Being a gearhead can be tough at times. We have bills to pay, mouths to feed, but at the same time, all we want to do is splash our cash on fancy car modifications so that our car better reflects our own personality and interests. OK, maybe not all the time, but a key part of being a car enthusiast is modifying your ride, and that can be a wildly expensive hobby.

Supercharger kits, split-rim alloy wheels, performance tires, coilover kits – modifications like these can easily run up bills in the thousands, and modifying a car is a job that’s never finished. Say you’ve finally saved up enough for that upgraded turbocharger, great, but that added power will no doubt now demand upgraded brakes, suspension tweaks to handle the extra speed with caution, and then there are the extra fueling and cooling demands to cover, also. It’s all a bit much, but there are a number of easy and affordable modifications to tide you over in the meantime.

Modifications like these can be carried out in a day with ease, meaning no need to buy a second car just to commute in, and no sky-high labor bills either, as you can definitely tackle these jobs on the driveway. Thanks to the ease of application and low costs involved, modifications like these are quite popular with younger and new drivers, but truth be told, all enthusiasts can get involved. Here are five of the best modifications you can carry out to inject a little of your own personality into your ride, without breaking the bank or requiring a degree in engineering. 

Having a cool-looking car is great, but it’s no good if you’re still sitting in a base-spec interior, with gray cloth seats and a peeling steering wheel. This is where you spend most of your time with your car, so it stands to reason that this is a smart place to start when modifying.

It’s really easy to inject a bit of personality here. You can upgrade those ripped and worn cloth seats for leather ones out of a higher-spec model, or if you’d prefer to, simply buy some highly rated seat covers instead. These are easy to apply, come in a wide range of colors, and you can match other parts of the interior to them afterward. For example, red seatbelt pads and a matching steering wheel cover will complement your red seat covers nicely and give the whole cabin a sportier feel. Or, if you’d prefer something a little more premium, black leather or leatherette covers and pads will achieve this finish nicely.

There’s no need to stop here either. Why not look at wrapping those interior trim pieces? Instead of scratched-up silver trim, some cheap carbon-weave vinyl wrap will help to complement a sporty interior, or try color-matching these parts to the exterior paint color. If you’re not happy with the finish, just peel it off and try something different; this is a great way to find a look that works for you.

Let’s ramp up the budget a little bit now. When it comes to making your car look a little cooler, and clearly stands out as enthusiast-owned rather than just another commuter, there is little else that has such a dramatic visual effect as changing the factory wheels. For a subtle but swankier look, you might consider throwing those steelies in the bin and instead fitting alloy wheels from a high-spec model. This is a great way of achieving a more premium look without breaking the bank, as used alloy wheels are generally quite cheap, unless you’re after something rare or in high-demand.

To inject a little more of your own personal flair, though, it might be best to look at some aftermarket options. If performance is your thing, try finding some lightweight alloys — this will reduce the unsprung mass, thus improving handling, plus it’ll provide a cool motorsport-ey look to your car. If you just want something to look its best and don’t care all too much about performance, fitting some larger alloys can help here, especially if you’re upgrading a base model with furniture castors in each arch.

The world is your oyster here; you can choose from chrome wheels, machine-polished finishes, colored centres, classic designs, daring modern looks — have a good look before settling on which style best represents you. Fitting them is generally quite easy, too. You will need to consider tires and balancing, although that’s nothing too difficult to contend with; just factor it into the budget.

For many, this is the obvious first modification to run to, as tinting windows not only transforms how the car looks from the outside, it also helps to keep the sun out, cabin temperatures down, and having your windows tinted doesn’t cost the earth either.

It is possible to tint windows yourself, ideally look for pre-cut tints that are specific to your make and model, but it’s also not too expensive, should you rather have a professional tackle it for you. It’s also worth noting that removing tints also makes just as much of a difference if you prefer that fishbowl look. This is especially true on older cars from the ’90s and early ’00s, as older applications of window tint may well be peeling and unsightly now, so removal of them is a great way of improving the car’s overall aesthetic.

Take your time, use the correct equipment, and before long, you’ll be back to factory-fresh clear windows. From here, you can either enjoy the clear look or opt for some new tints; just be sure to keep things on the legal side if you are fitting tints, as dark windows are an especially easy way to attract unwanted attention from traffic police officers.

If you grew up playing “Forza Horizon” or watching “Fast & Furious” movies, then it stands to reason that you probably can’t wait to modify your car. While seat covers and tinted windows can help, it’s under the hood where that really makes the difference. This article has already touched on how complex and expensive this can be, so we’ll be ignoring any big-power builds and engine swaps, and instead focusing on some of the more accessible performance modifications you can make to begin with.

With nothing more than a simple beginner’s toolkit, you can tackle jobs such as upgrading your factory air filter to a cone filter, swapping out your rotors and pads for performance items, and other such starter mods. Don’t expect a whole heap more real-world performance from these changes, but even incremental differences are welcome, and this is more about getting you comfortable working on your own car than it is building a street racer.

If you would like a little more grunt, though, you could always go down the route of ECU tuning. This isn’t necessarily something you do yourself, although tuning boxes are available, but that doesn’t mean it’s not easy. Many tuners will have files on hand for mainstream models, so they can be installed on your car in a matter of minutes, unlocking valuable extra horsepower without undoing a single nut or bolt. This typically costs a few hundred dollars, but it’s one of the best bang-for-buck modifications you can carry out, and if you’ve always been about speed and power, this is a great way to ensure your car channels that same energy.

Not every car enthusiast cares about 0 to 60 mph sprint times and setting lap records around the local track; others are more adventurous spirits, and it can be incredibly rewarding to modify a car to reflect this. If you’re the type of person who likes jumping out of bed early on the weekends, heading out into nature and tackling a tough trail — no matter what the weather — then a basic overlander build or similar is the perfect way of making your car feel a little more ‘you.’

As with anything, you can speak a little or a lot here, so we’ll try to focus on a wide range of ideas. While there is no need to splash out for fancy alloy wheels here –steelies look ace on a budget off-road vehicle — some chunky all-terrain tires are an almost essential first addition. If you’re not fussed about getting highly recommended all-terrain tires with the best brand names, then some budget options run fairly close to $100 per corner (size dependent, of course).

Next up, consider a cargo roof rack to load up with all your camping or hiking gear. These are fairly cheap and available from outlets like Walmart or Amazon; they also make a great location for mounting additional exterior lights as well, which are ideal for when you’re tackling the path less trodden early in the morning or late at night. Super-easy extras include all-terrain rubber floor mats, plastic light guards, mud flaps, and, most importantly, a hoard of stickers from cool locations that you visit on your many road trips.