Body Kit Advice

[TeenBowser]

Hey guys. I'm thinking about putting a body kit on my car and maybe a hood scoop. I just wanted some opinions on whether I should or not. For pics of my car, just go here: My Car
* Please note, I changed the stock taillights for some aftermarket ones. Those pics are a little old.

The body kit I really like is here:
FX Design F1000

I would just be getting the front piece though, I think. I really just dislike my front bumper.

Also, I am interested in changing my headlights. Does anyone know any good places for good aftermarket MX-3 headlights?

Any advice/help is appreciated!

[shadowmx3]

Get what ever please u man and u can get projector headlight from ebay. GL with ur car.

[Sisko182]

The picture of your car doesn't work; not for me anyways.

You can check out some projectors on eBay, like shadowmx3 said. Here:
http://shop.ebay.ca/?_from=R40&_trksid= ... Categories" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm not a fan of hood scoops, but its your car so the final decision is up to you.

Good luck.

[Sisko182]

Also, if you look at getting projectors, the decision between the horizontal vs. vertical lights may arise. I'll save you the hassle of searching: go with the horizontal lights. Most others on this site will agree with that.

[onlytrueromeo]

Don't do it.

[Savin]

Don't do it.

x2

[Sisko182]

Don't do it.

Maybe this is just me, but shouldn't you perhaps let him know why he shouldn't do it, or maybe give him suggestions? I think that's what he's looking for...

[onlytrueromeo]

It seems like the OP is young and in high school, or possibly college. The idea of body kits may seem like a good idea now, but a few years down the road he will probably regret the decision. Body kits will also significantly lower the value of the car since the majority of people do not have the same tastes. Also, OEM parts are easier to come by, cheaper to fix and are urethane, where as most body kits have fiberglass which has a tendency to crack.

Add to that the cost of painting a body kit, lining it up (since they're not 100% quality controlled like OEM), and you've got a big cost for little gain IMO.

I would hold onto your money and buy a front lip for now. Then maybe in the future, save up for a euro front bumper w/ the fog lights or a mazdaspeed replica (though that is still fiberglass) as they will add to the value of the car as far as the community goes.

Really you should be saving your money to put it into things to maintain the car, or saving up for some performance goodies down the road. And heck, if your car has bad paint, save up that money and when you have 1-2k go look into getting the whole car painted and bodywork fixed. If your car's paint is decent, just get some dents pulled.

Look through the forums for ideas in peoples worklogs, but just think long and hard before spending money on body kits, or "cheap" performance upgrades (fake ebay chips?) or chrome wheels. They are hard to maintain, might look cool to you now, but will not hold their value like other more practical mods will. There are certain wheels you can buy that will keep very close to their value, such as lightweight racing wheels (also these offer increased acceleration, braking and handling).

Whatever you do, it's your decision. Don't let us discourage you, but be aware that we've been around for awhile and have seen this all before

[Surgefilter]

The body kit I really like is here:
FX Design F1000

Sorry dude but that's hideous. Get a Mazdaspeed front bumper, or as mentioned above a EDM/JDM front bumper....but stick a nice JDM lip onto it.

[WhiteFinish]

Just do whatever you like most. That's why it's YOUR car

The vsx bodykit is a nice one. I have got thesame skirts.

[Hoodzy]

horrid body kit.. dont do any of it.. just tune ur car up and make it look nice stock.

[wytbishop]

I think the a very common mistake among young car owners in the import community is to spend too much money trying to make their car look a certain way while neglecting the mechanical necessities. Keep in mind that the car is 15+ years old. Even a well maintained example is going to be on the verge of needing some tlc.

Make sure that the car is mechanically sound first and take the time to look at the different styles of kits in the worklogs. Also, take a close look at some of the body kits you see driving around. You will notice that they look better at 15 feet away than they do close up because the quality is typically not very high.

Have a close look at the brakes, the exhaust, the ignition system, the intake system and R&R as necessary. Post pics and get opinions on those things if you're not sure. Get the car as clean as humanly possible. That process alone will uncover a lot of the potential failures your car might be hiding. Go looking for any hidden rust. Make sure you're not spending money on a car with a rotten floor or what have you. You may not need a bunch of things, but I think it would be very advantageous to know that before spending a bunch of money on the body.

Then go get whatever ridiculous looking body kit you want so I can mock you mercilessly.

[RS_OBD'oh_2]

Are you even close to FX? If you don't live in AB, you might want to start all over. You don't want to know what shipping costs on this stuff.

Hmm.. I also think FX is closed. No more webpage or contact info.

[TeenBowser]

Thanks for all the help guys! I've kinda decided that it really doesn't make sense for me to buy a body kit right now. It's not really feasible and everything you guys said is true. In the next few months I'll try and do some maintenance work to my car (which won't be cheap). The kit won't look that great either and will make my car less safe to drive. I think I'm just going to puchase some of Spyder Auto's projector headlights instead. They look amazing and seem to work great. Is there anything I should know about them before I purchase them?

[wytbishop]

Wait for it....