basic mk3 where to start ?

[legohead]

hi have got a very basic mk3 three door merit in blue (L reg) bog standard everything and i want to make it look better but not over the top and not expensive. as its my running to work car and any money i have goes on my kids so any ideas i would be grateful. i know you have to spend to get cars looking good but my wife and kids come first. cheers for any help

 

[Mr Skint]

clean it well, good few coats of wax, and some nice alloys are always a good start

 

[Andy_Mk3]

Your car probably has steel wheels on it, so you could start with replacing them with alloy wheels. A You can get standard Vauxhall alloys fairly cheap with tyres second hand.

Your car also probably has orange front indicators, change them for clear ones off another astra. The same with the side repeaters, you can fit the clear ones off a mk4 astra which look much better. And the rear lights, you could fit GSi ones as they're darker and generally look a lot nicer.

You may also have black plastic bumpers too. You can replace them with colour coded ones that also have fog lights, they look a lot nicer.

You might want to lower it too. It sounds like it's a family car so a -30mm drop would be subtle yet still keep a decent amount of ride comfort.

Inside you probably have a grey, or even worse blue interior. You could replace this for a black interior, including sport seats and door trims.

Merit's don't usually come with a rev counter, you could swap the dials for ones with a rev counter. The speedo section is removable so youre mileage reading will stay the same. Also rev counter clocks have a low fuel light.

Being a merit it will be very basic inside. Fitting electric windows is a nice thing to have, if you have a sunroof you can fit an electric motor to that. And depending how good you are with electrics you can fit a GSi trip computer and cruise control.

Try and get some pics up of the car for us though, it's easier to say what needs doing then. But I've mentioned the most common things people do. It depends how much you want to spend and how good you are with electrics etc really.

 

[si89 mk3ph2]

spray bits and pieces to colure code to make it look a bit better with the engine keep it nice a clean and maintained, i think i got some mk4 side repeaters here just have to pay postage or free to collection and you can just get bits off newer mk3s then put it on your ph1

 

[savage16v]

You might want to lower it too. It sounds like it's a family car so a -30mm drop would be subtle yet still keep a decent amount of ride comfort.

Mine is a family everyday car, and going -60mm next weekend

 

[micky]

Light up rear grab handles. £5 mod
light up sun visors £10 mod
omega bonnet lifters £8 mod
de tango side reapeaters £10 mod
mk3oc sticker £10 membership fee priceless.

 

[astranaut]

Debumpstrip, polish, wax, cheap set of alloys, colour coded bumpers, clear indicators and away ya go.

 

[Turboshed]

You could try and fit electric windows, Electric and heated wing mirrors, or the colour coded mirrors off a later car. swap the headlights and grill to make it look more like a Phase 2, or debadge, de slate the phase 1 grill.
Cheap set of alloy wheels. Got my Corsa D alloys on ebay for a bargain basement price of £67, you could be lucky Tyres where *cough, cough* more than that though...... £180 (Camskill)

As above, there are alot of small mods you could do cheap, but it really depends on what you want your car to look like.
A few pics might help to give an idea

 

[BenAstra]

de tango side reapeaters £10 mod

Need to buy GSi lights before you can de-tango them

If you need to keep it cheap then here's some ideas:
- De-bump strip, just need a hair dryer and a nectar card
- Clear front and side repeaters - cheap from scrap yard
- Replace the interior - cheap from here or scrap yard
- Colour coded bumpers - Might get lucky on here or scrappy or even ebay!
- New clocks with rev counter

Job done

 

[micky]

Need to buy GSi lights before you can de-tango them

If you need to keep it cheap then here's some ideas:
- De-bump strip, just need a hair dryer and a nectar card
- Clear front and side repeaters - cheap from scrap yard
- Replace the interior - cheap from here or scrap yard
- Colour coded bumpers - Might get lucky on here or scrappy or even ebay!
- New clocks with rev counter

Job done

Space Caddett go back to vq9 laddy!!! front side repeaters are orange on l regs poverty specs. clear ones are a £5 each from local breakers.

You could also do what Ben does spends a fortune on cars and doesnt even drive yet.

 

[Turboshed]

I have a front colour coded bumper you can have for cheaps, and it has foggies too

 

[Mr Skint]

Space Caddett go back to vq9 laddy!!! front side repeaters are orange on l regs poverty specs. clear ones are a £5 each from local breakers.

You could also do what Ben does spends a fortune on cars and doesnt even drive yet.

 

[toby66]

I have a front colour coded bumper you can have for cheaps, and it has foggies too

is it blue?

 

[Turboshed]

is it blue?

Yes

But not Atlantic blue, Its a dark blue (kings blue or something)

When it was fitted to my car.

It looks scratched, but I assure you they arn't deep, in fact I think its more like where the paint has rubbed off. Abit of paint and it would be fine. Standard bumper though, not GSi

 

[Leopold]

Nice astra you got there mate!!!

 

[legohead]

thanks to everyone who has replied to me i dont get on the computer every day as i drive a lorry and dont get home every night but thanks again and i will be trying the things that everyone has suggested cheers

 

[Turboshed]

Ah the joys of being a long distance lorry driver. Who do ya work for, and what sorta stuff do you deliver?

 

[legohead]

just a local company near us we deliver lids off coffee cups like the ones you get in mcdonalds and the like mostly and takeaway trays etc nothing really interesting

 

[Turboshed]

just a local company near us we deliver lids off coffee cups like the ones you get in mcdonalds and the like mostly and takeaway trays etc nothing really interesting

Sounds like a fun job....
I am guessing there are lots of tooing and froing from the same depots etc?

 

[legohead]

Inside you probably have a grey, or even worse blue interior. You could replace this for a black interior, including sport seats and door trims.

unfortunatly it is the blue interior but it could be worse i could have crappy grey cloth seats. Oh no i have