This site is about cars, not financial advice. That being said, let's talk about what he actually asked: what are the best mods he can do for $5000?

$250—AEM cold-air intake
$150—DC Sports strut bar
$750—Magnaflow catback exhaust system
$100—Magnaflow high-flow catalytic converter
$300—Pacesetter armor-coated headers
$100—RAZO pedals
$250—Sped-D Tuning halo projector headlights
$2000—good aftermarket rims and tires

save $2100 for engine internals and a turbo kit

This is what I have done or will do in the near future. I also have a sound system, but that is neither performance nor appearance. You can also tint your windows, but I can't suggest a price due to the fact that they vary from shop to shop. Installation is not necessarily included in these prices.

 

This is where you are wrong. It should be about both, which is why I answered both his questions.

It should be more about finances cause too many kids are getting money and just blowing it on car parts without regard to their credit, finances and future responsibilities. It should be about finances cause that's what modifying is all about...money. If car parts were free, this wouldn't be an issue but they aren't and money is just as much apart of modifying and cars just as a turbo or body kit is. They go hand and hand.

I wish I had someone to tell me **** like this when I was 17 and 18 years old cause it would have saved me so much headache 4 years later.

So yeah, I highly think finances should be part of it.

 

Finances are about using money on what is important to the person spending. That's my definition. Nowhere in that definition does it state that the person spending actually has the money. A lot of people spend money that they don't have. We take out loans for houses, college, bills, and cars. For some of us, these are more important than eating well (eating in general is still important) or driving fast.

As I understand this thread (I may misunderstand the thread too), the money is already in his pocket. The question is how to use it, not whether to use it. I completely agree with what you said about 18-year-olds blowing their money on stuff that really won't mean anything to them in the future. I don't want you to think I'm being hostile because you seem to have good advice and contribute a lot to this site.

I hope my posts didn't sound hostile. I just wanted to bring the thread back to it's original topic. I think we all got off-topic when we started talking about misusing money instead of what we do with our cars.

 

Not at all, you actually came off pretty pleasant and I appreciate that we can discuss this rather than argue. But yes, I agree with you as well.

And thank you for the compliment.

 

One other thing, the reason I kind of reacted the way I did is cause if someone needs to take out a loan for 5000 dollars, it's because they financially, more than likely, don't know how to save $5000 dollars or even have the capabilities to but they figure they can afford 100+ dollars a month to pay it back. This is where banks and loaners trick people and take advantage. I would be suprised if this guy is getting butt raped with interest, especially, if he's young.

 

ok, so im not going to be an as* but come on!! i took this loan cause i knew i could, i have to pay for nothing but my car , i am staying with my parents cause i want to, i do think it is terribly stupid to get an appartment and all this sh*t to go study, schools around here are as good as everywhere else and it ain't costing me a single penny ! i work full time and am joining the army , freeing a lot of income, also i do know how to save money believe it or not !!!! i was able to put down 6k on the balt, got over 3k in bank cause somethin might happen, i do know very well my incomes and my expenses and sorry if anyone gets offended but buying a house at 18 or even 20, or making a kid at this age is soooo damn stupid to me ... but to each his own... i do understand this is not just flamin,that all you're trying to do is make people realize things but some people already did ! i do know very well the importance of knowing how to spend your money, and im not looking for an all-out show car or a track beast !, just something that i will like to see in my driveway and that i will be able to drive everyday with a smile! and if that guy doesnt sponsor me at all, it will simply mean that every single part down there will be covered with sweat and efforts !!! which is to me much more worthy that a hundred stickers that force you to go to that or this car show or race... so sorry for this novel but i just had to explain the way i see things! but keep the ideas commin !

p.s. i actually got the loan for 4% interest which to me is very close to a good deal !

 

Enough Typing! You've had a whole day to shop -- what have you decided on so far?

 

see not all us teens are like when i was talking about how im going about using the 65K i got for being in an accidnet when i was 11. im getting a cobaltss, mods, a laptop, ps3/360 and i still will have 35k (ish) left and im only going to community college (by choice because none of the bigger schools have firefighting) and saving the rest for my move back to NYC. so some of us teens do think ahead.

 

NJHK i must say, you are a brillant person.. i feel the same exact way.. unless your car is going to become a trailor queen i wouldnt blow 5k in the car like that, i got my car for 14,235$ out the door.. thats what i wrote the check for, with that extra 5k i could have gotten a fully loaded 2.4. or a nice down panyment on a ss\sc but money was an issue... but there is not alot of performance mods available for our car yet.. sure u cane asily dump 5k in apearnce. rk sport cf hood and a cf trunk thats like 2200 shipped.... but i put some money into my car and for what? a daily driver.. go fast and get in trouble.. if my parents werent paying for my college i would have put the 4 grand i put into my car into my college fund.. and for the 4 grand i got like 10-20 hp.. but im telling you if this is the route u do decide to go and put this money into the car forget the turbo, u will have the loan paid off before a company comes out with it, hahn hasnt released there twin charge kit yet, and i believe were last on the list... so hate to say it, i would return the check as well.. think about ur future man.. 5k can be a good downpayment on a newer car in the future... or a little money down for a house.. and if u f- up ur credit score now say bye bye to all that

 

Thank you for the compliment.

 

Ok...but this comes back to common sense...

If you're so good at saving money, why are you taking money out from a bank so you can pay interest, when like you said, you have 3k in the bank and saving is NO issue for you?

 

cause as i said, this money is if sh*t happens ; is i get sick, if i have an accident, if i must go somewhere in emergency if car breaks and warranty isn't covering it etc, etc,etc... and at no cost i would mod with this money as i would be "naked" if anything goes wrong. and please NJHK i do understand your situation ( i read many of your posts) and i know it must'nt have been always easy but don't say you had no fun at all modding your car !!! you would'nt have finished it and you would'nt still be here with us !!!! and to me this is the part that is important : the fun factor !!! ( even though there's a lot of hard work behind it )

 

I wasn't referring to the money you had saved already. I was referring to your comment that you are very good at saving money and saving money is no problem. With that said, if you have no problem saving money...why not just be slightly patient and spend the money you have earned rather than being inpatient and having to pay back something later on plus interest.

As far as my enjoyment, yes, I enjoyed it BUT I would easily change how I did things as far as finances. I do plan on modifying again (currently looking for a project car for 2007) but I'm taking a much different approach to things than how I did with my Sunfire.

Having fun is fine and dandy but when you have to pay for things later on and it hurt you more than it helped, it's not worth it.

 

Why is the first freaking page of post about why he shouldnt take out a loan to mod his car? people on here are so stupid sometimes. he asked a simple question, if you arent going to answer his question dont post. I mean christ, is it affecting you that he took out a loan? JEEZE!

Ok now that im past my frustration with the control freaks on here, I had a ls, the SS wing made it look hell better! (check my sig or past threads for pics) The SS kit is always nice, maybe a nice catback because thats appearance and a mod, As for interior think about one of those Avic N2 indash tv/DVD that always looks pimp. Some nice rims if you dont already have some and get the car lowered some because the back sits high.

Even with all that thats not 5000$ worth of stuff but its a start. If you really want power, like SS/sc type of power or more, your going to need to go turbo, but that would suck up most of your funds. Id say get some basic bolt ons, along with strut bars and stuff for show and maybe even think about a 2-tone paint job ( if thats your style) they look great on these cars.

Hope that helps.

 

lolll just didn't had the guts to say it but that's quite how i feel : i may just have started saying that was money i saved up so i would have got only comments about mods... tnx for all the suggestions, i'm starting to get a vague idea of what it's gonna look like, so keep em commin!!!!!!

 

Asking for opinions is always going to bring on negative feedback. Starting a thread with "What do you guys think" or "What is the best"... will do it every time. Don't add anything that isn't necessary -- like you wrote shouldn't have metioned where the cash was coming from. Just do some research, read the posts on this site, scan the vendor's products and buy what strikes your fancy -- and then post some pictures. Just say "Here's my car this is what I did". Don't finish with "what do you think?". Just post it for display. You still might get some answers you don't want to read but don't take offense to it. Everybody doesn't think the same.

Besides, there's a lot of people who have done what you're doing so they feel the need to offer advice if it didn't go well for them. Now go out there and make your Cobalt what you want it to be and then post the results so we can Harp on it...

 

I say you should of bought a faster car from the start because it will take twice the amount of your loan to make your car go from quick catogory to the fast one. That being said I say blow it all on a audio video because that will hold its value a little better that mods. If you want to make something fast you have to buy something fast, All else is just rice IMO.

 

I rest my case.........

 

Well quite honestly, I think it's very good that people are responding about where he is getting his money from and from the responses, people responded in a very mature manner and wasn't necessarily trying to put him down but give him good advice, including myself.

The reason I said what I said was because I've been there and done that. It's one thing to just save your own money and do things like that rather than to "pay it later" plus interest. Finances are apart of modifying and people need to stop act like it isn't. This hobby can make or break you and people need to realize that.

And honestly, I wish there was someone to tell me things like this years ago so I wouldn't have lost control like I did (financially).

Like I stated before, if he's so good at saving money, save money to get what you want. Don't owe money to anyone, ESPECIALLY banks & creditors. I'll quote myself again, your car could be gone in a second but your credit score is there till you die!

 

 

bump for more suggestions and less finances!

 

I dont know how much it costs or the part number, but i do know that gmpp offers a crate LSJ... This may be something you should look into.
P.s. - I agree 100% with NJHK. You should rethink that loan man, or at least the amount... maybe kick it down to $2,500 or less.

 

Trade It Now Before U Loose All Equity !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

$5000 down + a $450 monthly payment will get you one of these



$5000 down + a $700 monthly payment will get you one of these





My Father-in-Law's garage and 05 Mustang GT

 

double post sorry

 

actually this money is a loan and is strictly for mods ... and what about 5000 in mods and 300/month for 8 months ????