where shall i start

[shanehandley]

im 16 and just brought a nova, i want to start moddin it but dont no where to start. What should i start doing first thanks for your help.

shane.

[Ben Ritchie]

wot kind of nova did you buy?
if i was you i would just start on the basics
i would lower it,de-badge it,puton some alloys.
once that is done i would concentrate on gettin the
exterior lookin mint.then go for some kind of bodykit!

Ben

[Chris LR]

Money, Money, Money, No i'm not goign to start singing :lol:

How much have you got to spend on your Nova? Don't forget that being 16, you've got to afford Driving Lessons, Licence fee's, Test fee's, Insurance, Petrol, Breakdown, Tax and MOT.

Also unforseen Costs, New tyres, Servicing etc. Plus the cost of anything Going Wrong

If I were You I'd get the mechanical side sorted, The last thing you want is to be left at the side of the road in a super modded Nova. I'd laugh at you!

Keep It Standard, Keep It Real!

[Anton]

stick some alloys on it, nice set of cheap second hand springs, and a nice backbox and ur well away.

[Jim]

Get an alarm first of all. No point spending all this money on Alloys, ICE, etc only to have your car nicked. Personally I'd spend about ?300 on an alarm with remote central locking. Then get the doors de-locked and basically make it as difficult as possible for a thief to break into your car and drive it way.

Jim

[Hoggy]

get an immobiliser made special, one off kind a thing... then they cant drive it away.. like mine :D

[Anton]

yeah i 4got 2 mention alarms. Go for somthing good to put em off, but if they wanna get in or even take the whole car they will!

[GTEReplica]

Do what i did. Go out and buy yourself a rotten GTE. I paid ?100, and it had 15" 5-spokes, K&N, Boost Valve, v-grill. Then proceed to strip it to a bare shell and use the bits on your car. Think about it 35mm lowering springs and alloys for starters and thats b4 the bodykit!!!!!

[Mr Dan]

Wise words from CHRIS_SR there. The costs do mount up, everyone wants a sweet car but put your money in to the lessons, licence, insurance and a service at the garage first. Shop around for some nice second-hand alloys, I found some 15" TSW Alpines with good tyre tread, just a few scuffs for ?140. Then you can look at springs, spoilers, etc, again shop secondhand. I've found the Novaload 'Parts For Sale' board and Loot.com useful. If your speakers are standard treat yourself to a pair of new 6x9s for the back, these will offer a noticable difference in the early days. The better the car appears the more 'nickable' it will be so get some kind of extra protection, maybe have a look at the stuff on http://www.directcarparts.co.uk/
Now, go get a good job and get saving. Have fun.

[Chris LR]

Wise words from CHRIS_SR there.

Me??? Wise???

[Mr Dan]

Apart from the start of an Abba rendition! :lol:

[ade]

alright m8,

start small - something that aint gonna impact on yer insurance or attract thieves!

1. Get an alarm/immobaliser - that will reduce cost of insurance - good one and get it fitted professionally (get certificate) - TOAD, Clifford etc...

Forget engine mods for the time being - no point - go for looks.

Tidy the car up - good wash and polish. Clean up the inside and treat any bad rust. Get the bodywork looking nice and the inside smelling new.

Get a haynes manual and learn your way around the car.

Mods wise keep low key but nice -
Whels -
14"-15" alloys ET45-49 offset will go on without any major modifications.(get locking wheel nuts and keep the key safe in the car incase you get a punctue)
Suspension -
lower it 35mm - 60mm on a full kit (gmax ?210 includes springs and shocks) - easy to do yourself.

Get a nice sounding back box for the exhaust (but not a neds one)

Then concentrate on passing yer test - pointless spending all yer cash on a car you cant legally drive.

once passed slowly build up no claims and modding with it - mods aint cheap (if done properly) but 1/2 the fun is finding ways to look good on the cheap. Lots of second hand stuff out there.

Good luck & keep the faith

Ade

:wink:

[match]

even with an alarm, if the bastards want to thieve ya car they will. as for delocking still very easy to break into a nova - too easy if u ask me its worrying.

had this little silly spate of locking my keys in ma car recently when i not got a spare with me, even with no TWOCing experience wotsoever it takes about 10 seconds to get the doors open using a piece of bent coat hanger or stiff welding rod!!

thats worrying, although comes in handy when ya lock ya keys in and u can just get the trusty coat hanger from its stash place and solve the problem.

if its mark 2 another worrying thing is that the alarm, immobiliser and ignition can be overriden using the hazard warning switch. meaning u can turn the alarm immobiliser off and just bump the car off