Why Upgrade a Daewoo?

[rev320]

Please, this post is not meant to be demeaning in any way. I'm mostly just curious.

When I was young and had very little money, I had an old VW Beetle with wide tires, wild paint, and open headers on it, so I have a little idea why someone might want to do a few things to make their car a little different and get it noticed . . . but why a Daewoo? I have one (Suzuki Forenza) and it's pretty good for what it is, a nice looking econobox. It doesn't have huge amounts of power and the handling is so-so. By the time I would spend the extra money on performance tires and wheels, suspension upgrades, better exhaust, and such, I could have bought a car that was designed for performance in the first place, and wouldn't suffer from the ills of being modified.. My second car is a twelve year old Nissan Maxima with a lot of miles on it, worth about $1,500. Even if I spent a couple of thousand bucks modifying my Forenza, the old Maxima would probably still outperform it in almost every way.

I'm not being critical, just curious. What are your reasons for wanting to modify a Daewoo or Suzuki instead of buying a performance-built car in the first place?

[lanos2001]

because everyone has the performance cars and like you said we want to be different. most of all its the fact of money. good cheap cars are what most of the people on this forum can afford. and they just throw some money here and there whenever they can afford it. it was that way for me at first and now its really the challenge of not having really any type of aftermarket support. (until tom came along and made it a bit easier and i'm sure in a years time it'll be alot easier because of him) even a VW bug has a lot more aftermarket support than a daewoo. plus you gotta think in about 4 years daewoos would be very rare except for the re-badged ones. well that my 2 cents.

nick

[BosnianLanos]

Personally, I mod my Daewoo for it to have a sense of "uniqueness", but we each have our individual reasons. No one here (far as I know) is trying to become a crazy street racer out for blood. We know what we have, small, cheap, gas efficient, unpolular (not to say hated), fairly reliable cars with a few quirks. However, Daewoo has Italian styling, German engineering, and bits and pieces from a few high-level car companies around the world. They aren't fast, they aren't slow, they look damn good for a $10k car new. Some of us can't afford much else so we make do with what we have, buying only a little at a time, and others, can easily afford Mercedes, BMW, Acura, Lexus, etc. but they also like Daewoo.

Personally, I think: Light, Reliable, Can Keep Up, Efficient, Well Designed, Unique. But again, they can use some work, so we mod them. And if you think about it, it isn't just us. The aftermarket auto industry is a multi-billion dollar industry which caters to Civics, Neons, Cavaliers, Lancers, Corollas, etc. None of which are "designed for performance in the first place", but with a few dollars of work, all can be fast, unique, and better than high performance cars, which lets face it, in a world of $2 a gallon gas, are a mistake. Its all how you spend the money, if you spend a few thousand dollars on your Forenza in the right places, not bloated wheels and stickers like ricer kids, it could easily compete with other cars, and still be many thousands of dollars less than "cars designed for performance in the first place", and it could still be new.

If I had a quarter for every time I heard "Nice Civic", "Nice Focus", or "What the hell is that?...looks nice" I'd be a rich man. Sure, I could buy a Mustang, but then I'd be like the millions of Mustang owners who aren't unique, and I still have the peace of mind that it was my work, not some imbecile's in Detroit, that made my car fast.

Sorry for the long post, but I was looking for the answer of this question myself, and I finally decided to answer it.

[delphis]

hey I love my woo, I got it when it was a year old with 16k miles on it for 6000 which in my opinion is a bad ass deal for the amount of use i have got out of it! Now that I know this car is reliable and has great handiling and a unique look I am going to mod it to make it even more than just another car out on the road. I don't really care if it isn't worth much, but it will be worth a lot to me.

[rev320]

The one thing I have done to many of my cars is simply to de-badge them. I have driven some odd stuff and old stuff. I take off all of the make and model insignia that I can. Yes, it is fun to have people wondering what the car is, and best of all, it's free.

I just traded away an '86 Dodge Lancer that I kept looking and running like new. I had taken off all of the badges. When people would ask me what kind of car it was, I'd just tell them, "It's an Autozone." That was probably the most accurate answer anyway.

[Efratech]

I get that look everyday... why a Daewoo?

Me in the first place could not afford anything better than the Racer... i didnt know what was behind it... hell i wasnt even intrested in cars... then i began to turn into this car freak im right now... yes, is a expensive hobby but what can i do? its whats keeps me moving right now...

Honestly i dont know the answer, its maybe something in my personality, maybe im just crazy, but im just trying something different.

around my friends now i feel i get some "respect" for trying something different... for me that's all that matters.

Almost everybody that came to the shop asked "what's that daewoo doing here?"... People always pointed them to were the engine was sitting... or right now that the engine is in they just say "pop the hood"...yeah i know its not a super engine... but it was something that started to change people's views on the brand...

Now that i think about it... this car is a bit like me... im not that popular, i dont talk much and im good looking... :lmao:

I think i didnt answer your question...

but always when someone ask me that...

i just smile

Efrain.

[AcingTeam]

It doesn't matter what car it is your "upgrading", what matters is that you're actually doing it. Who cares if it's an STI, Daewoo, Lada whatever. It is to make it look better and perform a bit better. I have no regrets about my visual upgrades over stock, my performance over stock etc. And I didn't spend more than 3k on upgrading my Daewoo. It is a hobby and it is fun to see what you have done to your car since you've gotten it. It's also fun to see people turning heads when you drive by... it's unique.

[PrecisionBoost]

I have one (Suzuki Forenza) and it's pretty good for what it is, a nice looking econobox. It doesn't have huge amounts of power and the handling is so-so.

First off..... GM/Suzuki made this car this way.... they de-tuned the engine and make it into a lesser car on purpose

By the time I would spend the extra money on performance tires and wheels, suspension upgrades, better exhaust, and such, I could have bought a car that was designed for performance in the first place, and wouldn't suffer from the ills of being modified.

I totally disagree with this....if you dropped $10,000 into your forenza you would blow away any "new" performance in the same price range ( $25,000 )

The only car that has a better bang for your buck is the Dodge SRT4 but a Forenza with $10K in mods would be very close engine wise and should have slightly better handling.

My second car is a twelve year old Nissan Maxima with a lot of miles on it, worth about $1,500. Even if I spent a couple of thousand bucks modifying my Forenza, the old Maxima would probably still outperform it in almost every way.

This is apples to oranges.... you can't compare new to old.... if your going to compare a maxima compare new prices.

Forenza ($15,000) Maxima ( $28,000 )

With just $2000 in modifications.... yes... your Forenza probably wouldn't compete with your Maxima.... but at around $4000 the forenza would kick the Maxima's ass pretty badly.... I know those old Maxima's pretty well... I had a dozen or so test drives.... I was going to buy one but I couldn't find one with all the options and low mileage for the amount of money I had at the time. (ended up with a Nissan 300ZX instead )

So what could a Forenza with $13K in mods have???

How about 375hp with an adjustable sport suspension, brembo performance brakes and some nice sticky tires.

Would a stock maxima keep up??? Absolutely not... not even close

Would an SRT4 with $6000 in modifications.... sure... but like I said the SRT4 is a great "bang for your buck"

Hell.... look at a Nissan 350Z.... $35,000 with only 287hp

Imagine a forenza with $20,000 in modifications??

So matching dollar for dollar you probably won't get better performance out of a stock sports car unless you buy an SRT4.

The great thing about a car like this is that you can save up and do one modification at a time.

[MMamdouh]

i concur with all of you guys... only differences is that the need for beeing unique is much higher here 'cause we have loads and loads of Woo's arround here so it is normal to be seen in a Daewoo unless it is a really pretty Woo with nice mods. in other places like USA a stock Woo can grab attention because it is rare to be seen AND it is pretty looking.

also the money issue is quite true... if money was no object i would end up in a BMW M5 or M3 or a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VIII but unforunatly money is an object so...

i am not saying the Woo is a cheap usless car... it is a cheap very nice looking, very reliable car and with the right mods. you can make it a real head turner.

overall i am happy with the car and i am willing to repeat it again... but this time i will be getting a hatchback... i like my car to have a SLIM ASS

MMamdouh

[KnightWalace]

"Instead of asking Why, ask why not and follow."

Thats my attitude. Everyone made fun of me... till they brought their civics to the line ... then they just wouldn't talk to me... I don't see why you shouldn't tune a car... as long as it's part of an expression you want.

[rev320]

"Instead of asking Why, ask why not and follow."

Thats my attitude. Everyone made fun of me... till they brought their civics to the line ... then they just wouldn't talk to me... I don't see why you shouldn't tune a car... as long as it's part of an expression you want.

I guess I've reached the point in my life where I would rather NOT be noticed, and I'd prefer quiet, safe, and durable to sleek, fast, and loud. Now, wher'd I put my walker? . . . .

[KnightWalace]

"Instead of asking Why, ask why not and follow."

Thats my attitude. Everyone made fun of me... till they brought their civics to the line ... then they just wouldn't talk to me... I don't see why you shouldn't tune a car... as long as it's part of an expression you want.

I guess I've reached the point in my life where I would rather NOT be noticed, and I'd prefer quiet, safe, and durable to sleek, fast, and loud. Now, wher'd I put my walker? . . . .

LL if the music is too loud you are getting too old.

[NubiraPower]

only differences is that the need for beeing unique is much higher here 'cause we have loads and loads of Woo's arround here so it is normal to be seen in a Daewoo unless it is a really pretty Woo with nice mods

In my country, Romania, Daewoo is everywhere. Tuned daewoo cars are very rare. The most tuned daewoo car from my country is Cielo. My nubira is the only one tuned here. And it looks very well. People that have all types of cars keep looking to my car and wonder. I'm very sad that people from here are very stupid. They see my car from the front and they say: Wow, what a beautiful car but when they on the back that is a Nubira, they say: It's JUST an Nubira.

I afford a better car and in september I will buy something much better. This car was bought for me because my parents wanted me to learn how to drive. Now, a year has passed and I can say the that I really love my car and Daewoo. Why? Here, in Romania, speed freaks are everywhere and we have legal racing where I want to become something with my Nubira. For me, is a challenge, I want to show that Daewoo can be a very good car. So for all daewoo lovers, I want to say that we must keep walking forward and forward.

[MMamdouh]

To NubiraPower: well said man and a big thumbs up for you

MMamdouh

[daewooluvr]

Dew the Woo