"Rationalizing Mods" vs. other expenses

[Tim B.]

I got this idea from the old poll of how much have you spent on mods......Interesting post, but i'd be more eager to know how the mods are "justified" or rationalized vs. other "real" world expenses, such as, mortgage, home improvement projects, kids' tuition, vacations, other hobbies, etc. How do you balance it out? Some guys say they hide invoices .....my wife is not that "in the dark"
Filthy rich guys need not apply, just us "regular" folks
Sorry if this has been posted already

[///M Ryder]

Mods are always last on the list of expenses. My house operates on the ours, mine, and mine system. Meaning, all household items including the savings and retirement money get first priority. Once those have been satisfied the rest goes to your own "slush" fund if you will. I call mine the "trick off" fund. My mods don't interfere with my household. My wife is totally ok with my hobby (habit). I have a best practice that I use.......I wait until I can pay cash for the mod before I pull the trigger. This keeps me from making a emotional purchase......which can happen real quick from being on this damn forum ......Phil

[Dkhan23]

What mods do you plan on getting?

[Kwando]

My thinking is that I can live in my car, but I can't drive my house.

I spend whatever my year end bonus is on my car. So it's an incentive for me to work hard given that my bonus is based on my performance.

[Curt2000]

My philosophy is: for mods under $500 I can sneak them in on the monthly CC statement and still pay it off without problem. For mods like exhaust/wheels/SC...If you have no debt and can contribute 20% of your income to retirement savings and still have money left over...Take a vacation with your family, then if you have money left over...mod the car.

[Ashley Schaeffer BMW]

I have gotten constant crap from my gf over my $5k exhaust.

I do what makes me happy and as long as my rents paid and foods on the table I wont let anyone tell me what to do with my money.

PS. Id rather enjoy my money when I am young as opposed to when im 60+, its also not guaranteed I'll live that long.

[Chriskm3]

The great thing about modding is that once you get what you wanted you are done,
Then u drive it like you stole it

[javkhan]

Originally Posted by Chriskm3

The great thing about modding is that once you get what you wanted you are done,
Then u drive it like you stole it

Amen to that!

[MilehighM3]

Originally Posted by JAM3S

Id rather enjoy my money when I am young as opposed to when im 60+, its also not guaranteed I'll live that long.

Not the best theory. Live large now, with nothing in the future? That's what the Wal-Mart greeter position is for I guess haha!
I also buy mods and cars with extra money. Mortgage, retirement, insurance, utilities, savings, college fund, fun money. That's not an exact order, but a general one around my house.

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by Chriskm3

The great thing about modding is that once you get what you wanted you are done,
Then u drive it like you stole it

not sure about that one? are you ever really done? my theory is i spend whatever i want on mods then if i have any left i buy top ramen and motel 6 at the weekly rate.

[osteome]

I don't mind people who mod with money that they really don't have. Someone has to work in the service industry later in life.

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by osteome

I don't mind people who mod with money that they really don't have. Someone has to work in the service industry later in life.

define dont have! i do have kidneys to sell.

[MRSSIIM3]

Originally Posted by Team Plutonium

I pay all my bills first, have no debt, never touch the savings account, or portfolio, use only disposable income to pay for mods. The 'don't ask, don't tell' policy is also in effect in this house. She leaves me alone with my mods and watches, and I don't ask how much the horse cost us.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA how sick is this damn. vt625 and a horse in one stable??

[Mmmdreamer]

It's a downward spiral...I approve handbag purchases just so I don't get denied my car mods...I've tried to be pretty sensible w/ the modding...rep splitters, some used parts...trying to save where I can...but sh*t adds up quick....even going w/ relatively inexpensive stuff...got Apex wheels on order, then tires, then Eibach springs...then a radar lol...I get tunnel vision since I just want to get it to a finished state...even if it means taking it all apart after that...I'm sure many of us suffer from this issue.

[LucWerkz]

I just live in my car....

[roastbeef]

i don't have an M yet, but all of the high dollar mods on my e46 are used parts. only new parts are little cosmetic things... i've saved a couple thousand, i'm sure. when i get my M3, i'm sure i'll do the same.

[klammer]

It's emotional, not rational

[marcva]

My general philosophy is that I replace things as they wear out, and I replace them with better items. Then again, I buy 4 year old cars and keep them for another 15. Both of my E36s (including my current E36M) get updated suspensions around 80k, and stereos around 100k. I added a shift kit and lighting since those were areas of weakness in the car, and they're pretty cost effective updates (Lighting is a matter of safety if you've ever been in an E36 with stock lighting. Much as I'd like a $1k Corsa exhaust, I need to wait until the stock one rusts. I suspect it's going to be a while. Overall, I find if I add a little somethign to the car every year or two, it keeps the relationship fresh and makes the car last longer emotionally.

It's also nice to have a pile of cash saved up for a rainy day and to be able to afford a nice house, take care of the kids and save for retirement, since Social security and medicare aren't going to be around for us when the time comes.

[Tim B.]

Good to hear some responses. I share some of the mentioned philosophies too. I'm already in the $7-8K ballpark after 3 yrs with the car and am about to do another $2K on camber plates & coilover sleeve kit, but i really want to do a SC(another $10K+!).....that would put me over $20K on mods......just trying to justify it in my head and get over some of the "guilt" i guess And yes, I blame this Darn forum!

[chris s]

there really is no rationalizing mods... I look at this stuff as my hobby, and hobbies cost money...some more than others!

One thing to consider which always helps me is that generally mods are like rentals. If you keep everything in relatively good condition, at some point down the line you will likely remove them and resell. At least that's what i have always done when i move from one car to the next.

[Wendall]

Originally Posted by Chriskm3

The great thing about modding is that once you get what you wanted you are done,
Then u drive it like you stole it

This is absolutely not true.

I wish it was true for me. However from my experience, once I get the mod I want I am satisfied for about 1 week then I find something else to mod.

At first I started to do mods that were the most bang for the buck - green filter, vents, grills, gills and painted reflectors

Then I moved on to mods that were reasonable - Megan exhaust, oem splitters and m perf spoiler, eibachs, stainless brake lines, spacers, hybrid pads, and some stereo upgrades

Then I moved on to mods that I just wanted even though they were costly - kw clubsports, carbon intake, revinora r crt, hardwired radar, tune, gts wheels, retrofitting MDM and LCI's, and coding.

Now i am moving onto mods that I never even thought I wanted - Studs, recaros, bbk, and possibly redo int the entire A/V stereo system including front and rear cameras.

As far as how much I can get away with (from the wifey)? Just like someone else stated earlier...I can spend about $400 a month while flying under the radar. Fortunately my compensation is bonus heavy and once a year I can splurge on something $5-8k (10% of my bonus) without my wife noticing and/or getting on me.

Its pretty sad but these days it seems like I am addicted to act of modding itself. I have to resist from ricing out my car.

Like others said, I have automatic savings and bill payments that make sure mortage plus extra principle payments get paid, we are maxing out on retirement savings, and we have set aside money for all large planned purchases for the current calendar year.

All else is play money.

[RingMeister01]

Am I the only one who's GF encourages the mods? Every time I ask for her opinion the answer is "Go for it. You deserve it." :