What would you do to change the appearance of your car for $100?| Grassroots Motorsports forum |

Javelin UltimaDork
6/26/12 2:42 p.m.

I've decided that the 5 just isn't cool looking enough for me to schlep around in every day, but I don't want to spend more than $100 total in changing it.

Now:

I'm thinking some sandpaper, masking tape, and DupliColor wheel paint (the mis-matching silver drives me nuts), but Bronze or Gunmetal? Gloss Black maybe? Since I'll have the wheels off to do it the right way, I might as well unbolt the calipers and paint them, too (Blue? Red? Copper?).

After that I'm kind of at a loss. Part of me wants to do some eBay vinyl shopping for a bullet-hole (for the dent on the tailgate), some Rebel Alliance stickers, and a Millennium Falcon decal. Then maybe a couple of Mazdaspeed license plate frames and some GRM die-cuts.

The other part says build a front splitter and paint it black then find the factory foglights in a JY and install those with yellow tint then make some plexiglass covers for a race car looking nose.

Thoughts? Ideas?

What would you do to your car?

Sky_Render Reader
6/26/12 2:49 p.m.

Platidip the wheels. I'm not joking.

93EXCivic UltimaDork
6/26/12 2:50 p.m.

Tint.

Klayfish Dork
6/26/12 2:51 p.m.

Personally not a fan of painting factory wheels, it usually comes out looking Pep Boys. I'd say nice tint.

dculberson Dork
6/26/12 2:54 p.m.

$35 set of eBay coilovers

92CelicaHalfTrac MegaDork
6/26/12 2:55 p.m.

Tint and some LaminX

EvanB UberDork
6/26/12 3:00 p.m.

Red LaminX on the taillights.

Uncoiled Reader
6/26/12 3:01 p.m.

Cut your springs??

or find $100 springs...

motomoron Dork
6/26/12 3:06 p.m.

Every time I blow a Benjamin on a car lately it about covers one session of tire/pad/comsumable wear.

Revel in a car that's cheap to feed and doesn't actually ~need~ anything.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker UltimaDork
6/26/12 3:08 p.m.

Join NASA and the SCCA. Apply the stickers.

scardeal Dork
6/26/12 3:15 p.m.

Whatever you do to the wheels, do to the trim as well.

ReverendDexter UltraDork
6/26/12 3:19 p.m.

Tint the windows, plastidip the wheels, smoke/tint the headlights/taillights, find a set of RX8/MS3 takeoff wheels, find a set of MS3 takeoff springs/dampers/bars, get some "RACE SUPPORT VEHICLE" vinyl-cut decals...

You can't do all of those for $100, but I'm sure you could do one or two.

Derick Freese SuperDork
6/26/12 3:20 p.m.

Plastidip the wheels and grill black and remove the side molding. Red VHT Niteshades or LaminX on the tail lights. Move the front license plate down to the lower grill if it fits. You should be able to do all of that for less than $100.

Derick Freese SuperDork
6/26/12 3:22 p.m.

I'd also remove everything but the "Flying M" Mazda badge from the tail gate.

fasted58 UltraDork
6/26/12 3:31 p.m.

key my GP bumper to bumper.. but ya gotta hand over the cash first

ditchdigger SuperDork
6/26/12 3:39 p.m.

I can't stand black wheels so I vote no on the plastidip/black paint.

I do like the red tail light treatment. It removes the pep boys aftermarket look that the manufacturers started copying.

Javelin UltimaDork
6/26/12 4:03 p.m.

EvanB wrote: Red LaminX on the taillights.

Oooh, that looks good!!

Javelin UltimaDork
6/26/12 4:05 p.m.

Derick Freese wrote: remove the side molding

Ooh, that's a good free one!

JThw8 UberDork
6/26/12 4:09 p.m.

Javelin wrote: some Rebel Alliance stickers, and a Millennium Falcon decal.

Find a good vector format image (.ai or .eps format) of either of those and send it to me and you can have those without damaging your $100 budget

Javelin UltimaDork
6/26/12 4:10 p.m.

JThw8 wrote:
Javelin wrote: some Rebel Alliance stickers, and a Millennium Falcon decal.
Find a good vector format image (.ai or .eps format) of either of those and send it to me and you can have those without damaging your $100 budget

Soooo doing that! Thanks man!