Is modding cars even cool anymore?

[AnAgentOrange]

B-b-b-but...skinny jeans and flat brims are from two different subcultures!

Come to SoCal. I assure you, they are not. Same with the bagged Mk4s everywhere here. And trucks lifted all high with huge rims, but couldn't go where I'll go in 2wd high.

[romanl]

does this count as modding?
my side markers are color matched,,
had it done while was having some paint work done after freeway accident

[Salty VW]

Come to SoCal. I assure you, they are not.

Same in NorCal. Skinny jeans and flat bill caps aren't even a subculture thing anymore. They're just... there.

You won't catch me in skinny jeans anytime soon though.

[zaYG]

Come to SoCal. I assure you, they are not. Same with the bagged Mk4s everywhere here. And trucks lifted all high with huge rims, but couldn't go where I'll go in 2wd high.

I didn't know you even had modded watercooled VWs in SoCal.

Around here, flat brimmers are braindead ****s who think skinny jeans automatically = gay.

[BRealistic]

BReal, again, did you forget about customizing cars to be cool that has been going on since the '40s? Do you really think those '50s customs were done without any thought to being cool?

Did the Vortex get a case of ignorance lately? As in the "We're going to completely ignore 7 decades of the custom automotive scene so we can make stupid statements about Fast and Furious being the only reason people modded cars" type of ignorance?

Modding cars to be cool with the crowd you prefer is the PRIMARY reason cars have been modded since modding BEGAN. Even if that's to make your car faster! You have to use the "right" parts, and do the "correct" mods, and the racer crowd will then think you did it right, which is the acceptance that you may not even know you want.

There will always be mods that are cool to enthusiasts.
My comments were directed at how The Fast and Flirtatious movies made "street race" car modifications cool in normal mainstream culture.
It become normal for the grill guy at Burger Joint to put an unpainted aluminum rear spoiler on the trunk and a carbon fiber look hood on his otherwise stock Civic DX sedan.
I am not sure what other time in automotive history did such extreme "street race" oriented cosmetic mods permeate normal culture to this level.

[Hez10]

and judging by your car line up, your penis is missing??
a 325xi and you're running your mouth and calling people pussies?

Sure, because driving an all wheel drive car in Denver is feminine........

[AnAgentOrange]

I didn't know you even had modded watercooled VWs in SoCal.

Lol

[16vracer]

Not the most current picture, but I don't think I'll ever stop modifying my cars.

redevo1 by FredandJenAnderson, on Flickr

[muffintop]

Making cars functional and fun has turned into "hey guys I need to stand out and make my car so it scrapes and I can't drive it. Then I can put hella stickers on it and update my InstaFaceTwit so people will know how cool I am and pay attention to me"

[eunos94]

Like a suit I adjust my possessions to fit my needs. I have never plugged a TV in and said "yup those settings are perfect" nor have I ever bought a car just to leave it the way I bought it.

Neither of these are probably cool but I didn't buy them because I thought YOU thought they were cool but because I thought they were cool.

Both for sale btw.... just not advertised anywhere but my sig because I don't really want to sell.

[devianb]

Everyone wants to personalize their car in one way or another, some just go to extremes about it to look different from the crowd. I find modifications in general to be "cool," but it really depends on what is done. What looks good on one car may look horrible on another car with similar modifications. I'm happy with my car in stock form, but I would like to make a few alterations or improvements. Nowadays I prefer a car that I would have no need to modify.

[eunos94]

Nowadays I prefer a car that I would have no need to modify.

No such car exists at least for me. Even if it's something small like a timing change. The vehicle WILL get modified.

[mr lee]

Making cars functional and fun has turned into "hey guys I need to stand out and make my car so it scrapes and I can't drive it. Then I can put hella stickers on it and update my InstaFaceTwit so people will know how cool I am and pay attention to me"

...Says the Miata owner.

Lemme guess, you're one of those guys who put their legos together like the illustration on the box. amirite

[eunos94]

...Says the Miata owner.

Lemme guess, you're one of those guys who put their legos together like the illustration on the box. amirite

I had a 94 Miata from 1997-2001... Does that mean I was trying to be cool or that I'm like that guy pumping his fist? What does owning a Miata have to do with your reply?

[muffintop]

Yeah what makes you think some veedub kids with broken suspension somehow have more passion for cars and driving than a guy in a bone stock 94' miata.

Maybe modding cars has just gone in the wrong direction, all this need to stand out and be an attention whore has really changed what some people think is cool. I on the other hand like a good looking car that is functional and enjoyable.

Scraping on every dip is not my idea of enjoyable.

[eunos94]

Scraping on every dip is not my idea of enjoyable.

Not directed AT muffintop specifically just using his quote to make MY point.

I think I get it now. I don't like painted houses with unpainted porches. Therefore no one else is allowed to like them too, right? This is referred to as "personal choice" or even "opinion". How about just enjoying the things you like and avoiding those you don't?

[logdog]

Don't forget that "Hippity Hop" music these kids are listening to on their fancy "boom-boom" radios these days.

[Chris_V]

Maybe modding cars has just gone in the wrong direction, all this need to stand out and be an attention whore has really changed what some people think is cool.

Again, how is it any different than lowered '50s customs and taildraggers in the '40s? They were all customized to draw attention to themselves, because that's what the kids then wanted. You and others KEEP acting like this is somehow new, and that only recently have cars been modded to look better to the owner or to garner attention.

And scraping on everything may not be your idea of enjoyable, but it is for others.

[mr lee]

I had a 94 Miata from 1997-2001... Does that mean I was trying to be cool or that I'm like that guy pumping his fist? What does owning a Miata have to do with your reply?

absolutely nothing. however, modding your car is apparently equivalent to being a jersey douche bag.
personally, i don't care what people do to their cars and think it's hilarious that people start threads like this to debate what other people do.

opinions are like a$$holes, everyone has one.

[mr lee]

Yeah what makes you think some veedub kids with broken suspension somehow have more passion for cars and driving than a guy in a bone stock 94' miata.

Maybe modding cars has just gone in the wrong direction, all this need to stand out and be an attention whore has really changed what some people think is cool. I on the other hand like a good looking car that is functional and enjoyable.

Scraping on every dip is not my idea of enjoyable.

Based on your reply, I can only assume you have a very narrow view of the world that has been crafted by hanging out in the car lounge for WAY too long.

V-dub kidZ with BrOked Suspnsaion.... REALLY BRO??? are you retarded or something? Is that what you really think modding cars is about? *shakes head*

People have been modding cars since cars were invented. They are big toys for big boys. Every make and model has been modded by SOMEONE... and if you think it has anything to do with "being uber cool and unique to stick out from the crowdl" you obviously have no idea what you're talking about. People mod cars for many many reason, most of which have nothing to do with you.

Do you think hot rodders, donk builders, stereo comps, drag racers..etc give a **** what you think??? get real.

/rant

[subisan]

This is by far, one of the dumbest threads I've ever wandered into.

If you're done "modding" your cars, then stop, don't make a ****ty thread about it, go to Carmax and buy a no-haggle minivan and be happy.

[zaYG]

Making cars functional and fun has turned into "hey guys I need to stand out and make my car so it scrapes and I can't drive it. Then I can put hella stickers on it and update my InstaFaceTwit so people will know how cool I am and pay attention to me"

Or once again, perhaps they like the way other "stanced" cars look, so they build their cars to look the same?

I'm not sure why people can't grasp the idea that someone would want to build something they enjoyed looking at, not just because they are "trying to impress others" as if that makes it a less valid reason to mod your car anyway.

[weakshht]

would you rather the kids be driving around slowly and carefully in lowered cars or building high horsepower cars and street racing all over the city taking out small children and the elderly?

[zaYG]

would you rather the kids be driving around slowly and carefully in lowered cars or building high horsepower cars and street racing all over the city taking out small children and the elderly?

They would rather them be like the majority of TCL.

Men driving stock Camry S's (the sport model, because their wives gave them permission to get a bit wild) but criticizing anyone who makes a car "look good" because they don't want to stoop down to "caring what other people think." Mind you, these are the same people who will chastise anyone who claims to have driven 80 in a 65 because it is "dangerous" and that they should keep it to the track which they have never driven on.

[mr lee]

I wonder if people post "Is modding houses still cool?" in The House Lounge on HomeBuilders.com

[Chris_V]

BTW, modding for appearance doesn't mean only slamming to the ground with poke and stretch. It can mean simple stuff like I did on the Mustang: chin spoiler, short antenna, wheels and tires, body colored mirror covers and a blacked out rear deck panel between the taillights. or like I did to the BMW. Mild lowering, wheels and tires, clear corners, LED taillights and a rear lip spoiler. Mild things that make it look different from the rest of the ones running around here.

Neither of these are modded to be race cars, but niether are they showcars or lowriders:





And yes, I think both are cooler now than they were stock. Sue me.

[Salty VW]

Or once again, perhaps they like the way other "stanced" cars look, so they build their cars to look the same?

I'm not sure why people can't grasp the idea that someone would want to build something they enjoyed looking at, not just because they are "trying to impress others" as if that makes it a less valid reason to mod your car anyway.

It's like the, "he must be compensating for something..." line. As if people need a reason outside of their own desires for modding a car. Sometimes people just do things because that's what they like to do.

[Exhaust Muncher]

This is by far, one of the dumbest threads I've ever wandered into.

If you're done "modding" your cars, then stop, don't make a ****ty thread about it, go to Carmax and buy a no-haggle minivan and be happy.

X2.
I havent been into racing cars for nearly 6 years now and I dont find myself gripein' about it..

[Clyde Smith]

I wonder if people post "Is modding houses still cool?" in The House Lounge on HomeBuilders.com

I thoroughly appreciated this post

[srgtlord]

once again vortex, you have fulfilled my entertainment requirement for the night

[DedRok]

Cars are a waste of money.

Pretty much sums it up.

[lorge1989]

I will always mod my cars. Even its a minivan in 10 years.

I have respect for just about everyone that mods their cars, as long as its not complete and utter bull****.

If the VWs want to roll around scraping on every small bump let them! If the muscle car guys want to shatter windows with their exhausts then cool! I think you get my point. I don't get why everyone gets bent out of shape because some thing is different from their personal preference. Variety is the spice of life, I love seeing different cars on the road, no matter what it is. (ok there are a few exceptions)

[mr lee]

Cars are a waste of money.

Pretty much sums it up.

so are hookers and blow.... but....

[GTE77]

so are hookers and blow.... but....

But?

Replace hookers with "escorts" and you just made me a party.