Upgrades on a 99 Magna. Is it worth it?

[Conny!]

I own a 99 Magna TH. And i'm starting a new job in a months time, so i'll be cashed up. And i like my car but i want to do some performance upgrades, but i dont whether it is worth it on a front wheel drive car.

Like what can be done, i was think suspension, exhaust stuff(not just a tip) maybe even chipping it. But i dont really now much about it. Turbo is out of the question because my insurance is too much as it is. I heard the difference between the executives and VRX is in the exhaust system, is this true?

Anyone have any experience with this or any ideas, or even sources for magna. Thanks.

I dont really care about body mods because i lkie the way my car looks now, if anything maybe a custom spoiler but that would be it.

I have to fit a fully sick stereo, but i know about that shit so thats fine.

[SamBo]

you just know that your car is begging for a fridge so you can keep your driving drinks nice and cool! :)

[Benwah]

It's not worth doing up, no.

Maybe wheels and springs just for the hell of it, but an exhaust and a chip, a waste of money IMHO.

It's a FWD Family car, honestly not worth the cash to try and make it something it ain't

Don't get me wrong, nice enough car, very comfortable and smooth and powerful, just not performance car material.

[abelgold]

You know those aftermarket dials and gauges that the bro's in tarted up turbos have on the dash? I've always fancied sticking a whole row of them in my car... but instead of a tacho or boost pressure gauge, i'm getting clocks for times in major cities around the world - you know.. NY, London, Antwerp.

On second thoughts, better idea: I;ll have the clocks set for different suburbs around Sydney.. Liverpool, Palm Beach, Hurstville, Ryde..

hee hee hee.. i've tickled my own fancy..

[damo]

Family sedan, dont bother, wait till the cash starts flowing, then get something which was meant to be sporty. (This also applies to anyone thinking of modding a Falcon, Commodore or ..........Camry).

[Fitty]

Originally posted by damo
Family sedan, dont bother, wait till the cash starts flowing, then get something which was meant to be sporty. (This also applies to anyone thinking of modding a Falcon, Commodore or ..........Camry).

You should have told everyone earlier... there's a VL turbo and a supercharged VS sitting in my neighbours driveway at the moment. He'd be very sad to hear that it wasn't worth it.

[Conny!]

Yeah, iwas already thinking some of these things. But i was wondering if somone would come out of the woodwork and say "You could make it fully sick, i got dis her sooper charger in my shed, you can have it 4 free. It'll be sick."

But yeah. I think i'll just put in a new stereo which i can take back when i sell car.

But i wouldn't mind an AWD car. Maybe Pulsar GTI-R, i love those little beasts. Or an old EVO.

Thanks for your responses, and Sambo, i think fridge will be installed.

[scathing]

It depends on what you want out of the car.

The Magna is a FWD (and probably auto?) family car. If you want a vehicle with genuine sporting characteristics, you'll find the base you're working with quite compromised.

There are plenty of reviews that say its a pretty good car in its class, but that doesn't mean too much when you're talking about a fleet car.

If you want a family hack that does everything your Magna does well (carries people comfortably, plenty of room, safe, etc) but give it a bit more power and handling, then fair enough go the modification route.

If you want to be "different" and make the world's first Magna to appear in an Auto Salon, get yourself that supercharger, NOS, and all the other shit.

But if you want a fast car (carrying capacity etc being a distant second) then replace your car. The car's not designed to be quick, and while you can make it faster it still won't be the same as a car that's been designed from the outset for speed.

If you have to keep it 4 door and large (at the price point of a Pulsar GTiR / Lancer GSR), I'd suggest an old Liberty RS Turbo. 4WD, ex-rally homologation model, the EJ20T engine in it is a known quantity among modifiers / tuners. A much better base to work from.

The Mitsubishi Galant VR4 would be a similar bet, since it has a similar heritage.

In the end, it depends on what you actually want. If you're getting cashed up and want a vehicle (and it can be any) that genuinely goes fast, its time to get a new car.

If you have better things to spend your money on, but want to make your current car (and specifically your current car) then do some light bolt-on mods for it.

In which case, I'd get a VRX / RalliArt exhaust, a pod filter (with shield and cold-air induction) and a Unichip (with dyno time to make the most of the other mods). I'm not sure how hard it is to source cams for your engine, but cams cost a lot for the power they give, so if you're looking at making that much power you should have looked at a new car instead.

For handling, I'd source the same LSD that the RalliArt model uses (which is out of an FTO anyway), and at least the Whiteline "handling pack", which improves the car's cornering without changing the way it soaks up bumps. Replacing the springs and dampers will depend on how the car handles normally.

Replace the pads with something a bit sportier, put on DBA slotted rotors, and swap the tyres out for something good since any racer (any real racer, so not Vin Diesel) will tell you that, on the circuit, stopping and cornering speed is where you make the most gains.

The VRX Magna, if I remember correctly, would already outrun a pre-Gen III V8 Commodore in its stock form. You give yourself a bit more squirt, and improve the way your car turns and stops, and chances are you'll have a vehicle that will get well ahead of one, and probably stay in the mirrors of a current non HSV if the road's not long and straight.

[damo]

Originally posted by Fitty
You should have told everyone earlier... there's a VL turbo and a supercharged VS sitting in my neighbours driveway at the moment. He'd be very sad to hear that it wasn't worth it.

If only I'd known, I could have saved another person from looking like a try hard bogan, but with that said, maybe they like doing up cars, and maybe they like these styles of cars, so each to their own. However St. Anger asked for our opinions, so I gave mine.

[Conny!]

Originally posted by scathing
It depends on what you want out of the car.
..... Good Advice ....... that will get well ahead of one, and probably stay in the mirrors of a current non HSV if the road's not long and straight.

Yeah, these things sound good. But buying a new car is on the cards. The only reason i have this car was because i was looking for something to replace my VK commondore and my Dads work car was up for grabs, using some wrangling (not the turtle variety) i got the car dirt cheap. I could probably sell it for $5G more than what i bought it for. But i like it because it is the better devil that i know.

But i think it is clear, that doing hardcore performance mods on this car is a waste of dosh, because i'll never get it back on resale. It does the job as stock, plenty of go and everything. But i think i'll leave the beauty on its current tracks.

I wouldn't mind getting a liberty, i've been for a spin in one and it was very good. But also a smaller car could do the trick. I dont really need a big car.

What do 96 STi's go for these days :p

[pr0nstar]

Have a talk to these guys RPW (http://www.rpw.com.au)

[Conny!]

Originally posted by pr0nstar
Have a talk to these guys RPW (http://www.rpw.com.au)

Holy crap. That place is awesome.

[Marshall77]

have to agree with scathing about doing up ur car. you wont get a great deal of performance increase for ur money. if she hanldes well just do some visual enhancements.

[scathing]

Originally posted by St. Anger
But i like it because it is the better devil that i know.

I used to drive an old Volvo. Not a bad car - solid and relatively comfortable (climate control air con, electric windows / mirrors etc) and it was RWD so you could hang the arse out (and I frequently did). I got to know that car really well, and how to drive it sideways.

When I got some cash to fund my going faster aspirations, the first modification I did was to replace everything between the front and rear bumpers (and I replaced them too, actually), and buy something that wasn't a family shitbox.

I reckon you should try a similar tuning route ;)

You will not ever see money from mods on resale (unless you find a sucker for a buyer), especially on a familyh car. If you do mod it, I'd suggest keeping your stock parts. When it comes to selling, fit the stock parts back, and sell the mods separately to kids who've inherited the family sedan and want to make it fooli sik, bro.

Given that its not a popular car in the tuning scene, you won't find many off the shelf parts. That means getting stuff custom-made, which doesn't have to be that much more expensive....but then you can't guarantee it'll fit or work as well as parts from a big, reputable company.

Oh, and I absolutely hate ricers so do not do visual mods and not improve the way it goes. If you have to spend money on a car, do something constructive with the cash.

If you change the way it looks, your car is going to go from a bland, plain-Jane family sedan to a tarted up like a $2 hooker family sedan. Its not possible to make a Magna look remotely attractive, just like you can slap all the makeup and sexy clothes on a slapper and you still won't get a hard-on.

[thingy]

I can't really think of much that can be done to that car. One of my friends brothers has one. I've been in it while my friend has been driving, and I can honestly say it handles worse than the ZBus. Hell, I think I could probably out-run it easily in the ZBus, which is a very top-heavy car (1990 or so VW Transporter, slightly raised).

[Conny!]

Originally posted by thingy
I can't really think of much that can be done to that car. One of my friends brothers has one. I've been in it while my friend has been driving, and I can honestly say it handles worse than the ZBus. Hell, I think I could probably out-run it easily in the ZBus, which is a very top-heavy car (1990 or so VW Transporter, slightly raised).


I'll give you a race then;)

I've had my car up to 180km/h with 4 people in it and it handled quite comfortably. Maybe your freinds brothers car is a lemon.

I think its decided. I wil either get another car, or keep the magna and maybe install new cams and exhuast system. I've just bought new tyrs so i dont think i'll be getting any new rims soon.

Don't worry, i'm totally against ricing up my car.

[still life]

Originally posted by St. Anger
I'll give you a race then;)

I've had my car up to 180km/h with 4 people in it and it handled quite comfortably. Maybe your freinds brothers car is a lemon.


It's a 2002 sport with the tiptronic shift and a new (at the time) set of Yokohama A539 tyres (215/55/16 I think). I've taken it up and down Macquarie Pass and done quite a bit of general driving in it. I can honestly say it's leagues ahead of our other "family" car - a 2002 Berlina on the same tyres - for dynamics, power and response. BUT compared to the more serious hardware I'm acustomed to (my own 2001 200sx, scathing's Z, dumhed's
Silvia, my brother's FTO etc.) it handles like a wet sock.

There's simply no way to make something like the Magna handle like a real performance car. That said, 2 of the boys in the Shogun club (www.shogunclubdivision.com) have them and have seen some reasonable results from light mods - if you get on to the forums there I'm sure they'd love to talk to you about it.



I think its decided. I wil either get another car, or keep the magna and maybe install new cams and exhuast system. I've just bought new tyrs so i dont think i'll be getting any new rims soon.
[/B]

Figure out what you want to do with it before you do anything. If you want a serious performance car... get one. There are a few nice models in the price range a 99 Magna represents, as has been mentioned. On the other hand a standard family car draws less attention, costs less to insure, goes through less of your consumables etc.