What to do first?

[Drunk Lemon]

just curious as to what i should do first, i planned on getting a hardtop first, and then coilovers, but i need opinions from people, what did you get first? aftermarket wise, not like replacement parts. and sorry if this is in the wrong section

[The Platypus]

Honestly, in my opinion, maintenance first. Then suspension, then safety.
So maintenance, coilovers + sway bar + end links, then possibly wheels, then roll bar. I have no idea what you want to accomplish or do with your car though, so don't just take my advice. Think about what you really want with your car and then make it happen.

[Drunk Lemon]

i meant aside from maintenance, but i see where your coming from, for now it will just be a dd mostly, maybe a few events.i just wanted to know what everybody else got first besides maintenance parts or replacement, just to see you know? sounds stupid probably but yeah ha

[Adam]

If its your daily and your soft top is okay, I think you'd be happy with just coilovers and wheels. It'll look even better if you buff and polish your paint if it could use it. Keep it simple and just enjoy it.

[I<3flippyheadlights]

First off what year is your car? Does it have all the history to it? How are the shocks? Are you getting full coil overs or just the sleeves? Are the tires shot? Does it need an alignment? If you have never driven a miata before they can be a very rewarding car if everything is working correctly. I new set of shocks, tires and alignment will do amazing things to your car. Once you have that, then you should go for other things.

[smaeda]

I would do like everyone is saying and do maintenance work but upgrade with aftermarket at the same time. Lets say you need new brake pads, replace with better rotor and pads, do a 1.8 swap if you have 1.6. If your tires are worn, get some nice z rated tires, etc.

[kung fu jesus]

If you have to ask a question like this, wait.

Drive the car a while and figure out what is more important to you.

You won't add a lot of power with bolt ons, so an intake, exhaust, header are sort of a waste of money. Handling and suspension modifications are more noticeable and offer a better bang for your buck. Do you really need coilovers, or are you buying them for aesthetic reasons? Tires>shocks>springs>rollbar>wheels>coilovers>bushings>corner balancing. In that order.

[Flyineunos]

Maintenance aside, If your soft top is still good, I'd get front and rear lips, shock and sport springs, Bosch or Hella E code headlights, aftermarket steering wheel, and aftermarket shift knob.

That should be arround $1k

[joooonyer]

Personally the first thing I did was basic maintenance. My car had been sitting for awhile so I changed the fuel filter and oil. Next consider the spark plugs and wires. Then I did suspension, and replaced the shitty stock stereo. Find out what you want tochange, but keep In mind what is wearing out and upgrade parts as they wear out. Tires going bad? Great time for new wheels. Plus keep an eye on Craigslist you may just find a deal you can't pass up. I didn't plan on getting an exhaust so soon but found a cat back magnaflowfor $100

[fitftw]

If I could go back in time, I would've started off with a MSPNP and LC-1.

[Tekel]

I would get the coils first. While a HT will stiffen your chassis some, you will be happiest with new coils. It will give your car new life. Also, I'm more of a top down kind of person so I like the soft top.

[Phatmiata]

Aside from the maintenance basics (brakes, tires, clutch slave lol) the first thing I have done with 90% of my cars has always been shocks/springs, exhaust, and wheels. And in that order, LOL.

[mrpham]

I would do maintenance then coilovers, then wheels, then lips then hardtop.

[Drunk Lemon]

i'll end up doing some more maintenance, brake pads, coil, if i need them, about the whole hard top thing, my dumb self tried to put the top down when it was like 30 degrees, i have never owned a convertible nor did i know your not suppose to do that when cold, and the window came off the convertible a little at the top, the window itsself is attached to a little vinyl piece or whatever the convertible is made out of and that is attached to the top, i'm not sure how much it would cost for an auto upholsterer to fix it, i tried to use some hella strong glue but it still sags, and leaks somewhat. like i said its my dd, it probably wont see much track time for a while but i'd like to lose the giant (feels giant to me) wheel gap and have it lower, i'm not too worried about wheels at the moment because i like the ones i have, i'll switch it up when i need tires, i know alot of people will probably hate but the only reason i want a decent exhaust is to make it somewhat louder, i know bolt ons will do little or no good at all, thats why i think i'd just go with exhaust and suspension upgrades until i get a boost or supercharger setup. the car is a 1995 miata btw, the shocks seem decent, its got 129,8xx miles, and yes, its been very rewarding. the car handles like a bossss, on only stock suspension. i want full coilovers, not just sleeves, and of course a rollbar sooner rather than later for safety reasons.

[ThatWhiteNA]

Stop it, give it grip, drop it, then make it go fast. Words to live by.

[Chops]

I can't believe that most everyone is putting safety towards the last of things to do, or even completely leaving it out of the list altogether.

Since this is going to be the OP's DD car, I would do ALL maintenance work first (belts, hoses, TB, WP, etc, etc, including rotors and pads if needed). After that, I would focus on SAFETY. New tires if needed and a roll bar.

Just like I did with my BRG, first and foremost, I made damn sure it was road worthy as I drive it 100+ miles every day, five days a week. Guess what, it hasn't let me down once in the past year that I've owned it, which I've put well over 29k miles on it already. I would not hesitate to hop in it right now and drive from Florida all the way to Alaska and back... Twice!

After getting all the maintenance stuff out of the way, I still had enough cash left over for a new suspension. The BRG had the original 20 year old, tired hardware under it. The rear shocks bottomed out a lot (actually, I was riding on the bump stops 95% of the time), but it was still safe. The only reason I chose the suspension over the roll bar was comfort. I was tired of being jolted all the time like riding a 10-speed bike at 75mph for 100 miles a day. LOL

Safety is next on the list, even for me. I've been wanting to get a roll bar for the longest time, but $$$ is what's holding me back. One of these days...

[Skomee]

Roll bar first. Then wheels and tires, sway bar, coil overs and then turbo. Maintenance along the way as needed.

[itzzspencer]

i usually do this with every car i get.

tires > brakes > typical maintenance > coilovers/shocks.

then go crazy. though id recommend a roll bar asap if youre as paranoid as i am

[Drunk Lemon]

speaking of rolling i saw a car flip today, it was crazy and made me bump up rollbar on my list of wants/needs. but thanks for the opinions/suggestions guys! they are really helping, i'm gonna do a little maintenance first, i'm still contemplating whether or not to get a hardtop since the softtop seems like its falling apart, i'll wait to see what my other car sells for first, if anything i'll go rollbar first after maintenance and then coilovers, if i can somehow manage to make my softtop not suck. and leak.

[itzzspencer]

hardtop looks so good, but if you love top down as much as i do... it would be on the lower list of priorities :p

[afc2112]

hardtop looks so good, but if you love top down as much as i do... it would be on the lower list of priorities :p

Unless a good deal comes up, then you do what you can to buy that and forget the list. Coils and other parts can be bought new. Hardtops only go for sale every once in a while. And even rarer still if it's a good deal.

[itzzspencer]

Unless a good deal comes up, then you do what you can to buy that and forget the list. Coils and other parts can be bought new. Hardtops only go for sale every once in a while. And even rarer still if it's a good deal.

this is true. but i feel the same way about everything lol. if its a steal, im buying it whether its on the top or the bottom of my priorities!

[Chops]

I do enjoy driving with the top down, but considering all I do with my BRG is drive on the highway every day, five days a week (100+ miles a day) for work, I took out the soft top and keep the hardtop on at all times. For me, it's much quieter, and more importantly, more aerodynamic. Not to mention I don't have anywhere to put the hardtop if I were to take it off anyway, and the fact that I never take the BRG out for a joy drive. On my days off, I spend it with my family, which means if we go anywhere, it has to be in the Cube.

And speaking of rolling cars, just the other morning on I4 next to that big high school by McIntosh Road, I saw a white Nissan Murano flip over right there. I "think" he rolled down from the school parking lot as there's a decent little drop off right there!

[WillD]

A few years ago when I started the modding I needed to replace shocks and brakes so I did coilovers, brakes, and a roll bar all at the same time. Since then I've done seats, harnesses, and a hard top in that order.

[jux]

First mod for my last three cars has been a set of coilovers. From there, either wheels & tires or steering wheel.

Maintenance should always be at the top of the list (to include fluids and wear items like wiper blades and brake pads, of course).

[recklessabandon]

anytime anyone asks where to start with any car, i tell them: suspension first. then wheels. then transmission upgrades. then whatever random stuff you feel you need to buy.
that is the quickest way to look dope and enjoy your car at the same time.