So my birthday is a little over two months away, and while that isn't exactly tomorrow, I'm still going to be optimistic and think about buying something for my 6. Problem is, I'm not sure what I should buy first. What I've been considering:
Optimized Throttle Body: $276 -> +4 hp and +5 torque (roughly)
Spring Lowering Springs: $220 -> 1.8" drop all around
AEM Cold Air Intake: $240 -> +a few hp and torque
Injen Cold Air Intake: $227 -> +a few hp and torque
Painted Factory Style Spoiler: About $75 -> looks
Save up and get something better later on.

I'm hoping to get the DDM Slimline HID Kit from my parents as a gift as well.

So the question is: Which should I get? I'm trying to stay at about $300 or less. Hopefully I will have about that much between what I can save up between now and my birthday and what I will get for my birthday. Or do you have another suggestion?

The HP gains from any of the parts you listed will be almost nothing.

What are your plans for the car?

Suspension... so the springs and when you get a chance do the shocks. That's the BEST mod you can do first time out. Wait for power mods when you have the ability to fix the car if something goes wrong with it.

I vote for:
window-tint, then spoiler.
(after you replace your bumper of course )

Yea I would work on cosmetic stuff first. That car unfortunately is never going to be fast so adding an additional 4hp here or there is probably not going to be all that noticeable. I'd get the bumper fixed for sure and then like geo2maz said get some tint. It's a necessity on any car really not just for looks but to keep the car cool in the summer and help with sun glare.

window tint and lowering springs....there really isnt alot of horsepower to be gained off of those cars for the funds that you have and rims unless you already have some

Tint then lowering springs, with all the money you put into for the engine such as mods posted, it's not much of a gain or noticable. Having springs installed, you'll notice how much handling has improved along with strut bar and rear sway bar.

I like the tint idea

Tint for sure! First thing I did to the 8. The very first thing.

Ummm fix your bumper and fender and also fix those struts. Might want to do that before anything.

The bumper and struts aren't going to be paid for by me. My parents are going to cover that stuff. The struts once I convince them to take the car somewhere, have it inspected and have a "pro" once again tell us that they need to be replaced. And I will get the bumper and liner taken care of in a few weeks if at all possible. It's honestly not that expensive of a fix all things considered, so I'm hoping to talk them into it soon.

Thanks everyone. I'm feeling like a grille, spoiler, and tint might end up being the choice depending on how much I get. I've talked to Eric about the cost, and I'm hoping to have enough left for the spoiler and grill. I'm looking at the factory style spoiler and this grill: tadah!

RX-7 Chris wrote:The HP gains from any of the parts you listed will be almost nothing.

What are your plans for the car?

I know that the HP gains won't be huge, but that doesn't bother me a whole lot. I know there isn't much to be gained out of this car unless I end up going down the forced induction road eventually. Which I would absolutely love to do. It's all dependent on if I get a job or not. There were kits for the 6i in the past, but the places that made/sold them have since shut down. I would either need to get parts from the speed6 off ebay or do a custom build. I do believe that GPWerks is working on a kit for the 6i though. One of the moderators on Mazda6Club is working with the company on the new kit for the 6i, but they haven't been able to tune it yet because his car is out of commission (believe something is wrong with his transmission). I'm hoping if I do get a job making just minimum wage that I'll have enough for a forced induction by december, but it's unlikely. It's more of just a dream. And that would be straight up saving every penny and not spending at all, which probably wouldn't happen. I'm thinking more of getting the job to save up for some of that other stuff, like lowering springs, sway bars, wheels, intake, exhaust, etc. I know I can't do much with my car, but chances are good I will also have it for 4 years of college, so I want to make it as fun to drive as possible

Just stick with the basic shit right now man...

Here is my rule when on a budget "if it's not broken, don't fix it"

so fix your bumper, then tint, then a really good cleaning. polish up the paint, buff your wheels, clean under the car and put some undercoating. engine bay: hand clean everything, break booster, engine, plastic pieces. anything visible. and trust me that good clean will make it look better than adding a spoiler.

/my .02 cents

Hschlick84 wrote:Just stick with the basic shit right now man...

That's the plan. Most of that is just dreaming. I would like to upgrade the suspension a bit though.

alex_n/a wrote:Here is my rule when on a budget "if it's not broken, don't fix it"

so fix your bumper, then tint, then a really good cleaning. polish up the paint, buff your wheels, clean under the car and put some undercoating. engine bay: hand clean everything, break booster, engine, plastic pieces. anything visible. and trust me that good clean will make it look better than adding a spoiler.

/my .02 cents

Not saying that cleaning it won't make a difference. And I really do need to touch up the paint. There's a decent number of chips on the hood, and quite a few on the front bumper. But I really think the 6 looks soooo much better with a spoiler. I do need to clean everything really well though.

+1 on spoiler

Also, I will likely be able to do the tint, spoiler, and grille. I have a friend who wants to go on the cruise on the 13th, and I'm telling him that I'll take him along if he buys me either a spoiler or grille (both like $75 lol). So this might just happen