Hopefully a future Yaris owner near Chicago, IL

[wiirenet]

Hello! I've been researching what kind of car I want for a few months now and I finally decided on the Yaris, at least, from an internet standpoint heh.. I haven't actually sat down in one yet but I've seen them driving around.

I was wondering if anyone near my area is on this forum and could advise me on a good dealer? I am pretty sure I want a new one. I'm in Illinois. I live in Roselle, work in Schaumburg, hang out near Carol Stream.. its all towns about an hour away from Chicago. And if someone says they work/know a good dealer in Chicago.. I will take the hour drive there to check it out.


Also, aside from that, I am wondering if any of you people who know about car modding (the window tinting, painting, etc) live near me too?

I've been driving my dad's old used car since I started driving and never cared what it looked like. Now I am getting excited about getting a new car and have spent hours on this forum looking at all the little things you can do to your cars... wow, I never cared about cars until about a month ago... but now I am really excited about making my car more personal.

I want a black yaris, but every dealer pic online I've seen on them- I don't really find the interior color that nice. Its looks like a bland gray. I would love a dark rich black, do yari even exist with a black interior or can you get it changed?

With regards to other things like tinting and painting- I know I can't figure this stuff out myself, and don't even trust myself to try by myself... I would love to have a car-smart buddy to chat about this stuff with. Even better, someone who knows where I could get stuff done in the Chicago area for a good price, or would do it for me (obviously, I will pay)

I am interested in stuff like legally tinting windows and smoke out lights, I also am considering either car decals or a paint job on the outside just to make it more personal. Also, painting where the radio and console is I would be interested in too. And idk, anything else that I like. There are probably things you can do to a car that I don't even know you can do, so it would be great to know someone who can give me ideas.


Thanks for reading =)

[staypuft]

yay another person in the chicagoland area. welcome to the forum, i know some good body shops for painting, if you want, i can help you out with most yaris bolt ons. some good dealerships are elmhurst and oakbrook around that area.

[wiirenet]

Hello, thanks for the reply! (and lol, I used to be obsessed with ghostbusters a few years ago haha... ray and his staypuft <3)

So I tried googling what bolt ons are (I am a total noob) something about exhausts and pipes? I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be doing anything really hardcore, really just aesthetic things. I will prob have to do some research on what I can/should be doing... I am not car-savvy, into racing, or anything.. just a girl who wants her car to look how she likes. I don't want to accidentally pick some hubcaps that look cool to me and find out only hip hop kids or racers use that design heh. But I have seen some wicked hubcaps on this forum.

Heres a dumb question to a car person... are hubcaps, rims, and spinners just different names for the same thing, or are they different..?

Is a body shop where I could go for tinting or smoke out lights? Or can a dealer do those things?
I did some more searching/thinking about what I want to do to the exterior-

I don't think painting is the right thing. I want just a simple design of swirls, similar to this
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13968201
Just shorter, so maybe I could just look up custom car decals online. (I assume car decals have to be a different material then wall decals) and not bother a professional to do a paint job.

What have you done to your car? Are your pics posted somewhere?
Have you ever changed the lighting of the radio/dashboard of your car? I was looking at the tutorial here and think it would be awesome to have unique lights inside your car... but I would be too afraid to try to do this myself.

Sorry for the long post, I am getting excited about my car =) I'm putting up a for-sale sign on my old junk Monday and hopefully I'll get rid of that soon and get more money for my YARIS!

oh edit, I went tried elmhurst college for a year, so I've been in that area.. I will def check that dealer out.

[staypuft]

check out my garage, i listed all my mods there, bolt ons meaning anything that just bolts on the car with little-no modification. some people want stuff painted on their car others do vinyl graphics. it really up to you.

[wiirenet]

Oo cool, thanks, the LED A/C Control Lights and LED Map and Dome Lights, did you just change the lights to make them brighter or change the colors?
I'm probably going to be interested in changing the color of as much as I can of the controls in the center like the a/c. I am guessing you just made your map/dome lights brighter or something not changed the color?

I see your hubcaps are green, have you painted anything inside the car too?

[staypuft]

Oo cool, thanks, the LED A/C Control Lights and LED Map and Dome Lights, did you just change the lights to make them brighter or change the colors?
I'm probably going to be interested in changing the color of as much as I can of the controls in the center like the a/c. I am guessing you just made your map/dome lights brighter or something not changed the color?

I see your hubcaps are green, have you painted anything inside the car too?

no those are rims, not hubcaps, the leds i swapped out to cool white, i'll most likely be painting the center console a dark grey cuz that silver annoys me

[kuyachris84]

you won't regret it when you get your yaris and good to see another person from illinois!

Hit me up if you wanna meet sometime and you can check out my yaris, I don't live far from shaumburg... about 25-30 minutes.

I know a cheap tint shop by my area in crystal lake if you're interested too. In Illinois it's illegal to tint the front driver and passenger side windows but I see so many cars that are tinted. Mine is tinted just 50%... (the lower the "%"..the darker the tint)... so it isn't too dark but dark enough so that the sun doesn't blind the hell outta me. My rear windows are tinted 35% around the back. ^^

[wiirenet]

Thanks for the reply, I'll prob message you sometime for the info about the tint shop. I'm (hopefully) getting a guy to smoke my tail lights out, but Ive been spending too much money so should prob wait on the windows. How much did it cost? I dont think Ill take the chance to do the front, just the back.

edit:
Looking at your profile, oh cool I see you have the eyelids! I want them too eventually. Did you get them from micro image? And you have the black sand pearl.. Happen to have any paint left lol? I assume the dealer only sells it in large quantities.. don't really want to waste money since I assume eyelids need so little paint.

[mrbond]

Nice, another Yaris hatch in the west suburbs! I'm out in Naperville, and I'd be down for helping you with bolt-ons as well...and perhaps some fabrication as well. I hang out in Carol Stream every friday night.