What made you pick your current car and modify it?

[SuperDave]

Ultimately the reason for selecting the base vehicle is what you plan to do with it the majority of the time. An Aurion/Camry/Corolla will be comfortable enough for daily driving, not draw attention to yourself from the police or P platers who think they are gods gift to driving. The times when we either want to have a quick squirt or send it through some bends with some pace then we can add some mods to help in that department; it's part of the fun. If someone needs an S13/14/15, R32/33/34, S2000, MX5, etc, to do what they mainly do with their car then I guess they chose the right car for them; just like the Aurion/Camry/Corolla is the right car for someone else.

The world would be a boring place if all the cars were the same ;)

[ben yip]

Fun = Fast and furios

Fun = Funding for a car

Fun = Comfort for family

Fun = Get away from Police

Fun = Driving a vintage car

Fun = slow and safe

Fun = Luxury

And these fun factor changes upon our age. 18+ might like speed, but 40+ like family and luxury, and 20+ is in between

[dutchie101]

Hey man, Im only 35 and i would live in my LS if i could (its cumfy enough!!) - i guess im 5+ years older in my mind than my body.... no wait, my body is 10+ years older than my mind.... Oh ohhh, now im confused?!!?!

[VF-X]

My response...

This is like saying "If you were born ugly or talentless, why bother trying to be better..". We know that's not right thou.. Or u think?

And I dont think I care enough to let people judge on how my personal taste should be..

If you really think this way, what makes you think your car is even better than most of the cars here?

Edit:

Its spelt "thread". Seem to have touched a nerve there "1stkill" . Seems like you knew all this about your car already....Anyway what an intelligent and mature response,I can see why YOU would think that an Aurion is a "sports" car.

Now that I have attacked(as a reaction to his post) what I'm sure must be the idol of many of you, let the flaming continue.... I do hope in between the flames and hate that I get an actual answer.

If I do ask a non camry/corolla owner , the response is "because they are r*cer dickheads ,just watched fast and furious , have no money and feel like being part of the racing crowd" .I know however that this is not true , the newer Camry is more expensive than most 200's ,skylines,supras etc , so its not a money factor.... so what is it?

Judging by your response, I can imagine how and where u've been raised. You really think your 1st post wouldn't insult any1?

Either you can accept it or blend in your 'tough' community..

[4ABHGE]

So you are asking me why I modify my little granny box Corolla that you give no cred to?

I drive and modify cars because they bring me joy, its something i love doing and 'wasting' my money on. It builds skills, brains, confidence, friendships and memories that no other pieces of metal could.

Why a corolla you ask? Because it does just that.

I love how its a light car that handles extremely well

I love bouncing around on the street due to my stiff suspension and listening to all my passengers complain about it

I love how it has more room than a van in the back when i have no seats... but i cant carry anything fragile due to said stiff suspension :P

I love hating when it scrapes when i run the car at a low ride height

I love how it keeps up to cars that should be alot quicker than it.

I love the engine screaming to insane revs and that it has enough go to keep me happy

I love the history behind my car in motor sports

I love the way it looks... but because i am a modifier, im never 100% happy :P

I love always being the under dog and people giggling when i tell them i drive 'some corolla'

It isnt a civic, nor a pulsar... so it doesnt fit into the majority of stereotypes held by those cars... And because of that it builds its own rep with whatever it does.

I love how its a really cheap car and achieves all this :P

I love my little car, its not the fastest car in the world by any means, its not the coolest car by any means, and its not the most practical car by any means either... but it makes me happy :)

I use it for what I want it to be used for, and in the end of the day thats what any modifier wants it to be in their life for. Its more than a granny box, or a family sedan, its one of the only pieces of metal you can have a relationship with. AND, If youre a true enthusiast you will see behind the corolla or camry badge. If you are just trying to get rep in the maccas car park then continue doing that and dont come and bother true car enthusiasts with your authoritative and somewhat offensive tone.

Edited November 13, 2011 by Toyota_kid

[jps137]

It's a valid question that could have been worded a lot better. Stop and think for a moment how many people mod 6 cylinder Commodores and Falcons (non- XR6 Turbo types). It's mainly about personalising something that suits your needs and tastes(why choose a Supra over an EVO or WRX)

We got the Camry because it fullfilled our needs (4 door sedan with plenty of boot space and was basically a good allround package at the time) - modified it because

i) we needed the foglights due to severe fog in our area (which we discovered after buying a model without foglights)

ii) chrome looks good (in my opinion)

iii) leather looks and feels good (and cleans easily with kids)

We got the Corolla because

i) I needed something that could do big k's reliably (120,000 in 2 years)

ii) needed something that wasn't going to blow my lease budget on fuel

iii) Was not able to get a Supra or MR2 on a novated lease due to their age (I did look into it) and the other option of an old 911 (which I could get on the lease) was just too expensive to maintian for the big k's

- modified it because

i) decided it was a keeper and wanted to personalise it

ii) leather is very comfy for 270km a day

iii) Mt Kiera (if you know the 'gong enough said)

We got the Tarago because the only other 8 seat V6 on the market with full length curtain airbags was a Kia

- modified it because

i) we wanted the features of an Ultima but it is only 7 seats and it was easier to mod an 8 seater than make a 7 seater an 8

ii) a lot of guys mod their family car, we just happen to have a bigger family

iii) 200+ kW needed better brakes and it seemed wrong not to lower it (next question is exhaust or body kit)

[KIRIUS]

Sucker for pop up headlights :P

[Ronnyboy]

Whatever happen to the OP? he hasnt posted in a while

[aloshan]

Whatever happen to the OP? he hasnt posted in a while

Im around , just reading the responses. However my initial post was worded , I did truly want to know why. And now I do.

[Hiro]

Why do I modify my Corolla?

Simple - it was free. Now that I've owned it for long enough I'll probably never sell it, because I've grown attached to it. It won't be big enough for a family car, it's not fast or comfy enough for a tourer or weekend escape, it doesn't have enough aftermarket support to be a full-on track car, but nevertheless I still have grand plans for it.

Being my first car as well, there is an emotional attachment to it. However, if my parents had decided to give me their Camry instead, I'd probably still be driving and modding it instead. Context is a wonderful thing...

[Evo7]

Silly answer:

Putting imports in their place

Real answer:

Saw it and fell in love with it at the dealers.

Found the forums, and realised just how much potential they have...

*fantastic reliable car

*drives better then most cars (other then other Toyotas)

*handles as if on rails

*already has its own 'street cred' when driving around

*very roomy and spacious (versatility of a hatchback)

*comfortable cruising mobile (apart from the suspension)

*the perfect sleeper (who mods a Corolla?)

*to be different, stand out from the crowd and not be a sheep.

*I have found imports to be costly and unreliable when start to play with them

Your original question did seem rather 'hating' but it goes to say...

"Why did YOU choose a Toyota over everything else?"

[lateralus]

i think i might be in a position to opt into this discussion, now having gone from a 92 (st184) celica, to a 2005 camry sportivo, to a 2005 corolla sportivo, now to a 2011 wrx hatch.

the wrx has it's obvious advantages (handling, power, safety) which would appeal to anyone, but for me the new wrx hatch moved away from the 'boy-racer' reputation that came attached to previous shape models. i don't intend to modify it much, if at all, as it already ticks all the boxes for me as it is. i purchased the car as i wanted something new that i would intend on keeping for at least 5 or more years, if not even longer.

but having that as my daily driver and access to that sort of performance does not make me regret my past purchases, and it certainly wasn't a learning curve to found out what i wanted in a car. i miss the corolla, and would punch someone square in the face if they were to put it down in any way. the way i had that car set up just before selling it would almost rival the wrx in lateral grip levels.

they were great cars for what they were. all the aurions, camrys and corollas are special in their own way and personally, the way some of them have been tastefully modified beats the **** out of a lot of so called "performance" cars

[Andrew357]

Simple answer:

Putting imports in their place

Real answer:

Saw it and fell in love with it at the dealers.

Found the forums, and realised just how much potential they have...

*fantastic reliable car

*drives better then most cars (other then other Toyotas)

*handles as if on rails

*already has its own 'street cred' when driving around

*very roomy and spacious (versatility of a hatchback)

*comfortable cruising mobile (apart from the suspension)

*the perfect sleeper (who mods a Corolla?)

*to be different, stand out from the crowd and not be a sheep.

*I have found imports to be costly and unreliable when start to play with them

Your original question did seem rather 'hating' but it goes to say...

"Why did YOU choose a Toyota over everything else?"

Got some big cohones there Mr Evo7

[Guest]

Simple answer:

Putting imports in their place

Real answer:

Saw it and fell in love with it at the dealers.

Found the forums, and realised just how much potential they have...

*fantastic reliable car

*drives better then most cars (other then other Toyotas)

*handles as if on rails

*already has its own 'street cred' when driving around

*very roomy and spacious (versatility of a hatchback)

*comfortable cruising mobile (apart from the suspension)

*the perfect sleeper (who mods a Corolla?)

*to be different, stand out from the crowd and not be a sheep.

*I have found imports to be costly and unreliable when start to play with them

Your original question did seem rather 'hating' but it goes to say...

"Why did YOU choose a Toyota over everything else?"

Got some big cohones there Mr Evo7

rather big indeed... want to race my import?

[Evo7]

Woops, forgot to use italics lolol :P

[playwme]

Wow, nice narrow minded point of view from the OP. Nothing wrong with a Corrolla, Camry or Aurion. I reckon that they're 3 of the best built cars ever and always have been class leading. Why wouldn't you mod a well built car. My 2 main vehicles are a modded V6 AWD Tarago and a modded 3.8L V6 Hiace at the moment, I must be really boring in your opinion. I'm perfectly happy having the ability to carry my kids and all their cousins in comfort. I love it if I have to wait somewhere for someone. Park in the shade, open the twin sunroofs, slide the seat right back, put my feet up on the built in footrests, load up a movie and sit back with a cold drink and chocolate bar out of the fridge.

If I want to go fast I pull a 1000cc road bike out of the garage. The cars are for being comfortable, and modding is just the process of making a good thing even better.

[aloshan]

Simple answer:

Putting imports in their place

Real answer:

Saw it and fell in love with it at the dealers.

Found the forums, and realised just how much potential they have...

*fantastic reliable car

*drives better then most cars (other then other Toyotas)

*handles as if on rails

*already has its own 'street cred' when driving around

*very roomy and spacious (versatility of a hatchback)

*comfortable cruising mobile (apart from the suspension)

*the perfect sleeper (who mods a Corolla?)

*to be different, stand out from the crowd and not be a sheep.

*I have found imports to be costly and unreliable when start to play with them

Your original question did seem rather 'hating' but it goes to say...

"Why did YOU choose a Toyota over everything else?"

Got some big cohones there Mr Evo7

rather big indeed... want to race my import?

and mine?

Edited November 15, 2011 by aloshan

[aloshan]

Wow, nice narrow minded point of view from the OP. Nothing wrong with a Corrolla, Camry or Aurion. I reckon that they're 3 of the best built cars ever and always have been class leading. Why wouldn't you mod a well built car. My 2 main vehicles are a modded V6 AWD Tarago and a modded 3.8L V6 Hiace at the moment, I must be really boring in your opinion. I'm perfectly happy having the ability to carry my kids and all their cousins in comfort. I love it if I have to wait somewhere for someone. Park in the shade, open the twin sunroofs, slide the seat right back, put my feet up on the built in footrests, load up a movie and sit back with a cold drink and chocolate bar out of the fridge.

If I want to go fast I pull a 1000cc road bike out of the garage. The cars are for being comfortable, and modding is just the process of making a good thing even better.

Hey playwme, if you like the car , learn to spell the name-corolla.

When I spoke of "modding" I meant modding for performance. You would not modify a corolla or aurion or camry because as a base they aren't sports cars , so you start working with something that is not meant for performance in the first place...which means it costs a lot more money for a lot less power.

Of course if your purpose is different , then you will mod differently suited to different needs.

I guess my mistake was to assume that modding for everyone was to increase performance , rather it is something done to further personalise a car to an individuals tastes.

What I have a problem with is enhancements that are completely cosmetic that hint of performance, where no performance actually exists.

I guess because I saw the amount of money you guys have dumped into your camrys and rollas , and when I look at engine mods and all i see is "pod filter" it kind of lead me to believe that most of you guys know nothing about speed or performance , but believe by adding all these cosmetic parts that others will think that you do have some level of performance....this is obviously not true. You guys acknowledge that almost every family sedan here offers close to no performance and is certainly much slower then any performance orientated car (imports etc) but instead mod it to suit your needs...for comfort, reliability and space to chuck your offspring.

I have a better understanding of the whole situation now, whether some of you think I do or don't ,doesn't really bother me. Question answered.

\ thread

[DJKOR]

Hey playwme, if you like the car , learn to spell the name-corolla.

Stop trying to sound smart you fool. If you want to be so critical of everyone's writing, how about you learn to be grammatically correct and capitalise names. It's Corolla... not corolla.

[Branno]

Well I have no money, so I cant modify my car.

[Guest]

play nice children...

[aloshan]

Hey playwme, if you like the car , learn to spell the name-corolla.

Stop trying to sound smart you fool. If you want to be so critical of everyone's writing, how about you learn to be grammatically correct and capitalise names. It's Corolla... not corolla.

I see no actual correlation between smartness and grammar, I didn't accuse playwme for being stupid, but now that you've brought up his intelligence maybe you know something about this guy that I don't.... And yes my mistake, should of capitalised Corolla , not as bad as incorrectly spelling a model of a brand you claim to love but meh whatever....

heres an idea....how about you put your stick of power away mr mod and let your sheep fight their own battles...I wasnt even talking to you big man....

[Branno]

Hey playwme, if you like the car , learn to spell the name-corolla.

Stop trying to sound smart you fool. If you want to be so critical of everyone's writing, how about you learn to be grammatically correct and capitalise names. It's Corolla... not corolla.

BOOM! SIT THE ****** DOWN!

[Branno]

And is it possible at all to report this thread for being **** stupid?

I mean, you have your answer, why continue?

[Andrew357]

I guess because I saw the amount of money you guys have dumped into your camrys and rollas , and when I look at engine mods and all i see is "pod filter" it kind of lead me to believe that most of you guys know nothing about speed or performance , but believe by adding all these cosmetic parts that others will think that you do have some level of performance....this is obviously not true. You guys acknowledge that almost every family sedan here offers close to no performance and is certainly much slower then any performance orientated car (imports etc) but instead mod it to suit your needs...for comfort, reliability and space to chuck your offspring.

\ thread

But you have not the power to /thread!

If all you've seen is a pod filter in everyone's engine bays, you haven't been looking hard enough.