Recession and your car modding budget

[obi_waynne]

Has the current global recession hit your car modding budget? Did you spend less on your car this year than you did last year or the year before it?

Are you positive or gloomy about the worlds economic outlook in the long term?

 

[geraint13]

the recession has hit every part of my budget, in the last 2 years my average wage has dropped by 15-20%. more people out of work drives prices down as every tom dick and harry under cuts you to get the job.

 

[lutonmatt]

in a way yes as i only bought 2 new cars and got both of them at the start of the year
normaly i would of had another car by now or i like what i have

kitt well thats kitt lol
and the landrover gets trashed but is what i bought it for and have spent a bit on it
lift kit winch lights tyres ect

 

[HDi fun]

No plans to mod this car to be honest. There's not a lot I can do with a simple NATASP petrol engine anyway. Although I did replace a couple of rear sidelight lamps today with new ones that work. Does that count as a mod?

 

[obi_waynne]

Have you put silver ones in instead of the coloured bulbs? That would count as a mod!

 

[HDi fun]

Have you put silver ones in instead of the coloured bulbs? That would count as a mod!

No - i've only been replacing the stop and tail clusters. These are 207 5w and 382 21w single filament lamps with clear enclosures (bulbs). The indicators are fine.

This car, like the 406 and the Primera has shields as part of the assembly so that the amber indicator lamps aren't visible when unlit anyway so I don't need to splash out on Osram or Philips dichroic lamps. There's no 'fried-egg' effect. And don't anyone dare mention Patsy Kensit

 

[T9 man]

No - i've only been replacing the stop and tail clusters. These are 207 5w and 382 21w single filament lamps with clear enclosures (bulbs). The indicators are fine.

This car, like the 406 and the Primera has shields as part of the assembly so that the amber indicator lamps aren't visible when unlit anyway so I don't need to splash out on Osram or Philips dichroic lamps. There's no 'fried-egg' effect. And don't anyone dare mention Patsy Kensit

 

[HDi fun]

Nor Belinda Carlisle.

 

[Jagz]

Speaking as a 'Modding Company' I was concerned I was going to be in deep dog doo...

BUT


I have never been busier....:amazed:.....Unbeleivable.... I have not felt the recession one Iota.



Make of that what you will........All I will say is the American orders did dry up a bit and I could tell this also by the amount of hits my website gets from USA based surfers.....But this is now going up to around 45%, 30% UK based and the rest are spread from Azerbaijan to New Zealand. I get on average 200 visits per day nothing massive but I am in a bit of a niche market.

 

[HDi fun]

Speaking as a 'Modding Company' I was concerned I was going to be in deep dog doo...

BUT


I have never been busier....:amazed:.....Unbeleivable.... I have not felt the recession one Iota.



Make of that what you will........All I will say is the American orders did dry up a bit and I could tell this also by the amount of hits my website gets from USA based surfers.....But this is now going up to around 45%, 30% UK based and the rest are spread from Azerbaijan to New Zealand. I get on average 200 visits per day nothing massive but I am in a bit of a niche market.

I'm not surprised by this at all and I'm glad that the recession has not taken a toll upon you and your business interests.

You are in the premium and upward part of the market. Despite cuts and taxation changes your clients will not be strapped for cash in the way that someone who's modding a Renault Laguna might be.

It's effectively the automotive department of the entertainment industry for those with significant ready cash and a willingness to part with it.

It's all good and I hope it continues in the same way. If nothing else, the economy cannot recover if nobody spends any money at all.

Kind regards,

Paul Anderson.

 

[MasterAuron]

As HDi says, will rich will remain in the large part...rich. It's the working to middle classes that suffer all the time.

Budget? What budget? Lol. What disposable I spend on cars is only restricted by what little sense I have.

 

[old-git]

A recession is only painful if you don't have a job or your disposable income is reduced. Even in bad times approx 90% of the workforce is still emplyed. What happens is that 90% hold back a little 'just in case' which feeds the recession.

Working in local government (up until recently) the pay wasn't brilliant but job security was (again, until recently). This meant that I never experienced a recession, except in a good way. Prices came down or you could negotiate discounts as vendors were desperate to shift stock.

Also, I have always had a second income (due to salary not being enough to pay for what I wanted) to fund both my car and living expenses - be it bar work, car accessory shop work, wiring loom manufacture, office fitting, PC maintenance and construction, car stripping (present method), etc

I believe that if you want it bad enough you will find a way to fund it, but only if you are prepared to get off your backside.

 

[turbonutter69]

I believe that if you want it bad enough you will find a way to fund it, but only if you are prepared to get off your backside.

So true.

 

[geraint13]

So true.

am now trying to find a regular second income to fund my growing ambitions for car and other stuff.

not going so well as i have been very busy with first job. lol. shouldnt moan i know lol.

just need a small regular income as ( i dont want to say it) xmas is coming soon and the construction industry will slow down for it.

should think of a parcel delivery or somthing would be good as the car will pay for itself then !!!!

 

[herb]

A recession is only painful if you don't have a job or your disposable income is reduced. Even in bad times approx 90% of the workforce is still emplyed. What happens is that 90% hold back a little 'just in case' which feeds the recession.

Working in local government (up until recently) the pay wasn't brilliant but job security was (again, until recently). This meant that I never experienced a recession, except in a good way. Prices came down or you could negotiate discounts as vendors were desperate to shift stock.

Also, I have always had a second income (due to salary not being enough to pay for what I wanted) to fund both my car and living expenses - be it bar work, car accessory shop work, wiring loom manufacture, office fitting, PC maintenance and construction, car stripping (present method), etc

I believe that if you want it bad enough you will find a way to fund it, but only if you are prepared to get off your backside.

I may have this wrong but didn't you get a 2nd mortgage to fund your elan? personally I would never go this far to fund a car, nor would I get a 2nd job! I'll just wait for the good times to come back round and save for my hybrid turbo!

 

[HDi fun]

I think the fact that I recently bought a ten year old car illustrates what the recession has done for my budget.

 

[bigbadjoe]

No not really, if anything its gone up!!

As I see it, now is the time to buy, that is how I got my car cheep (due to a pending bankrupsy from the prev owner). I have spent more on my car this year than I have doing up any of my other cars put together.

Although, saying that, I am saving for a house, as now ladies and gentlemen, is the time to buy. Got to love the 0.5% base rate!!

 

[MasterAuron]

Tbh if you have time or energy for a second job, you're clearly not working hard enough or don't have a good enough job in the first place. Fair enough if you sit on your ass in an office 9-5 38 hours a week, but some of us work 10-12 hours a day 7 days a week.

 

[HDi fun]

Tbh if you have time or energy for a second job, you're clearly not working hard enough or don't have a good enough job in the first place. Fair enough if you sit on your ass in an office 9-5 38 hours a week, but some of us work 10-12 hours a day 7 days a week.

So* that for a lark! An 84 hour working week doesn't sit in my vocabulary.

 

[MasterAuron]

Lol not all year round, that'd be deadly but it's commonplace from March-August. Working 10's 7 days a week atm, although I've not been in the last two sundays because I cba!

 

[HDi fun]

That's more livable.

What is cba, please?

 

[MasterAuron]

"Can't be arsed". Sorry I don't normally type in txt spkz or whatever but I'm knackered (10 hours days and all!).

 

[HDi fun]

Thankyou.

 

[dpsubaru]

Although, saying that, I am saving for a house, as now ladies and gentlemen, is the time to buy. Got to love the 0.5% base rate!!

AH! I am having to pay 5.9%, because working overseas - theiving buggers. Just bought last Sept the price has over 20k knocked off because they couldnt sell.

 

[dpsubaru]

Tbh if you have time or energy for a second job, you're clearly not working hard enough or don't have a good enough job in the first place. Fair enough if you sit on your ass in an office 9-5 38 hours a week, but some of us work 10-12 hours a day 7 days a week.

i enjoy sitting on my ar*e in the office! although 8am - 6.30pm then spend the evenings on the phone, but no more working on Sat and Sunday unless something urgent or so pain in the butt opening ceremony to go to.

 

[bigbadjoe]

"Can't be arsed". Sorry I don't normally type in txt spkz or whatever but I'm knackered (10 hours days and all!).

I have done my time working 75-90 hour weeks. Used to have two full times jobs! 8-5 cleaning waste chicken boxes, gettin showered then working 6-12 in a hotel!

Great money, but no life!!!

I work to live, not live to work!!!!

 

[bigbadjoe]

AH! I am having to pay 5.9%, because working overseas - theiving buggers. Just bought last Sept the price has over 20k knocked off because they couldnt sell.

For the amount of diposit I want to pay, I should be looking at 3.9-4.5%! Happy days.

 

[geraint13]

my job is pretty physical so i need a cushty sitting down second job lol

 

[misenthrop]

Work has been steady for me but a few have been laid off. I still struggle to keep the car on the road and in pristine condition without even thinking obout modifying it though.

 

[Broken Cambelt]

using sheer grit i managed to find a job, its only warehouse work, but it pays.

this means that my modding budget has gone from nothing to somthing, time to pull those sleeper fiesta plans out of the dusty filing cabinet.

recession is brutal, as are the cuts, was going to happen though.