For most of us, owning a car is a practical necessity driven by the need to get to work on time, drop the kids off at school or get the week’s shopping home in one piece.
But for some people, owning a car is much more than that. It becomes a hobby, a fascination and sometimes an obsession.
The need to have the best car around – and even more importantly to have created or customized it yourself – can become overwhelming. Cars are many things to many people but if you want to own a true show car, be prepared to spend a pretty penny getting there. Show cars come in all shapes and sizes but they all have some defining characteristics. Read on for a list of the must-do modifications for any aspiring show car owner.
Most owners will rip out the original car seats and replace them with a sportier version. Bucket seats are a popular choice and are made by a variety of manufacturers so you should be able to find a price that fits too. Porsche GT-3 style seats are also popular but will set you back more than $200 each. Nothing freshens up a car more and changes its appearance than a new paint job. If you want to be eye catching you should invest in metallic colors or even better, flip paint.
Flip paint will appear to the naked eye to be changing color as the car passes. This illusion can be very attractive but one liter[LJ1] of the paint will cost you around $160.
Another trick to getting your car ready to show is lowering the suspension; this will give your vehicle a more aerodynamic and stable look.
You can do this by removing the springs and replacing them with lowering springs – bear in mind these are not adjustable – or coilovers which are more expensive but can be adjusted.
You should also consider replacing your existing exhaust system with one which gives less gas-flow restriction. This will result in a louder and deeper sound and will even improve performance. If you are going to spend all of this money on improving your car you need to make sure that there is no area that will let it down.
If there are any chips or cracks in your auto glass get them repaired immediately. Depending on the work that needs done there are a variety of auto glass prices available so you needn’t break the bank.
If you still have money left over it is time to work a bit more on the inside of your car. The internal area of a vehicle is becoming more and more important. Having the latest in-car entertainmentreally gives your vehicle kudos. At the very minimum you should consider upgrading your stereo and speakers.
Of course this is not an indefinite list of car modifications that can be carried out. There are many more that you might like to consider once you’ve had a bit of practice and know exactly what you want your vehicle to look like.
Bruce Giles writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
