it never ends and i lie to myself every time i say it will.

im sure i'll never stop modifying my vehicles... ****, even if i had a prius i'd modify it. lol

 

I reached a similar decision last year even though my build was a lot less extreme than yours. I would say my build was the "mild" type most of the people in this thread have said they're limiting themselves to but even that wasn't cheap. BBK Full, cams, supporting mods and the labor to have it all installed/tuned right (took 2 shops to manage that ) put a big dent in the bank account.

More to the point, sometimes I think I liked the car more before. The power is nice obviously. Having to crank it for 4-5 seconds sometimes because the 1200cc injectors I chose apparently don't like cold starts isn't, though. Neither is grenading a 6-speed with one bad launch and having the car down for another month and shelling out another $3,000 for a built 5-speed swap.

So I respect and understand your decision. If I can't ever see selling mine because of how much I've invested, I certainly wouldn't expect you to ever sell yours. So enjoy it and think differently going forward. You don't have to stop modding completely but put a lot of time/thought into every single thing you want to change. As for the money you've spent already, just think of it as the cost of a worthwhile hobby. Non-car people manage to blow just as much on things that give them pleasure a lot less than our cars do.

 

Truth, the other thing that comes with the money is I've made an Evo family. The friends and people I've met from this site are priceless and sometimes I see it as a fraternity without all of the greek letters, man-hugging, and lots of community service, but certainly the dues and fees haha.

This is where I'm heading though, to becoming a non-car person. I look in the for sale section and may stumble upon a part that I've wanted for a long-time but then I think about it and say I don't need it. I want to spend more money on guns, vacationing, drinking with friends and women. Although I have a g.f. what guy doesn't enjoy having hot girls as friends? This is the life and more good times are had than waiting for some part company to make this or shop to do that or whatever.

However, like ever other Evo owner/enthusiasts my car is still something special as you all know so here's to good times and if I'm in your state and have your contact info then there are times to be had!

 

Pretty much in the same boat! Tired of wasting money away into the car.

 

Great tread,

I spent 30k last year on my evo, not to count Ive been thru 3 tcase,4clutches, ewww! Last year I wanted a perfect run at the track but it never came. I either get booted or break something. And no t case is safe, trust me.

But, ive come to the realization that I love my car and want to keep it forever, but dont want to spend a ton more. So ill take it to cruises, and for a weekend ride here and there but I want to keep it running and Im tired of pulling tcases by myself. I love the attention I get when I take it to the bar with hoosiers on and hearing a bunch of hillbillies who hate imports saying that its a bad*** car, thats what its about. shootin the S***!

Anyway best of luck with not going back to modding

 

^^^ Herein lies the rift in outlook that drives similar situations. Let me explain and use myself as an example. I'm 47, a lifelong car guy, can't honestly remember when I became attracted to cars, earliest memories revolve around automobiles, baby pictures show yours truly sitting in his crib one hand grasping a toy steering wheel and the other on the shift knob. I've been subscribing to all the major auto rags since before hitting my teens and as an adult the walls of my office are covered in cases full of model cars. You get the picture.

One could say without a moment's hesitation that I'm a car person, yet the thought of modifying my Evo into oblivion never occurred to me. My IX is virtually stock, it's the most reliable car I've owned in +30 years behind the wheel and I love driving it every chance I get. I guess I'm trying to illustrate the difference in the automotive orientations, but I think you're finding that out for yourself. Best of luck.

 

xcelr8, do you know Chris with the silver evo? If so I think I've heard about your luck with the Genesis.

 

I havent driven my evo for the past 3 weeks since it's been at the shop and im dying!!!!! i love my evo, and the more im away from it the more i miss it.

I have a lot of friends that are doing the same, giving up and throwin in the towel, which is coo.. but i dont think i ever will..

 

I don't have an Evo but I do have a 2004 Cobra with tons of mods. Sometimes I feel like trading it for something stock and comfortable, and forgetting about always wanting to buy mods.

 

Man, I think one of these days we should head out for a beer.

 

I've definitely cut back on modding, but I haven't stopped. I've found over the years there is a sweet spot on modding the Evo and going beyond that creates problems and the money pit.

 

This. Every platform has a safe plateau of modding that you can do without sacrificing reliability and shattering everything. I learned that lesson with my turbocharged RX-8. The RX-8 guys struggle to break 300 whp without popping motors, and I had 320 whp with 30% meth/water injection and a custom 3071R setup. The car became so unreliable and I was always so worried about it exploding that it quickly became such a hassle and frustration I lost the joy of modifying it. I got the Evo for its mod-ability and factory turbocharged motor and reverted my RX-8 to NA. I've had more fun tooling around in the NA RX-8 with minor bolt-ons than I ever had with it turbocharged. I beat the hell out of it daily and its loud and pretty, and it hasn't had a hiccup since I pulled the turbo/meth.

I took that lesson to heart with the Evo and spent a lot of time researching the line that the car could be modified to without causing nonstop problems. I'm just over 400 awhp with BBK Full, Kelford 272s, and full bolt-ons. I've invested in the 5-spd Shep stage 2, KW V3 coilovers etc and with the exception of the crappy 6-spd transmission the car has been really reliable. If its down in the shop its been for modification not repairs. I get the itch to go for big power and take the car outside of its comfort zone, but for road racing I don't need it, and I know the further I go the more I reduce its reliability. Weight reduction, chassis stiffening, suspension upgrades etc are all great modifications which won't reduce the reliability of the car. It's mostly going for stupid high hp/tq that starts breaking things.

 

You bet! Shoot me a note. We should have some warmer weather in a couple of weeks.

 

Not sure who you mean boostfeind. What luck with the genesis. I dont and refuse to mod it. Thats what the evo was for

 

Plenty of people just drive the car stock and leave it at that. Once you begin to modify, its hard to stop, almost like smoking crack. The problem is, you have to have a decent income to be able to spend money on modifying, if you don't have much disposable income, you won't be modifying much of anything (especially when things blow up). Some idiots think its OK to just put everything on their credit card, but I think those days are probably long over, considering how hard it is to actually get credit now. Modifying cars is a path that will most likely lead you nowhere, outrageous traffic fines and legal representation, huge repair bills, accidents, money for expensive tires and parts, etc. etc. The only thing you will get in return is adrenaline and the satisfaction of having a fast *** car (which to me, and may others on this board, is THE most important thing in life) For most people, having a fast car is VERY impractical. I've also become tired of maintaining the Evo for street use, so I've just parked it in the garage but I didn't sell it. Its slowly getting built up over time waiting for its first track outing, and for now street bikes give me my need for speed, which cost next to nothing to maintain and are much faster than any street car could ever possibly hope to be (without exploding).