You’ve been driving your car for almost a decade now. You know it in and out, you’re familiar with every scratch and every nick, and have a story for almost all of them. You’re so in tune with your ride that you can predict if and when it will breakdown simply by listening to the sound it makes.
But as your ride gets older, driving it feels more like a chore. This could be because it lacks some of the modern features found in more recent models. You might become wary of overworking your vehicle, as it’s now prone to stalling and other issues, some of which you’ve recently seen and experienced.
Reselling it wouldn’t fetch you anything substantial but you also feel conflicted; finding it a new home or sending it to the junk pile also frees up space for a newer, better vehicle. But you simply don’t want to give up. Instead of buying a new one, you can just fix a few things in your old car. These can drastically improve your driving experience.
What to Scrap
Stock Seats
One of the sources of driving fatigue is when you’re not able to find your “sweet spot” in the seat. Instead of just making do with what you have, it’s better to just get a new one. Those seats have been sat on thousands of times, even more if it was driven daily.
The integrity of these seats would be questionable after a decade. That familiar feel that you get because you think it’s now molded perfectly for your backside? You’d soon forget about that when you’re sitting on memory foam and leather. Plus, you’ll be giving your passengers a great time especially if you’re going on a long drive.
Exterior/Paint Job
You know what really transforms the look of an old car? A fresh coat of paint. Even if you get it washed and cleaned regularly, more than a decade on the road would definitely leave it some scars. The topcoat would fade, side panels would be chipped. Scratches and dents are now clearly visible. Luckily, you can change the color entirely, probably into something that really attracts attention. You can have it repainted at a trusted body shop, so you know that the work done in your car is by professionals. You can also have the car foil wrapped all over. This saves you a lot of time repainting, and also helps you keep the original paint in pristine condition.
What to Keep
Stock Rims
Aside from the paint job and exterior, your car’s appeal is quite dependent on its wheels. Nowadays, there are a lot of upgrades available for your vehicle including alloy rims. Indeed, it will set you apart, and it can definitely turn heads. But keeping a classic look is always great for older vehicles. This is why you need to keep the stock rims, complete with the metal hubcaps that came with it.
If it is too worn out, you can have it refurbished and repainted by a professional to bring it back to life. But this is all contingent on the structural integrity of the wheels. Get it checked, make sure that it is still road-worthy and won’t break the moment it hits a pothole.