rai

I have a S2000 with so far only mod being rear speakers and Hardtop (if you call that a mod).

I think it came pretty nice from the factory, well the stereo sucks, but too much trouble for me to do anything about that.

Well I just passed 3 years, so now I don't have to worry about voiding my warranty. Plus I've grown bored with the S. I still love it, but when I first got it I would go out driving every night for no reason than just to drive.

So I'm thinking a) get a new car or b) spice up my S2000 a bit.

I realize mod money: wheels, gears, FI, etc... is not an investment, but it comes around to either spend $ on a mods or spend $$$ on a new car.

So I got to thinking, what does everyone think about mods?

Do you like to wait till the warranty is over?

Do you think the weak a car is more likely it is to be modded? (I used to think so, but then I see all kinds of people modding M3s and vettes just as much as S2000s and 350Zs.

Do you think it's sacrilege (or bad taste) to mod some cars? (example who'd put a SC on a F430?).

My idea of what I'd like to get out of a mod is: better performance, better looks (but classy).

I hate all "bling" mods. Well maybe not hate, but get a laugh out of most of what I call "teen-age kids mods". Get a chuckle out of most body kits and wings. My biggest source of annoyance is with big-ass wheels on (usually) fwd econ cars, especially when they show off drum brakes.

Christople

The reason modding gets under my skin is that somebody will try and mod a car to beat a certain car.

If it ain't broke why fix it?

If you race the car in any way, then yes mod it. What I don't get is that people try to pretend to put one car into a class that it isn't.

Here are things that I don't consider mods: Tires, Tint, Audio that doesn't take up living space in the car.

Everything else is going extreme, the only time I can see a modded car bring in money is if it's fully race prepped or a muscle car.

I do not consider "restoring" a car to be modding.

switchcars

It depends on where you want to go with it. My opinion always was...if you buy a $30k car, spend $10k in mods, why not just buy a $40k car? (reason being, 9 times out of 10, that you're getting a better deal for the $40k).

However, if you can't find a better car for the amount of money you'd spend in mods, then mod the car. Do whatever you want, because it's your car. (but don't do bling, or we'll make fun of you)

S2k03

It depends on how long you want to keep the S. If you invest 10k into the S to mod it and drive it for another year or so and trade it in, you will rarely get your 10k back and it might even devalue the car a little. Most dealerships that I have ever been to don't like to see a car to heavily modded because you have limited its potential buyer to someone who mods cars. It also screams "I have beat the shit out of this and now I want to get rid of it!" If you plan to keep the S then sure mod it and drive the hell out of it and sell it at the end for small change. If your thoughts are "man I like the new cayman, Z4M, or M3, .... then you may want to explore purchasing something else and trying to get the most money out of the S. Just my .02.

Dr. WOT

My personal philosophy is to not rewrite the book, just tweak. Engine mods are almost completely off limits, the factory spent far more on R&D than some ricer company so don't mess with a critical component for what will be minimal gains. Turbos are an exception, but then I'd still opt for the less is more approach.

Mods that are acceptable in my book are suspension tweaks, wheels/tires, and subtle interior/exterior enhancements. There is nothing wrong with setting your car apart from the others, and making it a bit sportier/lux/whatever-floats-your-boat, as long as it is done in good taste.

Slamnasty

If I had the money, I'd mod my cars only moderately. I'd add a few go-fast bits, and a few cosmetic things, but I tend to like cars mostly as they come from the factory.

I am not a fan of full body kits in 99.9% of cases.

I'm also not into turboing or supercharging everything I see, which seems to be a big thing right now. I would add a turbo or SC in some cases, but it would only be a comparatively mild addition, and not a balls-to-the-wall top-of-the-line drag-ready purchase.

I'm not a huge car A/V guy either. 200 Watts is typically plenty to keep me happy. As long as the sound coming out of the speakers is clean and generally quality, I'm good. No headrest LCDs or dash playstations here. Driving is about the steering wheel, a manual shifter, and tunes, period.

I'm more into the cruising/highway driveability aspect of cars. It's gotta look good, drive good, and arrive with presence.

vader1

What you need to consider with modding the S2000 is what do you want to get out of it. Most likely it will be very expensive and if you stay NA will not make huge leaps. SC's are popular and don't cost too much (relative) but understand what you are getting with the availible kits. I have read many posts from owners that have them that they like them but were slightly dissapointed because they were under the impression that the car would transform into a low end torque monster. I will get much quicker but still be all top end. I am not knocking the kits, just say try to drive one first so you know the nature of the beast. Turbo is and option but expensive and complex.

I am still waiting on results of the BRP supercharger project before I decide to keep mine or try something else.

I did modifiy a turbo MR2 and was glad I did. But that particular car was overbuilt in many areas and I upped the HP by close to 100 ponies for less than $1000. The original clutch with 100,000+ miles help like a champ, same with tranny and everything else. I had lots of fun for the next 30,000 miles until I sold it.

The S2000 will not make those kinds of gains that cheaply and may run into some problems with clutch and differential that other cars might not. And that may cause the resale to be affected more than it would on a well used MR2.

If I were convinced that significant performance could be achieved easily and cheaply I would say go for it, but I am not convinced it can. I am hoping this BRP SC is going to be the real deal because my car is pretty much paid for, I like it and it has only 22k on the clock. Modifing it with an sc to put more fun into it would probably mean I keep it for 100K miles. To me that is the cheap route. New cars every few years is expensive.

Penforhire

Seems like I always modify. So the comment about $30K+$10K = buy $40K doesn't apply. I'd still modify. What ride is "perfect" from the factory?

If I was keeping a vehicle as a collectible then no way in heck would I mod anything.

My daily driver gets whatever I think it needs. My Z06, speaking of $40+K, "needed" a new Alpine stereo system w/amps & sub (Bose sucks!), interior partition (Andy's), and PIAA driving lights (wired to base C5 OEM switch). Some would say these aren't "mods" and maybe I'd agree.

But how about A&A frame rails and frame saver wheels (for when I run aground!), K&N air filter, cut-down airbox lid, and QTEC-valved Flowmaster-Y exhaust cut-outs? Or the RD Dynamics harness bar (used to hold a video camera)? Or lowering the whole car (and raising it back up because I scraped EVRYWHERE).

If I had a spare $8 to $10K I'd install a s/c (I like the high-rise hood look with the Magnussen) along with thermostat/fan mods. I'd also like to raise the rear-end ratio from 3.42 to 3.73 and tune the LSD. But I won't touch the driveline until my primary warranty expires.

rai

I used to think a car like the Z06 was somethink like a factory modified car (like the EVO MR is). But there are people with as many mods on a Z06 as on S2000s.

rai

I started thinking; put this and that on the S2000, soon it adds up to real money. For example, if my car is worth $21K plus another $10 on mods (if I go with SC, wheels, gears etc.) or I could buy a similar year and mileage C5 Z06 for $31k.

A SC S2000 won't be able to take a Z06.