There are a lot of things you can do with your car. Sure, it might be predominantly a means of getting from A to B, but cars can do so much more than just transport us around town.
A car can teach you about how things work, can help you see the world and can offer ample means of expressing yourself. So, to find out what some of the best things are you’ve ever done with your cars, we turned to the Jalopnik readers .
And from upgrades to adventures, you came back with some great answers. So, click through the following pages to uncover some of the best things you can do with a car.
“Convert the Charger to disc brakes.
“As I’ve described before, if someone has $40K to $50K to blow on a Sixties muscle car and if that car still has manual drum brakes, DO NOT buy that car because you will die. I am not kidding. (‘Manual’ defined as the brakes still being hydraulic, but it’s your leg muscles bringing two tons of metal to a halt—not the super-old definition of cable brakes.)
“I’m willing to bet 75% of Jalopnik’s readers haven’t even ridden in a car with manual brakes, let alone be the guy desperately jabbing that brake pedal trying to bring the beast to a halt without losing control. And believe you me, with no nanny gadgets—P/S, ABS and ESC—and how you’ve got to pump the brakes so you don’t lose control, yeah, at times it can be terrifying.
“So the Charger now has 4-wheel discs—a modification not even available from the factory. They’re still manual, but compared to the grip of drums, it’s about a 500% improvement. I still have to pump them, but at least now they can efficiently bleed speed. Manual drum brakes are a pure crap shoot—do not go there—an underbraked car is an absolute deathtrap.”
Sure, driving your car as fast as you can is fun, but being able to stop it is also pretty important. An upgraded set of brakes can work wonders for your cars handling and make it much easier to live with.
“Sell my last unreliable Ford for my first Subaru.I picked it up at the dealership after it had been tow in for third time to a Ford store.While it was still running I traded it in for a car that never broke down.”
If the relationship with your car has soured, then sometimes selling it is the best thing you can do.
Suggested by: Jerry Huddleston (Facebook)
“Paying it off. The best car is the one you, and not the bank, owns.”
And once you’ve sold it, you can buy yourself a brand new one! Just bear in mind that paying it off as quickly as you’re able might be the best move.
“Replaced the obnoxiously loud straight exhaust on my F-150 with a quiet high performance setup. Sure, it sounded badass when I stomped on the gas, but now it’s actually pleasant to drive all of time.”
Adding some new parts is a great way to personalize your car and make it stand out from the crowd.
Suggested by: Lonnie Rowe (Facebook)
“Went from 18" wheels down to 16" wheels on my daily driver. I was getting a flat every other week it seemed. The rides a lot cushier for a daily driver, like riding on a cloud compared to the 18s. Tires are cheaper. It looks lame, but eh.
“Car is a BMW e46 for reference.”
Sure, a slick set of 18" wheels can look cool as heck. But sometimes, you just need the comfort and ride you find when you’re sitting on some sweet 16s.
“I convinced my then fiancé to let me buy my dream car to fix up and use for our wedding. Successfully used it for our wedding and now currently use it as a semi daily driver. Most people say a 1969 Fiat 500 is not a practical daily for a 6’ 3” 330lb redneck, I disagree (although I am relating more and more to the old Fix It Again joke, to the point I have a sticker for it that says ‘Fix It Again Tim’).
“It’s been a decent learning tool for the wife to learn about cars on, she even helped swap the engine and transmission. She wasn’t the least but interested in cars when we got together and now we are looking for an air cooled bug for her to fix up.
“Honestly though the best thing is taking kids for rides in it and seeing their excitement.”
Well, isn’t that a lovely little read about a lovely little car!
Suggested by: Tim Bill Harrison (Facebook)
“Brought home my newborn son in it back in February. Really got to grips with how small Mazdas are on the inside, but the Signature has good suspension, decent sound deadening, and plenty of safety features, so I wasn’t too nervous on the drive home as a new dad.”
I’m told this is the exact moment you start worrying about the safety specs of your daily driver.
“Best thing I ever did to my truck was my sound system. Pioneer speakers all around, touchscreen head unit, 12-inch 1400w subwoofer. It makes my drives much more enjoyable.”
If you’re going to be spending a lot of time behind the wheel, then upgrading anything that can make your drive more enjoyable is an essential. Even if it just means adding in a big ol’ subwoofer.
Suggested by: Rob Johnson (Facebook)
“Let me explain. I have owned my GT since 2008. The only things I’ve done to it are lowering springs, wheels/tires, and exhaust. Very basic stuff that transformed the looks and sound. I can’t tell you how tempting it’s been to cave in and blow thousands of dollars on forced induction. By now, I could easily have it being a 600+ hp hot rod.
“I learned my lesson with my first car, a 1998 ZJ. I lifted that thing, did all kinds of modifications, you name it. You know what happened? I destroyed it. It looked cool and was capable-ish, but it was miserable to drive.
“I swore I’d never do that to the Mustang. I would enjoy it for what it is, and not force it to be something it’s not.
“So, now I have a really reliable, fun car that has literally never broken anything in the 14 years I’ve owned it. It’s not a money pit, it’s not a jackstand monument in my garage. It’s something that is always ready to go and happily starts every time. It may have sat a month since it last moved, but I know it’ll start right up and go without a hiccup.
“With two kiddos under three and all of life’s other things, I don’t have time for a project right now. Keeping my ‘fun car’ from becoming a perpetual project has been the best thing I’ve ever done with my car.”
A lot of you argued that the best thing to do with your cars was, in fact, nothing at all. Apparently leaving your car stock will make it easier to sell when the time comes, and suggestions that any performance upgrades you try and make will actually ruin your car.
“Manual Swap, still stupid slow but at least it’s engaging to drive now.”
But if you absolutely want to tinker with what’s under the hood, then a manual swap can make your driving a lot more fun.
Suggested by: @another240blog (Twitter)
“Good tires. It cannot be understated how much quality rubber can make to your car.
“I spent my youth being cheap as I had to. If I needed new tires, (because the wires were starting to poke through my old ones), I’d hit the local used tire shop and buy just a pair for front or rear as needed.
“One day, years ago, I was getting ready for a trip that I had planned for months. The morning of, I come outside to see a giant blister on the side of my little Ford Fiesta’s tire. Well crap...
“I immediately take it over to the local tire center. Unfortunately, they were out of stock of the ‘economy’ line for my car. They only things they had in stock were a pair of higher end Continentals in my car’s size. The tire guy even said, ‘I can just order you the Ecos. They’ll be in a few days. No sense in spending almost twice as much for the Continentals. Those are pretty high end’.”
“Since, I had to hit the road within hours, I bit the bullet and said, ‘Just give me the ones you have in stock’.
“Holy crap... The difference in how my little ecobox felt and handled was crazy. It turned into a go-kart. It would stick like glue to any asphalt. I even turned off the TCS, and it made no difference.
“I have never skimped on tires on any car I have owned ever since.”
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Only, on this occasion, those desperate measures became a habit for life.
“Top thing I’ve done WITH my car? Took a NB Miata down IA-3 in the fall towards Dubuque along Heritage Trail, a super scenic two-lane highway with trees on both sides that were all turning colors, definitely a really beautiful drive in a convertible in perfect fall weather.
“Top thing I’ve done TO my car? Last month I added racing stripes on my yellow 5th-gen Camaro to finally turn it into Bumblebee from the Transformers and I am absolutely loving it. That or when I bought a set of snow tires on my Jeep Commander. Always-on 4WD is great but the snow tires have saved my ass countless times trying to get home on roads I had no business being on.”
Taking a Miata out to soak up the fall foliage sounds like a dreamy weekend to me!
Suggested by: Jordan Witt (Facebook)
“That is it, that is the best thing you can do with any car, fancy or falling apart, old or new, big cruiser or tiny commuter-mobile. Just drive it. Just jump in it, and take if for a spin. Long drive or short, city, suburb, or countryside cruise, just go. You’ll feel better afterwards.”
Sometimes the simple answers are the best.
“I threw my then 10 year old kid in my Focus RS and drove from Michigan to California and back, mostly on route 66. It was awesome.”
It winds from Chicago to LA, more than 2,000 miles all the way. Get your kicks on Route 66 .
Suggested by: Ken Mayer (Facebook)
“On my ‘16 Mustang GT I have done an exhaust, Ford Performance Power Pack (tune and intake assembly from the GT500), and a short throw shift/clutch assist spring combo that ironed out all the most glaring faults with the godforsaken MT82 transmission. All of these were money well spent.
“The best $25 I spent was this fighter jet style starter button cover. It’s the stupidest thing ever and I fucking love it.”
This sounds like a good selection of tweaks to make to your Mustang.
“Changed the displacement on my 1955 T-Bird from 292 ci to 312 ci. Added a power inverter to allow me to plug my phone into the car to charge it. Added an electric fuel pump to stop vapor lock. Added new wide whitewall tires with new wire wheels from Coker Tire.
“Rebuilt the brakes, heater box, suspension, steering, carb, electrical, engine, and transmission. It should be done Spring, 2023.”
I’d like an update when all of these changes have been made. I’ll set a reminder for Spring next year so I don’t forget!
“Flyin Miata turbo kit. I’d dreamed of getting one since they were first introduced but I didn’t have the money for it until I took a good job over a decade later. Stock Miatas are fun, but the turbo converts gasoline directly to dopamine. There was never a gap on the highway that wasn’t instantly mine. All of the Miata personality remains intact; it simply surges where it once wheezed. No matter what kind of mood I was in, a 10 minute drive always cheered me up.
The answer is so nearly always Miata. And, as always, this Miata answer is a good one.
“Track days in my last one. Just a Yaris with light suspension mod, but it still cornered better than any V8.”
We can file this one away with just driving your cars. But, if you want to have the most fun on four wheels, put your car through its paces out on the tracks or trails.