Hey hey

[MCTom]

Hey guys, I'm new here (as you may have guessed from my post count ) and I just got a '97 micra Shape and, to be honest, its a bit shabby. Scratches off the paintwork around the wheelarches and such and so at the least I'm going to have to go out and give it a fairly decent touch up, the paint is a bit faded in some places too I think (although that could just be me ) While I'm at it I thought why not have a try at modding it more than that.

Anyway, after that overly long introduction the basic jist of my post is: What would you guys recommend as some fairly good things to start off with? Bearing in mind that this is the first time I have done ANYTHING like this so I'm not gonna be modding my engine any time soon . Also I am only 17 and so insurance is ridiculous enough as it is and so things which aren't likely to increase my insurance too much would be best but any advice at all on what to do would be cool :laugh:, money isn't too much of a problem but obviously I can't spend £600 on a right wingmirror

Sorry if this post is a bit longwinded and rambling but I couldn't think of a much more concise way to explain myself. Any ideas at all would be great.

 

[Ceirwan]

Get a decent sound system, thats my plan of action with my new K11 Shape 1.0
A new head unit, amp and some speakers so you can enjoy driving it more, then i guess work on your paintwork, T-Cut works well to restore faded paint.
Start with small stuff, at least thats what i'm doing, got a stealth shelf planned, because my mates car was nearly broken into the other day, big groups of kids hanging around it when got to it, they ran when we arrived, but if we'd been later...

 

[MCTom]

Thanks, yeah I was thinking of putting in a sound system, but how much boot space do you lose on average? I'mm gonna be carrying around some fairly large sports kit (length-wise, about the same as hockey sticks) so I'll probably have to shove them in the back seat. Come to think of it I havent even checked if it'll fit anyway :laugh:

 

[Ceirwan]

I dump all my sailing gear in the back of my car, ranging from a few bags, to bits of varnished woodwork and spars, etc etc.
In order to preserve bootspace, i am installing my amp under the passengers seat, which means the only real intrusion into the boot will be from the 6x9's.

 

[Craig]

A set of super S/SR seats are much more comfy if you are doing long drives - regular maintenance and some mechanical sympathy towards to it will also keep it running smoothly.

 

[big craig]

Basicly, Sort the scraches out, t-cut the car (best to do it with a buffing thing, saves on aching arms) , colour code the door handles and plastic strips, get good back box and induction kit, then alloys an lower it if you got the money, then you should have a nice tidy looking car.

 

[Arnold]

Modifying your car at 17 will be a nightmare on your insurance. I'm guessing it's quite high already. If you complete Pass Plus, it's the equivilent of one years no claims discount so that should help.

Change the wheels for factory standard alloys so it wont increase your insurance, but will look alot better than steelies / hubcaps. Colour code mirrors, handles and stuff and fit a boot spoiler from another micra if you haven't got one already. Apart from that, wait a couple of years before you do anything noticable, exhaust & alloys etc, otherwise your insurance will cost a bomb!

 

[pjg1979]

McTom

Hiya and welcome to the club, If you do choose to mod the engine, always try on here for parts then ebay, before going to shops. I got my a Max Power Induction Kit for £4.99 and a haynes manual for £10.00.

A haynes manual is always very useful. I own a K11 Facelift, and my next job is to start taking plastic parts off the centre console and spraying them to match the car theme.

Accessory lighting is also a good one, I've bought myself a pair of angel eyes for £25.00 (Worth £70 in Halfords) which look pretty cool.

 

[MCTom]

Thanks for the tips guys Yeah insurance at the moment is pretty insane but my mum has reinsured her car and put her no-claims bonus on mine and said she is the main driver. Surprisingly reinsuring her car and mine like this cost less in total than insuring just mine with me as main driver fwn

 

[Ceirwan]

I would recommend getting the policy in your name... yes expensive but you will need the no claims, because trust me you will still be geting the silly quotes at 20!
When i tranferred my 1 years no claims from my motorbike to my car from E-Car insurance my policy dropped from £900 ish to £580. Back of the net!

 

[MCTom]

I'm a named driver on DirectLine so I build up no-claims even though I'm not main driver, its pretty cool

 

[Arnold]

I'm a named driver on DirectLine so I build up no-claims even though I'm not main driver, its pretty cool

I think Tesco's are starting to do that too. Even if companies weren't doing this, its still cheaper to get on someone elses and start your own policy when your about 20/21, than at 17. Age reduces price even if you don't have a NCD

 

[Ceirwan]

Yeah but you can only use that no claims with direct line... then you find that they are super expensive even with said no claims!

I was lucky that E-Car insurance would accept the no claims from my 125 bike and put it on my car, and they're very reasonable as well!