The custom car accessory craze and you.

Hey…I bet you didn’t know that there’s a $17 billion custom car accessory market rumbling along quietly in the background. 

It’s not dominated by East L.A. low riders or kids and their tricked out Japanese cars with bolt-on modifications, and who may spend a couple a grand.  No, they're now being replaced by baby boomers with money to spend, and spend it they do – upwards to 10, 20, 30 thousand dollars or more on Louis Vuitton headliners or 5,000-watt audio systems. 

What’s driving this custom car accessory craze?

Well, it’s the need to personalize your ride, your wheels, to make a statement…man!

Look-a-like, assembly-line cars are so, so mundane, monotonous and boring!

So much so that there’s a whole cottage industry of custom car accessory customization shops that have cropped up that will take your car and add stuff to it, like styling products, including body kits, aerodynamic ground effects and grille inserts for starters...and make it your very own personal ride.  

Make a personal statement.

Many in the auto industry have taken notice of this custom car accessory trend and a few car manufacturers now offer custom-look upgrade options.

The hottest cars and trucks on the market today are now built for ease of installation with these custom car accessories in mind.

There are many custom car accessory modifications you can do from installing simple appearance enhancers and performance parts to more complex and costly modifications, like high-end paint jobs, 22 in. rims, brake enhancements, suspension components, mobile electronics and performance parts, like cold-air intake exhaust systems.

Even new cars straight from dealers' lots are having factory components replaced and specialty add-ons installed. Some car dealerships are making a conscious effort to capitalize on this trend by offering custom car accessory or personalized vehicle enhancement services to their standard offerings.

...But keep it simple.

A major note of caution is needed here, though, because…yeah…custom car accessory customization is cool and eye appealing, but it can also be highly personal, depending on what you do.

And this, my friend, may kill the resale value of your ride.

Keep it simple.

You may have a hard time trying to sell your tricked out vehicle when the time comes.

So if you have plans on selling your car down the road, you may think twice about getting that lime green paint job with orange flames on the sides and white rims for your wheels.

Just a thought!