Looking To Spruce up an Old Ride? Here's the Gear My Car Friends Are Buying

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Photo: Unsplash

If you were thinking of upgrading your car this year, you might have decided to put it off given the state of the world. Good news, though! You can still do a few things to make it feel like it’s a bit newer or spiffier before. There are lots of ways to update your car, from a simple deep cleaning to a wheel or stereo upgrade, so you can spend as little or as much as you want to make it feel more home. I asked people from around the country what they’ve done to primp their old rides. Here’s what they did, and maybe it will inspire you.

Fine-Tune Your Tunes

Image for article titled Looking To Spruce up an Old Ride? Here's the Gear My Car Friends Are Buying
Image: Kenwood

I chose to upgrade an older truck instead of buying a new one for cost reasons; it’s paid off and I can invest money into it slowly. My most recent upgrade was changing out the radio for a modern head unit with Android Auto and CarPlay, giving me Bluetooth, navigation, satellite radio, and more made it much more convenient. I chose a Kenwood DMX4707S with a few accessories to make it reasonably seamless and almost factory looking. - Christine White, Sloatsburg NY

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A Little Polish Goes a Long Way

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Image: Meguiars

“I drive an ‘07 with low miles. I’m tempted every day to buy a new car but that would be such a stupid financial choice considering it’s paid off and runs well. I use Meguiar’s Scratch X 2.0 polish to wax my car and spruce up my ride. It takes out a ton of scratches and makes the car look brand new. After a car wash and applying this polish, my temptations seem to fade away for a day or two.” - Mike Madry, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Flare It Up

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Image: Judy Graham-Taber

When the headliner started to fall down in my old van, I was going to just use a spray adhesive to stick it back up. Instead, I thought, it’s a van, time to have fun. I found some orange faux fur on amazon because I felt fur was more exciting than that shag look vans have. My van was black so I decided orange would give it some life. I couldn’t stop there though, I ended up painting the interior with black and orange with additional plans to really make it my own design. - Judy Graham-Taber, Greenville, North Carolina

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Reverse, Reverse

“I love my old truck, and to be honest, I’ve taken such good care of it that it doesn’t feel old to me. It’s a 2000's model, and I made the decision to keep it and upgrade it to make it a bit more functional for today’s world. I decided to add a backup camera because even though I’m good at it, maneuvering a honking truck in some places can be dicey. I wanted to take the stress factor out of the situation and see where my tail end was going. Since I also love trailblazing in the mountains, the backup camera addition couldn’t be more appropriate.” - Elliott Reimers, Idaho Springs, Colorado

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You Need to Chill Your Ass Out

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Image: Sojoy

“For a long time, I drove a much older car and was able to stay comfortable in it by making some changes to the inside in order to enjoy the driving experience more. Since I live in Austin, a new air conditioner that worked better was key. I also got cooling seat covers and a steering wheel cover for added comfort. These changes really made a difference and helped me to hold off on buying a new car for another year.” - Jesse Silkoff, Austin, Texas

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Fresh floors

Image for article titled Looking To Spruce up an Old Ride? Here's the Gear My Car Friends Are Buying
Image: BDK

“Found on Amazon, these floor mats come in a couple of colors, including purple which is one of my favorite colors but didn’t think my husband would like. They also come in cobalt blue. However, my Camry is a dark green so thought the orangey-red/black color I chose was the best as the color really popped. My husband loved them. I suspect he will continue to drive it until the wheels come off.” - Carol Gee,Atlanta, Georgia

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