rebuilt, turbo replaced, professionally tuned, maybe FMIC, wider tires and wheels, big brakes, tuned suspension, bushings replaced... (that shit adds up and some of it is a pain in the ass to do)
not a show car, just a stout build
something with lots of pictures and receipts and documentation..

I've never really had a car thats deviated much from a stock car


just wondering what to expect

2/8/2011 12:19:16 AM

Well that's the thing about buying a heavily modified car. It's a case-by-case basis. Expect the unexpected as they say. Sometimes the "clean shop built" ones are the worst ones. The car is only as good as the skill of the guy who actually did the installs (a shop's reputation doesn't guarantee you will get the best guy on your shit), the quality of the parts the owner was willing to buy, and the amount of time the technician actually spends on the vehicle.

It's like taking your engine to a shop for a high performance build. First you have to be sure that the guy who knows what he's doing is actually working on your motor. Then you have to make sure you're giving him the right parts. Then you have to make sure you are paying him enough that he is actually utilizing his skills and doing the job right. Lots of shops have trouble saying no to customers. So in order not to lose their ass they don't spend enough time on the build even though they are perfectly capable of doing it right, or they don't say "hell no" when the customer wants to use crap parts.

2/8/2011 12:27:42 AM

yah, I heard that

I know I want to mod the next car I get (that's what I'm buying it for), I just want to go ahead and buy something that already has the small stuff, even some of the bigger stuff I want done to it, taken care of

probably better off with a stock car and doing my own build, but like you guys said, it always costs way more than you actually think it will

2/8/2011 12:35:34 AM

What kind of car are you thinking about? If it's an Evo or WRX/STi, forget buying a modified one unless you simply can't afford it. Maybe exhaust at the most, but there is a reason why stock ones go for $Texas. It's worth every penny. My policy on those cars is not to buy if it doesn't have a stock airbox and OEM style paper air filter, with the turbo heat shield showing no signs of ever being touched. And you definitely don't want one that's ever had the ECU reflashed.

The completely stock ones still have probably been beat on a little bit (these are not Vette owners), but if the car has ever had bolt ons the odds of it having been drag raced or street raced are much higher. And Subarus don't tolerate dumbassery as well as Evos. Because free tuning software is available there are a lot of clowns who think they are tuners because they can download some map they found online. You don't run into this as much with Evos because they are more expensive and less common than turbo Subarus.

If you are talking about a built Corvette then there's a much better chance of it having been done right because there are plenty of trust worthy shops, Corvettes don't have turbos from the factory, and the owner is less likely to be a broke ass, a kid, or an idiot. Corvettes and Mustangs have so many different types of owners that they are another case-by-case situation.

If you are thinking about a Supra or a DSM well those are nearly impossible to find stock so get what you can find. 300ZX and 3000GT still have plenty of clean examples around (mostly from the later model years) and almost every NSX out there is still nice.

[Edited on February 8, 2011 at 12:59 AM. Reason : Supra]

2/8/2011 12:53:45 AM

looking at STi's

yah, that's kind of what I was thinking

lot's of "too good to be true" cars out there

I'll just have to be patient to sell my car and then be patient to find the right Subie

2/8/2011 1:07:03 AM

haha, i'm in the market for an STI as well.

check out this dealership, they're in hickory.

http://www.cosmomotorsonline.com/inventory.aspx?_vstatus=3,4,5&_new=true&_used=true&_special=true&_makef=subaru&_model=impreza+wrx+sti

2/8/2011 1:29:16 AM

http://www.cosmomotorsonline.com/detail-2004-subaru-impreza_wrx_sti-used-6467353.html

That's a pretty cool car....

2/8/2011 2:22:55 AM

If anyone gets the 04 I'll buy the stock wheels off you
- fool

2/8/2011 6:15:59 AM

^Check clist and nasioc. A couple sellers around.

Buy bigT's Sti for cheap. It's already got a rebuilt motor from the dealer.



[Edited on February 8, 2011 at 8:03 AM. Reason : ]

2/8/2011 8:00:03 AM

My friend bought his 2005 STi from Cosmo motors about 9 months ago. I went with him to look at it. It wasn't 100% perfect in every way but there was no way he was going to find anything nicer without going across the country or something. As I said, it still had a stock style air filter and the engine bay was completely undisturbed. It had 57k on it and he paid 21 grand. It drove great when he bought it and the guys at Cosmo were good to deal with.

Within 3 months the clutch went out and the turbo blew. 60k out of an original clutch on an STi is fine. The turbo blew because that is a common problem on those years. There is a filter in the oil feed line for the turbo that Subaru never should have put in there (they released a TSB about it). My friend didn't remove it in time.

2/8/2011 8:27:38 AM

<--- This guy has a better deal on an '08 STI than Cosmo will ever give you.

2/8/2011 9:04:15 AM

How much would you sell the 08 for?

2/8/2011 10:14:51 AM

yes, how much do you want for it? i know i lowballed you with my last offer but i'm curious now

2/8/2011 10:21:47 AM

So that's the blue book value for my mileage. I checked the premium wheels option because I have the BBS.

On top of that, I believe I have the most desirable color combination. Lastly, there is a brand new engine with a fresh paper trail.

2/8/2011 10:33:53 AM

I'll keep you in mind, gotta sell my car first though.

2/8/2011 12:38:08 PM