How to Customize Your Used Car

Shopping for a used car is the best choice for many people. Used cars are more affordable and offer you a wider selection. By shopping for used cars, you also allow enough time to pass to learn from others’ experiences so you know which models are the best quality.

When you find a used car that you love, it may have just about everything that you want. Since you’re not buying a new car, you don’t have the option to buy the upgrade package. Here are a few things you can do to customize your ride after you find a used car that you love:

Get a New Paint Job

You may love everything about your new, used car, but you just wish it weren’t that funky orange

color. Changing the paint is one of the easiest things you can do to customize your used car. You can choose a simple color change, or you can explore some fun options like racer stripes, flames or other unique designs. Your car is a blank canvas for you to express your personal style.

Change the Stereo System

Your stereo system has a big impact on your day-to-day experience with your car outside of the engine’s performance. A weak system can make your ride boring or irritating. Consider upgrading the system to include more pre-set channels, surround sound, auxiliary inputs to hook up your smart phone, and blue tooth to make calls or texts. Stereo systems can be quite advanced, including touch-screen controls.

Recover the Interior

You don’t have to stick to boring grey fabric seats. You can upgrade to leather or other fabrics such as faux animal skin or even faux fur. You can choose wild colors like red and yellow, or you can go with something more refined and sophisticated like black or gun metal grey. The seat coverings can change the whole look of your car.

When you find a used car, you are just beginning the long journey with your new ride. Consider customizing it, as well, to put your personal stamp on it. These are just a few of the ways you can customize your new car, but there are many more options. Be creative and have fun with it.

2021 Update

Install Custom Rims

One of the most popular ways of altering a used car is with all-new custom rims. Pricing and availability will ultimately depend on what sort of vehicle you have and the condition of the wheels and struts. Even still, sprucing up the wheels with some new rims can go a long way in changing the way the vehicle not only looks but how it handles, too.

There is a wide range of different rims available, some of which have fancy designs while others are more traditional. Depending on the car you have, and the kind of look you’re going for will determine what kind of wheels you should put on your vehicle. Some rims cost as low as $50, while others can cost hundreds. It all depends on what you want out of the rim, however. Fancier designs and flashy colors will cost you more, while the low-key designs will be more forgiving to your wallet.

Take note that not every rim or custom wheel fits every vehicle. You will need to make sure that the wheel fits your suspension and that they don’t become obstructions for the struts. Sometimes wheels that are too large for the car can easily wear down or wear out your struts faster than usual or can cause problems with the turning and handling.

Finding the right wheel size and the right style is essential for having proper working custom wheels for your vehicle.

Swap Out The Tires

In addition to adding custom rims to your ride, there’s also the option of swapping out your tires for something unique as well. If you’re not keen on simply having basic all-season tires on your car and you want something a little different, there are a number of different tire options available out there.

Some of the custom tire options include racing or sport tires, which are designed for high-performance activity. They have specially made treads designed for gripping the road and providing the best handling possible while driving. If you have a truck or off-road vehicle, you can also buy tires designed specifically for off-roading to not only help your vehicle perform better on dirt, rocks, or in mud but it will also make your vehicle look real tough.

Alternatively, some tires simply give you the option to have custom lettering on them. If you want custom lettering on your tires, you can go the cost effective route by buying tire letters and applying them onto the tires yourself, or you can have a dealership apply the letters.

Hoods/Trunks

If you don’t mind swapping out OEM parts for aftermarket parts, one of the most popular ways to customize a used car is to modify the hood or the trunk. Aftermarket hoods are fairly easy to come by for certain kinds of vehicles, especially sports cars, compact sedans, and hatchbacks. These affordable rides make it convenient to add a little something extra into their appearance or for performance after the fact because it’s such a fun thing to do.

Aftermarket hoods and trunks can make your car or truck look really awesome, or they can be used to replace a hood/trunk with dents, scrapes, bad paint jobs, or other issues. Unlike the tires or wheels, you don’t have to be as vigilant with hoods or trunks in terms of making sure that the suspension isn’t damaged. So long as the aftermarket hood/trunk is street legal and fits your ride, you should be good to go.

On the plus side, for those who really enjoy pushing their vehicle to the limit, some aftermarket hoods can actually help improve aerodynamics and airflow. So not all custom or aftermarket hoods are about looks; some of them help with performance, too.

Customized Bumpers/Fenders

In addition to customizing your hood and trunk, you can also alter the bumpers, fenders, and side skirts on some vehicles. Front and rear bumper replacements are quite popular, and in fact, there is a whole 3D printing community centered around creating fabricated bumpers and fenders for certain kinds of cars.

Most newer cars have designated areas where you can remove the front or rear bumper to replace them. It will require some finesse to install them properly, so they match up both color-wise and size-wise with the rest of the vehicle. If done successfully, they can completely alter the look and feel of your ride, so long as the replaced bumper follows the local laws.

Fenders can sometimes be a little more tricky to replace since most fenders are attached to multiple areas of the vehicle’s frame. However, some cars, trucks, and SUVs are designed so you can add fiberglass or carbon fiber fender attachments to spruce up the look of your ride.
It might seem like custom, or aftermarket fenders would be expensive, but most of them are no more costly than the average set of new tires. However, it also depends on the vehicle, the make, the model, and body styling.

Window Tinting

One quick way to change the way your vehicle looks is by tinting the windows. It may not seem like a big thing, but a lot of people really enjoy tinting their windows or coloring their windows. Window tinting can be done either by the car owner or applied by specialists. If you choose to tint the windows on your own, there’s a lengthy process you have to go through in order to treat the windows and get the tint applied correctly. The best method is simply to have specialists perform the tinting.

Some people like tinted windows to block out the bright rays of the sun, while others enjoy the stylistic look it gives the vehicle while driving around. If you have a specific kind of car with a very noticeable paint job that you want accented by the windows, you might choose to tint the windows a specific color to match the paint job. With a used car, there are all sorts of options you have available, so long as it is stays within the regulations of the local area.

Performance Modifications

In addition to all of the body modifications and color alterations you can apply to your vehicle, performance modifications can also be done to improve handling, speed, and general performance. Most performance mods consist of engine upgrades, such as turbo modifications, air intake tweaks, manifold changes, cam replacements, or valve improvements, among other options.

Something to Keep In Mind

You’ll certainly need to check with your local law enforcement and your insurance company to see if some of the changes you want to make are legal in your area. While making modifications to boost your vehicle’s performance may not seem like a big deal, there are a lot of laws regarding emissions and safety standards.

If you’d like to discuss modification to your vehicle, reach out to us at McCluskey Automotive. We’d be happy to discuss how we can help you find a used vehicle that you can modify to your exact wishes, and our body shop would love to help you make changes to your vehicle. We can even help you find the exact parts you need. So when you are ready, visit us in Cincinnati, OH.