Yeah, here’s Part II of our soap opera: customizing for love. Anyway, where were we? Okay, back in Part I, we discussed about how you can pimp your ride for a hot date. That’s why we’ve added one of our favorite episodes of Xzibit’s show. In any case, if you regularly watch that, you’d somehow realize that most of what they add to their “clients’” vehicles are not-your-ordinary gadgets and what now. Hell, that’s what makes their rides pimpin’.

But then again, some of these add-ons aren’t that practical; especially if you’re trying to save up money for that hot date of yours. That’s why, for the most part, you should at least try to make your car neat, comfortable, and hospitable as a basic (read: common sense) feature. We’ll work on the sexy part later. You see, your car is a reflection of yourself; how you take care of it is how you take care of things around you. So make sure your ride is presentable. But first, if you don’t have enough cash and time for upgrades, here are some quick tips on preparing your car for a hot date:

• Clean your car beforehand, not the night of. That goes for both the interior and exterior as well.
• If you can, buy a car scent/perfume that’s unique. You see, scent gives off a powerful memory imprint. So make sure you car smells better than just an old pine tree.
• Prepare your playlist beforehand. Make sure you’ve got good tunes on your radio that you and your date would surely like.
• Additionally, keep all those parking tickets, receipts, and trash away from your glove compartment. (Now that your glove compartment is empty, use that space wisely. We’ll leave that up to you)

Well, those are the basics. That would at least make your car comfortable-and not yet that sexy. Okay, when it comes to that part, we need to clarify things a bit first. Your car should be sexy, not sleazy. It should look attractive and pleasing, and not like some porn stars have been bangin on it for weeks.

And so, if you’ve got the time and the cash here’s where you could start:

The Lights

This together with your radio is what makes the overall mood of your car. So if you want to, you can add additional interior LED lights to your car for further accentuation. There are numerous sites that offer these accent lights. If you want, you can base your design on the Premium Attitude concept car.  But still, remember NOT to overdo it. Your interior lighting shouldn’t look like a freaking electro-tanning station.

The Seats

Alright, this could be a bit expensive, yet totally worth it. A good set of upholstery could survive a lot of dates-gone-bad. Just so long as you don’t let them tear them apart. If you can afford leather, go ahead. If you can’t, just go ahead and buy car seat covers from respectable dealers. That’d save you a lot.

The Entertainment System

Okay, this one’s really going to be impressive. Whether it is a roof mounted DVD player, a headrest monitor, or even an expensive infotainment system, all of these things is already a plus. Although we don’t think that portable DVD player isn’t that hot… But in any case, it’s how you flaunt these things.

These are only a few things that you could modify or install in your car so you could make it a bit more attractive whenever you go out on dates. But still, it all boils down on how suave or pleasing your personality is. So with that, we wish you good luck!

Remember: It’s a date, not a car date. Lol. :p

Well, for you regular viewers out there, this episode of MTV Pimp My Ride is pretty much average to you. But then again, this particular episode holds a great deal to our writer Brad. Yeah, if you watch it, you’d see the guy’s got quite a history with his girlfriends. And we ain’t talkin’ bout a pretty romantic history. But then again, our friend identifies with this dude right here. And as a sign of sympathy, and probably camaraderie, we’d like to share this to you in honor of our friend Brad.

So here’s the clip:

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But enough about him. Let’s get to the video at hand. You see, a Toyota RAV stands for Recreational Activity Vehicle. And it’s quite common around college people and city slickers alike. And what more, it’s known for being relatively cheap and for its fuel economy. Perfect for the guy who’s saving enough money for a hot date (which he’ll probably never have).

So enough about the RAV4. Let’s talk about what they added to the car. Well yeah, they changed the paint, the upholstery, and some other not-quite-ordinary things you’d install in your car. Pretty much what they usually do. But then, let’s try to look at those un-ordinary things. After all, it’s quite expensive if you get a real good paint job and upholstery make-over. So let’s focus on the extras.

Alright. If you watched the clip, you’ll notice that they’ve added a rose and candle dispenser, a fondue machine, a movie projector, and a wine-lifter of some sort. And that’s okay, since we guess they all paid for it. But if you were the one who’d like to transform your car into a love machine, then we have other tips for you.

Well, there’s really no need to change your car’s paint so long as it doesn’t look like crap. Just keep your car clean and respectable, and you’d be fine. And oh, a little self-confidence would be a lot of help too. Anyway, what makes your ride more romantic is the effect of its interior. If your ride is clean, comfortable, and hospitable, then your chances of having your girl like your car (and hopefully you) would really go up. But then, we’re here to make your car a bit more sexy too.

More of that in Part II.

Back in our previous issue, we talked about customization through style. As you all know, every commercial car that comes out of its own manufacturing site looks exactly the same. Part by part, each model with their respective make looks exactly alike. Despite what manufacturers say about a car having it’s own personality, it’s still its own personality–and not yours. That is why you try to add something more personal to your car.

May it be in the form of decorations (like hood ornaments and bumper stickers), gadgets (e.g. flat-screen TVs, an infotainment system, sound systems, etc), or even things that may require a second-thought (e.g. lava lamps,  fondue machines, disco balls, whatever). And the more you add stuff, the more your car gets an identity that it shares with yours. That is, it gets “customized” to your own tastes.

(And that’s what last issue was. Now on to this issue…)

However, there is another way of customizing your car. And that is, by altering, upgrading, or modifying its performance. Some people may want to save up on gas for example. They may opt to change some engine parts like replacing its air intake system or by adding a better set of headers. On the other hand, if someone wants more speed, he or she could add a spoiler (given that he or she could drive through the auto bahn), a turbocharger, or perhaps even some nitro (if it’s legal). Either way, the point is you can significantly change your engine’s performance just by adding custom parts for your car.

There are so many custom parts that would improve your car’s performance, and most of them are quite expensive to begin with. But don’t worry, we’ll be tackling some parts that could boost your car’s performance and at the same time leave you enough change for some chinese take-out. But while we’re still here, it’s better if you could think and plan way before you’d even browse through the net’s numerous auto parts store. Ask yourself what you’d like to improve on with your car. Would it be its engine’s performance? The suspension system? the handling? or all of it?

Always.

Always.

Always plan ahead.

There’s nothing more frustrating than realizing that you don’t have the right amount of cash in the middle of an upgrade. So think first of what you’re planning to upgrade, the parts that you’d need, how much they cost, the mechanic who’d install it, and most of all, how much cash there is in your pocket.

So there you have it. We’ll be discussing more about customizing your car’s performance soon. But for now, get a piece of paper, and plan ahead!

“Sometimes, all it takes is a bit more effort… and performance.” - Chief Ed.

“That’s what my girlfriend said.” - Brad, frustrated lover/writer

Alright! Welcome to our second post!

As you can see, our site is spankin’ new. To put things in perspective, we’ve only been born just recently, and most of our writers are still wearing their birthday clothes. Fortunately, we like to keep our readers (both humans and transformers alike) up to date with what’s going on in the car customization world. Since we’ve just been starting, the editors wanted us to write about something that pr0s and n00bs would really like.

And so, after tons of cigarettes and coffee, Chief-editor Outhouse Thunderclapper suggested that we write something more general. While having our morning cigarette, he asked his trusty (and severly good-looking) writers: “(puffing his peace pipe) Now why the hell would you guys want to ‘pimp’ up your ride? (puff) I mean, back in my day, all you needed to get laid was some hair gel and attitude… You people seriously need some self-esteem. And more cowbell.”

Yeah. Right. But then again, wise and indulgent as he was, he was right. Most people want to customize their cars so it’d look good. Hey, no matter how good you look, it wouldn’t make much of a difference with the ladies if you drive a speeding trash can (like our writer Keith. Hey, the junkshop just called). So some people, unquenched enough by car maintenance alone, opts to add more “personality” to their car. Hey, as our writer Keith once said: “I’ve got enough personality for me and my car both. So where them ladies at?” Well, yeah. But then again, you gotta at least look like Brad Pitt’s butt if you really want to cover up that sad-excuse-of-a-car.

But then, we are digressing. It’s just that sometimes maintenance isn’t enough. That is why you add a bit of design or two to your car. You first start with a little hood ornament or two, then that minty pine tree (of course), a piece of witty bumper sticker, then you’d probably be thinking more about adding some romantic interior lights, a flat-screen tv, or some other gadget or decoration that best reflects your personality. Hell, you could even add a picture of yourself or your pet dog if you want to.

No matter what you add, it all boils down that you are personalizing your car. But then again, for your ride to be entitled a “custom” car, you’d have to be adding more than just a bumper sticker. Yes, the more your car is different, the more it gets customized. But one of the best and most obvious way of giving your car an identity is by changing its paint job to something more creative. Or by adding a refrigerator, a stove top oven, a fondue set, and a Playstation 3. But that depends on how much you’re willing to pay just so you could pimp your ride.

And so, customization through style can mean many things. It could mean adding more spunk either through your car’s interior, exterior, and of course, both. You could get another paint job, add sexy headlights, or install a new spoiler for your car’s exterior. When it comes to your interior, things get a bit more creative. There’s always something in the market that you could install in the inside of your car. But the prime motive for doing all of these luxurious things is to make your car look real good. And pimpin’.

What more, customizing your car’s style is relatively cheaper than upgrading it for performance (which we’ll also discuss soon). Not only that, what’s great about styling is that you could do it part-by-part (gradually). So you wouldn’t have to spend all of your money instantly.

For newbies out there, we suggest that you go through your car’s style first. Since not only is it a bit easier, there’s less technical stuff for you to consider too. So go ahead, think about how you could make your car look like Xzibit’s.

And of course, enjoy!