Cosmetic question (opinions?) about my car

[StJess80]

Now that my car is paid off, I feel like I can start doing some of the things to it that I've wanted to do, but wanted to wait until I didn't have payments on it.

This is what my car basically looks like. It's red, and has the side louvers on it. It does not have them on the back windshield. There is a mustang in our parking lot at work that has them, and I think it's sort of cool, but I keep going back and forth as to whether it's "too much" (cosmetically). My main concern actually is getting snow in there, but I don't get snow in my side ones. I do not have racing stripes on my car so ignore that.

Opinions?

(and yes, I am a 30+ year old mom driving my midlife crisis car, lol!)

[illgetthere]

Personally, I wouldn't do it. I don't really care for the look of it.

[raangoli]

I wouldn't do it either. The snow WILL get stuck under there and you will hate your life. (OK, that's pretty dramatic, but if you are OCD like me, it won't be fun.)

[StJess80]

Jan 23, 2015 15:39:11 GMT -5 raangoli said:

I wouldn't do it either. The snow WILL get stuck under there and you will hate your life. (OK, that's pretty dramatic, but if you are OCD like me, it won't be fun.)

I'm pretty certain that I described my fear of that happening in exactly the same way.   That particular OCD fear is what tabled the idea in my brain, but then I saw the other one in our parking lot and it got my brain churning again.

[WOT?*]

Meh, it's a Mustang fastback. Louvers are expected.

If I wanted to spend the money on it (and I'm not really one of those...I'd buy a new car first lol.) I'd go with custom wheels or something on the interior (maybe upgrade the stereo or put in navigation or something equally silly and spendthrift) or spend the money on a really nice paint job in a more custom color. But the louvers are an inexpensive "quick fix" type of project.

And keep it maintained if you're going to spend the money on customizing it, so you can get your money out of it by driving it long enough to make you happy you spent the money on a car that is "your" car.

-Loved my '69 fastback...
And my 65 and 66 coupes

[StJess80]

I did just set up the appointment to get remote start installed. My previous car had it and I LOVED it. I opted to not have the heating element put in my seats because I didn't use the heated seats in my previous car much. The only other thing I really want is a sunroof, but something about a sunroof making mustangs structurally unsafe or something. Plus, I've never met anyone that was happy with their after market sunroof.

MH wants me to get fancy rims on it. I don't really care about the rims so that isn't happening. This is my actual car and I think the rims are just fine.

[StJess80]

Jan 23, 2015 16:22:37 GMT -5 WOT?* said:

Meh, it's a Mustang fastback. Louvers are expected.

If I wanted to spend the money on it (and I'm not really one of those...I'd buy a new car first lol.) I'd go with custom wheels or something on the interior (maybe upgrade the stereo or put in navigation or something equally silly and spendthrift) or spend the money on a really nice paint job in a more custom color. But the louvers are an inexpensive "quick fix" type of project.

And keep it maintained if you're going to spend the money on customizing it, so you can get your money out of it by driving it long enough to make you happy you spent the money on a car that is "your" car.

-Loved my '69 fastback...
And my 65 and 66 coupes

Oh yes, it sees the mechanic for regular checkups. I had a minor freak out attack when I realized that I was over 90k miles on it and made the mechanic reassure me that it was running fine. He said that 90k miles means it's "just a baby."

It does have a really good stereo in it, though the 6 disc changer doesn't work. I plug my phone in via the aux outlet, so I don't really use cds anyway. I'd only replace it for that functionality, and it would be an after market, because the ford shaker systems are known to have that issue. I am thinking of having the sequential turn signals put in. My BFFs dad drives the same car, only a year older, and he put them in his car. He said he would put them in mine if I wanted.

As far as paint, I don't really like red cars, but this one is ok in red. I have thought about getting the color refreshed and re-glossed.

I plan on giving it to DD (who is 10 now) when she can drive, so I will have it for a long time. My dad's first car was an orange '65, which is (I'm sure you are aware of this) the style mine was modeled after (it's an 07). I have the pony emblem from the grill of his car and I've been trying to think of a way to incorporate that into my car (interior). He was so thrilled to know that I planned on that being DDs first car. (heart)

I'm glad to see there is someone else on the board that shares my car love. I probably take more photos of my car (and my cats!) than I do of my kid, so....

[Pom]

Your car is really cool, but I am meh on adding the back louvers. I love that they brought back the old muscle car look. Mr. P wants a Mustang so bad he can taste it, but it's not happening.

[imojoebunny]

I am seeing a whole new side of MM in this post. Car girls!

[StJess80]

Jan 23, 2015 17:25:06 GMT -5 Pom said:

Your car is really cool, but I am meh on adding the back louvers. I love that they brought back the old muscle car look. Mr. P wants a Mustang so bad he can taste it, but it's not happening.

I really wanted a metallic orange camaro 2SS, but...out of my price range.

I love that the mustang went back to its roots. The late 90s-early 00 mustangs are horrid. But I am unhappy with the 2015 as well. It looks like a ford fusion. Why?

If it would be any consolation to Mr Pom, it is only a V6 because it's my daily driver, and it's an automatic (yes, I know. I cry about it too) because MH can't drive a manual.

[StJess80]

Jan 23, 2015 21:14:25 GMT -5 imojoebunny said:

I am seeing a whole new side of MM in this post. Car girls!

I'm a total car girl. Love. I was sincerely devastated when Pontiac was discontinued, partly because that meant the G8 only had 2 production years and the chances of me owning a G8 GXP were now greatly diminished. I mean, it had a 6.2L V8. Car porn.

[WinterWine]

Jan 23, 2015 16:05:15 GMT -5 @rennido said:

Eh. I wouldn't, but I'm not a "spend more money on my car" type of person.
I also am not crazy about the look.

I'll just repeat this :-)

[M]

As a car enthusiast (my SN subtly suggests it for those who know cars ), I wouldn't waste my money on things like that. I prefer keeping the car's original looks and build on its performance. I once saw a plain old mustang do 9.1 seconds in a quarter mile! Mine does 11s...though it wasn't built for short distant races. I guess for me it's more about what a car can do vs what does it looks like.

The only cosmetic thing I've done to my car is de-badge so only those who know cars, know what it is and get nice light weight wheels for it which actually enhances it's performance. You'd be surprised at how badass some nice wheels can make your car look.

[heyrebekah]

I think your car looks pretty sweet as it is. I don't care for the louvers.

[Pom]

Jan 23, 2015 23:03:02 GMT -5 StJess80 said:

Jan 23, 2015 17:25:06 GMT -5 Pom said:

Your car is really cool, but I am meh on adding the back louvers. I love that they brought back the old muscle car look. Mr. P wants a Mustang so bad he can taste it, but it's not happening.

I really wanted a metallic orange camaro 2SS, but...out of my price range.

I love that the mustang went back to its roots. The late 90s-early 00 mustangs are horrid. But I am unhappy with the 2015 as well. It looks like a ford fusion. Why?

If it would be any consolation to Mr Pom, it is only a V6 because it's my daily driver, and it's an automatic (yes, I know. I cry about it too) because MH can't drive a manual.

Agree, not the same style and growl!  I love driving a manual.  The SS is gorgeous.  One of my best friends in HS had a '65 SS and it was so much fun. I was so excited when the new ones came out.   Just seeing this whole retro class of cars on the roads, makes me happy!  We had a trip out of town last fall and I had got a deal on Hotwire for a Premium car and Mr. P comes flying around the corner in a Mustang, LOL.  It was a pretty fun weekend.   KOKO girl

[RandZB]

I don't care for them. I would upgrade the wheels over adding louvres to the back. Black wheels would look awesome on that car.

[lys]

Don't do it!
The back windshield louvers - forget them. That look has a VERY limited appeal and not a good plan in an area with snow.
Why spend the money on this? Surely you can find a better place to use it that will do more for you financially.

[StJess80]

Jan 24, 2015 10:41:06 GMT -5 lys said:

Don't do it!
The back windshield louvers - forget them. That look has a VERY limited appeal and not a good plan in an area with snow.
Why spend the money on this? Surely you can find a better place to use it that will do more for you financially.

I think that can be said about lots of things. I have eyeshadow but I did some damage at sephora last night.

I like it, and I waited until the car was paid off. The only plan right now is to have the remote start installed on Friday.

[lys]

Jan 24, 2015 11:05:47 GMT -5 StJess80 said:

Jan 24, 2015 10:41:06 GMT -5 lys said:

Don't do it!
The back windshield louvers - forget them. That look has a VERY limited appeal and not a good plan in an area with snow.
Why spend the money on this? Surely you can find a better place to use it that will do more for you financially.

I think that can be said about lots of things. I have eyeshadow but I did some damage at sephora last night.

I like it, and I waited until the car was paid off. The only plan right now is to have the remote start installed on Friday.

Remote start -I  support that all the way - especially in a snowy area.

[StJess80]

Jan 24, 2015 16:46:24 GMT -5 lys said:

Jan 24, 2015 11:05:47 GMT -5 StJess80 said:

I think that can be said about lots of things. I have eyeshadow but I did some damage at sephora last night.

I like it, and I waited until the car was paid off. The only plan right now is to have the remote start installed on Friday.

Remote start -I  support that all the way - especially in a snowy area.

I've already taken credit for the 50*+ January weather we've had. We had -30* windchills for days, with below average temps before that, and the very next day after making the appointment, the temps went up and have stayed that way.

[ksun]

This just makes me miss my Mustang. I had a '99 that I loved.

An ex I was with for about a year and a half had a '65 convertible, 3 speed. There's not much I loved more than driving it. We lived in a really small town at the time and loved taking it to the drive in.

[StJess80]

Jan 25, 2015 0:17:47 GMT -5 @domerjen said:

I think louvers are ugly. sorry. If I was looking to make my car fancy, I'd get those big chrome wheels.

But we have an '05 focus and an '11 prius, so clearly I'm not in the fancy car circuit!

M, why would you remove the identifying brand stuff?

From what I understand, it's fairly common for import sports car enthusiasts. The car is recognizable only to those familiar with it, and adds a bit of mystery for those (most people) that don't.

It wouldn't work with my car because people know what it is. Though now that I think about it, the only place it says mustang is on the side striping. It might say ford on the circle emblem on the trunk. So maybe mine was purposely de-badged (mostly) at the time of production. The newer ones don't have the mustang name engraved (not the right word) in the rear bumper.

[fayeelle]

Total car girl here. And I loooove a nice Mustang. I'm a fan of the louvers and regardless of snow would still put them on my car. This coming from a girl that lowered her car (an import) along with putting a body kit on in only after moving to an area with snow. So yeah...

Remote start huge yes! What kind of interior do you have (may have missed that, sorry)? What about upgrading the suspension? Even lowering the car by 1.25 inches gives in a much more aggressive stance. Oh, and a new hood. I'd get a bad ass cowl hood.

Eta- preggo fingers clicked too soon

[10nille]

I wonder what the other car owner with the louvers thinks of them. Do they cut down visibility or just hard to keep snow off in the winter?

Remote start is awesome! Good job spending money on it.

[Deleted]

I'm not a fan. I think they make it difficult to detail. And I'm lazy.

If I wanted to do some simple, affordable upgrades to a Mustang, I'd do some Vossen rims and a simple cold air intake with a K&N filter.

I miss my Mustang.

[M]

Jan 25, 2015 0:17:47 GMT -5 @domerjen said:

M, why would you remove the identifying brand stuff?

StJess80 pretty much hit the nail on the the head. It's kind of like disguising the car. With my car (bmw), they all pretty much look the same. To the unknowing, I just have a pretty convertible. What they don't see (I'll say it since it doesn't matter here lol) is that my particular car comes stock with 505hp. And especially as a woman driver, most men think it's just little girl driving a little bmw and they're shocked when/if they see it perform. One time I saw a man turn his head almost completely backwards trying to figure out what car it was lol. Plus I like how clean the trunk looks without the badge on it.

Jan 25, 2015 1:27:06 GMT -5 StJess80 said:

From what I understand, it's fairly common for import sports car enthusiasts. The car is recognizable only to those familiar with it, and adds a bit of mystery for those (most people) that don't.

It wouldn't work with my car because people know what it is. Though now that I think about it, the only place it says mustang is on the side striping. It might say ford on the circle emblem on the trunk. So maybe mine was purposely de-badged (mostly) at the time of production. The newer ones don't have the mustang name engraved (not the right word) in the rear bumper.

You can totally disguise a Mustang! If I had a cobra or a roush or even a GT, I would totally take off anything that says so and let it look like a V6 mustang.

If you really like the louvres and have wanted it for a long time, then get it. It doesn't matter what others think about it.

[hippygirl]

I didn't even know they still had louvers! I had them on my Firebird back in the 90s.

[Deleted]

Jan 24, 2015 10:41:06 GMT -5 lys said:

Don't do it!
The back windshield louvers - forget them. That look has a VERY limited appeal and not a good plan in an area with snow.
Why spend the money on this? Surely you can find a better place to use it that will do more for you financially.

Do you have an internal radar that detects fun so you can go suck it all out with your fun vacuum?

[curbsideprophet]

Jan 24, 2015 0:15:55 GMT -5 WinterWine said:

Jan 23, 2015 16:05:15 GMT -5 @rennido said:

Eh. I wouldn't, but I'm not a "spend more money on my car" type of person.
I also am not crazy about the look.

I'll just repeat this :-)

Sits on this bench.
Seems like a waste of money to me. I would pay for heated seats though.

[StJess80]

Jan 25, 2015 1:38:20 GMT -5 10nille said:

I wonder what the other car owner with the louvers thinks of them. Do they cut down visibility or just hard to keep snow off in the winter?

Remote start is awesome! Good job spending money on it.

I never see the other owner, because I've thought about it! We have another building adjacent to ours so I suspect they work in that building. It's not there when I arrive in the morning but it is there when I leave.

I do have upgraded headlights in it so it gives off a "move" vibe when I'm behind someone. I wouldn't want to lower it though (the ground clearance is currently at 5.5" now). I have thought about having a hood scoop put in, but I need to do some research on cold weather/snow. As far as my side louvers go, they don't cause any visibility issues with those windows. Snow doesn't get caught in them, and those windows don't ice/frost over when the other windows do.