krzymax

iTrader: (2)

hey guys, i've got a problem. i just got my '99 max and i'm loving it, and i want to customize it and put some mods in it... the thing is, i have to try to convince my parents to let me do exactly that. any of you guys know how i can convince my folks? i know most of the people on this post are over 21, but i'm only turning the "legal" age in a month or so. so far, the only things i've done to the car are give it a nice tint job and replaced the stock headlights for some hyper white lights. please help!!!

ShortT

hmm, well... are you paying for the car? i remember my first ride was a chevy s-10, and i wanted to drop it and fix it all up and everything, but my parents paid for it, so i couldnt... so i made sure from then on any car i drove was MINE! if your 'rents paid for the car, then sorry to say it, but i dont think theres much u can do... if theyre anything like my parents were, theyre not gonna let you fix up something they paid for...

Vinipux

dude, obviously lying to your parents is bad, but you should tell them that you want to mod it, and try with the small stuff, like most of us, get a front strut tower brace, it costs under 50 bucks on e-bay, then maybe clear your tail lights (directions is all over this forum, search for it), if you have a stick shift, you can get a short throw shifter, the actual suspension will be tougher, because it's expensive, about $450 for Koni's (adjustable shocks) and $240 for H&R springs and about $270 for Stillen sway bar, I mean, obviously after that you can get steoreo ****, either way it will cost you some $, so if you can afford it, do it, but don't lie to your parents, my parents tried the same thing, I just told them that I have to do it, especially because I AutoX my car (check my sig link)

good luck man
Konstantin

95maximase

you're going to have to do it like the rest of us did. Save your money slowly and add the mods that aren't totally noticable like lights, strut bar. Don't go out and change the color of the car. good luck

Shadow

iTrader: (15)

I ran into the same problems when I first started modifying the car. Basically it was a gift from my parents and so I couldn't do a whole lot to it. When I got rims, they freaked, when I lowered it, they freaked, etc. Now the car is mine and I can pretty much do whatever I want to it. I started on the lights and strut bar, now I'm almost done changing the color of the car and redoing the interior.

Daniel B. Martin

Who paid for the car? If they did, it's their car and not yours. Stop complaining.

190hpKiLLA

iTrader: (11)

I will stick with the advise From Daniel B. Martin. And also if you dont want them to know just order the parts to your friends house and then put it on. Thats what I do. I bought the car but you know how parent are "dont spend monney, Its useless and so on." Good Luck.

NYCe MaXiMa

iTrader: (9)

Yea, I've faced the same thing with my 1st maxima even though the car was MINE. When I came home with new rims, they bugged out, after my dad heard I spent a whole 550$ or so, he went crazy. When I tinted the car, it was almost as bad, lol. However, after that I didn't put any mods on, and after I traded my 1st wheels for some chrome 17s my dad bugged out again, then I had a serious talk with my mom about it and how my friends are modifying their cars and I am spending my OWN money on it, so why the hell can't I do it to my own car?.. etc.. so my mom kind of understood me and got my dad to chill out a bit.
With this max, I did borrow around 3 grand from my dad, however he is kind of laid back about it and doesn't want me to pay him back, speaking of it as a gift for graduation. I will mod this car, although nothing crazy and if I have problems with my parents, I'm going to work it through.. What are some lights, wheels, spoiler, stereo and minor handling mods going to do?
My parents main thing was the fact that the car will be bringing too much attention to itself, might get stolen, or get problems from cops etc.

Zack_Rad

If your that young and drive a maxima, your pretty lucky. Most people your age are driving an 86 LTD, or the like. Not that this fact would stop you from "wanting" more. That's just my point of view.

MaxSE98

im not a parent so i cant completely understand what is going through their heads, i know that 99% of the time your parents are right about stuff and they are justified in their claims. there is a light to all this. in my opinion, most modifications to a car make it somewhat safer in those situations where u might need it. upgrading brakes for example.. . suspension, if you know what your doing (i admit im still learning even though i have 160k under my belt) can save your but in certain situations. when it comes to power adders you cant justify them as well, we all know it makes u want to drive faster. most of all , learn about what your doing to your car. why those realy expensive tires are better then the other expensive tires. ex. some hipo tires just break loose when you breach the coefficient of friction while others kinda let u know when your starting to slide and you can go into a controlled drift. suspension mods, for the most parts attempt to keep the weight of the car equal on each wheel in an attempt to keep traction in extreme situations. bottom line , dont get mad with them argue your points clearly and concisely and keep them too the point. oh yeah and take physics , and dont sleep through class, its worth it
good luck
-pete

97GreenMax

My parents were the same way, but now they do not really care, they said it was my car and my money. But now they say Im putting too much money into it, and want me to quit.

emax02

iTrader: (1)

My dad always thinks my new mods are kinda cool . I always take him for a ride down the street{0-90MPH} after I put a new mod on. You should have seen the look on his face when I let him drive my Super Charged I30, price less! BTW I pay for everything on both my cars.

Nick97SE

iTrader: (14)

It sounds funny when we say "I have to quit modifying my car" or other things of that nature.

It's almost like modding the Maxima is like smoking...we become addicted and can't stop!

Ok, that was OT. To keep on topic in this thread, I'm going to have to agree with most of the others. If your parents are paying for the car, then you have to do what they say and not modify it anymore, but if you paying for it, then it's your car.

I'm 16 and paying for my car all by myself. I think I'm about 1/2 paid off right now. My mom already said that as long as I keep up with my payments, she has no problem with me putting mods on my car, but she doesn't know what I have planned...:naugthty:

Later,
-Nick

MaXAnDy

iTrader: (1)

well all i can say is what most everyone else said, if ur parents are paying for it u cant really do anything about it. Just talk to them like if they are ur parents not some stranger, that means dont go crazy on them if they say no. Soon they will start to give u some slack. Good Luck

Maxima81

As everyone above mentioned, unless you paid for all of it yourself, you pretty much are at their mercy in terms what you can do to the car. Unless you received it as a no-strings-attached gift or paid for it yourself (something that clearly indicates that the car is totally yours), you should just do as they say until you can buy your own car to mod.
Be glad that your first car is a Max and enjoy what you've already got, because it's a very good start. I know a lot of my friends who envy that my first car is a Max and not some beat up rust bucket/hand-me-down.

NightRider

iTrader: (6)

Yeah, I live with my dad, so he's always in my business. I have the same problem with him. He doesn't mind the mods, and actually kinda likes them, but he doesn't like the fact that I spend so much money on them. If you want to mod, then start off with small things as said before, and work your way up. Do non-noticable mods. (Y-pipe, ECU, FSTB, RSB, Clear Corners, Stereo) They won't trip as much with those things. Especially if they drive it. Over time they will give you some slack to do what you want.

lax99max

Listen to everyone else and just take things slow. Hey, my first car was a hand-me-down-hand-me-down '86 Cadillac Fleetwood! Don't blow all your money at once, and if they get on your case majorly, just stop for a while since it's their car. Mods that don't make too much noise or attract your parents' attention are good to start with such as intake, lighting, or suspension bars. One way to earn their trust with the car is to show that you can be responsible for the car by maintaining it and by paying for those maintanance costs, gas, or insurance. It'll drain your money now, but you've still got a long way to go.

matty

iTrader: (54)

My parents want me to save for college and such but i just slowly keep putting mods on and yea i did pay for the hole car but im on there insurance and there gay about it...

BTW after i do the mods my dad usually loves them more then i do

RedMax95

similar things here, what i did was start small with cosmetic things, no noise, nothing that would change the performance, i started with clear corners, my mom was a little paranoid i would mess something up, but i assured her that i had read the instructions (thanks cheston) and was capable of doing it, then i got a dash kit which i installed and surprised my dad with, he had no clue that i was doing it, but ended up liking it a lot, then i put some fog lights on, then door lights, then as they became more understanding of what i was doing, i changed the shifter, which led to a spoiler, front conversion and altezzas all done by me, except paint of course, and now i have springs and i just got new rims, so they dont care any more, as long as i dont do something to it that would get me in trouble or risk safety, well thats it

TurDz

iTrader: (3)

I'm lucky. My dad likes "new things" on cars, but he doesn't like spending the money. I got my car as a birthday present when I turned 17, and since then, I've been slowly persuading him with hard evidence on why I think I should have this mod. It takes a lot of work to convince him, but in the process, I learn more than I'd ever imagine about the mod I wanted, and...it's nice when he actually agrees to get it.

I got my stereo system as a grad. present. He liked seeing me spent my time learning about the car, and so he kinda funded the project. (and I proved to him that I would work...I spend 250 hours hehehe)

JeremiahMaximaSE

When I originally bought my 1995 Maxima SE when I was 18....now I'm 23...my mom was reserved about me spending so much money on a car...however last year she bought a 1997 Maxima SE of her own and now I'm helping her hook it up. Kinda ironic don't you think?----but then again-who could resist a M-A-X-I-M-A?
Later,
Jeremiah

Stillnmax

hrmmm i have a weird kind of situation...

i got my max when i was 18/19.... the thing is though it was my first car, i didnt have a car when i was 16 and what not so i dont really understand the point of havin a car at that age ... just me ...

but i know that i paid for half of my car and my parents paid the other half, i pay for insurance and everything else....

ok so getting to the point...

my parents usually arent too thrilled or against me modding.. their actually pretty happy about the mods that help me slow down , help me avoid situations ( heh)or provide structural integrity - FSTB - RSTB-RSB-Rotors-SS lines and what not....

i cant say i blame your parents because they are paying for the car, god forbid the day when i become a father- buwhahaha - but when i am , if i buy a car my kid will be lucky to drive it.

Xtreme5053

my parents bought me my car and bought my mods , they think they're really cool, plus with the safety issues and stuff (better traction on tires, better cornering, better visibility, etc. ) sometimes the whole attention thing worries them, but it doesn't get to them too much, all i know is i love my car and i love modding it

chris j vurnis

Like most wise people, your parents probably realize that most mods out on the market for Maximas are one or more of the following:

1. Not good for the longevity/reliability of the car.
2. Not worth the money that is charged for such mods even if it is a good mod.
3. Adversely affect the performance of the car.
4. Not well designed in terms of fit and finish.
5. May affect the dealer warranty of the car.

But there is hope..
Some of the best mods are the most inexpensive, reliable and stealthy as well --

Some Goodridge stainless steel brake lines will take away the non-linear mushiness from the brake pedal giving you a firmer pedal and more control in emergency situations and every day driving... The lines and the DOT3 or DOT4 fluid shouldn't cost more than $150 dollars.

A set of bottom mount camber bolts from Ground-Control will only cost you about $20 dollars and can take the front camber angle from slightly positve to slightly negative and reduce the magnitude of understeer in emergency situations... and probably better control in everyday driving -- but you'll have to fork over extra money for an alignment job along with it...

Then there is the law of diminishing returns -- Just because the first 500 dollars you spend makes a huge difference, doesn't mean the next 500 dollars will produce an equivalent difference.

AREITU

How many of you guys have Asian parents?
If I suddenly came home with the car they bought me and it was lowered with different rims, they'd stare at me and then interrogate me.

My friend who used to have an '89 Accord put a shift **** in, and his dad totally FREAKED over it. He was like "It's not nessescary! Waste of money!" and I was at his house when his dad went on about 20 minutes. This dad is also the same one that asks my friend "Do you have enough gas?" every single time he walks in through the door. He consumes more liquor in one day than a 4-dorm frat party.

I'm very close to getting a car. The other day, my dad was like, "How about a '99 Passat?" I was ecstatic. Than yesterday, he suddenly decided all VW AG cars suck. So he asked me if I wanted a Camry. So I suggested a Maxima. I think I'm going to end up with a 5-Gen Maxima....

Time to get a job.

1/3There2/3ToGo

I dont tell my mom about the mods I will do. I just tell her what came in the package she found on the porch after work. She gets mad, the I explain what it is, what it will do and she is ok with it. Then I install it and she freaks out again. Thats when I take her for a ride or just re-explain what it is and she is ok with it again. She usually only gives me flack for about 5-10 minutes before giving up because she knows its my money I spend and I also use the argument "Would you rather I spent my money on drugs and alcahol(I know I didnt spell that right, but its 2:15 am, brain went to sleep 2 hours ago)?" thats when she realizes that this is a good thing and leaves me alone about it. Try the drug argument next time they get mad about a mod you bought and see what happens.

Kirk