Really, I do want to understand. Is it to impress the ladies? Ego? Is it a matter of social class? Compensating for something? (thanks to "golly" for this one) or simply just a hobby??

Every time I see cars like these I can't help but wonder...wtf?
http://www.writerguy.com/primitive/i...s/wrx6wing.jpg
https://www.fitfreak.net/gallery/dis...album=6&pos=30
http://www.motiontrends.com/2006tm/m...othelle_fs.jpg
http://www.jrdtuning.com/maingallery/DSCF1440.jpg
https://www.fitfreak.net/gallery/dis...?album=7&pos=2 (I know this one is over emphasized)

...You get the point. Does the spoiler really make that much of a difference? There are no visual positives from them (overly large spoilers). They're ugly, particulary the ones held together by duck tape, and they just lead me to believe you're a speeder. Also, overly large wheels, I see cars with them all the time in the city. ... the city, what are they doing in the city? I can understand them for off road stuff, but sometimes you KNOW thats not what they were bought for. However, I don't want to focus on only spoilers and big wheels. I'm curious for the everything including bodykits, rims, etc. So please, explain.

women encouraged to comment. btw- This was inspired by the "Men vs Women - Who buys/drives the Fit" thread.

DISCLAIMER: This is not meant to offend anyone. Each to his/her own opinion. Also, I understand not all men fall into the category that I'm talking about. I would love to here their thoughts as well.

 

this is a really easy one to answer its just fun the end. ppl customize their cars because its fun and different from what everyone else has, annnnnnd its cuz that ish is tight foo!

 

Well, I guess we all are a little into street tuners and if the mod makes the car look sweet then it doesn't bother me. Some guy went by me yesterday with a Mercury sedan full blown spoiler - wing combination, vinyl on the side graphics and made me think Fast and Furious? If money were no object and there was a place around me that did this stuff my MR Sport would have CF spoiler, CF hood, CF rear mirror cover, black highlight housing, Buddy Club calipers (in red), Type C SSR rims, Sparco CF pedals, cold air intake system and a Greddy exhaust - can we all say broke! LOL

So I don't look at anyone down if they think something looks good on their car and it makes them happy. I will look at the unusal car that goes by me than a plain everyday rider. It reminds me of a Hot Wheel car - the boys always liked the Hot Wheel car with the most bling - they like the unusual and I don't pigeon hole a guy who is into that kind of car. I respect anyone who works to enhance the performance or just wants to make their car stand out on the street. I just want my boyfriend to know more about his ride than where to put the gas and doesn't mind if I want to stay home and watch the Speed channel! or hit a local car show for the entire day.

Cat :x

 

i build my car for ME.. its a hobby, I have fun doing it and that is all.

 

I'll weigh in, since I started the thread that inspired this one. For the record, I didn't intend the title to incite gender rivalry.

I lightly modify my cars...nothing overboard like some of the things the lady posted. Larger wheels, lowering springs, maybe an intake, and certainly some sort of stereo system, generally. IMHO, cars come from the manufacturers in the most generic way possible, to meet the needs of as many people as possible without necessarily making anyone completely happy. It's those mods we do after the fact that make the cars "ours" whether it be better handling, quicker throttle response, or even show-and-no-go.

You don't want to be at the dance with a dress just like that of another woman there, do you (horribly sexist stereotype, but since we're categorizing here it seems fair)? We don't want to be on the road with another guy driving the same car.

 

I enjoy tastefully modified cars. My fit is my first "tuner" ready car I've ever owned and I'm enjoying putting mods on it to be different and look good. I don't want a "base" looking car, but I also don't want a "ricer" looking car. I want to keep it somewhat stock looking as to not attract thieves as well. I like to have a few things different then everyone else when I go to a fit meet too, so that's where creativity comes in and, you can experiment with different things besides bolt on parts.

 

Haha, I've read a thread like this before on my350z. Most of the time, I only mod my car a little bit to "personalize" it more to my tastes. The fit will be very mildly worked on whereas my 350z is my track car. I do it for myself and only for myself. Most of the time, I don't even tell people I have a 350Z and just tell them I drive a beat up corolla (hachi). So for me, it's just my hobby I do to get away from thoughts of work and responsibilities. In a way, our car modding is sorta like a girl and shopping. My question would be, do you shop for yourself or is it to impress the men?

 

well, Im not a guy...but I might lend some insight.

it depends.

I had "riced out" my del Sol...it started out as wanting to personalize my car. (the car before I had covered in stickers, I didn't want to do that to the del Sol.) ...anyway, so I just put on a couple of dragon stickers...and then, with my ex's influence, I started ricing it out further as a hobby - I added a wing, an air intake, etc. etc....and then I got big dreams of having a show car which, of course, never came to fruit. at that point, I basically was dreaming of being able to take care of my car more than I really could...but I always dream big.

really though, it's a hobby. it's something to tinker with...and you can meet people that enjoy the same thing you do, and discuss ideas or other things.

I think some kids get into it to show off, or just because it's "cool." yeah, actually, there's plenty of those types. they shop to show off. but, those types are everywhere too...that's certainly not exclusive to cars!
~laughs~ ...and I've known some guys that do it to impress the ladies...to impress the guys. that's amusing.

...and then there's the over-the-top ones that get the NOS and all that stuff. I don't think I fully understand that...unless it's ego and/or adrenaline junkies. I'll let them explain that, since I don't know.

...and then worse, the ones that get the empty bottle of NOS so it looks like they have more than they actually do. I don't understand those either...maybe that really IS compensating? Idk.

no offense guys, lemme know what I got right and wrong.

~scratches head~ maybe I wasn't that much help...lol...

 

i think you've pretty much answered your own question. it can range from any of those reasons to all of them. it all depends on the person, different people do the same things for different reasons. for example: why do people buy Bentleys? some are freaking rich and just need to have nice cars for their job positions, like taking out partners and stuff. and others are actually dying in their own poverty but want to look rich and cool. or they can just be rappers, or probably a hundred other reasons. there's no one answer to your question.

 

+1 with me. I build my car the way I want it, not to show off or anything. A car is like your personality, no two are ever alike. Well i emphasize my personality with what i put on my car. The attention is just a bonus, people like what i do to my car so it gains attraction. I don't build the car to impress, it's just a hobby.

On the side note, I have no comment on the double spoiler.

 

haha, i'm so glad you brought this up. does anyone actually think those look good?

i mean no offense to anyone that does like them, but seriously, don't they look at these things before they put them on?

if i ever decide to heavily mod my fit (funds allowing) i would want it to look more sleek and put-together than "i was bored one afternoon so i just threw this on there".

 

I cant stand a big spoiler on a car, every time i see one i just think to my self, why put an ugly purposeless peice of weight on your car..But you usually see this stuff on like 1986 corrolas and stuff..I can appreciate a nicley modified car, with high quality parts on it, not 20$ dollar spoilers and little neon lights from Napa auto parts on your car.

If i had lots of $$$ i wouldnt have a Fit i would have a higher class(G37, BMW 335i) type car and i would leave it bone stock because Infiniti and BMW make a great sports car! But i have a Honda Fit, so i do want to get a few things just to enhance performace and maybe alittle bit of looks..Rims, a drop, exhaust, and intake would be the most i would do to the Fit. Hopefully down the road ill be able to get those things!

 

If I had a defenite answer to this thread then I would be a millionaire. No such answer exists, for the exact same reason that everyone has different tastes and different sized wallets and different DNA strands.

Why do people do this?? The reasons are a combination of everything stated so far. Its fun, its a way to stand out in the crowd, or it could be something as vain as trying too hard to be cool, or just someone with too much money and free time. Heck some of the modifications are even functional, so the argument that it improves the handling of the car can also be thrown in. One persons crown jewel can be another person's bad dream. I have seen some people's cars and would be honest and state that I wouldn't be caught dead in their cars, nothing negative but that car/style is just not for me, but I still give props to them because its not my place to tell them what to do with their cars and money. So the answer to the question as to why they do this, is because they can.

 

Hmm..I think it's just to look different rather than all the other cars roaming around on the street. But I also think that some people just like the big wings. x]

I mean, YEARS ago, cars that people call "riced out" nowadays was pretty trendy. Big bodykits were pretty popular. People nowadays are more into the subtle stuff, like lipkits and what not. Now, everyone is all into that whole JDM stuff, that, IMO is starting to turn "ricey" because EVERYONE has it. But hey, just my opinion. I think it looks nice too, don't get me wrong, but some people just take it to the extreme like buying anything that claims it's "JDM" just for that. I've met people who don't even KNOW what JDM stands for, and that, to me, is ridiculous. I had some guy tell me he liked a set of "JDM rims" made in CHINA. What kinda crap is that -_-

But yeah, just my two cents, don't kill me HAHA x]

 

^I agree the "tuner" world has changed over the years from huge wide body kits to more subtle smaller things...a few years ago when Fast and Furious came out i though wide body kits and neon under lights were the sh!t! I think Fast and Furious and Need For Speed the video game made the "tuner" thing what it was lol...

 

^ i agree times change. the mainstream dressing up of cars goes through trends like the fashion industry.

 

and just because it's trendy doesn't make it right

i kid, i kid.

 

Well... I can't say that I like doing that to my own cars and I'm not really fond of seeing that kind of stuff applied to other cars. But, after a few years of hating to see it everyday, I've just gotten the attitude of "meh, their issues with doing what I consider dumb to their cars."

Some of the cars I've owned/currently own, in no particular order. No good one of my Fit yet as my good camera is no longer with me.

My old 82 accord hatchback. Only real mod I did to this one was the fog lamps... they looked a bit ricey to me and friends... but damn did they help with seeing at night.


My 92 Dakota. I've done "upgrades" to this truck sure... like a 94 dakota door because the original one's bottom hinge busted, or the 96 dakota seat because the original one was beyond seat cover help. The fog lamps where a nice addition till I hit a bush in seattle that didn't like my passenger side one (don't have a updated front end shot yet). Also, I bought a canopy that looks great on the truck, but no shots of that either. Damn my loss of a good camera.


My 1983 Toyota Supra. Officially known has a Luxury Type. Mods that I'm doing to it. A 7m-gte/a340e swap. Which is the motor and tranny out of a mk3 supra (3rd gen, engine from a 1988 and tranny from a 1990. Both turbo vehicles. Tranny is an automatic). I've got 3 different sets of rims for it besides the stockers that you see in this pic. No real good pics of those yet. Other "mods" I've done to the car are, fix the fog lights, rewire fog lights to come on with "running" lights, remove the hideous aftermarket fogs that were previously installed, added headlight motors, fixed the headlamps... and a few other things that could have been fixed if previous owners had liked the car at all.

 

Research was done on this at International Auto Salon one year, a while ago, and my favorite one was:

Q: If the DC header on your B16 was found to have lost horsepower from stock, would you take it off?
A: Nope.
Q: Why not?
A: Chicks dig the pipes man!


I thought it was funny and figured I should share it.

That is NOT the way I feel, JR feels, or KraftWerks feels. Performance enthusiasts reflect a much different motivation behind modifying their vehicles.

-Oscar Jr.

 

I love how you have to put a disclaimer at the end even though everyone knows it's not how you think of the tuner market.