What's your philosophy on how far to go with upgrades/mods?

SandmanXP

Member
:
Mazda 5 Sport 2006
I've never really been one to put a lot of time/money into a vehicle, seeing it as more of disposable means of getting around (past classic cars I've owned notwithstanding) and I figure that if you're going to put a lot of time and money into improving a car, you might as well just get a better car. But the Mazda 5's size and flexibility (sliding doors, can seat 6) make it a good fit for me into the foreseeable future. I expected to eventually get something like an Odyssey, but most of the time I don't need all that space and prefer being able to park and maneuver the 5 more easily.

So; now I'm beginning to make improvements: Koni FSD struts already on, front and rear sway bars going on soon, followed by a hitch for a bike rack, probably upgrading brakes and rotors soon, too - you know where this is going...

I'm imagining the Mazda 5 platform will serve me fine for 8 more years (kids). Or rather, I can't justify a mid-life crisis, red, sports car until then. I want it to be a car that I enjoy driving and that does what I need it to as opposed to feeling like I'm making do. It's got 95K on it and the MPG seems low (but acceptable from what I've seen in that thread), but I wonder how long the engine is good for.

Which is a roundabout way of asking how y'all decide how far to go improving your cars. What you guys do when something bad happens. If the car gets totaled, do you try to strip all the parts you can salvage and put the on a same model replacement car? Or do you just suck it up and start over? If the engine fails, do you get a replacement and start over or again, strip it and put it all in a replacement car?
 
Easy answer is whatever the wife can accept...(braindead

For me, it's based on tastefully correcting the compromises the manufacturer has designed into the car in appealing to the masses to improve my priorities.

For the Mazda 5 specifically, any mod that does not reduce the primary purpose and functionality of the car (easy to drive, carry my kids and have ample cargo space, fuel efficiency) and yet improves the handling, safety, reliability and appearance.

So, I'll never install the following mods in the M5 for the listed reason.

performance clutch (pp and disk) - not fun for a dd
turbocharger/sc - fuel efficiency and emissions
Slammed/stanced suspension - headache for ramps, speed bumps, driveways, snow
Crazy body kit - same as above
Subwoofer - reduces cargo space
Polyurethane bushing - too jarring a ride

A cbe/ header/ cai would be ok as long as the sound doesn't annoy the wife.
Any other tasteful mod is on the table.
 
Easy answer is whatever the wife can accept...(braindead

Well, obviously that's a major factor. Mine seems willing to let me do some stuff to make it work for me - figuring it's cheaper than getting a new(er) car. She only drives it occasionally, so as long as I don't do anything that makes it behave too much differently than stock or her DD, she probably won't complain...much.
 
For me it depends on how long I intend on keeping the car and how much use I make of the car/mod. I consider how much of a benefit the modification will improve my 'driving' experience; I put on ~17K a year. I take the cost of the part and divide it out by how many miles I intend on making use of it. Cosmetics mods are usually not on my radar. Also, when a part is worn and needs replacement, this is my excuse to look into better aftermarket replacement.
 
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