I wanted to start a post to talk about why some of us choose to buy ebay turbos and rock rota wheels, and hopefully explain to people that dont have kids what it means to sacrifice for your children.

So we all remember being 16 and going to advance auto or pepboys to buy parts for our cars just to do something different. I be the first to admit I had a 91 crx with white wiper arms and huge japanese letters on the hood. Then i graduated, got a real job, and upgraded to a gsx eclipse. That car got real parts by name brand companies, lots of parts with receipts totaling over $15gs. Then my first kid came, i kept the eclipse, but the parts slowed way down. I decided i could sell the car and make 8gs, buy a miata and drop all the money in the miata. Well one automatic miata later all i had was some wheels and flush mount headlights. The car sits under a tarp until i have the time to competley redo it. Then the second kid came, and so did the need for a house, so out went any car parts that didnt need to be replaced, plus im now driving a SATURN.

Well the saturn blew and i now have a 98 civic ex and i feel like im 16 again. The h&r springs are here and i dont know if i can hold out for the shocks. The ebay shifter is on the way, im checkin certifit for my 99 frontend conversion, and i get weaker every time i drive past my local advanced. I just cant afford $1000 exhaust like i used to. My point is dont hate on people rockin rotas or even speedys for that matter, some of us have kids and just cant buy the high dollar parts anymore. By the way im not a noob ive been on this site for over 8 years i just have never signed up until now.

 

People are broke these days with or without kids a lot of the time. Not many people with real money choose to modify a Civic. If they own a Honda at all it's an s2000 or a 4 door Acura like a TL.

 

yea i got rotas lol but i also own my 1st house. and have 3 cars and toys its hard out for everyone. and my fish eat more money in food than i do. exhaust well 100 bucks is alot. go on ebay and get an n1 if you gotta go cheap

 

Sounds like you have your priorities straight atleast, family and house > e-props for having $2,000 wheels.

 

I dont think i can handle a ebay part on the exterior for everyone to see, but where ever i can hide one i probably will. Exterior and audio parts i just cant skimp on. I think used parts are going to be used alot on this car. But a mother f'in ebay turbo will find a good home!

 

only thing i buy from autozone, pepboys, etc.. is 1/2 shafts, gaskets, or car wash soap. i would never even think about "modding" a car through those part stores.

just buy used.. plenty of "kids" selling name brand parts that are still very good and for cheap too!!

when i think of autozone i think of universal seta covers, universal mufflers (turbo muffler is ok!! lol) universal steering wheels.

ever since they had the "import section" i never went back. i saw posters and ads in that isle for NOS and was embarrassed to even own a honda at that time.

 

LOL! No kidding..I have a Tiger Oscar thats 9" or so long..hes pretty damn big and has an appetite..I swear he eats better than me sometimes..lol.

Let alone my 2 cats as well as the dog.

 

Parts stores offer alot of stuff you dont see. I work for a dealership and have wholesale web pages for federated auto and carquest, theres a lot of good stuff they can order.

 

LO-freaking-L. OP, you got a point.

Yes, I rock rotas. But I also drive the hell out of my car - I've put 200K on it in 7 years, and it's stupid to pay 2 grand for wheels on a 200K daily driver. I did B18C swap it, but that was mostly because I plan to drive it another 5 years hopefully.

BTW, I'm 29 and have ZERO credit card debt, cars are paid off, and all that I owe anyone is for my mortgage. I doubt I'll ever have another car payment again... I've gotten spoiled. Next one will be cash.

I do agree with everyone else that in general, speed parts from autozone, orly's, carquest, etc. are crap.

 

Good point.

 

yea this car is a dd 70 miles a day. I really want to go b series but the amount of work you have to do (money to spend), and not being able to reuse almost any of the original stuff has made me decide to go turbo d. I didnt really mean performance parts from advance auto, i was thinking about kyb agxs and energy suspension shifter bushing or nighthawk bulbs instead of a hid retrofit, all stuff most people dont realize you can get from local parts stores.

 

yea im 26 and have 2 credit cards with zero balances that scare me when i look at them ( had a little problem with the eclipse and too much credit that has finally been resolved) and i doubt the cars i drive will ever have to be financed i just love older cars, my wifes car is a different story. Paid cash for the honda.

 

Why? NOS is a good way to increase power if you do it right.

 

We are all in the same boat....With house payments and other bills,It's hard to justify spending thousands of dollars on car parts.......It's taken me over 3 years to get my car where it is and it's nice but nothing compared what some people do. And I'm almost 40....Only thing anyone can do besides going up to thier *** in debt,is save and buy one part at atime...That's what I had to do

 

cheap parts on craigslist sometimes. thats where my gsr motor came from.

 

My solution.....

28 years old, not married, no kids, USAF Staff Sergeant

I buy what I want and when....

On the other hand, I completely understand your situation. You are doing the right thing and I commend you. Save money and bide your time. If you save, the mods will come.

GL OP.

 

i modify my dd with junkyard parts..lots of goodies there......i just picked up a set of red agx struts for $40 with sportline springs...the past year ive gotten oem 99-00 si lips..00 oem si grill.....recaro rep seats..slot n drilled rotors...

 

you can fing quality parts on ebay for cheap, and check the local classifieds for deals on used parts too... i got a nice mandrel bent 2.5" cat back for 350 shipped and it performs and sound as good as the one that costs a $750... just gotta be carefull...

p.s. and set a goal for your self... if this car is never gonna see the track than a turbo or nos may not be top priority... maybe go suspension and i/h/e

 

I still think that B swaps can be had for cheap, and they're a more reliable option for a DD than a turbo B. I got my complete gsr swap for $2000 + a few odds and ends replacement parts.

h-t marketplace and craigslist are your friends. Watch the sponsors forums... some of them have *amazing* deals occasionally. I got my apexi ws2 catback from one of them for like $400 shipped.

To the guy who got AGXs and sportlines for $40 - that's freaking amazing right there. But it's true. I love to hit the pick and pull like once a month at least, just to see what they got. If nothing else, I usually find a tool or something that someone left in a car. So far, I scored me a big flashlight, a breaker bar, a huge pipe wrench, a 3/8" ratchet, and an EZ start for a nitro RC car. Woot!

Still got the Si grill with the emblem intact? I'll buy it off you lol.

 

F all the haters... when it comes down to the guys with the budget cars I give them way more respect than the guys who their parents gave them 10k and said have at it. Hard work, blood, sweat, and tears is what makes these cars so special. I cringe at the thought of losing my sedan.

 

Junkyard, HT marketplace, and craigslist is your best friend.

 

im 18, though i live at home, my parents done pay for my car stuff...

sure, if im in a bind, my pops will hook me up with paying my tow bill if i dont have cash, or if he gets a deal on a part i need, he pays, and i pay him back for whatever he gets...

i work 5 days a week, 11 hours a day, busting my knuckles, getting greasy and dirty, just to keep buying parts to get to drive my car again... feels like its never going to end, and im hating life lately, but... its MY car, My motor im building, everything is ME. thats why i love it.

i feel you on the priorities thing, i think i need to quit smoking(both...lol), stop partying(drinking/smoking) nightly, and get the **** to work on my car, just man up.

just do it little by little, with what you have, and what you can, until then, just drive your car and be happy with it.

i loved my car, til it left me stranded... twice, now its in a full rebuild stage...

ugh

end rant

 

Man im w u guys im turning 24 in 8 days i have kids and i pay for everything i have on my car. I hate people that like to show off how much money they can get to buy ****. But what happens when their parents dies what r they going to do? We can laugh at them and say we told u so. Yea sure i have rims from ebay. I like to buy my parts from junkyards, others places that i can get deals from and off of other people but i can say that i built it myself .

 

It makes me sick when I see people getting whatever they want or extravagent things all because thier parents are paying. It truely makes me sick when I see that. Maybe its a little jealousy that I have to work for what I get and I cant afford everything I want even the smaller things. Even at 15 years old I drained my bank account to buy a ATV. It took me a year and a half of saving to buy a muffler and a K&N air filter. I kept searching for a good deal and finally found something used for a price I could afford. I was paying for gas, oil, and a pass for the place to ride. I bought my 1st 2 cars by myself. The 1st one 94 Civic LX sedan wasnt the greatest but its what I could afford. It needed a real good cleaning, had a cracked/chipped windshield, really faded paint, dents in the side, speakers were completely blown just rotted out from all of those years... I spent days cleaning, removing the interior and all to really get it good. I was still car searching for the right Civic a EG or EK coupe with a 5 speed. Found it and paid for that in full by myself but I couldnt afford to put it on the road without selling the sedan. Cost me for registering and what not but I made money on the sedan after cleaning it up good to pay for the cost. I see kids complaining about gas prices and their parents give them money to fill up their tank even at 18 or so years old. Its almost like I hope I can do that for my kids someday just help them with things but not pay for everything.

 

I think a big problem is i got too many projects at once. My miata is my real project, every bolt is going to be removed and cleaned eventually, its a full on restoration. I live within an hour of 5 drag strips (2 within 15 min) so all my cars will see time on the track, but the honda is not going to be ment for anything other than a dd, but i still want a solid mid 13 car, something fun to drive, thats important with long commutes. I have a car im setting up as well that will be strictly a track car (93 geo storm???) plus the miata should be able to hold its own when im done. The thing is even with the miata i dont plan on spending anywhere near what i spent on my eclipse, but it should be a lot faster and better looking. The older you get the more you understand whats important when building a car (i.e. no pop-up dvd players if your trying to make your car fast), and the geo i plan on running high 11s for under $2000.