Remember when power windows and steering were all the rage? “And power lock brakes,” adds Robert Donnelly, an install manager for the car audio retailer Tweeter, in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. “Back then, we were [wondering] what else they could do to make this car any better. Now, any convenience you can have at home, you can have in your car; it just depends how much you want to pay for it.” And it seems that Americans don’t have any problems doling out thousands of dollars in the aftermarket industry to customize their cars to their comfort and liking.
According to the aftermarket trade group Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), approximately $27 billion was spent on car enhancements in the aftermarket.
Personal costs can range from $600 to $50,000, says Donnelly. “If you’re spending $50,000, you’re modifying a good majority of the interior — prefabricating, building panels. You can also have stand-alone DVD players, PlayStation 2, a full entertainment system, VCRs, satellite radio, and TVs in the front and in the rear.” The largest television he has ever installed was a 20-inch plasma screen. “They don’t look that big, but you put one of those in a car and all of a sudden you’re at the movie theater.” Most customers who come to his shop, however, are spending a minimum of $25,000 to $35,000.
David Fowlkes Jr. is one such enthusiast. Ever since purchasing a new Chevrolet Avalanche in 2002, the wheel designer and president of Davin Wheels has spent more than $28,000 customizing his vehicle. There are two monitors in the headrest and one in the front visor. Audio is delivered through a Clarion stereo with 11 JL audio speakers, and there are two amplifiers under the rear seats. “That gives you the whole theater sound,” he offers.
With a background in industrial design, he has enhanced his truck to very detailed specs so as not to interfere with specific functions of the vehicle. His vents are fully operational and his truck can be packed to its intended capacity. “I hate when people design things and it looks cool, but it takes away from the usability of the vehicle. I put the arm rests on the console because I don’t want it to just look pretty and not be able to lean on it.” The console extends up to the dashboard to support the PlayStation and his computer. “And I’m still not finished,” he laughs, “we’re never finished,” referring to customizing junkies.
In fact, Fowlkes says that the car customization craze is divided into two categories: those who can afford to buy (for example, a $625,000 Rolls-Royce outfitted with all of the newest technology) and those who will buy what they can afford and develop it into a ride they fancy. “When you add it up, sometimes it ends up being twice as much as what they paid for the car.” Fowlkes offers. “And in that situation, they may not have had all the money up front, so they did it piecemeal.”
Matt Figliola, owner of AI Designs in Tuckahoe, New York, caters mostly to corporate executives, or, as he calls them, “movers and shakers of business and Wall Street.” At his shop, expect to pay anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 for conveniences that facilitate business. Their most popular vehicle is the GMC Denali.
Others include the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the BMW 7 Series. More than your basic phone system, “we do the mobile office thing on a grander scale,” he explains. “Limos have fallen out of fashion. The SUV is its replacement. It’s less pretentious but lends itself to many luxury options.” Such options include tables, leg rests, satellite television, wireless Internet with download capabilities of 400K, and a 15-inch drop-down video monitor or 22-inch wide-screen television mounted to a movable partition. They can also reduce the noise level by 50% through special insulation. “We make it very rich and very private,” says Figliola.
Does it seem obsessive? For some it might. The numbers indicate that the obsession is growing, but the reasons an increasing number of car enthusiasts are customizing and personalizing their vehicles range from competitive interests to convenience. “I’m a tech head,” explains Fowlkes, who has an industrial design background, “so I like the latest technology. Sometimes it’s just a matter of ‘my system is better than yours,’ but I like to key into what’s going on in the industry and then try it out.”
You can’t ignore the cool factor — and the aftermarket explosion is yet another example of how hip-hop can impact an industry. Will Castro had been customizing cars for about 11 years before he opened his own shop in 1999 called Unique Auto Sports (www.uniqueautosport.com) in Uniondale, New York. With a clientele that includes mostly hip-hop artists and athletes, Castro has overhauled vehicles for Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beats, Timbaland, Wyclef Jean, and many others. He believes that music videos have proved to be a powerful showcase. “The drive in customization has really come from the recording artists who have really taken it over the top,” states Castro. “In the videos you have these guys who are really into cars, showing off their interiors, their rims, their TVs. Kids see that and they want it, but it’s not just kids; it’s other rappers, other athletes. They want the same things, too.”
In 2004, Castro will be expanding to launch Unique Coach Works in his newly acquired warehouse of 10,000 square feet in Holbrook, New York. There he will customize tour busses for the stars, as well as store and service their exotic cars.
During the last five years, Donnelly’s clientele has expanded from 15- to 22-year-olds all the way to a 50-year-old demographic. “We’re no longer just hitting the high school and college crowd.” He finds that aside from personalization,
convenience and comfort are heavy influences. “The reality is that people are spending as much time in their cars — and in traffic — as in their house. And keeping those little ones in the back entertained has become a big priority. So the focus is not so much on audio, but multimedia and navigation. People like to know where they’re going or have their car reroute them to get out of traffic or road construction. Most of our business for multimedia is 30 years old and up.”The growth in the aftermarket industry has caused automakers to increase the technological options available to consumers before they leave the dealership.
“You’re already seeing that more cars are coming with navigational systems,” says Donnelly. He also points out that the majority of automakers use navigational systems designed by Alpine, a company that originated in the aftermarket. “Aftermarket is actually moving into the factory. They’re taking what a lot of us high-end installers have been doing for years and making them an actual factory option right out of the gate. They’re just charging twice as much for them.” Auto companies, in some cases, are also contracting exclusive deals with manufacturers.
Mercedes-Benz offers the Motorola V60 integrated hands-free phone system, with voice-activated capabilities. It offers voice recognition that enables the driver to use verbal commands to access speed-dial numbers for their phonebook and/or dial new numbers. It is not available through the aftermarket. The Volvo XC90 and S40 will offer Dolby 5.1 Pro Logic II surround system amplified by 12 speakers in their 2004 models. “The car industry is definitely catching on to what the general public wants in their cars.” Should that be of concern to aftermarket dealers? Not according to Donnelly. As technology continues to develop and evolve, so will the options for the ever-increasing appetites of car enthusiasts.
Before You Customize:Basic Guidelines for the Car Enthusiast
Make sure that the person [hired to
quot; stresses Fowlkes. “The first system I had was trash. A person that I thought could do the work did all the wrong things.” In an industry that is not certified, word-of-mouth and research are crucial to receiving a successful customization job. “The Internet is a great place to educate yourself,” says Donnelly. “It doesn’t mean that the Internet is 100%, but it is a good learning tool, specifically on what’s available for your car.”
Fowlkes stresses the importance of having a plan. He suggests putting your dream list on paper before you get started — even if you can’t afford it at the time. “Plan out your entire system before you get started because there are things that will affect your decisions the moment you move forward,” he explains. “If you know you want a stereo and eventually a PlayStation, you will know to invest in a stereo that will accommodate a PlayStation. ” Shortsighted planning will cost you unnecessary spending in the long run.
When you find an install shop, have them go over the car physically and explain procedures and expenses before you buy anything, suggests Donnelly. “A lot of retail companies are concerned about what the end of the month’s sales look like. Tell them, ‘I’m not looking to do this right this minute. I’m just trying to get educated so I know what I can do and what kind of budget I’m looking at.'”
Be patient. “It doesn’t happen overnight,” explains Fowlkes. “A good system design can take anywhere from a month to six months. I know someone who spent $100,000 on his Hummer. He’s had it for a year and it barely has 2,000 miles on it.” Fowlkes’ 2002 Avalanche has trekked less than 15,000 miles. “I have another vehicle, so I can let that one go for a month or two at a time.”