My overpriced option dilemma
 

First off, I love my car. I've got 2500 miles on my Titanium Gray, and I smile (even if it's just inside) every time I see it and/or get into it and drive.

That said, I also think, damn it'd be nice to have strakes on my car.

and

Man, I wish I'd put those Rotary accents on.

So now, I'm interested in doing some basic appearance mods like clear corners and focusing on cleaning waxing more regularly to save/preserve the beauty.

In the end, even from Trussville....the price for strakes and front/rear accents is over $300. That's a lot of money for two stamped and two molded aluminum accents pieces. A LOT. I could do a lot of other things with $300...

Upgrade my computer, buy 6 games, buy 15 DVDs, do some house mods I've been wanting to do, fix up my shed, rework my exterior drainage and get gutter covers, etc etc.

$300 in car terms isn't much. $300 in life terms...well...it can do lots of things.

4 pieces of aluminum. Sheesh.

Just give in

they look awesome on the 8

I want my strakes! But unfortunately, that'll have to hold since I need to get my rear bumper fixed first, argh, more money in the hole this weekend. I'm not really enjoying my car right now because of the blotches.... I wanted it to be perfect!!

Yes just give in to the temptation! You're computer will be outdated 6 months from now no matter what you do. You could buy 6 games but check our real arcade and especially Zuma. There's a pretty addictive free game. And there's others. DVD's WTH, don't you know copyright law is almost extinct, burn you own (j/k). Bottom line is GIVE IN, you and your 8 deserve the overpriced 4 pieces of metal.

Check the DIY forum (inside the tech garage) for the do-it-yourself strakes. Like you say, it's just 4 pieces of aluminum (or plastic, or wood....)

add another $200 and get the Canzoomer ECU upgrade. :D

The $200 strakes are expensive, but they look soooooo good. I couldn't resist.

hehe i got a diy for you go find a sl 500 and rip its vents off and glue them ! and post pics

Hahaha, nice:)

I can't wait for someone to post a DIY of tearing a Mercedes or Caddy hood ornament off and fixing it to the 8 :)

$200 for strakes
$110 for front/rear accents
$257 for MP3 player
$60 for clear corner
$180 for exhaust finisher

Approx $800 total, and I've done nothing to performance....


I sure would love the MS sideskirt, front air damn, and rear spoiler...

Damn this car!!

that would be another 3k^^

Cars are NOT cheap hobbies by any stretch of the imagination. Back in my early 20's, I was a big computer nut - every dime I had went to computer stuff of some way, shape, or form. After becoming a car nut, there was many times I wished I was still into computers as a hobby, especially nowadays with prices being so damn cheap. Don't get me wrong, I'm still into computers - my wife and I both have decent machines that I built, and we both love playing RPG's and stuff on them. But, it's not a central focus like cars :).

Over time, you'll get shocked at how you get desensitized to price. A buddy of mine has a Jeep Cherokee with bigger wheels/tires on it, and wanted to get a lift kit so it looked better and the wheels didn't rub. I priced it out - shocks and springs, complete kit, was like $250-300. If that had been me, I would have bought it next paycheck, no questions asked - that's DIRT damn cheap. Months later, he still hasn't bought 'em :).

By the same token, my '88 10th Anniversary RX-7 has had an absolutely ridiculous amount of money sunk into it. I did some of the math once - I have over $1000 in *gauges*, $900 worth of intercooler, $1300 worth of Tein coilovers, $800 clutch/flywheel...that's just some of the big things. Not to mention tons of trips to Pep Boys for supplies, thousands in tools....

Whenever I feel like I'm spending too much, I look at the guys that are racing airplanes - that makes me feel much better :). That's an OBSCENE amount of money.

One word of wisdom - when you see something you want for your car, try and get it in a timely manner. As time goes on, many people on the forum will end up making something for the car that they'll sell, many times it's awesome stuff. Typically people who sell stuff on the side like that do it for a while, get bored with it, then discontinue. Also, manufacturers don't make stuff forever - get it while you can. There's a ton of parts I passed up on getting that I kick myself for not getting when I could.

Mazda's no different - there's a lot of unique RX-7 accessories that you flat can't get any more, like stock floormats with the RX-7 logo.

My 2 cents :). It's an expensive hobby, and no one's making you buy anything. But, when you get that nice box with the shiny part, and you spend a pleasant Saturday afternoon installing it and the car looks/works/goes so much better, you'll be hooked :).

Dale

Hmmm

$1100 for dealer installed MS spoiler
$200 for strakes
$170 for used mp3 player
$110 for full zaino kit
$55 for clear sidemarkers
$150 for tint
$30 for two cans of caliper paint (red/black)

$1815 total so far.

I am so hooked already

Don't fight it, just go with it...

Wow that is cheap! Mine was $200 or $220, I don't remember exactly. Was that for all windows other then the windshield? I went 5 in the rear and back sides, and 20 for the front, the legal limits in my state. Other wise probably 5 all around.

It was $149 (including tax) for my windows at Tint America in Clearwater. They had a computer cut all the tint, so it was a perfect fit. The rear window was done in one piece of tint, not several (as others here have gotten).

The tint didn't mess with my gps or radio either, as I was worried about.

The moonroof and front window were not tinted, the rest was 18%.

What does a 35% tint look like....is it worth it?

[Edit] Oh yeah, and I bought the rotary accents:) I'll do it in stages so it doesn't feel so painful...

Strakes are next...


then Clear Corners

Congrats on the accents, I'm also doing things in stages.

Llathos... did you buy the car yourself? Or did your parents buy it for you? The reason I ask is because if you did buy it all on your own, 300 bucks for a 25k+ car should be nothing.

Haha...

Well Omi, a few things:

1) I wish my parents had bought it. Unfortunately, I made plenty of money in my profession and I bought it all by my lonesome.

2) Assuming that because I bought a $30k car means I don't care about spending $300 is erroneous. After all, if I didn't care about every time I spent $300, I couldn't have saved up enough to be able to purchase $30k then, could I?:)

3) Just because people's perception of the value or quantity of what they're spending changes doesn't change the value of that money...$300 is still $300...