ok heres the deal. my girlfriend just got a 99 civic 2dr and i want to add some mods to it. dont want to go crazy with big mods at first. any suggestions on what i should do first?

 

suspension

 

if you dont want to go crazy, then just tint the windows and buy her a new cd player she will be happy, its your girlfreinds car, but if she loves to drive and you'll get a lot of driving time then do suspension, biggest change. it will handle a lot better and look sweet! good luck

 

Why would you want to spend 1000$'s on a car that isn't yours?
To each his own I guess, pick up a in-dash touch screen monitor she'll love it.

 

Is it VTEC and manual tranny? You may want to keep it pretty stock if it's not.

The first thing I'd do is check to see if it needs a timing belt or any other maintenance. Find a Factory Service Manual, either an actual book or something downloaded. They are better than Haynes or Chiltons, although any of the 3 can save you a bundle the first time you use it for any real work.

I'd also make sure it has a decent alarm with ignition/fuel cutoff and shock sensors.

Does it need anything? If it needs new tires, I'd upgrade to lightweight 16" rims with some UHP tires and locking lugs. This can REALLY improve both the aesthetics and performance. With the coming winter, you may want to put some Blizzak WS-50s on the stock rims first...if you all get bad snow. If it needs brakes I'd upgrade to slotted rotors and HP pads all around. If it needs an airfilter I'd upgrade the intake. If it needs a cat I'd get a flow-thru. If it needs a muffler I'd get a catback system. If the springs or shocks are hurting, shop for adjustable coilovers. Your biggest cheap and easy performance gains are going to be found in handling/braking and flowing more air through the engine. The great part is that most of the parts involved are normal replacement items on older cars anyway. Just spend a little extra to upgrade instead of using OEM.

If it's in showroom condition, try to keep it that way with cargo/floor mats, a garbage bin, and ScotchGuard. I also added some cheap cup-holders to mine, for road-tripping with hungry/thirsty passengers.

When performance upgrades get their turn, I'd look for strut/H braces. Try to find a 3pt upper front brace that will work with the intake you may want later. Then I'd look into fitting front and rear adjustable anti-swaybars.

Once it has a decent alarm, adding some nice speakers behind the stock grilles can make the interior seem much nicer without being an obvious invite for thieves/vandals. I like the Infinity Kappas, but there are many great speakers out there for less $$. Once the speakers are good, add an appropriate amp to provide cleaner power to them. If the head-unit lacks, find a detachable-face unit that has a jack to plug in an Ipod/MP3 player, so she doesn't have to lug CDs around. Keep the stock parts to re-install if she might sell the car within a couple yrs.

I dunno if you all are outdoor-active, but my Civ was made much more versatile by adding a 1.25" hitch for light bikerack/towing duties, and a sturdy roofrack. Yakima is my preference for racks, but I also have some Thule hardware and it's decent stuff too. You can find both brands on Ebay for cheap. My sedan is now comfortable for 3-4 small adults on 1000-mile camping/biking/dirtbiking/kayaking/snowboarding/surfing trips. (I don't pack very heavily though.)

 

Maybe she's his Sugar Momma. Some guys are lucky that way. Maybe they share expenses/cars. Maybe they just like to spoil each other. Maybe he just wants to explore his automotive side, but he drives an abused-daily van for work.

 

i agree that suspension is the best way to get more fun out of the car.

 

thanks Kommando. and thats my girl so i have to keep her car lookin nice you know (she is paying for the most the upgrades, i just get to learn using her car) and the car i have now is a 04' Corolla S but its in my dads name and plans togive the car to my sis in the next year aka he being a B**** bout letting me hook it up. got intake, tint,exhaust, subs, amp, and head unit.

 

suspenion and strut bars, anything that improves the handling.

 

ebay intakes ftw!! haha