You’ve got yourself a new ride and are desperate to start modifying it to make it your own, but what should you do first? Below are several things to consider doing first.

1. Give it a good checkup

The first and one of the most important things to do to your car is to change the fluids, check the brakes, lines, suspension, and really get to know your new best friend. With all these things ticked off in an afternoon, you will know that your car is 100% healthy and ready for new parts.

2. Make it shiny

Giving your new ride a proper clean seems like an obvious thing to do, but what many people miss out on is the difference between a simple hose down and a proper full detail. Giving your car a full hand-wash with some quality products, clay-barring the paint to get rid of debris built up over the years, polishing it to get rid of the thousands of nasty swirl scratches, and finally waxing it to give it a deep rich shine will make it look as good as new.

3. Wheels and tires

One of the best ways to transform the way your car looks and handles is with a new set of wheels and tires. When it comes to wheels, there is an effectively endless selection out there, and plenty are bound to look good with whatever car they end up going on. Old tires with a harder compound may be cheaper and longer lasting, but a fresh set of softer compound performance tires will provide better grip through corners, acceleration, and deceleration.

4. Suspension

Old worn down shocks and springs are detrimental to a car’s handling, affecting how well it can handle a corner, how smoothly it rides, and how hard it can accelerate and decelerate. Replacing the stock suspension set up with a decent coil-over kit can cost as little as $300 and will transform the way your car looks and it’s driving characteristics.

5. Beefier brakes

Now that your car handles and accelerates better, beefing up the brakes would help to make sure that you can lose that extra speed just as quickly. A reasonably cheap way of getting increased braking force would be to replace the standard brake pads with some new performance pads. On top of that, a set of braided brake lines will also help because they don’t bulge as much as standard rubber lines under braking pressure.

6. The Interior

Now that all the mechanical oily bits have been dealt with, spicing up the interior is a good thing to look at doing next. A smaller alcantara steering wheel will greatly improve the driving experience as a whole, improving steering grip and feel. If you still have some money left to spend, invest in a nice pair of comfortable bucket seats, which will keep your body held in place under hard cornering. It’s difficult to describe how nice it is to not have to worry about holding on to the steering wheel for dear life to avoid sliding off your seat without experiencing it yourself. It’s well worth it.