MadStang40

Hi all, I've got a question for ya'll.

Being a college student, my bank account is very sensitive to the rising gas prices we are currently experiencing. I've saved for a few months and now have enough for 3.73s and a t-loc along with install. As these prices increase, this mod is starting to look more and more sketchy as time goes on. My options are as follows:

1) Go along with the purchase and install. If my weekly commute is typically 100-150 miles highway with another 50 miles city, how much of a hit do you reckon I'll take?

2) A few exterior mods. I'm currently looking at a rear aluminum louver, clear side markers, clear turn signals, interior colored trim (Mrmikes.com), and headlight splitters.

I'm open to other options besides F/I. These will be my last upgrades before saving up everything for a nice down payment on a 2011 or 2012 5.0 upon graduation.

Thanks everyone.

MustangMan1718

I will be gladly following this thread as I am about in the same exact situation. I have vowed that my last thing I will buy for my current '05 v6 will be new tires (bought a set of 17" bullitts with a moderate amount of tread left off Craigslist recently for cheap). However, that grille you have is quite nice and I have debated it for quite some time. I may end up stretching my final mod list just a tiny bit.

SpartaPerformance

How about a 1 piece aluminum drive shaft, the good ones are expensive however they'll free up around 5-8 rwhp across the entire RPM range without any ill effects on fuel economy.

MadStang40

I have been looking at drive shafts off and on for the past 4-5 months and they've definitely got benefits (increase your numbers with no increase in fuel consumption). I have yet to purchase a jack and a couple jack stands so that would have to be added on to total mod cost. I'm just wondering if I would be able to feel that increase on the widely-known butt dyno? Great suggestion though.

Thanks MustangMan, a while back when I first got the car this was one of my first mods upon seeing it on so many cars in so many issues of 5.0Mustangs&SuperFords and a few other Mustang publications. I think it's a nice, clean, and aggressive look.

808muscle

Why even spend money on the car if you plan on getting a new one? When do you graduate?

MadStang40

That's a good question. I suppose I've had the mod bug for a while now, and due to picking up a good paying job (to a college student's standards) I can now begin to afford all of the larger upgrades I previously could not afford. I've gone from a big jump from freshman year where I had a $25/week discretionary budget to where I am today.

My tentative graduation is Dec. 2012, so I've been having a hard time deciding when to stop mods on the current car and when to start using that money for the next ride's down payment. I began saving last semester, so it's not like all of my money is going into my current car. (currently, a quarter of my earnings goes towards mods/fun with friends with the other 75 percent being used for rent, groceries, textbooks, etc).

LostBoyz

I would just save the money, when you start making real money you are going to want to buy a new car.

TheYeti

yeah if you are planning on trading in your current car for a new one when you graduate, I would just save the money. Since you already know you are getting rid of it, there is no reason to keep modding it.

On the other hand, if the new car is going to be your second car, I would maybe do some cheaper mods (maybe some exterior stuff)...