Buying a Car Modified by a Previous Owner

We all see cars that have been modified by their owners and now they are hitting the street with a for sale sign on it. Cars with a custom supercharger or turbocharger that has been installed to add power or lowered suspension to add that custom look. What may seem like a great buy at first can turn into a money pit and a huge headache.

There are plenty of tuner companies that sell tuned versions of cars like custom shops and other tuning houses but they all stand behind their work. What we are looking at is the tuned car that has been modified by someone in their garage and lets be honest not everyone does every install correctly. There are a few things to look for when purchasing a modified used car. The first step is to meet the previous owner, if they are a 50 year old man who is a car enthusiast and modified his BMW with all Dinan accessories you will probably be ok. Now on the other hand if the person selling the car is a 19 year old with a low budget and a thirst for speed than probably want to skip it.

Aftermarket performance parts are just like everything else and that is to say "ya get what ya pay for", cheap ebay parts are just that. Parts that have been built and tested with quality are more expensive not only because the look cool but the cost of building and testing them is high. Cheap parts are usually a low cost version of a quality part which means that materials are not as good and the build quality is lacking. Low build quality means reduced performance and shorter life of the part. The other factor to consider is the "cutting corners" of a cheap car build. Younger owners then to be do it yourselfers and they may not know how to do the installs correctly so all work down on a potential purchase will have to be looked over.

A modified car can be a great purchase especially if the car already has a bunch of modifications that are on the "To Do" list. It can be hard to resist the draw of a car that already has the parts you want. In the long run it may be better to pass and buy the basic car and add the parts yourself just cause you know it has been done right.

The Small Customer Car Craze Started a Long Time Ago

Throughout the ages man has strived to define himself as an individual. Cave drawings, elaborate hair styles, huge watches there are all a way to say “look at me” in new and unique ways.  Car trends through the years have changed but the feel is the same it’s all about making something truly unique and truly yours. This is not just about putting some fancy parts or changing out the steering racks and power steering pump when there is a recall. Customer cars are all about what the owners want and how the car makes them feel. The same idea of making your loin cloth out of some dangerous animal can be applied to the car scene. Something that took a long time to build or is unique will always stand out in a crowd.

It is a little known truth that the Japanese and euro tuning market has been alive and well long before the Honda crazy hit the US. In the US the car market was dominated by large American cars for a long period of time and anyone running a small engine was considered to be a bit limp wristed in what they drove. There was no way that a car with a 4 cylinder could be a performance car in any way. In Europe on the other hand the trend was already in full swing with tuning houses and private individuals dropping some serious coin to make their rides unique and much faster.

The trend of going wider and making the cars “footprint” larger has been a tried and true practice for years. These pics are just a few of the examples of the crazy ideas that people had in the 80s and 90s before the small car crazy hit here. There are so many examples of what the gear heads of the past had in mind and what lead to the looks of modern cars. As a car guy it is obvious to me and probably to you that styles created by custom cars is always a big influence in the car of the future. 

This Year’s Monterey was Something Amazing to Behold

There are car shows and then there are CAR SHOWS, Monterey is the latter. This show it the crème de la crème of the automotive world. We are not talking about Ponitiac fuel pump and fuel injector units here. This is a no hold barred brawl of the most beautiful and amazing car that the world has ever seen.  As an example there were a number of cars carrying price tags so high that even Steve Jobs might think twice. Yeah lets be honest it wouldn’t phase him to buy one but still 2.6 Million dollars for one car is quite the asking price.

One such insane car is the new SSC Tuatara which is the latest offering from the Shelby company and the word bespoke is used a number of times when this car is mentioned. This car is a space age material covered high speed monster that will be a contender for the fasted production car on the planet for sure. The Tuatara features a 7.0L turbo charged motor creating more than 1300 HP and is looking to not only top the 270MPH barrier but also capture the fastest time for a production car around the Nurburgring. The best part about this car is it looks like something out a movie based years in the future and yes it is the car in the main image of this blog.

Bugatti had one of the more interesting cars that has been shown in many years but not for the reason you may think. This particular car is in fact a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport that has been custom built with porcelain worked right into the pain and while not everyone may agree with the styling of the car it can be said it is quite stunning to behold even if it is just in high def pictures. One last think about the car it has clear tail lamps and cops love to pull people over for clear tail lamps. Over 2 million for a car and a top speed of over 260MPH and you get stopped for something that trivial. Just saying it would be funny.

If anyone who could not get into the show it-self was feeling left out there was really no need, the parking lot of the even was any car guys dream. Just in a few short minutes walking around the grass lot that was the parking many Porsche carrers GTs and Lamborghinis can be seen. Enough Ferraris, Rolls Royce and Bentlys to make Rodeo drive loot like the poor house and even a Veyron or 2 all making me think why pay for a ticket. The other thought in my head is what do these people do for a living and how nice it must be to have that kind of speed at your finger tips …well toe tips.