Celica Forums General Discussion Exterior Tips on customizing my car

Well I got my used 2000 Celica GTS recently, and so far I've put in an AutoMate alarm, Led UnderGlows (7 color), and I have my Rockford Fosgate System on order. First things first I am having trouble mounting my Amp on the back seat because it's huge (the 1000 watt monoblock), so any suggestions. I need rims (for some odd reason I didn't get the alloys or a sunroof :-/) I am looking to purchase 18 inch rims I am confused between gunmetal and alloy, and if nayone knows any rims specific rims that would look good on my car I would appreciate it. I need to drop the car and put a body kit but I might just put a lip because I live in the Virgin Islands and we have some terrible hills and roads, hence it would be easy to damage the bodykit. I was looking at putting a cold air with the filter to prevent hydrolauch but I'm not sure how well that filter works because it is very damp down here, rains a good bit and lots of puddles. Any other recommendations for my car would be appreciated.

another reason i'm sketchy on putting a body kit is that every body guy I talked to so far said that he won't be able to match the exact paint so there is a good chance the silver on the body kit will be off colored from the silver on my car, and I don't want to have to respray my car.

First off welcome This site is very informative. If you are looking for something specific there is a search button at the top right corner of the screen. Rims have the most widely different opinions on. I personally like 5 or 6 spoke rims and the 5zigen 5zr copse that I have are my favorite obviously. Most people have not had any trouble with the intake and water but it has happened. You should be okay as long as you dont push the pedal going over big puddles. The body kit color match should be okay as long as the place knows what there doing.

O and I recommend some clear corners and some silver vision turn signal bulbs. The bulbs are silver but when they are blinking are amber so they are legal and go really well with your car.

no no...the first thing you need to do is get the S2000 antenna...

looks 100x better than that ligtning rod you have on there now

for looks if you want to stay away from body kit I'd say yeah S2000 antenna(20 dollars at honda dealership). Tail lights between 65-120 at ebay. wheels of course.. www.wheelguys.com [wheelguys.com] have good selection and good prices. underbody neons 100 bucks. carbon fiber hood(500) you don't need to worry about matching the paint. performance options are pretty basic. exhaust, intake, turbo if your rich, nitrous if your brave. if your worried about hydrolock get a SR it's only a difference of a few HP and if you add the breather valve it pretty much kills those HP anyways. THe Injen one is sexy.

PS custom interiors are awsome. nice floormats painted dash custom gauges head units, seats, short throw shifter for performance and shifter knob for looks. neons

S2000 antenna should be first on your list Most cost efficent mod out there in my opinion

I think the most important thing to start out with is deciding what about your personality you want to show in your car, that starts the path out. If your a DJ like me, then a kickin sound system is top priority. If you like looking fly, then focus on exterior mods. If you love speed then work on engine and tranny stuff. Etc..Etc...but remember the interior is the most important because thats where you spend all your time, so customize it to fit your wants and your needs

Thanks for the welcome!

Do you guys think the Carbon Fiber hood will look good w/o a body kit? If I do the Carbon Fiber hood I think gunmetal on silver will look good. See I live in the Virgin Islands and there is only one paint store for auto paint and it all depends on them if my paint is going to match my body . And for the intake, trust me we have some deep puddles so i was wondering if that AEM hydrolauch filter actually works.

I'd go with a OEM Style Carbon Fiber hood to blend in nicely if your gonna keep the body stock. The gunmetal rims will looks nice. As far as the hydrolock concern goes, go with a short ram if you get a lot of rain. But the truth is you need to drive in rain that is about halfway up your front license plate to flood a cold air intake and hyrdrolock your engine, and yes the bypass filter does work to a certain degree

I think the OEM Carbon Fiber hood would look good mabye with a raised Carbon Fiber scoop IMO it would be a clean look with a little bit of and agresive look a nice combo Oh and welcome to ECelica

o yea, and welcome to the site! also I'd think about a roof spoiler to give it a little more edge, thelostrican.com has them

get s2000 antenna, clear corners, tyc tails, drop it and get some rollers.

Go with the S2K and ditch the lightning rod.

Clear corners should also be added.

If you do not want a bodykit, drop the car for the looks while adding on new sets of rims.

When did they start putting hubcaps on GTS's? Or is that dealer option?

Yeah and welcome, check out the gallery to spawn your own ideas.

you just took the words out of my mouth

Do a short ram intake and an exhaust system on. Id do a set of 19's so that you dont have to lower the car much.

Well i live in Ireland, the wettest place in the world + it has the worst potholes and the worst roads. I have the AEM cai and it works perfect. However it take a while to get it to sit right in the wheel well.

Maybe if your lowering. If your not lowering I suggest 17's.

I recommend lookig at ppls profiles and pic what you like on their cars, so at least you can see before you buy. So you can get a sense of which direction you want to go.

Why doessnnt have a sun roof?...I don't know but, (please correct me if I'm wrong), but all gts brings a sun roof...right?

If the guy said he can't match the color for painting, go somewhere else. He should have a book with all makes and models color codes that'll show him what the mixture should be and what the maker of the paint is. if he doesn't have that book, go somewhere else.

the place my friend got his body work done after he got into an accident had a lazer or something tool that could tell the exact color of your paint and mix it to match. so even if your color was faded and wasn't the same as a brand new car you could get color to match perfectly. Dunno if they have low tech body shops in virgin islands but around here they can match any color.

deff go short ram so you dont ahv eot worry aobut hydrolock. i agree with oem carobn hood with raised scoop

i'd say the best way to know what you want your car to look like is to look around in the gallery or look at guys' cars on here as they post...just click on their profile and check them out. There are tons of combinations of colors and wheels and carbon vs. no carbon...raised scoop or standard...hood spoilers roof spoilers...100 diff. types of euro tails (or tinted ones ).. and guys who made not the best decisions with intakes, exhausts, etc...so you can pick the best one for you...and what appeals to your taste... Find something you like...or a few things...and THEN ask guys which they like better...so you have what you like..but also what a lot of other people think looks good too...just don't make decisions too hastily...and use this forum...there's oodles of resources on here. Good Luck! and welcome to Ecelica!