Budgeting my Corolla Upgrades - Need Pro Advice

[adamjackson]

So, my 2010 Corolla is still stock and I've been shopping around with options. I am thinking of going mostly TRD on some things so I don't void the warranty at least for the first 3 years, it's worth keeping the warranty good and not screwing myself.

I guess, I'm just curious what everyone has dumped into their cars with enhancements (ballpark figures).

I'm a single guy and make 6 figures up here in New Hampshire so I really have almost zero expenses. I just don't want to invest too much and then, for example, have a wreck and insurance not cover 10 grand in aftermarket changes to my ride or have it stolen.

Also, when I sell it, I'll probably be selling it to an enthusiast so I have to sell it higher based on what I've put into it. It's just I'm new to this sort of stuff and really looking to get my hands dirty.

So, how much have you put into your car? Have you sold a car you've done heavy modding to? Any tips for insurance, dealing with warranties and other things that come up?

Thanks guys. You've all been really helpful! Happy to be a new Corolla owner.

[TFCommanderBob]

Warranty is not voided by adding any aftermarket parts, regardless of brand. The only way they can get you is if they can prove that whatever the problem is was caused by your part.

If you tell your insurance company about your aftermarket additions, they should cover them.

Aftermarket parts don't raise your selling price significantly. Often it limits your possible buyers to the point where you get less interest and end up having to negotiate more. I would expect to get somewhere between %20-50 return on upgrades.

I'm only an audio modder, so I can't dive into the fun part of your request

[WindyCityPilot]

Springs - ~$175
Front Sway Bar - ~$175
Rear Sway Bar - ~$150
Wheels/Tires - $800 and up
Intake - ~$300 to $400
Exhaust - $150 to $350

There are other mods but those seem to be the most common.

I dropped mine on Eibach springs, installed the TRD FSB, TRD RSB, UR Upper Rear Sway Bar and will be getting some wheels and summer tires...probably keep my stock wheels for winter use.

That's about it for me. I figure I'll be at around $2000 once all done.

[thestone11]

Originally Posted by TFCommanderBob

Warranty is not voided by adding any aftermarket parts, regardless of brand. The only way they can get you is if they can prove that whatever the problem is was caused by your part.

If you tell your insurance company about your aftermarket additions, they should cover them.

Aftermarket parts don't raise your selling price significantly. Often it limits your possible buyers to the point where you get less interest and end up having to negotiate more. I would expect to get somewhere between %20-50 return on upgrades.

I'm only an audio modder, so I can't dive into the fun part of your request

I wouldn't tell insurance company about any modification at all, they may refuse your policy or end up charging you more.

[adamjackson]

Originally Posted by thestone11

I wouldn't tell insurance company about any modification at all, they may refuse your policy or end up charging you more.

I already feel like I'm paying A LOT more for insurance on this thing than ever before. It's my first car with less than 200K miles on it so I guess I've been lucky to have old crappy cars before.

I'll do more research. Perhaps call up their general "new customer" line and ask the questions about modifications to see if their policy prices go up. I'm with Progressive.

It's one of those, "now that you're calling us to ask about it, we're just gonna raise your policy price" I don't want that to happen.

Originally Posted by WindyCityPilot

Springs - ~$175
Front Sway Bar - ~$175
Rear Sway Bar - ~$150
Wheels/Tires - $800 and up
Intake - ~$300 to $400
Exhaust - $150 to $350

There are other mods but those seem to be the most common.

I dropped mine on Eibach springs, installed the TRD FSB, TRD RSB, UR Upper Rear Sway Bar and will be getting some wheels and summer tires...probably keep my stock wheels for winter use.

That's about it for me. I figure I'll be at around $2000 once all done.

That's exactly what I needed. I'll start with these + the new audio system and then tweak from there. Thanks!

[corolapete]

Nice car. Same color as mine. can't wait to see what you do with the car.

[nate89]

Originally Posted by adamjackson

I already feel like I'm paying A LOT more for insurance on this thing than ever before. It's my first car with less than 200K miles on it so I guess I've been lucky to have old crappy cars before.

I'll do more research. Perhaps call up their general "new customer" line and ask the questions about modifications to see if their policy prices go up. I'm with Progressive.

It's one of those, "now that you're calling us to ask about it, we're just gonna raise your policy price" I don't want that to happen.

Don't tell your insurance about the mods. In the event of an accident or something just do your best to put everything back to original and then let the insurance haul it off. If its just getting repaired, you have nothing to worry about.

[ilikebass7]

Debadge ,get led tails or red out your tails. Buy struts and springs and other suspension mods including bars. get tint and new wheels/tires. i am one of the few Barcelona Red Metallic corollas on here that has many mods. Kniterider had plenty but his car sadly recently got totalled. if you need any pictures of my ride for ideas on cosmetic mods and how they will look just run through the photo thread!

best of luck. i probably have spend about 1500 or less on my car

[adamjackson]

Originally Posted by ilikebass7

Debadge ,get led tails or red out your tails. Buy struts and springs and other suspension mods including bars. get tint and new wheels/tires. i am one of the few Barcelona Red Metallic corollas on here that has many mods. Kniterider had plenty but his car sadly recently got totalled. if you need any pictures of my ride for ideas on cosmetic mods and how they will look just run through the photo thread!

best of luck. i probably have spend about 1500 or less on my car

Good tips and pleasure to meet you.

I may PM you at the start of june with some questions.

I have a month long trip to Europe coming up for work then I'll be spending the summer in my garage customizing it.

My list of thigns to order is growing.

[ChancreScolex]

Are you more interested in cosmetic or performance mods?

Some of the most popular mods are tint, rims, and lowering. There are mega threads on rims and lowering that have TONS of useful info. They list all the springs available for our cars, the drop measurements of each, and prices. Make sure you check your local tint laws before you consider tint though.

As far as suspension goes, there are tons of bars that will stiffen the chassis and greatly improve the handling. Jim (superchargedMR2) has every TRD and Ultra Racing bar so if youre considering any of those, hes a wealth of information.

For an audio overhaul, you can expect to spend approx. $1000 for a new HU, speakers, subs, an amp, and all the necessities to install (if you do it yourself. There are also DIY guides on here for that as well).

There are lots of other little mods that most of us do in between the bigger mods to get our fix . I just updated my garage (link in sig) with just about everything Ive done to my car with a couple pictures. You can get some ideas from there. You should also check out the rims thread, the "pictures of your corolla" thread, and "what did you do to your corolla today" thread for some other great ideas.

[adamjackson]

Originally Posted by ChancreScolex

Are you more interested in cosmetic or performance mods?

There are lots of other little mods that most of us do in between the bigger mods to get our fix . I just updated my garage (link in sig) with just about everything Ive done to my car with a couple pictures. You can get some ideas from there. You should also check out the rims thread, the "pictures of your corolla" thread, and "what did you do to your corolla today" thread for some other great ideas.

Both. Although, i have to admit I don't have "style" or the means to do stuff that I'm sure people except me will find stylish. Performance first because how it drives is what I care about.

I've been lurking in those threads to get some inspiration. Lots of tips.

[pinoyesv6]

I have over $1600 dropped into my suspension alone. With that said, my insurance company knows about the mods done to my car and its like an additional like $2 a month to cover my mods. I'd be screwed if something happened and some parts needed to be replaced out of pocket.

If you're gonna sell your car, I will say this, you will lose money with mods. You might have spent $200 on an intake but a buyer isn't going to tack on $200 to the price because of it. If anything, you might have to part the car out or lower your price because the car is modded. I personally wouldn't buy a modded car but if I did, i'd probably buy it for a price lower than an unmolested car.

[adamjackson]

Originally Posted by pinoyesv6

If you're gonna sell your car, I will say this, you will lose money with mods.

So, in your opinion, am I better off ripping off some things and selling on eBay as used for 50% less than I would be trying to sell it with the car?

Just keep OEM parts in my garage and stick 'em back on when I sell?

[pinoyesv6]

Originally Posted by adamjackson

So, in your opinion, am I better off ripping off some things and selling on eBay as used for 50% less than I would be trying to sell it with the car?

Just keep OEM parts in my garage and stick 'em back on when I sell?

you can try to sell the car as-is to save the hassle of reverting the car stock but im sure if you buy good parts, you'll have a feeding frenzy here on the forums if you part it out.

just note that selling a modded car limits your market.

[FlawedLegacy]

I did a breakdown of all my mods about 5 months back... it was insane then at about $250/month on mods (not including car payment), hope that has gone down some.... lets give this a try:

Mods:
Cold Cathode Trunk Lights $12
Cold Cathode Floor Lights $24
DeBadged $0
Bungie-Trunk (to help it open further upon keyless entry) $2
35% Charcoal Tint (Front, Rear, Back, Windshield strip) $175
Weather Tech Window Vents $100
Custom Fit Eyelids $50
Magnaflow Muffler with Double-Wall Exhaust Tip $120
Roof Spoiler $75
Lip Spoiler $50
TRD Springs $175
Fog Lights Added $85
Custom AC Insulation $15
Kenwood 2-Way Rear Speakers $25
Lo-Glow Rear Toyota " T " Logo in White (removed) REFUNDED
Enkei RS7 17" Rims (custom painted with TRD resin decals) $300
LED Plate Lights $4
LED Map Lights $4
LED Reverse Lights $8
LED Dome Lights $12
DDM Tuning 35w 4500k HID Fog Lights $45
DDM Tuning 35w 4500k HID Low Beam Lights $45
Custom Painted Color Matched front Calipers (MGM) $10
Custom Gas Shock Hood Damper system $10
Custom Lip Splitter $20
Pivot 3 Throttle Controller $125
Color Matched Mud Flaps $50
Luminics Pure Blue High Beam lights $45
Red out tails $5
Husky Weather Beater Floor Mats (Front and Back) $80
Takeda Retain Short Ram Intake $175
OBD II Splitter for OBD II Bluetooth Adapter and Pivot Throttle Controller $13
'98-'00 Honda Accord Type R Front Lip custom fit $0 -a friend loves me
Custom made Front Strut Brace $25
Removable Decal Windshield Banner $5
Side Mirror "Rainproof Blades" $4
Smoke Reverse Tail Lights $8
Black Side, Front, Rear Pinstriping $12
Black Out Front and Rear T Logos $5

So... I'm sitting at $1,918.00 = ~$148/month


I too have all of my stock parts, should I get into an accident, back to stock she goes for the next Corolla.