From the moment they first appeared, cars have been cool. They’re cool when they’re innovative and new, and they’re cool when they’re classic and vintage. They were cool in Rebel Without a Cause and they were cool in The Road Warrior and they were cool in Baby Driver. They’re cool on the race track and in the showroom and in your driveway. They have a mystique that your other big-ticket purchases just don’t. Your home may be nice or beautiful or luxurious, but it’s not necessarily cool. When you buy furniture or lawn care equipment or a new patio or a washing machine, those things aren’t cool. But when you head to the car dealership, you know that cool matters. You rue the day you have to turn in your coupe for a minivan (the things you do for your family), and you’re thrilled when the tuition bills stop coming and you can finally buy your dream car.
So off you go to buy your next car – to the car dealership, where everyone else is also buying a car. If you’re not careful, you could end up buying the exact same car that your neighbor has. Imagine getting out of your car in your driveway and seeing your neighbor’s, just one driveway over, looking like a mirror image. Clone cars! That’s not cool. That’s not cool at all.
Customize your ride
The solution is simple: get a car that you can’t get at a car dealership.
Okay, so you’ll still most likely get your car at the car dealership. But what I’m saying is that you can then customize that same car, turning it into something that just isn’t available anywhere else.
Customizing your car is something that some people are afraid to do – they don’t want to mess up something worth tens of thousands of dollars. Admittedly, it’s also something that some people do too much. Everything in moderation, folks!
But the fact is that the right amount of customization can make your car more uniquely you – a testament to your tastes and your style. Not every car modification involves tacking on a big spoiler or removing the muffler (please, please, do not remove your muffler). There are a lot of other ways to customize your ride, and they can help you turn your vehicle into everything from a sleek, sporty, tricked-out ride to a hip, vintage, laid-back cruiser.
Any color you like
Here’s one simple way to change your car: paint it.
You have a limited number of color options when you buy a car, but an aftermarket paint job can change that. You’re probably not going to repaint a brand new car, but why not change the color of your old ride to make it feel new again? Or maybe you have a vintage car painted in a color that proves that not all old styles are classic. Switch it to a more modern shade or a simple, timeless color like black, white, or red, and your classic car will look vintage without looking unstylish.
Interior design
The interior of your car offers plenty of chances for modification. You can go all-out by reupholstering the whole thing, or you can make cheap and simple switches like new mats or seat covers. You can even get sheepskin seat covers! Go wild.
You’ll want to match your interior to your car, of course. Leopard print seats are probably not the best option for your minivan. A beaded seat cover will look like a bold vintage choice in a 70s or 80s classic, but it will probably look pretty gauche in your brand-new convertible.
Crank up the tunes
A new stereo system is another great car modification option. This one is both cosmetic (you’ll have lots of options for speaker styles) and functional, as you’ll get better sound from a high-end aftermarket speaker system than whatever your Datsun has in it now. If new speakers are too pricey, consider switching out just the radio instead. Modern ones will offer things like Bluetooth connectivity.
Just be you
No matter how you choose to modify your car, remember that it’s your car. The coolness of cars comes from how they match their drivers. James Dean has one car, and Dale Earnhardt has another. Herbie the Love Bug has a different vibe than the war rig from Mad Max: Fury Road. They’re different, but they’re all cool in their own way. They match themselves adn their drivers. Match your car’s personality to your own, and you’ll always look cool on the road.
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