Is it worth doing anything to my Camry?

"Zohaibman72" (zohaibman72) 08/31/2014 at 16:30 • Filed to: None

0

52

So I wanted to get a few things for my Hybrid Camry because I am probably keeping until after college (I am starting in January) and I don't know if it is really worth it.

I'm mainly looking at HIDs, Maybe some new rims

I don't like the stock rims personally, I think they look kinda cheap.

And maybe a subwoofer or something.

Is it really worth it do any of these modifications to my car, because after all, I am planning to sell it after college and buy something else, but that won't be for awhile. I think it has about 150,000kms on it, I can't really check because my grandpa is borrowing it (someone hit his CX9). Would it lower the cost, or would spending money on a car im going to sell in like 4-5 years be worth it?

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 16:32

1

You could probably get new rims, only because that modification is completely reversible and wont hurt the resale value. just be sure to keep the stock rims for when you sell the car, it'll be worth more with them on it

jkm7680 > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 16:34

3

Rims would be tops I'd say, You can always remove them and put them on something else and put the stock ones back on once you get rid of the car.

Zohaibman72 > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 08/31/2014 at 16:34

2

Yeah, no matter what I do to any car, I always plan to keep the stock parts somewhere. I'm not one of those "oh I modded my car so It's worth more" people.

Ducky > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 16:37

4

the best mod you can do is sell it and buy a miata

GhostZ > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 16:39

2

Is it grounded to the ground?

djmt1 > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 16:40

1

Change the Toyota badges to Mario badges.

hike > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 16:42

1

It's worth it since you want to be able to enjoy it as much as possible for the next 4-5 years. Just don't do anything to crazy or irreversible.

Zohaibman72 > hike 08/31/2014 at 16:43

0

thats what I was thinking honestly.

Zohaibman72 > djmt1 08/31/2014 at 16:44

0

I'm more of a princess peach guy myself.

Zohaibman72 > GhostZ 08/31/2014 at 16:44

1

I should slam it into the earth
I actually think the Camry is extremely high riding for a car

Zohaibman72 > Ducky 08/31/2014 at 16:45

0

if only I could

djmt1 > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 16:45

1

Peach is such a slut, Rosalina FTW!

Skif6996 > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 16:47

1

I have been looking at these headlights kits on ebay. The Mazda forum I live on had some good reviews for this brand. If they suck, you're not out a lot of money.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00COO…

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

ly2v8-Brian > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 16:50

1

You aren't imagining that. It does ride high.

ly2v8-Brian > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 16:52

0

Leave it the way it is. Take care of it and treat it well. Maximize your trade in for after school. Put money into a vehicle you are passionate about.

XJDano > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 16:59

0

tint Windows. The rest you should be able to remove

Klaus Schmoll > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 17:02

1

You have to ask yourself another question. You said that you want to keep this car for 4-5 years. "What do I want to do to my car to enjoy it more, get more fun out of it?"

I'm not that versed with the US/Canada Camrys, they all look the same to me, so I can't tell how old yours is, but at 140k Kms it's not a spring chicken either. In 4-5 years it will be an older car whose resale value is mostly determined by the state the car is in and service history. So try not to scratch it, avoid door dings, give it a coat of wax once or twice a year, and don't let your college buddies party too hard inside. Also, get a binder and start collecting every receipt for the car, oil changes, safety inspection printouts, the receipt for the new wipers you bought at the gas station, you name it. Used car buyers love this stuff.

You will be spending some time with your car, so why not customise it a bit to your liking? You like music? Why not get a sub and some amps? Just make sure that you don't have to drill too many holes etc. New rims? Why not. Store the stock ones somewhere or use them as winter wheels (your plates say Ontario). Just don't expect to get any money back, this is for your own creature comfort.

Zohaibman72 > Skif6996 08/31/2014 at 17:05

1

those are actually great. Low price, and 5000k, I like 5000k because its alot more clean and less flashy than blue.

shop-teacher > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 17:06

0

Save your money, put it towards a down payment on whatever you'll replace the Camry with. A hybrid Camry with rims is no more fun than a hybrid Camry.

Zohaibman72 > ly2v8-Brian 08/31/2014 at 17:06

0

Feels like an SUV compared to the civic. Weirdest thing, at highschool, the bottom of the Camry ALWAYS scrapes on the speedbumps, when I took my mom's Civic, it never did. I don't get it, the Civic is extremely low.

sellphones2493 > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 17:08

0

I would say a light tint, but I have a feeling Canada isn't too fond of tint...

ly2v8-Brian > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 17:14

1

Super squishy (technical term) suspension that's how. That is a car aimed at the highest car buying group, which are the 45+ crowd and they want that. I had one as a rental it was weird. It had a very, very soft suspension but rode rougher than the Buick LeSabre I had at the time. Though the LeSabre has an air suspension, which is hard to beat in smoothness (not handling of course).

miadaman? yes please > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 17:22

0

Thing is, no matter what you do to a Camry it's still a Camry. There will always be someone looking to buy a reliable/efficient ride as long as the record is clean. Do the cosmetic stuff, tint windows, rims, HID lights or any plug-and-play mods if it makes you happier. Most importantly, for the love of god RUST PROOF IT EVERY YEAR BEFORE WINTER.

Zohaibman72 > Klaus Schmoll 08/31/2014 at 17:34

0

regrading winter tires, I usually do them without any sort of rim so they stay better preserved,

Zohaibman72 > shop-teacher 08/31/2014 at 17:36

0

I don't find the car terrible or anything, I actually love it, but Aesthetically I want more, especially because I'm young, and out of all my family and friends, I have the least cool car. And the weirdest thing is, Kids (for some reason beyond me) find Camry's extremely good looking and they get modified alot.

Zohaibman72 > sellphones2493 08/31/2014 at 17:37

0

actually from what I've heard of they are. Alot of people have tints here, nobody really cares. The real pullover bait is bodykits and spoilers.

Zohaibman72 > ly2v8-Brian 08/31/2014 at 17:38

0

I find the Camry has an amazing ride on smooth surfaces, but on bumps it acts like an old Cadillac, going all over the place, It's nuts.

shop-teacher > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 17:41

0

I didn't say it was terrible. I just said it won't be anymore fun to drive with rims. So, in my opinion (which you did ask for :) ), you should save the money to put towards something more fun. When the time comes, the bigger your down payment, the more fun you'll be able to afford.

Zohaibman72 > miadaman? yes please 08/31/2014 at 17:41

0

I need to take care of this car extremely well, the previous owner did not give a shit about it, I mean, the $44,000 it cost him to purchase it is pocket change to him. It has bumps and scratches all over, and some rust on the trunk (on a 2008 model!), I need to do extreme rust proofing.

I just wish I had the facelift Camry hybrid, looks much better.

Zohaibman72 > shop-teacher 08/31/2014 at 17:44

0

oh sorry, I didn't mean to sound like you implied it was terrible, my bad, it's just general consensus around here is that the Camry is the worst car to ever reach the mass market or something.

I don't plan to spend much if I do spend, I currently have my eyes set out on a early 2000s Lexus GS 300 but who knows how my opinion will change in 5 or so years. Maybe if Nissan releases that IDx, I'll want that.

dogisbadob > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 17:45

0

150k km is nothing! That's only like 100k miles. It has plenty of life left on it! The Camry will last way past college :)

Aftermarket headlights are generally a downgrade not an upgrade; see sites like Daniel Stern and Candlepower Forums for more information.

There is a TRD supercharger for the 2AZ. It may or may not work on the hybrid.

Koni makes shocks for the 5g Camry; they should probably fit the 6g as well. Not "officially" sold in the US, but more info can be found on their European website.

Zohaibman72 > dogisbadob 08/31/2014 at 17:49

0

I really wanted 5000k HIDs because I'm surprised they didn't come standard. The car looks very cheap with the regular lighting, but I do plan to go as high quality as possible for safety reasons when I do get them

I don't want to increase preformance or anything because, well, It's a hybrid, but I might look at intake and stuff and see if gets some better MPGs. You'd be suprised to hear, the Hybrid Camry gets the same mileage as the Vtec '06 Civic. It's actually disappointing, but the Camry is really frikin heavy.

shop-teacher > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 18:01

0

No worries :)

Personally, I do hate Camry's (my only experience driving one went quite badly), but I'll never shit on another person's car. I daily drive an equally boring '11 Malibu. I refuse to do anything but maintenance to it. I'll save any extra cash I can pull together, for something more fun.

Klaus Schmoll > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 18:16

0

so you are talking steelies here?

Zohaibman72 > Klaus Schmoll 08/31/2014 at 18:21

0

yea

Vzwolf > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 18:52

0

I put HID's in my moms Camry. Very easy job. It's a safety thing, not just about aesthetics. Other than that I would leave it alone.

Axial > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 19:42

0

Rear spoiler, ground effects, "S" badges, and a 5 inch exhaust tip with muffler delete. Should cover it.

Sorry, had to say it.

I would just leave it as it is. Maybe represent with an Oppo sticker, but that's about it.

VincentMalamute-Kim > shop-teacher 08/31/2014 at 19:55

0

Actually, plus sizing at least once will make the car more fun to drive. It won't turn it into a Miata but I upgraded to +1 rims on my minivans and it does make a noticeable improvement in ride and handling. +2 makes it too harsh for my old tastes but youth would probably find it fine.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 20:09

0

Those early GS300's look nice. Your question really depends on how much money you have. You can get good looking (rims for appearance only, not for performance) rims pretty cheap. And see my response to Shopteacher. My experience is that plus sizing rims do help lousy, soft handling cars like Dodge Grand Caravans. So it'd probably do the same for your Camry. It's not going to turn it into a Lotus Elise but your stock rims are pretty boring.

Skip the HID is my opinion. You've got young eyes. The HIDs won't do anything for appearance (except at night).

Rims, lowering springs, blackout the trim. Do they make smoked taillights? Tint the windows. That would be my personal recipe for appearance upgrades. Is it worth the money for something you know you're going to sell? I'd say no but if you have a lot of money, you might feel different.

Zohaibman72 > VincentMalamute-Kim 08/31/2014 at 20:16

0

Smoking the lights on Camry is huge, I am definitely looking into it as I have a guy for it. But the problem is, I think smoked lights look better on Black coloured cars, not a grey one like I have.

An awesome mod, I don't know if possible, would be adding a slight light blue tint to the chrome around the car. It would really match the faint blue tint on the headlights and make it look much nice. Like very faint light blue would look nice on the badging

I want to lower it and put rims purely to make the ride more hard, It's very much like how people describe old Cadillacs, and it's annoying.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 20:25

0

It would still look good on gray, I think. Yours is a dark gray besides (just noticed your Canadian spelling). It'd be better if someone made aftermarket smoked taillights. That way the taillight was designed for the tint and maintains stock light output. Although that would be a lot more money instead of some guy tinting the stock lights.

Lowering and plus sizing rims definitely will make the car handle better.

I have no idea how people would tint/smoke chrome trim. Blacking out is easier with tape or vinyl.

Sounds like you know which way you want to go. You want to spend money on the car.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 20:29

0

airbags and fatrimz yo

PardonMyFlemish16 > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 20:51

1

I don't think it's so bad to modify. Those tires are too high profile for performance, so new rims are legit. I would look into coilovers as well if your roads are decent. And subwoofers + HIDs would work too, your stock projectors are not bad. If you're stuck with it might as well make the most of it. You can (and should) sell the stuff separate when you sell the car.

Zohaibman72 > VincentMalamute-Kim 08/31/2014 at 21:07

0

It's just, being young myself (18 in oct), and seeing all the other young people doing cool things makes me jelly. Makes me want to have a nice car to show off. I'm not into stupid illegal stuff like street racing, but I do want a car that I'm proud to show off to people.

Zohaibman72 > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard 08/31/2014 at 21:07

0

I'm going to be honest, this exact camry is the reason I posted this article, I really like the headlights and the rims actually look way better that what I got.

Zohaibman72 > PardonMyFlemish16 08/31/2014 at 21:09

0

I really want to lower it for the ride's sake. I prefer my mom's civic driving dynamics over my own car, because mine is too jumpy and stuff.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 21:24

0

those rims wouldn't work unless you also got the airbags. I wouldn't recommend going that low on coilovers or cut springs.

I reckon some 18" BBS LM replicas and some dark tint. Maybe some TRD springs if you have the cash. You can always keep the old springs for when you sell it.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 21:25

0

I suppose I could give you a lecture on how comparing yourself to other people is a setup for failure, someone is always going to have more, but that's probably stuff you have to learn on your own. Or not. Maybe you'll be the next Gates or Brin or Zuckerman.

And OTOH we all like cool cars here. Even Camry's can look cool. Minivans too. I get what you want.

523hp One Lap Odyssey:

Zohaibman72 > VincentMalamute-Kim 08/31/2014 at 21:56

0

I realize someone will always have more, but I'd be satisfied with something rather than nothing. Going to a car show in a Hybrid Camry is quite embrassing. Not sayind I don't apperciate my car either, I stand by thinking its the best DD out there (Or atleast up there with the greatest) , lots of room, amazing sound system, and reliability.

miadaman? yes please > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 22:10

0

That's pretty sad, I'm of the opinion that even beige appliances should go to people who appreciates them.

Zohaibman72 > miadaman? yes please 08/31/2014 at 22:18

0

You should have seen the interior before we got it detailed, christ it was terrifying.

I cleaned the car inside amazingly, but then I loaned it to my grandpa. Grass all over the floor matts ugh

miadaman? yes please > Zohaibman72 08/31/2014 at 22:23

0

Ya... I carpool with co-workers all year round. During winters I don't want to tell them to wipe their shoes before getting in but seriously wipe your ***ing shoes before coming in or I'll throw them out for you. Southern ontario rust belt eats car for breakfast, just ask my quarter panels :(.