College boy & his first car! Mazda2!

[Bawbz]

hey guys, im brand new to these forums but i've been browsing them for the past few days. i will be attending college next year and for my graduation present my pops got me a 2012 Mazda 2 Sport, in the silver colorway. I am currently looking for upgrades and to improve the looks of my car. Actually today i stopped by the local hardware supplies store and got me a can of Plasti Dip for my emblems haha. I am on a budget but i currently have a job so if you guys have any advice for what i should get/do.

Goals
- HID Headlights
- Tinted Taillights
- Lowering my car
- tinted windows
- rims?
- exhaust?
- white gauge?

thanks for viewing guys!

 

[kwaits92]

Congrats on your graduation.
Before you make big decisions do some searching on this forum. Most topics have had the hell beat out of them and you might find some useful info.

 

[Macabe]

Look on eBay for hid kits, window visors, lug nuts, beauty washers, and maybe lowering springs.
I got my springs for $80, my hid kit for 50, my window visors for 35, my beauty washers for 35 (they comein a pack of 40 and you cN get them in a variety of colors), and lug nuts for 35.

 

[mykflo]

congrats... youre dad spoils you.. better return the favor with good grades!

 

[kwaits92]

eBay HIDs?
Your better off retrofitting projectors, better quality.

 

[Bawbz]

i aint no where near spoiled, i earn all my s*** (other than my car) for all you haters.

Today i actually Plasti Dip'd my emblems, turned out alright had to do it twice since i layered it horribly the first time. I'm looking into lowering my car at the moment or buying body kits and/or fog lights? Any recommendations?

 

[ngd298]

Wheels (2thumbs)

 

[fam]

Hello...welcome!



Yes dont do HID's until you have bought the projectors...the housing of the 2 isnt made for the HID's (youll blind everyone until you get the projectors installed).
If you do buy just an HID kit the ddmtuning's in my opinion are the best price for a great product (bought a set for lows and a set for fogs..and extra set of bulbs for lows for 100 bucks...1st set of bulbs still going strong after 2 years)

 

[Bawbz]

Hello...welcome!



Yes dont do HID's until you have bought the projectors...the housing of the 2 isnt made for the HID's (youll blind everyone until you get the projectors installed).
If you do buy just an HID kit the ddmtuning's in my opinion are the best price for a great product (bought a set for lows and a set for fogs..and extra set of bulbs for lows for 100 bucks...1st set of bulbs still going strong after 2 years)

how much do projectors run for? and know where i can get some?

 

[fam]

All you need.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123810299-How-to-Retrofit-your-Mazda-2

 

[Bawbz]

All you need.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123810299-How-to-Retrofit-your-Mazda-2

thanks for the help, but one more question. I can't just slap on an HID kit without going through this process? or i have to do this process in order to put HIDs on my 2

 

[fam]

most modern headlights have the projector lenses so slapping them in work fine...but the 2 here in america has a headlight assembly comparable to that of a 1990 hyundai ...where its just a cheap reflective housing. While you CAN mount up any hid kit that matches the bulb size (35w..not 55w without redoing harnesses)...it shoots the light in every direction (towards oncoming traffics eyes because the housing isnt made to reflect that much light in a focused beam because mazda went all 1990 on the 2's housing....

so yes..you could mount it up....I occasionally get blinded by morons in old jeep cherokees and old pickups that have done just that. Installing HID's are technically illegal if not used solely for off road use...but as long as its in a projector you are usually fine...but you do have free will...it will function (for the driver...no oncoming traffic) without a projector.

 

[samsavell]

Spoiled prick.

It depends, does he have to [help] pay for it?

I don't think the 2 would be a terrible "let me help you build some credit and teach you financial responsibility" car at all. Likewise, it's not a "silver-spoon-spoiled-rich-brat" car if he doesn't have to pay for it either, it's very affordable for a new car and the practicality of it makes it a smart buy, IMO. Bonus points for the fun factor too. Either way, not every person who receives a car as a gift is a spoiled prick, and for some (like me), a car they got as a present was a horrendous nightmare.

Bawbz, congrats on your new car and finishing school! Silver is the best color.

Luckily, mods for this car are relatively cheap and most of the products are good quality, so you can't go wrong with too much. I'd heed the advice of others and stay away from eBay HIDs. Also read a ton about every topic you're interested in so you can find out as much as possible about every mod you want to do! Wheels will probably be one of the more expensive mods, but everything else you want to do will be a lot cheaper. Just have fun with it all!

 

[Infidel]

New to mazdas also. Good to see you have a practical car for your first one. Congratulations. Your first car is a great thing.

 

[Bawbz]

thanks for the warm-welcoming guys! at the moment im looking into possibly lowering my car & a change of exhaust, due to the stock exhaust pipe making me look like a b**** hahaha! any advice/recommendations, i've been looking into H&Rs and Eibachs

 

[Bawbz]

UPDATE: Just purchased some H&Rs yesterday + with a couple other accessories! Will update with pics once they come in!

 

[eyeballs]

Good job, not wasting any time! You might want to throw in some camber bolts for the front so you can get a better alignment after the install.

 

[Bawbz]

Good job, not wasting any time! You might want to throw in some camber bolts for the front so you can get a better alignment after the install.

is an alignment needed after installation? and are Camber Bolts required for installation too?

 

[kwaits92]

An alignment is needed if you want to avoid eating tires. Camber bolts aren't required for installation but they make life easier.

 

[Bawbz]

thanks for the help guys! i was able to work on my car earlier this week and will update you guys with some pics

- Installed H&R Springs
- re-did emblems
- plasti dip'd hubcaps

working on a muffler, side lights, and front lip. pictures soon!