No more mods for me

[Blackhawk3D]

I've been on the fence a bit, especially since I got my new springs I was really liking the camry, but one of my rich friends got a STi for graduation and gave me a ride in it, and I've decided I want a car that was meant to be sporty to begin with. I love the way my car rides now, but I've decided that for anything else it's just going to be too difficult/time consuming/expensive. I was looking at my car today and all the little things wrong with it, I would be better off getting a better Camry if I wanted to do anything, the body has many small, mostly unnoticable dents (From leaning on it etc.) that would have to be taken care of if I did anything to the paint, the motor has over 100k on it, so anything big will need a rebuild, and the interior is starting to get a little worn looking (Buttons are scratched off, carpet is looking old, seats have ciggy burns from my grandma etc.) I've just kind of woken up about my car. I love it for what it is, and it has been good to me, but for modding, I'm going with something else. I'll still be around on here until I'm driving something else though, so I'll still help anyone out who needs it.

[Keep]

Would you br parting-out and going back to stock?

[hassanbigboss]

Originally Posted by Blackhawk3D

I've been on the fence a bit, especially since I got my new springs I was really liking the camry, but one of my rich friends got a STi for graduation and gave me a ride in it, and I've decided I want a car that was meant to be sporty to begin with. I love the way my car rides now, but I've decided that for anything else it's just going to be too difficult/time consuming/expensive. I was looking at my car today and all the little things wrong with it, I would be better off getting a better Camry if I wanted to do anything, the body has many small, mostly unnoticable dents (From leaning on it etc.) that would have to be taken care of if I did anything to the paint, the motor has over 100k on it, so anything big will need a rebuild, and the interior is starting to get a little worn looking (Buttons are scratched off, carpet is looking old, seats have ciggy burns from my grandma etc.) I've just kind of woken up about my car. I love it for what it is, and it has been good to me, but for modding, I'm going with something else. I'll still be around on here until I'm driving something else though, so I'll still help anyone out who needs it.

I wouldnt waste modding my Camry either man......they are really nice cars....I love my car....BUT....I envy all the people riding around in their nice luxury cars that have some nice power too....however, I cant do anything about it right now....as a college student I am broke most of the time....but once that degree gets in my hand....I am buying whatever my heart wishes.... So yeah man....dont waste money on the Camry...rather start collecting your money and buy something nice....I wish you best of luck...PEACE

[Blackhawk3D]

No, all I have is tokicos+intrax. I can't stand to drive a poor handling car...

[RichieRichJP]

Heh, for less money you can turbo a camry faster than half the cars on the market... so whatever. I'd rather mod a car not many ppl have modded and stick out than to have a car everyone, or a lot of people have

[Blackhawk3D]

How do you figure? All the guys on here have either spent $$$ or blown motors/had negligible HP gains.

[Svanzy Ya]

meh im only 18 and im real happy wiht what ive got for my first car
its good for school and in the near future but as hassanbigboss says, i will save and spend some money on a car with some good performance
im just making ground here being the only one in my area wiht a nice Camry hehe
im a pretty realistic guy, and i know my Camry which isnt bad looking, and is different form all the civics and cheap shit rolling around in my town
my Camry will do for now but eventually i want a Supra or a better Toyota, since i wouldnt drive anything else yay
if a wanna go crazy (and maybe broke) a want a Toyota Soarer or Lexus SC400 (very beautiful cars)

[Blackhawk3D]

I love my car, but sometimes I wonder if anything more is worth it. If I get enough scholarships my parents have offered to buy me a new car or fix mine up real good, and I'm still on the fence as to which way I want to go. The whole shock of his car has worn off now, and I'm feeling a little better about the camry, but I would still love to get a car that's "cool." I love being different, but sometimes I want a car that people will think is cool you know?

[Eye8Pussies]

^ then start working and put more time and money into your car

it's unfortunate that in the end it takes money to play, but by doing all your own work, then it's really only parts. If you do things right, you'll have a fast and good looking car, and better yet- totally unique.

my car may not be an sti or some sort of expensive car, but people really like it, both in looks and performance, and I get even more respect for doing all the work (short of bodywork) myself. At the moment, the car is already fast enough to keep up with 75% of the new cars out there, and within a month, I'll be faster than 85% with my tranny swap. Then a month later with more boost and some other goodies, I'll be faster than 95% of them.

And all the while looking good, at that


but by the same token, I understand your dilemma- most of us are fairly happy keeping your cars mainly because it didn't take much (or any) work to get back to pristine condition in the first place, so our only job is to make it fast and less family-ish. But if you have to fix body + interior just to bring it up to par, then it's a bit of a debate. You very well may be better off buying another camry in better conditon and newer as well.

[fox_prime]

Originally Posted by Blackhawk3D

I love my car, but sometimes I wonder if anything more is worth it. ... but sometimes I want a car that people will think is cool you know?

^Yea true, but it also means that you really don't have to get a different car. IMO, the Camry owners on TN are all unique. Everyone's got their different taste and such...and if you take a lot of pride of the work that you put into your car, you can really appreciate your car. The more "visioned" Camry you work for, the more people will admire your car. I usually get good comments nearly every month while I'm on the road. I remember one said, "hey those are some sweet clear corners, where'd you get them??" I'd respond, "eBay!!" LOL

But if you're gonna go turbo, just hope you don't get pulled over by a cop here in CA. You can only get by with good contacts.

You're not the only one who hit the limit. I've hit my bottleneck now since I'm out of mods to do. I wish I could post up pics of my 2-toner, but only after my finals =\

[Blackhawk3D]

Okay, Eye's comments have totally restored me haha. I was actually thinking about it last night after I logged off and, I'm perfectly okay with being different. The only problem for me is that the car is partly special because my grandma gave it to me when she died, so I am afraid that if I get a different one the magic will be gone you know? None of the body work would be bad, it's hardly noticable (Except for the fact that it's gold haha). The interior just looks like a 96 car would by this time, I'm sure with a little effort I could make it look great. Do you think that cutting out a section of carpet and splicing in a new piece would look okay if done right? The main bad area is that plastic pad right under the pedals.

Also, I am thinking of doing a swap this summer, would the 1mz be the best way to get some good performance? I like the 5S-GTE idea because it wouldn't need modification of the engine mounts, and it would be unique.

[Toy_Dreamer]

Originally Posted by hassanbigboss

I wouldnt waste modding my Camry either man......they are really nice cars....I love my car....BUT....I envy all the people riding around in their nice luxury cars that have some nice power too....however, I cant do anything about it right now....as a college student I am broke most of the time....but once that degree gets in my hand....I am buying whatever my heart wishes.... So yeah man....dont waste money on the Camry...rather start collecting your money and buy something nice....I wish you best of luck...PEACE

yeah i would have to agree with you on this one. It's nice to mod cars and what not, but it's a camry not a eclipse. stupid money.

[ECale3]

Glad to hear your faith is restored blackhawk. You would be amazed the kind of attention a modded camry gets. I've been complemented by guys driving modded mustangs, modded G35's, and modded s2000's. Even people who aren't into cars notice and compliment mine. The crazy part is, my car isn't even finished, its got all kinds of dings, dents, and scratches from people who don't respect other people's belongings. I can only imagine the reation i'd get if my car matched my vision for it. Besides how fun would it be to have a camry fast enough to eat a couple of people who say "the camry isn't worth modding, blah blah blah..."

As far as your question in regards to future mods, i would go the 1mzfe route in your position. More power out of the box and more power potential. The 5SGTE option only works if your 5SFE is a 94 or older IIRC, so if yours is not then forget it, because cali emissions doesn't allow you to install motors older than the one in your car stock (unless you're feeling brave and gonna say the hell with emissions I was hunting for smog shops that would pass me after i went turbo for a good price before i left Cali).

Either way the 1mz is a more powerful option for the money. Plus the upside on a 1MZ is much greater than your average turbo four if you go the modding route. You'll find 300+ ponies much quicker modding a 1mz versus a 5sfe.

Of course i say all that and i'm going to turbo my 5sfe :p I guess all i really can say is do what makes you happy.

[RedPhoenix]

unfortuantly i did sell my car for an easier to mod car.

my car however was pristine for the most part. it was also turbo'd at some point. do I regret it? yes and no. i learned so much by making ti faster, but it still was ONLY 160whp, which honestly, isnt really that fast.

you gotta pay to play, and thats what I do in my new car. everything is expensive.

you just gotta do what your heart desires. you just dont want to be to the point where you put so much into your car and now you will get NOTHING back. like allen's car.

i really dont know where i was going with this... hm

[rice]

welcome to the "woke up" club, I learned about this 2 years ago when I first got my corolla, I got it for a reason, dependable and good gas mileage, not for racing or "go fast".

true sports car, sorry to say are RWD or AWD.