5 ways to save money pimping your ride

Modifying cars is a complete waste of money. There will always be something faster and better out there which is completely stock. So why do we pour all of our hard earned cash into this pointless past-time? Because it’s fun, and it’s what we enjoy, so we don’t mind spending a months wages on a set of coilovers. But modifying your car doesn’t necessarily have to be a complete money-pit. Here’s 5 tips on how you can save money while modifying your car.

1) Buy modified, sell stock

Buying a modified car can be a very risky business, but can be very profitable if you play your cards right. As a general rule, a £2000 modified car with £3000 of modifications will still be worth £2000. There are of course always exceptions, but for the most part, second hand cars hold their value better if they’re completely stock and in good condition. This is a bonus for you however - if you’re prepared to buy a car pre-modified, you could save hundreds or even thousands. If you don’t like the modifications, take them off and sell them to make even more money! The same goes for selling your car, you’ll get more money from selling a car as near as stock as possible and advertising your fancy wheels and exhaust separately than trying to sell it as one big package.

2) Forums are your friend

e-Bay is usually the first call for your aftermarket parts fix, but hold up. Manufacturer (or even better, vehicle) specific forums are usually jam packed full of second-hand parts for cheaper than the going rate on e-Bay. In addition, a lot of people on forums are willing to sell at a discounted rate if they know they’re selling to another forum member. For instance, I got £500 off the advertised price of my BMW just by contacting the seller through the forum! This obviously also applies to parts, and while not always guaranteed, forums are a great place to begin your cheap mod hunt.

3) Do as much as you can yourself

This is almost a no-brainer but can save you money in more ways than one. Obviously, if you can fit a modification yourself with the help of a mate and some beer, you won’t pay garage costs, but on top of that, you’ll know exactly how to remove that part later on. In addition, you’re more likely going to be able to mend the modified part if you know how you fitted it. Leaky shock? You’ll know exactly where the bolts are. Obviously don’t try anything way out of your comfort zone or skill level or you’ll end up with a broken car and a massive repair bill, but remember that a lot of modifications are do-able with some basic tools and a good how-to guide. Again with this point, forums are definitely your friend. These are full of people who’ve done the same mod you’re about to undertake and know the best way to undertake it. Recently, when my convertible roof motor decided to die, a forum member gave me their number and talked me through the process of removing the old motor over the phone. On top of this, another member (who unfortunately was at the other end of the country) offered to remove and replace the motor (usually a £600 job) for just a crate of lager!

4) Tyres are expensive to buy but worth very little

Tyres are both a necessity and a consumable part of your car. A good set of rubber can cost hundreds or even thousands depending on how much quality you want and how big your wheels are. Unfortunately, the minute you fit tyres to a wheel and drive home, they’re essentially worthless. However, you can capitalise on this. If you’re after a new set of alloys for you car, try to look for some with tyres. This is easier said than done as second hand wheels with tyres vary radically in the amount of tread left, their age, their size and the brand/quality, however if you find a set of wheels you like with good tyres, you could potentially save hundreds. The same goes for selling wheels. You might think that having £800 worth of rubber on your wheels just 3 months ago would easily boost the selling price by at least £600, but you’d be wrong. So it’s usually best to get as much out of your tyres as you can before selling any wheels on.

5) Finance your mods

This will be a very contentious point, i’m aware, but bear with me. We all know modifications can be extremely expensive, for instance a good set of forged wheels costing upwards of £1000. I know I couldn’t afford this and I dare say a lot of readers also couldn’t, which is where finance deals come into play. Many people finance their cars, have a phone contract and pay a mortgage so why not finance car parts? There are many companies that will offer some sort of payment plan on car parts, many being 0% so you don’t even pay any more money than if you’d have bought the part outright. Obviously, it’s important to be careful with finance deals and know you can afford the repayments but if you can’t stomach a single bill for your much needed mod, finance may be a viable option.

I hope you enjoyed this post and hope that my experiences with modifying cars has helped. Drop a comment or suggestion below if you liked this! #BlogPost