Thanks man, i know i cant believe that i actually got this car...I have always liked it just never imagined that i would own one, especially as my first car

 

I drove my first car at 16, I had an RSX. The first thing I did was save up for lowering springs, if I had the money back then I would've gone with coilovers. You can get coils on the blackmarket for under a grand.
That or I would go with a lip kit all around. It really adds beauty and fullness to our cars.

If you want your first mod to be really cheap, do LED lights for your interior. Dome, vanity lights etc (first thing I did to my car, other than tinting the windows).

 

Im pretty sure it already has an A-spec kit on it . But yeah i really like the LED lights so i think im gonna do them. And thanks so much for the help i really appreciate it !

 

What state lets you get your license at 16!?!? Only get your permit at 16 in ny, wich is no fun.

 

Some states will allow you to get your license on your 16th birthday with drivers ED course 6 months prior.

OP: being new to the car and working partime and still going to high school... I think that part time job is just enough to cover for the premium gasoline this car takes. I pump $50-60 a week.
Take some pointers and try not to go cheap.... i meant EBAY.
Don't autozone shop!

 

Thats if you have a girlfriend and take her out with the extra cash you picked up work on the weekends.... You'll need cash to spend them on yourself, you'll need clothes and underwears... don't forget that lunch at school cost adds up.

My theory to all this is ... don't mod a car that is not going anywhere.
By leaving it completly stock, the car will hold more value over an intake or exhaust on the car for instance.

I remember driving my 1996 3000GT SL V6 and doing part time and really I was surviving just to go places cause it eats so much gas. That was when gas was $2.35 and I was getting paid $7.25 an hr.

 

I'm willing to bet insurance and gas will be paid for by the rents. So he'll have his part-time money for modding

 

Florida doesn't require you to have any drivers ed..I simply got my license on my birthday. And my parents are paying for my insurance and the car is payed off so all i have to worry about is the maintenance and gas..

 

ill just name a few free or very little costing mods. intake resonator delete, debadge emblems, tb bypass, plastidip, led interior-license, staged exhaust, painted callipers. List goes on. But always do maintenance first.

 

Progress rear sway bar....~$150

Not free, but you will like it.

 

Your best value being young would be brakes an suspension, look into steel braided lines, tranny line, sway bars, torque damper. The tl is a beautiful car iv owned a 04 tl aspec for years an basically built the car my standards. I almost have 4k in suspension an camber kits, sway bars, mouter mounts , torque dampeners. I recently purchased an 05 6mt tl an forgot how impressive my 04 feels over the stock 05. The tl is pretty fast car for a 16yo an it can be extreamly fast agile car with the right parts, but honestly dont make it faster without addressing suspension an brakes first. Im $1700 into the front brakes alone with racing brake components, $4k suspension. But my car stops faster than anything I have ever drove, an I can take a corner at 80 mhp with confidence. Just my 2 cents for a new young tl enthusiasts

 

Steel braided lines with motul brake fluid, $160
When you need brakes save big brake kit BBK you be happy when u dont crash it $1000
Rear sway bar acouple hundred depending on manufacturer, I went with ct engineering
Camber kits, front skunk2 $300 rear $100
Torque damper, $160
Mouter mounts $300 these always break

 

Really? Why would you a recommend a 16 year old high school kid to spend $1,000+ on a big brake kit? Not only is that over-kill for his high school budget, but a BBK on a stock street daily driver is a complete waste of money unless you plan on doing some type of autocross / road course racing.

Drilled and/or Slotted rotors with new brake pads is much more reasonable..

 

Best bang for buck would be PCDs. Even on a bone stock car you gain over 10WHP. If you keep your stock Jpipe and 3rd cat there are no issues with rasp.

http://rv6-p.com/tl/3rd-gen/v3pcd-223.html

 

I recommend those mods, for safety, an I believe the kids got dream so why not a bbk, I was simply focusing on the cheaper safety mods than wont hurt his resale value an discourage. Making car any fast at 16yo. I race aprilias first thing I always start with is braking an suspension. You live longer

 

noob question about the mid muffler delete that you guys were talking about - does it have any affect on gas mileage? and is there any drawback to it?

 

I have no clue about gas mileage but i have heard about some people experiencing a rasp..

 

Mid muffler does not affect mpg and will not give rasp if removed alone.

 

You will likely need shocks. So I'd recommend either KONI Sport Shocks and a good set of springs like TEIN or H&R or a set of coilovers. Call or email me for more info and advice.

 

Ramen noodles better be your next favorite food.

 

There is a thread on that if you guys want to know; unless someone chimes in.

Anyway, OP Nick216 gave some good pointers. There are some good threads that offer little to zero cost mods. Got search thru acurazine.

 

That is not a cheap mod (BBK) and besides our stock brakes are more than enough to get the job done; unless one neglects to take care of their maintenance.

 

Good luck with the ride

 

Wow! that's an incredibly bleak world view. I have 3 brothers, 2 who are retards, all of us drove since 16. I don't even know anyone who's been in a car wreck...

Unless you count my brother sliding on ice and putting a 1" scratch on the front buffer as a wreck. . .

 

I think I want to put a magnaflow exaust on my tl and install a cai but I have a feeling it's going to be too loud

 

If you guys know what brand cai I should get and where to buy them that would be a great help I'm green to this site haha

 

I just picked up a bc racing cai. After a little searching and since they're all just metal piping and a filter it made sense. Got it for 130 shipped off of ebay.

 

For the newbies google best cai

 

Short Ram Intake.

 

Warning: did not read all prior posts.

My two cents are as follows, you are 16, this car has plenty of power so from a power stand point I wouldn't touch it. Just do visual mods for now (LED's etc) and when you maybe get some more money move towards performance. You always mention budget mods but at age 16, you will always be poor.

Gas prices alone will break your bank at your age if you don't have income coming in. PREMIUM 91+ oct only!

Good luck, this is a safe car but it also has a lot of power for your age and things happen in a flash when you smash your gas pedal.

 

^Sage advice right thurr

 

Best mod ever for any front wheel drive car. After my first autocross with it I was totally sold. Aside from wheels and tires its bang per buck the best mod you can do for handling.

 

Lol your reaction is funny as shit!

 

My first car at 17 (drove mom's station wagon prior to that...) was a '71 Chevelle with a 350 and 2 barrel carb. First mod was a chrome water neck for the top radiator hose, second one was gold anodized Moroso valve covers. And both leaked the first time I installed them.

To First_TL, if your school offers an auto shop class, take it. Modifying your car is a lot cheaper if you can do the actual installation of the parts. I took a paint/body class when I was senior since my $400 Chevelle looked like a $400 car. Replaced the front clip with a used one, got the body work done and the car primered (ran out of time to paint it the car needed so much body work) and gained a lot of valuable knowledge. Learned to turn wrenches on it too, all the way up to building my own engine and installing it.

 

Is this a DIY procedure?

 

Yeah iirc check out the 3g garage for noobs. goolge would be faster.

 

my 06 tl has 250,000 miles on it . No work on the transmission at all except fluid and filter changes . It still performs great . Nice crisp shifts , no slippage or hesatation at all . I took it to Mian raceway . 14.89 in the 1/4 mile . On the way home on the expressway I took it up to 130 mph . Top speed is 150 . It was still pulling hard . But I got scared and backed off . Lol . I keep it in good condition . But it is 19 years old , things can break . I have never had to do anything with pressure switches . Buy the way , I just bought another 06 Tl with 180,000 miles . It was such a good deal . I could not pass it by .