21 year-old spends 30k on aftermarket upgrades for new 2015 BRZ
Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) says the automotive aftermarket industry was a $33 billion force in the U.S. economy in 2013. It’s being fueled by consumers who want to customize their vehicle and give it a personalized look. Automakers have tons of options to chose from and some like MINI offer thousands of choices for buyers.
Aftermarket industry offers more
The aftermarket industry knows this and specialty companies offer products or modifications that affects a vehicle's styling, performance, handling, security, ride, comfort or work capacity. They offer everything from custom wheels, performance tires, truck step bars and bed liners, navigation and audio systems, premium synthetic motor oil and superchargers are just a few examples. Still, there are always some buyers who want more.
BRZ buyer goes wild
A story from the Houston Chronicle tells of a 2015 Subaru BRZ buyer who wanted more from his sport coupe. According to HC, a University of Texas Dallas student bought his first new car, a Subaru BRZ for his 21st birthday. The rear-wheel-drive coupe in stock trim comes with a 200hp 2.0-liter Subaru boxer engine and provides plenty of fun for driving enthusiasts.
CHECK OUT: New 2015 Subaru BRZ Special Edition is arriving in showrooms now
Brian Jun had even more money to spend and the 21 year-old college student drove to Manassas, Virginia to have PTuning, a performance and auto service center, install one of their turbocharging kits on his new Subaru BRZ. Jun says “the BRZ's power at the wheels has nearly doubled.” Jun wasn’t finished yet and added even more performance goodies.
Jun spends 30K on his BRZ
Jun added more upgrades to his BRZ like coil-over suspension, Sparco seats, high-intensity-discharge headlights and 18-inch Volk Racing TE37 forged wheels. Jun said parts and labor for all his car's modifications come to nearly $30,000. The MSRP on the new BRZ is only $26,000, and with the aftermarket upgrades, Jun spent a total of $56,000 to get the performance he wanted.
Apparently no one told Jun that pumping all that money into his BRZ was a bad idea. The 21 year-old could have purchased a number of new cars for about the same money. A 2015 Porsche Cayman starts at 60K, 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat starts at 59K, 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 Coupe 58K and 2015 Mercedes CLA 45 AMG starts at 48K. Or he could have spent less and gotten a Nissan 370Z NISMO 42K, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR 35K, Chevy Camaro SS 34K, Subaru WRX STI 39K or BMW M235i 44K. This is just a partial list and you could come with even more.
The aftermarket performance segment grew 3.4 percent, to $8.74 billion in 2014. Thanks to enthusiasts like Brian Jun pumping 30K into his new 2015 Subaru BRZ, the industry is alive and well.
Comments
Pages