How important is outside appearance?

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mitch08

New member
Hi! I really don't know if this is the right forum to begin with.. But among the listing, I guess this is pretty much it.. So here's how it goes.. I recently bought a second hand car, a 1992 model of Mitsubishi Lancer, but it still look as good as new. Real shiny and stuff. This is my first car by the way. I had it last month. For the first 2 weeks, I had it parked on our house on the countryside. However I have to go back to the city and work and now the car is parked just outside, under direct sunlight, dust and dirt etc. A few days ago, I noticed swirl marks all over the body and there is a DENT. Yes, a ******* DENT. I dunno who made it or what caused it but it's pretty weird because there aren't any scratches. Maybe an object hit it or something. Since this is my first car, I'm really freaking out right now. I mean the whole car came totally from my savings. Not even a single cent came from my parents or other relatives whatsoever. So seeing my investment get damaged like that is really painful.


 


So my question goes back again to the title of this article.. how important for you guys is the outside appearance of your car? I know most of you are car enthusiasts who keeps your rides in tip-top shape, and I would really love to hear your insights regarding my situation right now.. Thanks in advance!
 
mitch08- Since this is, after all, Autopia, the standard answer will probably be "the cosmetic appearance of your car is the most critical issue in your life!" or something like that.  Heh heh, can you tell I'm being a bit of a smart-@$$?!?  But seriously...that's how some people here view it.


 


To *ME* it's all about *YOU*!  Within reason it only matters as much as you let it.  Your vehicle's value will plummet if it looks like crap, but not as much as one might think and who cares unless you're planning to sell it anyhow?  It's really just about how much you care.


 


I'm an absolute fanatic about swirls/etc.  They drive me nuts, so I work really hard to avoid having marred-up paint.  Dents, OTOH, don't bother me much for some reason so I simply don't care about them to a significant degree.  Same with stonechips, those don't bother me much either and I generally just live with them unless they're really bad (like..."oughta repaint that whole front bumpercover"-bad, and then I do have it repainted).


 


I care about the car being clean inside/out because I keep *ALL* my stuff clean.  My clothes, shoes, you name it..that's just how I am.


 


SO, I'd think long and hard about how much you really care and how highly you're gonna prioritize this whole detailing thing.  On the Big List of stuff that matters in life, where does your car's appearance fit in?  I'm guessing that you're kinda young (at least compared to an old guy in his mid-50s like me) and that since you worked so hard to get such a (first!) cool car, well...I bet it *does* matter quite a bit to you.  So...how much?  And then there's the practical aspect of it-  how much time/effort/money can you put into it?  What kind of facilities do you have to work in?
 
<span style="font-size:24px;"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><sup>Your topic aside...I just wanted to commend you on buying your first car with your own money. Nice job! You should be very proud. I did the same thing - And paid for every dime of my college education working 40 hours a week in a factory so I could finish my senior year at night. </sup>


 


<span style="font-size:24px;"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><sup>It's rare that Mommy and Daddy don't buy their kid's first car nowadays. And in my town that first car is more than likely a BMW or a Volvo. </sup>


 


<span style="font-size:24px;"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><sup>Good luck with the vehicle. You're certainly in the right place if you want to keep your car looking its best!</sup>
 
<span>dschribs thanks a lot! It's tough right?! And I also commend you for having done the same thing about your education! Congrats! Reason is that's the cheapest that I could afford. My parents doesn't have the extra money to buy me a car but I really wanted one. So that's why :)


 


 


 


 

<span>Accumulator that really makes a lot of sense! :) Actually you're right, I'm just 25 years old. And everything you said really hit me hard.. I don't have a very good source of income yet to put too much effort on detailing (cause I know that'll cost a lot) plus it's my first car so I guess I'll just have to take good care of it without overdoing it. :) I'd rather have money on my bank account than a glistening ride with an empty pocket I guess. HA-HA-HA
 
The honest truth is that the mechanical soundness of your vehicle it #1, everything else really does not matter. 

I would rather your car look like a pile of crap and have working brakes than it looks perfect but not be able to stop worth a dam. 


However, as you are on a forum where we focus on the apperance of the vehicle, it is something that is very important to us all. 


I'm sure you could get the dent pulled by a paintless dent removal company for a fair price and polish up the rest of the car to new. 
 
mitch08- Here's one aspect of detailing that doesn't get too much attention might be worth thinking about- the out-of-the-way areas like the engine compartment and undercarriage.  If you clean those up and keep them that way, you'll a) get better acquainted with some important areas/systems of your car, b) be better able to spot little problems before they get big, and c) make the car more pleasant, and easier, to work on.


 


Like....look how many cars are rusted out in the wheel arches and around the fuel filler!  If people just kept those areas clean (not just  cleaning away salt, but also dirt...it harbors moisture) the cars wouldn't turn into rust-buckets.  I thought of that because I seem to see a lot of rusted-out Lancers that aren't too old (much newer than yours even).


 


I kinda have a soft-spot for cars like  yours, my older Audi is a '93 and I think it's really cool to have a car that age that still has lots of life left as a daily driver.


 


StreetShotz- Ah yeah, brakes!  The last time my wife's A8 (>130K mile daily driver) was in for service, the tech was all impressed because the brake calipers were nice and clean.  Well, yeah....don't want to just ignore something so important and end up having a bleeder get frozen up, don't want a hose to develop issues, etc. etc.  When I bought that older Audi one of the first things I had to do was replace all the undercar fluid lines because the original owner (an elderly friend of mine, can't really blame her but I do blame her mechanic) never thought to clean such stuff and it got all corroded.  HUGE job (parts not available, had to get 'em fabbed) that could've so easily been avoided.
 
As much as want a clean car, the thing that always stirs my blood is strapping on the seat belt, bringing that beast under the hood alive, rolling down the windows, and driving to no place in particular.
 
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