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Copyright © 2008
Mervyn Rees
Cars are status symbols - there's no getting away from it. People can bang on about them being a means of getting from A to B but very few of us want to drive around in a car we don't feel proud of.
While most of us want a car that's on the "A" list, that doesn't mean we necessarily want a car that looks just like everybody else's. It's a matter of combining accepted style with individual creativity.
That's where gadgets come 'into-their-own'. With so many of them on the market, we can pick and choose to our heart's delight, and "design" a car that'll reflect individual personality and style.
Exterior
Have you ever watched a stranger walk over to a parked car and give it the once—or even twice—over?
What is that makes the stranger choose that particular car to look at rather than the one in front or behind it, even though they may be the same make and model? Yes, it's the way the exterior has been personalized.
Exterior car accessories are currently running the gamut, from traditional chrome trim to exotic custom paint jobs, neon lighting trim and the ever-popular personalized license plates.
The most obvious exterior characteristic is the vehicle's styling. For some time now, manufacturers have been streamlining their vehicles to reflect more attention to aerodynamics, as well as enhancing the fuel efficiency of their products. The end result is a sleek, lithe (dare one say sexy?) and highly attractive automobile.
Next is the endless variety of paint jobs now available. Why settle for factory green when you can mix a personalized colour you can name after yourself? For the truly conceited, you might even throw your own face on the bonnet/hood! Warning - this may elicit more laughs than accolades.
The availability of custom body garages that will do virtually anything you want to personalize your car has become nearly as commonplace as any regular mechanic. The sky literally seems the limit on what can be accomplished with some imagination and the corresponding access to seemingly limitless funds.
Interior
Once the exterior of a car has been accepted as cool, that same stranger that admired the exterior will bend down and take a look through the window. What's it like inside?
If all he sees is dull grey seat covers, run-of-the-mill floor mats, and a standard steering wheel, he's unlikely to be impressed.
If you want a car that looks good, the interior has to match the exterior.
Trends that are popular right now include the use of: Non-traditional materials such as real wood or aluminium, or perhaps traditional materials used in non-traditional ways (custom moulding and trim).
Mood lighting and the use of vibrant colours such as neon lime and orange are also popular.
Custom upholstery, faux animal prints, leather or even suede.
Electronic accessories like stereo and speaker systems, DVD or mp3 players, video games and security systems, give a car a degree of individuality that others will enjoy too.
The most popular accessory is currently chrome. Once confined to the exterior as merely trim, it's now being used extensively as interior ornamentation for those who want to be seen as the baddest dog on the block. Word to 'Yo Momma'!
Mervyn Rees - Author of, 'The Secrets of Biodiesel'.
http://www.whybiodiesel.com
An active young 72 year old with a lifetime of experience to share, being a Fellow of the Institute Motoring Industry, built his own Dragonfly Roadsters before retiring as a Motor Vehicle Manufacturer. Having tried retiring twice and given up, he has now created an additional website MervTech to share his many interests with other likeminded people.
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More articles by Mervyn Rees
- Who Can Repair Plastic Bumpers ? (Steven Magill)
It's really cool that they fix the damage right in front of you, so it's like they are basically a mobile body shop for your car. This service also works great with those dings that you receive in any shopping centre complex. - Saving Jobs by Saving General Motors (Klaus H Hemsath)
General Motors is facing bankruptcy and liquidation. Only a drastic, deeply cutting reorganization can save the company from certain death. Investors, board, management, and union are responsible for past decay and must be removed. Board and management must resign. Investors must sell their stock. Union members should receive a negotiated buyout. A new, reenergized, unshackled, and internationally competitive company must reemerge. - Driving Under The Influence And Car Insurance Don't Mix (Kade Phillips)
Every holiday season, we hear and read stories about car accidents where alcohol was the cause. Lives ruined and people struggling with to cope with the aftermath. "Just don't do it" as the saying goes. But, if you've already been caught "Driving Under the Influence", find out what it's likely going to mean to your auto insurance rates and what you're probably going to have to do to get car insurance again.
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