No mods for old man

It’s been nearly two years of ownership with my BMW M2 Competition. The common question I get from fellow car guys is if I’m going to do any modifications to it. Because as of right now the car is still bone stock as it left the factory. There isn’t even a decal on the windows, zero signs of personalization whatsoever. The days of spending the next paycheck on car parts is truly passed and gone.

It’s not that I wouldn’t want to do modifications to the M2. The problem is, the parts I would want to put on the car are so god damn expensive. $200 set of lowering springs and $1000 set of wheels this is not. When you’re dealing with cars the caliber of a BMW M2, a proper suspension upgrade is $3,200 for a set of Ohlin dampers. If I want to change the wheels, only a $4,000 set of M Performance wheels will do. What about an exhaust upgrade? The Akrapovic unit made out of titanium I very much would like is $5,700.

Car parts - the good stuff, anyways - are incredibly expensive! Just those three items I mentioned alone is enough money to buy a whole other used car. Never mind the fact that I also want to wrap the M2 in red - a color it never came with from the factory. Had red been offered - it was available in the lower trims of the 2 series - I would have bought it in that color instead of white.

So yes, I would love to do modifications to the M2. But I’m at a point in life I am unwilling (and shouldn’t, honestly) to spend nearly $15,000 to replace parts on a car that works perfectly fine. I rather save that money towards a down payment on a whole other car. Like the forthcoming Honda Civic Type R…

View fullsize

Taiwan’s finest.

How much on what?

My brother tells me he just spent over $3,000 on a set of aftermarket wheels for his Mazda Miata. That to me seem extremely extravagant. What’s wrong with the wheels that came with car? Not only did he spend money on an extra set, now he’s got to figure out how to store the original wheels! Think of the gallons of gasoline that can be bought with $3,000. I much rather spend it like that and actually drive the car somewhere.

And he still has to buy tires!

I’m no stranger to extravagant spending: $5,000 on a computer monitor is just fine with me. But to buy a replacement item when the original still works fine? Blasphemy! I’ve been eyeing the new Keychron Q3 mechanical keyboard, and I cannot bring myself to push purchase. Because I’m already typing on this Keychron K8! It would be supremely wasteful to get the latest and greatest. I know this, because I already do that with my iPhone and MacBook Pro…

2022 will be the year I’ll stop buying a new MacBook Pro. I swear! Though I’m always going to get the newest iPhone. It’s all about utility: I will gladly throw money at the things I use most often. Replacement wheels for a car largely serves a stylistic purpose, which is not something I subscribe to. You’ll know, if you ever see me in person.

Perhaps it’s the age difference: my brother is in his early 20s, and I’m ten years older than he. That’s obviously the spend money wantonly phase of life. He’s also a raging car enthusiast like I am, so spending cash on upgrades is a part of the deal. Still, I don’t see myself buying a second set of wheels for the M2. I know exactly what I would get, too. Like I said, I much rather use that money on gas. Have you seen how expensive petrol is lately?

View fullsize

Someone didn’t get the memo.

Modifying the Miata shall begin

It's been nearly two years since I bought my Mazda Miata, and to date the only modification I've done is switching out the stock shift-knob with a titanium unit from WC Lathe Werks. Other than that, the car is utterly stock. 

What happened? I used to love modifying cars. Ever since reading my first issue of Import Tuner (RIP) back in my early teens, I was hooked on vehicle upgrades and go-fast products. On my first car the Toyota Corolla - not exactly a car worthy of modifying - I put lowering springs, new shocks, wheels, LED tail-lamps, sway bars, strut bar; the list goes on. It turned the otherwise mundane and anonymous grocery-getter into a car of my own special identity. There were some special days indeed wrenching on that car with friends, putting on new wheels for the first time, and countless detailing sessions to make it all look spiff and proper. 

What changed with the current car? Adulthood, I guess. I'm not nearly as cavalier with money as I were and can be back in college. Back then whatever I earned from work I would spend it completely, in contrast with today where I have to allocate funds for various adult stuff like retirement accounts and rainy-day funds. Other areas of interest like photography and traveling also grew more dominant as to where I want to allocate spares dollars. Car modification took a complete back-burner: I've already got the car, and it takes me to places; why should I put more money towards it than necessary? 

I've lost what a joy it is buying and putting on new car parts, though it can't replace the joy of having properly funded investment accounts. Nevertheless, I would like to make a cautious return and will begin slowly modifying the Miata. It shall begin with the wheels, as one does. I shall update with what exactly in a future post.