How Much Does It Cost To Fully Customize A Car? 

As there are so many cars, with varying degrees of aftermarket parts support (from replacement parts to performance upgrades), varying degrees of parts availability due to rareness, rarity or desirability, that’s a difficult question to put a definite dollar value to.

You need to make sure it has a good base in order to really pimp a car like on these big TV shows. That means ensuring that the car is running properly, that it is not rusted to pieces, that all the suspension is in good condition and balanced, that the engine / transmission / axles are all working properly, etc. But that can easily cost anywhere from $1000 to $5000 just in parts if the car is in poor condition, let alone the cost of labor.

Add in custom modifications like paint (from $5000-$20000 for a professional job) body work (another $2000-$5000+ depending), performance modifications ($2000-$5000+ again), custom suspensions ($2000-$5000+ for hydraulics, airbags to lifted off road suspensions), wheels and tires (some wheel sets can be $10,000+ for all 4, plus another $1200-$1500 for tires for the big rim sizes), custom stereo setups with video monitors (another couple grand) and it starts to add up really quick.

These products typically cost around the price (around $20,000-$50,000) of a new car or truck. Sponsorship agreements cover a lot of the expense of the show much of the time, which is why you can see the boxes of parts with the brand logos shown prominently as they are rolled into the store during the construction scenes, all facing the camera. This is why you can see some cool modified cars with lots of company stickers on them, as they could not have afforded their own money to build the car that way (some individuals do it to appear like they still have a sponsored race car, so beware of people with more money than brains).

basic list of some things for you to consider when thinking about your budget for your next custom build.

• Collect your revenue vs. costs and decide how much you can afford to spend on building a custom car, custom truck, lowrider, or off-road vehicle.
• Would you buy the vehicle you are going to customize or will you change a vehicle you already own?
• Using programs on your computer, or on paper, create a spreadsheet that will allow you to categorize spending for your next custom build. For instance, decide how much you want to spend on the actual purchase of the vehicle or truck you want to change. For eg, you should also have a section just for the engine to list how much you estimate you need to spend on maintenance, results, and dress up, or restrict yourself to it. For the interior, body / bodywork, chassis, suspension, or everything you can think of to categorize, do the same. Do your very best to stick to your custom building’s intended budget, but try not to cut too many corners.
• For those times when the fool parking next to you opens their door too far, the cost of insuring your Custom Ride! Insurance can be very costly , especially on tall off-road vehicles, so consider this when planning your custom building budget.
• Big batches of gas are equivalent. The price of gas should certainly be taken into account in the budget for your custom construction, whether it’s a large-block engine, a large “Lead Sled,” or a large SUV.