2002 Black Cavalier LS (First car, I'm 16, I love it)

[1991rangerSTX 10+ year member]

I spent $100 on my first car, did the normal tune-up, changed a few gaskets, and fixed a wiring issue. Spent around $400 total. That was 5 years ago, still have the car. Only put on around 30k. The engine knocks, the carpet is nasty (now that it sat at an impound lot for over 3 months with the windows down, ******' *****), the door covers are falling off the radiator fan doesn't work and it leaks anti-freeze. I won't sell the *****...

sounds a hella lot like my beater buick... cept' it had to just start when it was 50- last winter and the anti-freeze froze -,- got hot and blew a few rods. i would still have it if it didnt have to start -,-

 

[9515ROB 10+ year member]

my buddy put a wall with 4 15s in the style before this....i was sealing it off and it took 15 cans of great stuff...all i know is that car is fu_cked if he ever wants to take that wall out for some reason

 

[I Like Waffle]

Sweet cavalier bro. Go to autozone and tell them to sell you the biggest poot pipe they have, and a generic cold air intake too. Thatll make it rumble like a cammed out V8 for sure. Also ask the counter guy if he can get you a detroit locker/posi traction for your rear end. Itll really make the car accellerate alot faster.

 

[Toone 10+ year member]

Why put more into apperance upgrades than the car is worth? why not wait and get something decent, im sure this has been said atleast 50x in the thread but im too lazy to read.

 

[hatedonmostly 5,000+ posts]

Did your mom really give you $700 lol I doubt it.

 

[97chameleonbird 10+ year member]

Listen to everyone. If you don't people will laugh at you while you think you are cool. I had so many plans for my ford taurus wagon when I first got it, and then I bought a camaro and thought to myself why I ever wanted to mod that thing. Trust me, you will be much happier with a better car in a year or two. Make this one last but don't do much to it. If you really want it for a while do the tint, speaker system, and maybe some decent rims, nothing tacky and blingy. The rims can always be sold when you sell the car and the system can be taken out.

You should think of what you want out of a car first, comfort, luxury, performance, reliability? Once you figure out what you want you should get the car that fits that best and "mod" it to whatever style you like. 700 a month seems a lot but I make around 12-1300 a month and that still aint cutting it. I suggest you save most of the money and buy a real nice car at the end of senior year. The cav will be great for highschool but in college it will be much nicer to have a car with lower miles and newer with better reliability and comfort. I just picked up an 07 g6 with 34k miles and I am in love with that...way more than I was with my taurus //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

 

[xoutofmyheadx 10+ year member]

how do you figure that s.s. is for you to spend on whatever it is that you desire? your mom got that money because your dad had died, so it was to replace any income that he would have provided for you. your mom live in a 1bd room apt where she only needed to pay for herself? you get your clothes from bums on the street? do you not eat any food? you never goto the dr? you don't use electric, gas, water at home? and yes i've been where you are now, my dad was killed when i was 15. this is just a small list of things that would have had to been paid for, i could make it bigger it need be.

 

[loudmofo 5,000+ posts]

My amps are worth more than your system

what a pos you drive.

 

[BoiseMCSS]

Niko, be carefull with that money. I'm speaking from experience. My Dad died when I was 7 also and we were getting $400 a month (it was 27 years ago). I used the money for playing around. Went to college and continued to get it. I wasn't supposed to though. It was supposed to stop my graduation month. I ended up owing the SSA over $1200 and they wanted it all at once, immediatly.

Long story short, if you keep getting the money after you graduate, DON'T SPEND IT! They'll want it back.

 

[1rockford1 5,000+ posts]

just do tint thats all.

 

[budahbuddy803 10+ year member]

yeah dont waste that money bro.... save it!

 

[NikoM 10+ year member]

I tinted my Cavalier, 20% all around including a top eyebrow. It looks pretty cool.

I got some new HID bulbs for my headlights and they are much brighter.

I'm now looking towards a new head unit/deck.

No decals/vinyl, no spoilers/wings, the majority of appearance upgrades I wanted to get I decided not to.

 

[Heeltoeclutch 10+ year member]

the majority of appearance upgrades I wanted to get I decided not to.

Good man. I think you'd regret them later. I was 16 and had a "ricer" phase (old civic) with a lot less money to spend - I had a lot of fun going cheap on appearance. Haven't read everything, but stuff I'd recommend:

- Short-shifter and new shift bushings: makes your car feel like a Porsche, much more solid shifts

- Catback exhaust: for sound and a little power. BE CAREFUL THOUGH with choosing! You can end up with one sh!tty-sounding car! Listen to youtube videos of your car with different exhausts and make your decision from there //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

- Intake: intake and exhaust are the first things to do to make power on an N/A (non-turbo/supercharged) car. cheap too. ebay. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

- Audio stuff and SECURITY SYSTEM: don't get your stuff stolen!

- check out the Home Depot lip. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif a lot of SRT-4 and us Subaru guys do it. cheap, flexible lip that looks decent.

Have fun man. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[NikoM 10+ year member]

Good man. I think you'd regret them later. I was 16 and had a "ricer" phase (old civic) with a lot less money to spend - I had a lot of fun going cheap on appearance. Haven't read everything, but stuff I'd recommend:
- Short-shifter and new shift bushings: makes your car feel like a Porsche, much more solid shifts

- Catback exhaust: for sound and a little power. BE CAREFUL THOUGH with choosing! You can end up with one sh!tty-sounding car! Listen to youtube videos of your car with different exhausts and make your decision from there //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

- Intake: intake and exhaust are the first things to do to make power on an N/A (non-turbo/supercharged) car. cheap too. ebay. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

- Audio stuff and SECURITY SYSTEM: don't get your stuff stolen!

- check out the Home Depot lip. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif a lot of SRT-4 and us Subaru guys do it. cheap, flexible lip that looks decent.

Have fun man. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

-Short shifter. Edit: Googled it. I might look into getting one.

-Catback: That can be pretty expensive can't it?

-Intake: I thought about upgrading in this area.

 

[Brian_smith06 10+ year member]

Post pics of the tint. I have 5 and 20% on mine. I wish I had done 20 all the way around though. My 5 is too dark!