Hi all, was just wondering how many people regret modding their coop (If they will admit it ) I see a few people saying that they wish this and that etc. So in all honesty, Do you have regrets???

Mine is totally standard.......for now

When it's behaving absolutely not.

When I give a mate a lift who owns an e46M3 and he says '*u*k me this is quick' I dont.

When I'm on a track day and start getting annoyed when people in exiges are holding me up on the straights - I dont.

When it's having a strop and I'm trying to work out why - I do.

When the GF finds out how much the last bout of modding cost - then it gets expensive as you have to spend a comparable ammount of cash on her.


Seriously - do you want a faster car, or a faster coop? If the answer is the latter then go for it. If it's the former then there are other cars out there that will do it out of the box, and once you have spent a load of money and time on a car you will be very reluctant to sell it.

I think you can regret modding your coupe if you start trying to cut corners, eg saying "i have £2000 and must get X number of horsepower" and therefore not spending money on the basics which you need.

For example, people who want coilovers and buy FK's instead of KW's

As Suba mentioned above, you'll be very reluctant to sell once you put abit of time and effort in to the Coupe. That's the one aspect most people probably don't factor in before they start ... it's hard to move on once you get "involved"!

I don't regret modding her at all. Anyway, she's only had a chip.

I don't regret modding her at all. Anyway, she's only had a fish

You ARE kidding??

Ross

I do after the last two days of grief, when my gearbox decided to blow a hole through the diff casing, while i was on my way to power fiat to get my paddle clutch fitted and was only 11miles from Rog, so ive got a £560 clutch which is not fitted, £200 on getting it back to Norwich on a low loader that could actually fit my car on as its so low, and now have to buy a gearbox or repair the broken one, oh and i forgot a had to stay in essex for two days and spend money there apart from all this i love the car.

the only reason for someone to regret would be if unmodded cars had a vast price premium,and the coops about ten years old now and imho not yet rare enough to command this.i think if the modders of this world enjoy all the expense,heartache and above everything the pleasure they get from it all then good luck to them.in time coops will become rarer and more desirable and the few remaining good original cars will begin to increase in value,mine is in original albeit very very far from what i would call concourse standard(apart from wheels)and will remain that way.its all down to having fun and enjoying what you do.
anyone who is fortunate to own a concourse car would be advised to wrap it up and bring it out 10-15 years from now.
its already classed as a classic,but wasn't that the veiw of the critics all those years ago when it was launched?
just a great car,full of character style and performance.

Yes and no. I've learnt alot about tuning from modifying the car, however I would probably be driving an M Coupe or an S2 Elise now if i hadn't modified it.

well, as i thought, some divided views!! Im looking at being brave and buying a drilled airbox (properly done as opposed to diy) the only thing i fancy is a bit of a growl type noise. I think this would solve my problems lol. If i do find myself getting to used to the power in the coop I just drive the wifes volvo for a few days,then get back in the coop!! Like a new car!!

I've only done a few styling mods and engine mods, but haven't regretted anything...........yet

I bought an already modded one and regret putting some standard parts back on it!

Very happy on the visual front, so no changes there. Just need to get myself another big turbo then a proper live map.

Another good point - I have learnt a huge ammount about forced induction engines from owning my coupe.

You need the unique vented airbox - best of both worlds - you can pull a lever and have about 1/3 of the side of the airbox open or if you want a bit of quiet, you can close it up again

closed

open

cable control

detail showing cable and lever

Holy smokes Nigel! That looks super cool!

I don't regret some of the mods I've done - well, apart from the chip which has caused about £1800+ of damage to the engine that is! I prefer the look of mine now with the revised front bumper & LE skirts - the Momo Ferrari alloys which are , but were a NIGHTMARE to get on !

The suspension mods were probably the best though, as it now handles - as well as the brake mods to stop it! Minor engine mods - K & N + exhaust worked well too - so overall, no I don't regret it (the money spent is another possible) - but I would think that standard cars will be more desirable in future (like Golf GTi's/Cossies etc) - I'm concentrating on the here & now when I'm the owner/driver as I think I've improved on the car that Fiat produced.

as other people have mentioned, when its all working as it should and life is good etc, then no regrets at all, when its playing up and i dont know whats wrong let alone how to make it all better then sometimes i think why why why did i ever bother.

Compared to many, I have only mild mods and they've suspension orientated (strut brace, Nigel brace, whiteline ARB, Eibach/Bilstein's, Red Dot discs/pads, widget) - IMO they improve the standard setup considerably

Oh, and an S/Steel exhaust, but only because I got fed up with the ends falling off the standard mild steel items evey two years

I never thought I'd sell my coupe at a profit many years down the line - its very tidy but not concourse and it'll never be concourse as its my daily driver.

For me its about having a good looking, mildly practical, engaging car, hence no regrets

So far not... Alltho my clutch has started to slip and it's not cheap to replace... Cambelt etc. has to be also changed... Still intend to mod it even further, full respray should be done but can't afford it in while :(...

Well i think i will keep mine pretty standard,untill of course.....i get bored lol

ive been running 330 bhp now for 3 years and the car needs to be 100% reliable cause its used every day.
ive never regretted modding the coupe i never liked the way the boost died at high revs, just love the strong pull right to the red line now

Kev

The week after I had Bilstein B6 shockers fitted, the car developed a really annoying rattle/knock from the front side suspension. I thought one of the billies might be faulty, but after 2 garage's looking at it, Turin Motors in Leeds diagnosed the fault........

........a loose top mount bolt!

Car is absolutely perfect now and the bilsteins are amazing.

I also have a Scorpion cat back exhaust, and the noise it makes is great - not too loud but a nice rumble that turns heads.