NJjon

Everyday, my ideas of what I'm going to do change....
(A little backround... I'm a 16 year old, I have a minimum wage job so I don't make much... However I have no expenses besides insurance and gas. I'm very interested in modding my car buy I dont have the tools/skills to do it all. I have a 2007 g5 with about 50k on it.)

Some days, I tell myself I'm going to do a heavy bolt on job... Everything that could be bolted on would be, with maybe some nitrous.
WHY: I'd like to do many things by myself at home, and I wouldnt have to be more than a day without my car.
WHY NOT: It's not not gonna be fast enough... too much money for too little power.

Some days, I decide I'm going to do a basic bolt on, job some apperance mods, and also buy an older 80's car (probably mustang 5.0) to build/beat.
WHY: Then I have a DD that has no risks of breaking down, and a car to screw around with on the weekends.
WHY NOT: Seems like a Itd be a bit more expensive

Other days, I toy with the idea of going supercharged.
WHY: Because my car would be an ok sleeper, and my car would be cooler
WHY NOT: I dont want to have my car out of commission for weeks, and I don't have much mechanical knowledge... so it'd definitely take a while. (Unless I hire a shop/someone to install it for me, in which case how much would that cost?)

SO, this is when I ask you people, what do you think I should do? I know this sounds a bit desperate but it seems like every day I change my mind. Before any of you say it, NO im not going turbo, too much maintenance. This thread may be the deciding factor for me.

black06ss

do minor stuff then get a rwd car for going fast in. they make for so much more fun

RedBalt44

just do the basic bolt on's (intake, header, downpipe, full cat back etc.) all of those u can do with barely any mechanical knowledge plus it dosnt take long at all to put them on. much cheaper than supercharger too. then once ur down with the bolt ons just make the car look nicer (lower it, tints blah blah blah) ..

NJjon

Yea.. that was my though for TODAY... But that seems more expensive that hiring someone to order, install, and tune a sc...( to black06ss)

I already ordered lowering springs and a rear sway bar(thanks ottp)... so thats gonna happen no matter what.

olivecj

Start with intake and exhaust. Intakes aren't that expensive I suggest a k/n typhoon intake it sounds awesome. For exhaust since your 2.2 i would suggest just going to a exhaust shop and getting a nice custom 2.25 inch exhaust.

black06ss

you can build an old camaro or fox body for cheap. for less than 10 grand you could run 12s easy.

NJjon

[QUOTE=olivecj;4075349]Start with intake and exhaust. Intakes aren't that expensive I suggest a k/n typhoon intake it sounds awesome. For exhaust since your 2.2 i would suggest just going to a exhaust shop and getting a nice custom 2.25 inch exhaust.[/QUOTE

Already have a Injen intake as well.

Your killing me ahah, this is why I can't decide.

Hockeyman

iTrader: (4)

Why focus on going fast with the cobalt? How about you focus on appearance and make people turn heads by looks and not speed. Throw some coils on there with some nice rims, then some other subtle appearance mods and you have a clean cobalt.

Jn2

iTrader: (1)

if yougo suprcharged, ur car will be down for 1 day, thats it, no more...hell not even 1 day, start around 8am ull be done by 4 or 5pm...TRUST ME!!! if you have friends helping, ull e done even faster, i did my sc install in 8hrs+lunch time by myself with no outside help, in my garage with hand tools...

Mindrot

iTrader: (1)

Sorry buddy, but I refuse to vote. Many will call me a **** for saying it, but I do not think a 16 year old should be driving a car with forced induction or any bolt on. It's only gonna get you into trouble

NJjon

Damn... do you have any prior mechanic knowledge? And was that time including a tune? Did you buy all your parts as a "kit" off this site, or did you piece it together...Wanna help me with my install ? haha sorry for hammering your with questions
Already ordered springs, and it's not like the car wont look nice as well, It's just not my main goal.
I understand 100% where you are coming from.

black06ss

here is another reason i think you should get a second car. since you have limited experiance you can learn alot more by researching what to build and buy and taking your time, then you would just quickly throwing a blower on the G5.

Jn2

iTrader: (1)

i charge 300 to do a sc install, thats a complete install, w/no help needed, u could literally sit in a chair next to ur car as i do the work sipping limonade is you wanted too and i have mechanical experienced i learned from owning my cobalt, im 20yrs old and i got the cobalt when i was 16...the car was drivable as soon as i was done, the fine tuning afterwards was to get every available pony out of it...trifectas tunes are awesome...and tuning takes about a day...but like i said the car is driveable after uploading the initial tune

Jackalope

Keep it stock and save for something else. No point in trying to make if faster, just buy something else.

ssyellow

x2
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I'm also 16 and pay for my own stuff. It all depends on how mature you are and if you are going to drive liken a ******* all the time then don't get the stuff. If you can control yourself then you should be fine.

NJjon

Hmmm... 300 + plane ticket from texas.... damn I might as well find someone local sorry haha. So trifeta tuning takes a day? or the fine tuning takes a day, like dyno tuning and stuff?
I'm impatient.
I can hopefully control myself when it comes to speed and reckless driving. So many of my friends get tickets on a day to day basis, personally I think its stupid. Not to say I wouldnt use the engine to its fullest, but only when appropriate haha.

ScottxKillyou

I say go fully bolted for now because if you do end up throwing on a supercharger you'll still be able to keep everything but you're intake which you could probably just turn around and sell to someone else

NJjon

Well.. I'd be doing intake manfold, ported and polished tb, tune, the whole 9 if I went bolted...

Maybe I go fully bolted - a tune, and the tb because I dont that that work without a tune... Then when I go supercharged I sell the intake mani and **** on here?

ScottxKillyou

pretty much if you buy your parts used you'll be able to sell them for close to what you paid

NJjon

I havent seen a 2.4 mani go for sale on here, boo.

HyperMuffin

Im 16. Felt the same exact way. Here is what I did. Got new rims and tires. Might get a stereo system and then im done. Mine has 45k miles so hopefully it lasts me a while.

You should maybe get like new rims or a speaker system just maybe do a little for looks to turn some heads. Then save your money thats what I am doing now after I get speakers and a deck. Save save save for college and a car. If you save for a while and go through college and have money after and no loans you can get yourself a brand new car that could be sick as hell and 20 times faster than these piece of **** fwd 4 bangers.

Just be smart.

Im also thinking of myself and with my best bud to split the cost of a beat up old muscle and restoring it and making it nice as hell and then probally resell it or have fun with it. Yes that route is exspensive unless you have 2 people or spread it out over a period of time and put some time and hard work into it.

1niceLS

If your at all curious about being fully bolted click the hyperlink in my sig and it will take you to my build thread. If you have any questions about going that route just PM me I almost have everything possibly made for an L61 except full exhaust and clutch/flywheel and I m currentyl working on that.

NJjon

yea I know I need to invest in rims and tires at some point... I mean, I'd love to save up for a better car too, but I donno what I'd want to get in a few years now... and I'd probably like to keep my G5 as a beater/fun car.


Thanks, I've read your thread a few times already haha

Muchas gracias to all you guys helping me out in this thread, but the poll is pretty much split 3 ways at this point, which is the same way it is in my head.

UGH.: cussing:

jnicks510

i voted SC, but if i were you i'd just save up and trade up. the only other mod im doing to my car are minor appearance mods and exhaust because im trading in for a camaro in spring or a SS/TC in december.

Permafried-

x2...when I owned my 2.2 for the first year and a bit I toiled with the same things as you are. I came to the conclusion that I'd be far better off saving my money for something down the road even if that meant 4 or 5 years out. I ultimately bought my '08 TC after owning my 2.2 for 4 years (I'm 26 and work fulltime so not quite the same situation as you) and am pleased every day that I spent slim to nothing on my 2.2 for the following reasons:

1. To get any real power out of the 2.2 you have no choice but to go FI
2. It served the purpose of a car; got me from A to B with minimal maintenance costs
3. After 4 years of beating the **** out of it the car still ran like a champ for what it was