Thought of modding my car crossed my mind more than once during the year I have it. But why? Why do we feel like we need more? More HP, more torque, more handling... How much more do we need? What are we willing to do to get that kick from having an extra 50-100-200 HP? How far are willing to go emotionally and financially? Is it the jorney of modding that's more satisfying or is it the final point when you know you finally have it? Is there such thing as an ULTIMATE mod or FINAL mod? No matter what you'll end up with will it be enough?

Excuse me for such a lenghty prelude to my question but I thought it'll help, so here's the question: To Mod or.....to Upgrade?

I know it was discussed in different forms and shapes on this forum many times but I wanted to hear from you guys:

1. Ppl with modded C32/C55 - would you do it again or would you consider upgrade (E55 comes to mind) knowing now the costs of your mods.

2. Ppl with unmodded cars - ever had similar question?

As far as "Is it the Jorney to your Dream Car or is it the Dream Car itself" I can't stop thinking of DragonAMG - his C55K S7 was as far as one can take his car in modding quest but even he was unable to resist switching to E55 (which gets you comparable performance in the stock form) not long after finishing it .

One thing for sure - power corrupts! I wonder if owners of SL65s have similar dillemas

I like the exclusivity and driving dynamics of C55 and would like to keep it for another 2-3 years but I'm not sure if I'd be able to resist the urge of "MORE". So it basically comes to the point: Do you spend 10-20-30K on modding or put it down as a downpayment for an upgrade?

Thanks everyone!

 

For me, there are only four reasons to NOT get a E55:

1.) Size, it is a much larger car, not as nimble and harder to park
in town.

2.) Weight, which reduces gas mileage or efficiency.

3.) Cost, but if one is willing to get used, this may not be a big deal
anymore, since there are E55 supercharged models, which are already depreciated.

4.) Talking my wiife into it, but this is the same issue to move to a C55,
from a C32.

I bought the C32 AMG specifically, because it was the minimum performance
that I could live with, without making a lot of modifications, Otherwise I would have considered a G35 with a blower added.

 

Until a REAL oil crisis occurs, manufacturers will always design and produce cars which perform better and better. In other words, the longer you keep the C55, the more you'll find you'll be lacking in performance compared to newer models.

For the C55 specifically, the new (and more expensive) RS4 already outperforms our car in most situations. The upcoming V8 M3 will almost certainly outperform the current C55, and so will the next C-AMG car.

The first question you have to ask yourself is this:
1) Are you satisfied with the performance of the car? If the answer is yes, then keep the car as is. And remember, the answer to this question can change over time when you compare with newer cars that become available. If the answer is no, then ask the next question:

2) How attached are you to your current car?...If the answer is "very much", then you should consider modding it to improve the performance. If the answer is "not really" or "don't really care", then I would trade the car in for a better car.

 

I bought my C32 just over a month ago, and always had the intention of modifying it. I've already spent over 10 grand in mods, but now the car is how I want it. Even if I got an E55, I would have dropped some money into it. Regardless of what car I have, I want to be able to easily outperform similar cars in the same class.

 

I am satisfied with the performance of my car, I probably wont even be able to come close to fully unleashing it's potentials since I don't go to the track. And I'm very attached to it, more so I LOVE my car. But I drive alot, 36K in 1 year, most of it highway miles so I do come accross lots of open stretches when I just go all the way for a short periods of time. And eventhough I can walk away from most of the cars at will I wish I had 'MORE'. Yet I wouldn't necessarily want to go to a bigger car (I agree with m444 on E55) since I also drive alot in Chicago. So despite answering 'yes' to both of your questions 'The Question' still remains!

 

Take a seat and listen to a tale of mod-tragedy.

My last car was a 2000 A6 2.7T. In stock form it has 250HP and handles like a tugboat. After a few blissful years of flawless ownership, I decided to make it the car that I wanted so...

> I bought 2 sets of Audi wheels from the A6 4.2 - wider, lighter; and
> I swapped out the suspension for a set of KW Coilovers; and
> I got an ECU upgrade bumping the output to about 310 HP; and
> I got a transmission chip (TCU) to make the tiptronic shift faster and fix shifting problems caused by the new, higher HP/torque.

The KW coilovers made it handle nicely, but it rode VERY firmly. The ECU/TCU upgrades were fun, but put both the turbos and the transmission under a lot of stress.

Within a year, my transmission died. I paid $5,000 for a new one. That transmission did not work right, so I got a warranty replacement, but paid labor. The second new transmission did not work right, so the shop suggested that I revert to stock ECU and TCU chips. That solved some problems, but not all. I ended up getting rid of the car at well under book (in part due to the non-stock suspension); and I got the C32.

C32 has the horsepower I wanted from the A6, as well as a stout transmission that can properly handle the power. On top of that, I have a set of world class brakes, far better than my A6 brakes.

Am I tempted to get more HP? Sure, but there's always more HP if you have more money. BUT, BUT, BUT you need to consider the hidden cost of the upgrades, especially if your upgrades ALSO void your warranty.

I spent about $3,000 modifying my A6, then another $5,000 fixing it, and then I probably lost another $5,000 in trade value. I had no warranty to lose at the time. And what ultimately drove me to sell the A6 was the loss of confidence in the car, and the frustration I felt every time I drove it.

Now I have a turn-key hot rod with a warranty. If I upgrade, it will be limited to tires for now.

When I have no more warranty, and I'm considering selling and buying a new car, I might consider the cost of a top notch Kleeman-type upgrade.

 

jgsx - I hear you! BTW, did you look at trancein thread about meet in Schaumburg?

 

Fifth Ring - I agree on 'hidden costs'. You also bring an excellent point that performance cars are tuned to perform as it is and all components are interconnected and you don't really want to mess with the setup.
At the same time it looks like niether dragonAMG nor BennyZ had any problems with their Kleemann/Renntech setups, at least to the best of my knowledge. Which makes me lean toward the fact that you can trust high-end mod companies.

 

Good distinction. Tuners of the Kleeman/Renntech variety (and Dinan for BMW) bring a level of engineering and testing that give you some confidence. And with a known tuner, you can get back some of that investment in resale. My Audi had a home-brew of upgrades and long-term survival was a crap-shoot. And resale was actually hurt. What's funny is that the mods I made were best known for blowing turbos -- which is a $5,000 event, and that's one thing that did NOT happen to me.

But regardless of quality, Kleeman/Renntech mods will kill your warranty, and on the whole, they MUST reduce the lifespan and reliability of the car.

 

mod to keep up with the competition... until you can afford a better car.

there is no way I will let a Is350 think SHE is faster than a 5 year old AMG. Or a G35 coupe or 350z, STI, EVO, ect.. unless they are heavily modded, I will be able to keep up with just about everything in my price range. $32k with about $2k in engine mods.

I see it in term of dollars, performance and luxury. I personally think the C32 is very good at all 3 for the price.

Yes, I could have a G35 USED coupe with TT's for less than $30k, but having owned a sedan.... for 3 years. Those cars are POS's.

Great engine and transmission and pretty good handling, but that is about it.

I'm now ready for the E55, and I should pick one up later this year. My budget is different after 1.5 years owning the C32 and I could afford a 2003/2004.


I say.. mod until you have the money to upgrade.

 

Im done modding the c32. I will pick up an 06 E55 or E63 in a year or so.

I drove my little sisters SLK55, and after hearing the sound of the V8, I need to have 8 cylinders.

Plus, I cant have her driving in a faster car than me

 

Yeah, I'm not sure if I'll be around yet

 

I'm hoping that I can add an 05/06 SLK55 to my garage right before next summer. They are cool little weekend cars, and yeah, they sound awesome!

 

I also own a C55 and I plan to mod my car. I'm currently happy (for now) with the power of the AMG. That's probably going to change once I get smoked by a new generation M3 or when the C63 comes out.

There are only 3 mods that I plan to do:
19 inch HRE wheels, Toyo tires, and Bilstein PSS9 suspension.

I'm only interested in cosmetic and handling mods. Performamce on the C55 will be left untouched since I don't want to void the warranty. If I had the money to upgrade, I would invest it. Of course a faster car like an E55 or Porsche would be nice too, but at this time I'm very happy with the car I have.

Should you mod or should you upgrade?
In my opinion, if you really love your car and plan to keep it for awhile, you should mod it the way you want and enjoy it. You never know what tomorrow brings.

Every year, technology gets better and cars perform better. You'll always feel the need to upgrade. I think thats just the nature of an auto enthusiast.

 

Thanks for the input guys! It's interesting but I can relate to all of your posts. One thing is for sure - just enjoy what we have for a time being!

BTW, anyone knows who did dragonAMG sell his Kleemann C55, the last I heard it was someone in Chicago/IL.