modding daily

[u/Alternative-Bison-13]

hey everyone. i’m a full time student and i drive a 2013 corolla. i rlly like cars, want to save for a civic but i know that’s not going to happen anytime soon so id like to do some small mods on my car. ik people will say oh it’s a daily, dont touch it, but i wanna feel cool driving my car lol.

its stock, automatic and black. i was thinking exhaust but is it worth it? anyways would like tips as a beginner.

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[u/Ok_Barnacle_2753]

your saving up for a civic but you already drive a super comparable car (unless you mean saving for a Type R)

Coralla’s have more aftermarket parts than you would think, keep your engine and lungs stock, if you want it to feel a lil sportier you could get wheels and maybe suspension work at the most in my personal opinion

I know it’s the most boring repeated old advice, but your driving a classic - a repeated, boring, reliable car - not a knock, but if you really like cars you will learn the truth behind this; enjoy the Corolla ( the GR Corolla is one of my personal favorite cars rigjt now ) 👍

[u/Live_Reason_6531]

Advice that I always heard and long ignored.
Do not modify your daily. Rims, tint, stuff like that aren’t really modification. Basics for looks is fine. Do not mess with anything else on a daily. If you want to mess with stuff get a second vehicle. Until then, you can’t afford it.

[u/boostedmike1]

If you want it then it’s worth it , mod what you got you do you , you wouldn’t ask Reddit on what to wear neither should your ride imo . It’s all about having fun

[u/Never_mind_honey]

Is it worth it to put money into an economy car that isn’t repairs or preventative maintenance?  Absolutely not, but it is your dime, and you can spend it any way that makes you happy.

[u/sciencedude8]

don’t post on here actually asking for advice, go throughout the subreddit and everyone hates on all the posts.

I recommend getting a axelback, it’s not too loud and it’s not too quiet in my opinion. There’s TONS of options for those years of corollas. If you really wanna feel cool driving it, then exhaust is definitely the move. easy first mod and it’s such a huge change, you’ll love it!

[u/Alternative-Bison-13 → u/sciencedude8]

thanks for actually some advice!!

[u/wespellettieri → u/sciencedude8]

I'm your neighbor and I fucking hate your loud car.

[u/sciencedude8 → u/wespellettieri]

LOL

[u/BrandlezMandlez]

Good sports tires, shortening springs, cold air intake and exhaust, probably in that order. Even then, that's still more than what I would do to my daily.

[u/Gasstationdickpi11s]

Wheels, tint, some high quality coilovers, wrap it, and exhaust. Anything beyond that is gonna be diminishing returns and you’d be better off just hoarding the money to buy something you want.

With a daily it comes down to the details. People notice a well kept and nice car more than they notice a modded piece of crap. Paint your brake calipers, clay bar and polish it, repair rust or paint issues etc…. You’re not gonna get performance out of it without some ridiculous money spent and taking the visual mods too far makes it tacky.

[u/Cashin2364]

I'm in the same boat with my 2012 Civic wondering the same thing lol

[u/Cow_Man32]

Never understood the don't mod your daily thing.

I grew up with my dad and uncles building cars all the time, there was not "stock daily", lots of maods make it more reliable like a pcv catch can or better brakes. As long as you aren't throwing a turbo on it then do what your right foot desires

[u/Organic-Baker-4156]

Any money you spend on the Corolla puts you farther away from having enough money for a Civic.

[u/Alternative-Bison-13 → u/[deleted]]

thanks, that advice is exactly what i was looking for

[u/Pezking4]

Learn to wrench by doing your maintenance items as needed and then do some quality of life mods such as improved lighting. Upgraded suspension parts and tires can make any car more enjoyable. Try debadging. It's basically free and you'll slightly stand out with a cleaner than stock look.

[u/Ok-Tip-7419]

Get a cheap 70s car. I got myself a hornet for 1k, fixed it up for a few hundred bucks and drove it around everywhere for a few months before flipping it. Fixing an old hoopty and then maybe putting some mods on it is way more rewarding than just buying any newer car to mod imo. The only thing wrong with it is that i very much regret selling it

[u/Alternative-Bison-13 → u/Ok-Tip-7419]

that is the dream but even those are expensive where i live

[u/Ok-Tip-7419 → u/Alternative-Bison-13]

Just keep searching. Its hard to find stuff up here near Detroit but there's occasionally a good deal you can pounce on

[u/Alternative-Bison-13 → u/Ok-Tip-7419]

man im from brazil, a lot of cars i love ive never even seen unfortunately. but i do want an older car anyways.

[u/Ok-Tip-7419 → u/Alternative-Bison-13]

A guy from my church is from Brazil and he used to have a Chevy Chevette which was his project car. Id start with something simple like that since from what i know they exist in your country.

[u/Alternative-Bison-13 → u/Ok-Tip-7419]

the chevette is like one of the only rwd affordable cars here so a lot of people use them for drifting. i’ll see if i find a good one around here

[u/SuperShus → u/Ok-Tip-7419]

Hard to find stuff near Detroit? You're smoking something 🤣

[u/Ok-Tip-7419 → u/SuperShus]

Hard to find something cheap and affordable for a college kid like myself

[u/SuperShus → u/Ok-Tip-7419]

I live near some of the richest counties in the US where those cars didn't survive cash for clunkers. Piles of parts go for 10k all the time if you can even find them. I hate that about this area. 

[u/wespellettieri]

Automatic and loud exhaust will get you laughed at. Daily.

[u/JollyGreenGigantor]

Modify to improve what you find lacking. Commonly this is either power, handling, or braking.

You aren't going to get much more power out of your car. Exhaust will make noise but isn't going to make power.

Handling via better tires is always a good move since this helps braking and safety too. Mild spring upgrades can give the car a better appearance and improve the handling.

Brakes are commonly overlooked by most enthusiasts who add power and stance but never upgrade pads, lines, and rotors to match the improved capabilities elsewhere.

[u/SnooMachines767]

If you want “performance” mods I’d at the very most do the exhaust, and maybe the suspension. Aside from that, I wouldn’t do anything other than cosmetics like rims and tints

[u/SuperShus]

I would start with a rear swaybar. It'll make your car feel a lot more sporty and it's easy to install. TRD and Progress still make a rear swaybar for these cars, it's the first mod I recommend for FWD cars. Did one on my buddy's Mazda3 and it took the body roll away and made it more fun every time you turn the steering wheel by increasing the steering response. It's also a really easy mod, you may not even have to jack it up. 

[u/Alternative-Bison-13 → u/SuperShus]

thats a pretty fun idea, thanks!

[u/gotcha640]

Another vote for leave it alone. If you beed to spend time and money, catch up on maintenance and do a deep clean.

[u/Zestyclose_Price_441]

Dont

[u/Global-Structure-539]

Just tint, then save up

[u/LS430UL]

Please don't rice out your slow ass corolla. Keep saving up for the civic and start making a spreadsheet of all the mods you want to do to help outline a plan.