It's not exactly uncommon to modify your car in one way or another, particularly if you're a car enthusiast. Throughout the years, there have been various trends of car modification that came and went. It would seem as though nowadays, stancing, rat rods, bolt-on widebodies, and extremely deep dished rims are all the rage.
But, around two decades ago, people took very different approaches when modifying cars. Back then, they were all the rage, thanks in part due to The Fast and The Furious, but nowadays, it's all just a good laugh. These car mods used to be extremely popular, but are now just plain sad.
10 Neon Underglow
The classic Need for Speed Underground/Fast & Furious modification, particularly in the early 2000s. Today, however, neon just seems a bit like you're trying way too hard for people to notice you. Or you're trying way too hard to make your uncool car cool. This Dodge Dart certainly wasn't made less uncool. Rather more, we'd say.
While neon certainly isn't going out of fashion among Lamborghini owners in Japan, it's just not a good idea with the current mod trends to have fitted to your car, regardless of what it is.
9 Hideous Over-The-Top Bodykits
These days, anything with bolt-on fender flares and some splitters and winglets count as a bodykit. Not so 15 years ago. Bodykits back then transformed your car totally... for good and bad.
If today is an arms race who can stick a bigger carbon wing, splitter, and diffuser on their car, back in the day, it was who had the most creases, holes, and curves in the bumpers and wing.
8 Stickerbombs Everywhere
For reasons beyond us, at one point a few years ago, it was very cool to cover just about every surface of your car in a barrage of stickers. These stickers would not have anything to do with each other, and they'd be plastered anywhere without any type of cohesion.
Nowadays though, all this type of modification would do is make people laugh. It was a very short-lived mod, but it's no longer a cool thing to do. Hear that, Grand Theft Auto Online?
7 Ridiculous Audio Systems
15 to 20 years ago, one of the most important modifications that a car needed to have was a booming audio system. Custom trimmed trunks and cargo areas filled with speakers, televisions, amplifiers, or even game consoles in some rare cases.
These days, though, all an audio system of this caliber will lead to is a lot of judgment and laughs from people that look at you.
6 Plasti-Dip
Plasti-dip, the miracle removable/peelable paint material became very popular among modified car owners in the early 2010s.
Pretty soon, the Internet turned plasti-dip into a complete joke, mostly by making fun of some owners who counted plasti-dipping their badge as a big mod for their car.
5 Unnecessarily Massive And Loud Exhausts
Petrol particulate filters would like a word with you. While adding a custom exhaust system to your car is a pretty good mod, as it enhances the engine sound and it opens up the engine as a whole, allowing it to make a bit more power.
However, there's also those exhaust pipes, available for a great price(!) on eBay, or at AutoZone, and a 100% guarantee that your neighbors and every person on the street will hate you. These "fart cans" are especially popular among some Civic owners, it would seem.
4 Chrome Wraps
Unlike some of the other mods on this list, some people still do this. It has always been sad, from the moment it was discovered, till the present day.
As well as never looking good, chrome wraps also reflect sun directly into the windshield, preventing the driver from seeing the road properly, which is just a tad bit dangerous... right?
3 Bizarre Decal Jobs
The Golf pictured is actually a better example of a decal job, as at least it's somewhat cool-looking. In the early 2000s, however, it was a totally different story.
Just about any type of decal design was cool at the time, but nowadays, they are just absolutely hilarious. Of course, none of those decal designs were complete without a slew of aftermarket part decals.
2 Massive Wings
Now, of course, there is the argument that wings have their own purpose. They provide downforce, they keep the car stable, and provided that they're tasteful, they look pretty cool.
The problem is, sticking unnecessarily massive wings on cars like that Ford Focus has no real purpose, except it makes you look a bit ridiculous.
1 Scissor Doors
Scissor doors first appeared on Lamborghini models in the 70s, and since then, they have become one of their defining features. Well, on the V12 models anyway.
The problem came in the early 2000s when certain companies started making scissor doors for the masses, and just about every Civic and Sentra back then had scissor doors, and nowadays it looks ridiculous.
Car modification trends are always changing. But, no matter what happens in the future, we'll always look back on these mods, and tons more, as a reminder that even though they are sad nowadays, they were the way to go a few years ago.