A customized car stands out on crowded streets, makes an impression upon arrival and lets everyone know that you take pride in its appearance. Car customization doesn't need to come with the same price tag as the vehicle's down payment. With a little creativity and budget-conscious shopping, you can add personality and style to your car's interior and exterior.
Body or Window Decals
Most people trying to customize their car on the cheap overestimate how much body and window decals actually cost. Some retailers and websites sell small decals for under $15 and larger decals for around $100. One-of-a-kind or professionally-applied decals will be more expensive. However, if you follow directions carefully and pay attention to competitive pricing, you can apply body or window decals in interesting and customized patterns for a fraction of the more high-end prices.
Steering Wheel Covers
A truly customized steering wheel cover is an incredibly cheap way to style your car, if you're willing to do some arts and crafts. You can buy a plain cover, which will be substantially cheaper than the patterned or specialty covers, and add finishing details yourself. If you aren't handy with fabric or leather work, try looking online for people who sell handmade covers for less than traditional retailers.
Floor Mats
Much like steering wheel covers, car floor mats are easy to find at affordable prices and can instantly add a customized touch to your vehicle's interior. Look for discontinued designs that retailers are trying to sell quickly to make room for new stock and online for discounted but interesting floor mats. Keep in mind that you and your passengers will be putting feet on the mats, so try not to overspend or fret about your floor mats getting dirty.
Headlights
People sometimes overlook headlights when they decide to customize their cars, but in actuality, replacement headlights are quite inexpensive. When you go shopping, just tell the store clerk the make, model and year of your vehicle to find out which type of bulb you'll need. Before you replace your lamps, make sure to read your car manual.
Interior Trim
You have two main options for customizing your car's interior trim on a tight budget. First, you can buy the specialty trim paint at an auto parts store and take the time to hand paint the trim yourself. While this can be time consuming, it is cheap and does not require a high level of artistic skill. Secondly, you can buy an inexpensive trim kit online that is easy to install by simply snapping it into place.
Custom cars are a point of pride and excitement for drivers, but many people think they can’t afford the price of vehicle customization. It is possible to customize your car in cheap ways if you look for competitive prices, are willing to do some work yourself and stay creative.
* Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
