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21 year-old spends 30k on aftermarket upgrades for new 2015 BRZ

The auto aftermarket industry is a $33 billion force in the U.S. This 21 year-old is helping by spending 30K on a $26,000 Subaru BRZ.
2015 Subaru BRZ

Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) says the automotive aftermarket industry was a $33 billion force in the U.S. economy in 2013. It’s being fueled by consumers who want to customize their vehicle and give it a personalized look. Automakers have tons of options to chose from and some like MINI offer thousands of choices for buyers.

Aftermarket industry offers more

The aftermarket industry knows this and specialty companies offer products or modifications that affects a vehicle's styling, performance, handling, security, ride, comfort or work capacity. They offer everything from custom wheels, performance tires, truck step bars and bed liners, navigation and audio systems, premium synthetic motor oil and superchargers are just a few examples. Still, there are always some buyers who want more.

BRZ buyer goes wild

A story from the Houston Chronicle tells of a 2015 Subaru BRZ buyer who wanted more from his sport coupe. According to HC, a University of Texas Dallas student bought his first new car, a Subaru BRZ for his 21st birthday. The rear-wheel-drive coupe in stock trim comes with a 200hp 2.0-liter Subaru boxer engine and provides plenty of fun for driving enthusiasts.

CHECK OUT: New 2015 Subaru BRZ Special Edition is arriving in showrooms now

Brian Jun had even more money to spend and the 21 year-old college student drove to Manassas, Virginia to have PTuning, a performance and auto service center, install one of their turbocharging kits on his new Subaru BRZ. Jun says “the BRZ's power at the wheels has nearly doubled.” Jun wasn’t finished yet and added even more performance goodies.

Jun spends 30K on his BRZ

Jun added more upgrades to his BRZ like coil-over suspension, Sparco seats, high-intensity-discharge headlights and 18-inch Volk Racing TE37 forged wheels. Jun said parts and labor for all his car's modifications come to nearly $30,000. The MSRP on the new BRZ is only $26,000, and with the aftermarket upgrades, Jun spent a total of $56,000 to get the performance he wanted.

Apparently no one told Jun that pumping all that money into his BRZ was a bad idea. The 21 year-old could have purchased a number of new cars for about the same money. A 2015 Porsche Cayman starts at 60K, 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat starts at 59K, 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 Coupe 58K and 2015 Mercedes CLA 45 AMG starts at 48K. Or he could have spent less and gotten a Nissan 370Z NISMO 42K, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR 35K, Chevy Camaro SS 34K, Subaru WRX STI 39K or BMW M235i 44K. This is just a partial list and you could come with even more.

The aftermarket performance segment grew 3.4 percent, to $8.74 billion in 2014. Thanks to enthusiasts like Brian Jun pumping 30K into his new 2015 Subaru BRZ, the industry is alive and well.

Automotive News
Performance Vehicles
Subaru

Comments

face (not verified)    February 10, 2015 - 2:59PM

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I bet you did, but guess what? Your brz in years time will be worth almost nothing. Your car is already losing tremendous value for which from stock it was a torqless, gas sipping Toyota with a decent looking body. This article is right, you could've bought something 10 times better but instead felt the need to spend 30k on a glorified rwd Prius.

brian jun (not verified)    February 10, 2015 - 7:35PM

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So by your logic people should never mod their car and make it their own but just enjoy car as it comes from dealer? Your input is invalid. And if I really cared about depreciation, do you really think I would've spent this much? I bet when I drive I get a bigger smile and joy than you driving your stock car.

face (not verified)    February 10, 2015 - 10:43PM

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Sure kid, don't worry, when regret hits you, it's going to be tough for you. Face it ricer, it's a ecobox with a hint of "sportiness" but you managed to dump 30k+ on a economy friendly rwd Camry. The FRS is already dropping in value, they have dropped almost 5k in less then 2 years. That car will end up like a 350z, every fag will have one and they won't be worth anything so yes, my logic is correct because that porcshe or evo, or maybe an 07-08 m3 would have drastically kept it's value more than some ecobox Toyota. Also, just wondering, has it REALLY not hit you yet that you have spent more than 55k on a ecobox? Exactly how much "HP" did you get from that little torqless motor?

Duh (not verified)    February 11, 2015 - 1:29PM

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Haters gonna hate. Let the man drop however much he wants on his car. Its not like he is making you drive and/or pay for it. Your taste doesn't have to be his. And clearly, you haven't spend any time working on modifying cars. Who thinks they are getting that money back? Who buys a car and the next thought is resale? Duh.

Enthusiast (not verified)    September 29, 2015 - 12:38AM

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First of...you come off as a gigantic dick lol which is your own fault and probably the general consensus. Secondly, he doesn't care about Porsches and all...they cost a lot to maintain, they draw attention BECAUSE they are expensive cars, insurance for a 21yr old would be crazy! He's a smart kid! You fail to realize other factors. Such as, The FRS/BRZ are cars that were built specifically for tuners! They are made to be super easy to work on and maintain. The motor will rarely have problems. Insurance will be cheap, they are economical, crazy fun to drive, look amazing, parts are cheap, and they are affordable! Perfect for a 21yr old...imagine if someone did a hit and run to you, would you wish you were driving a Toyota or a Porsche? If you say Porsche... You're just letting your ego not get butt hurt. He has a cheap affordable car that he can maintain himself with the performance of a high end car. When he kills a Porsche owner off the line...he laughs his ass of cuz the guy probably thought "psssh its a Toyota" funny thing is is that the Porsche drivers face when he gets beat will probably look like yours when you read this LOL!!! Im looking into getting a G37S or a BRZ...test drove both. BRZ was much much more fun to drive. Even with the power being at 200 compared to the 330 in the G. It was so much more exciting to drive...that I will be picking up my BRZ tomorrow! Lol Sometimes people just love the simple things in life!

CTPD68 (not verified)    September 29, 2015 - 11:09AM

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Excuse me Son, Not sure why I received a very Ignorant, threatening and disrespectful email, but I am a State Trooper in PA and this will be handed over to out Investigation Department. Learn about Social Media. Use it the Correct way or it could get you in a lot of trouble. You will be hearing back shortly.

mlv (not verified)    December 27, 2016 - 4:45PM

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Its basic logic, you can be more comfortable, and almost just as fast in a BMW or Porsche. its pretty much flushing away 60k. after 5 years and 100k that car is worth nothing. 5 years in another car will have you walking away with a lot more cash. its obvious. so yeah 60k on a toyota....even if the car had ridiculous performance its a no go.

Shane (not verified)    February 20, 2015 - 3:44PM

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Prius? It's red first off he dosnt have the Prius tires anymore for sure....and he likes the brz 30k is overkill I must say he could have just got internals and a vortech been at over 300rwhp in a 2800lb car for less than 10k, then the suspension and brakes could be under $3000 if he was willing to instail 300zx brakes(they somehow fit perfectly on the brz)...which would allow him to get some quality suspension parts...you can get a used brz in perfect condition for as low as 18k so that plus the after market parts would still be less a brand new brz limited from the dealership...case clooooosed

brian jun (not verified)    February 10, 2015 - 12:47PM

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Hey Denis, I am the owner of the car you are talking about. However, by your logic, everyone should buy the priciest cars they could afford and never mod. I disagree. It is the joy of building my car and interacting with other car enthusiasts that makes me a car enthusiasts. Its people like you who bring shame on the car community.

Luke Adams (not verified)    February 10, 2015 - 2:31PM

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This is the worst article I have read. Not only is the brz one of the funniest cars to drive, but also are you telling people to not buy an older cars such cars as a Honda s2000, bmw e46 m3, or a toyota supra (any year). Some of the best cars you can find for under 15k and put 35k into them for mods making that almost nearly what BJUN spent on his brz. I'll put my money in any of those cars before I go but myself a new Bmw, or a hellcat...This article comes across to me as someone who is jealous or just flat out criticizing someone who loves a certain car..keep building Brian! You've got a whole community behind you!

brian jun (not verified)    February 10, 2015 - 7:45PM

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Thanks man! I'm loving all the support I am getting from car enthusiasts from all over!! At first when this article came out I was bit disappointed but everyone was supportive. Thanks again!

Simmo Ace (not verified)    February 11, 2015 - 5:12PM

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The problem with your statement is " is the joy of building my car and interacting with other car enthusiasts that makes me a car enthusiasts". You haven't built $hit, therefore what you've done is ultimately the same as going out and buying the most expensive car you can afford. I only respect real builders, not posers :) This article is useless!

Denis Flierl    February 14, 2015 - 7:02PM

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Hey Brian, I waited to respond because it's important for me to read all the comments here. What I like most about the tuner community and automotive world is the passion that there is for the subject. If it weren't for people like you and all the people who responded here, there would be no need for performance cars. What I have come to realize, there is no right and wrong when it comes to performance cars. There are many different ways to look at tuning a car and it's all what makes the person building the car happy. I did the same thing at your age, but only wish I wouldn't have sold the car. If I could only give you one piece of advice, it would be to keep your BRZ and never sell it! If you do, someday you will be sorry you did...Thanks for reading!

Roberto morales (not verified)    February 10, 2015 - 3:13PM

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l agree with a majority of the grease monkeys out in the world. Nothing compares to getting your hands dirty, working late nights, and the trials to make a car your own. Sure anyone can go out and buy a fast car, but, knowing that you built the car to your own specifications makes up for it. Yeah you can have a flashy exotic car like a Porsche, Ferrari, etc. but how did you make it your own. People like this writer will never understand because they just see the price and not the end result. Keep it going Jun for all the modifiers out there.

brian jun (not verified)    February 10, 2015 - 7:44PM

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Thank you for understanding. People like you who understand and I can interact with at carmeets is why I build cars and still am a car enthusiast! I don't mind the hate but just think its disgusting what the author wrote.

brian jun (not verified)    February 10, 2015 - 7:52PM

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Oh and in case anyone hasn't noticed that blue brz isn't mine you guys can check out my build at @brz_bjun on instagram!

Lee (not verified)    February 11, 2015 - 12:08AM

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I'm not knocking anyone for what they choose to do with their money or any guys who are out there doing what they enjoy when it comes to cars. Some like to mod cheaper cars and others prefer to buy more car right off the bat. At the end of the day we're all car guys and have more in common than you'd think. My personal preference is to buy more car and then mod it. But that's from my track experiences. I personally feel like, as hard as you try, you can't make a cat into a dog. So might as well start with the animal you want to begin with and shape it later. I'm always amazed though when I pull into a gas station with my supercharged/wide body NSX and a guy in a civic comes up to me freaking out and telling me it was his dream car he can't afford. Then I'd see he had more money in his civic than I had in my nsx. I rarely said anything but a few times it went that way when they volunteered what they had in their build and I told them what I had in my NSX. Often times it left them pretty puzzled. I have to tell you though that from owning exotics and spending time with guys who own them... You're very wrong if you think we don't work on our own cars bc they're exotics. My current dd is a 911 C4S, which I don't consider an exotic, (like NSX more but this fits my kids in the back), and I do all my own maintenance and mods in my garage with my bare hands. Just bc I can afford to buy more car doesn't mean I don't like getting my hands dirty. I'd actually say that bc I sit at a desk all day in an office I probably look forward to wrenching on my car than most people do. On the other hand I thinks it's great when people buy less car and do their thing and make it into something more. It's the fun of working on the car that's addictive and becomes some peoples hobby so why chastise them for it. I'll agree that my Porsche will depreciate less and eventually will appreciate like my NSXes have but you can't always put a price on decision making and the joy you get out of something. This guy has decided that he's willing to spend 56 on this car and that's what it's worth to him. If he has the money why just his balls for it. At his age... If he has the money to do it more power to him. He might decide if he looses too much on it that he might take a different approach next time. He might decide he's totally happy with what he's done and he'd never do it any other way. If everyone did the same thing and bought the same car... What fun would that be.

Lee (not verified)    February 11, 2015 - 12:16AM

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Regarding depreciating values. There is a class of car that is immune. I've owned 4 NSXes over the years. I've sold all of them for more than I initially paid. One I even sold for more than I had in the car and the mods. Thats owning them for 6 or so years as dd's and putting a lot of miles on them. Look at the price of a Porsche 996 right now. You can snag one for 19-32 depending on which version you get (little more for turbo) and then go look at 993s. 993s were selling for 20 not so long ago and now they've gone up 3-5 times that in the last few years. So sure a new porsche is going to depreciate but it's slower and it hits a bottom and then eventually goes up. Just go try buying an old Ferrari or Porsche and look at the prices.

James (not verified)    February 11, 2015 - 1:36AM

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The author of this article will never be able to call himself a real "car enthusiast" if this is how he feels about that BR-Z. Props to the guy who built it. If I had that kind of money to spend on my FR-S I'd do it in a heartbeat.

face (not verified)    February 11, 2015 - 10:54AM

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I bet you would dump 30k+ on a ecobox but let me tell you something phag, if it's not a sports car stock, it ain't gonna be one with 30k dumped into it. You just essentially turn a ecobox into a "why would he do that to a ecobox commuter" car. No point and it's a shameless waste of money because at the end of the day, it's still a Toyota.