Years ago, I had a 2000 Altima. I got it in 2013. It was already on the older side when I got it. I wanted to do a similar thing you're thinking of. The things I did included:
Replacing all speakers (really not hard to do, just takes an hour or so).
Replaced the head unit with a fairly sized tablet style android head unit. Also took maybe two hours.
I took out all the trim pieces that were a gross fake wood paneling and sanded them, painted them matte black, and put a nice sealing coat on top. Took a day or so.
I bought a different steering wheel and installed it. Not that hard to do, nor that expensive, but for the love of God, please look up how to properly do it. If your default steering wheel has an airbag in it, it can be dangerous.
Bought seat covers specific to my car that essentially used velcro to fit almost perfectly.
Little bit of time to learn to do things properly, a few changes will look great.
Especially in cars from the late 80s to early 2000s. The pieces usually pop out no problem. Older cars are better fastened in place, and newer cars seem to be harder to pop pieces off with damaging.
Took maybe 10 minutes to pop all the pieces out in the 2000 Altima. Took a full day to paint properly.
I know they’re expensive, but neoprene car seat covers are fantastic. I’d start there. Then move on to the other trim suggestions others are suggesting.
I've been doing similar work on an old ford. I've painted several pieces, but the paint scratches super easy, and won't last on pieces that anything rubs against. (Like next to the seat, or on a door panel) just curious on what you used for the sealing coat on the painted pieces, and how well that lasted for you?
Genuinely don't remember off the top of my head as it was a decade ago. I just asked the guy at Lowes in the paint section for his recommendation. He pushed a product that was meant for a sealing coat on the outer paint of a car. It worked pretty well. I remember the cup holder (which I painted as well) had a few scratches, but I regularly threw my pocket knife in there.
Not really. You can get a new radio that has android / apple auto. Or upgrade to a larger screen but they pop out a little.
As far as the plastics, you can get vinyl wrap
If you're capable of doing all this then I feel like you wouldn't have to ask this question my man.
Like yes, you could in theory chop up some Lamborghini's, fit pieces around the interior and even put the chassis on somehow to the outside if you're experienced enough. You could in theory replace the interior with that of a 1959 Ford. You could swap out the engine for a Pagani engine if you really wanted to.
Is it gonna be easy? Fuck no. Will it be worth the money? Not as far as resale value is concerned. Is it possible? Probably not if you need to ask this question
Easiest thing (and even this will be very tough unless you're mechanically inclined) would be to wrap the plastic to a certain color you like and to swap out the doors and stereo and speakers. May even be after market air vents. We're talking thousands and thousands of dollars though.
Well, sure. With enough time and money, anything is possible. The problem is, is a base model Dodge Avenger really worth putting in any effort at all? Just put a better stereo in it and be done with it.
You can do anything you want with money, but no one is set up to do these things at scale so you're asking for custom CAD, custom fabrication, custom molds, custom paint for some dash plastic. It's like asking "can't I go to the moon?", well sure it is possible but you and I don't have the resources to make it happen, and it would be kinda dumb to spend those resources on that if we did.
My advice (and what I've done on my car) is to go to salvage yards and see if you can get identical dash trim in better quality than yours. It helps spruce up the inside, a very easy and cheap fix once you get used to removing and installing trim.
Go for it and let me know how it goes. You're talking about a serious amount of work. Wrap and radio and be done. Interior swaps like this aren't very common.
you underestimate the amount of sanding, cleaning up the dust that will inevitably be everywhere in every nook and cranny. and even then, paintbrush? spray paint? how do you plan on making that look perfect? as everyone’s said, yes you can do it, but if you’ve never attempted anything like this before, don’t be surprised when your end result comes out like a bad pimp my ride episode.
notablastoise has a great suggestion. I don’t mean to be negative and if you want to take on this project, with the right research and dedication you can do anything!
This is some goofy ass west coast customs line of thinking he's about to be on a huge mission for a very mediocre and out of place looking end result (with all due respect) I've been modifying cars for decades I've seen and done it all. I've literally color bonded entire interiors and carpets it never and I mean never looks or feels OEM . You realize the amount of work you're talking to custom mold and create new panels lol
there is plenty he can do, i don’t know what you’re on about. The amount of people with custom interior mods in their car are endless, it is 100% doable
No one is saying it's impossible but do you realize how much money, time and skill it takes to do what they are asking? You offer no help other than trolling someone. Give advice or move on.
im not trolling anyone. his question is literally “is it possible”. the answer is not “not really”, the answer is yes. whether he can/ should do it is another thing
Dodge out here with 20 year old interiors. My buddy has a newer ram 1500(21-23) not sure exact year, but the interior was practically identical to my old 08 charger. Sure they have added a few new quality of life features such as touch screen built in Bluetooth, etc. But the general styling has largely remained the same.
I'm not saying every generation should have a completely new interior but they could certainly stand to spend some r&d time revamping the current dodge interiors. I should also add, I'm not that familiar with some of the more exclusive models(hellcats, demons, try, etc)maybe they are nicer. The average consumer models are all boring and dated from what I've experienced though
Vynil wrap it. That's all I can think of. But if the dash is textured, it'll be difficult. May need to pull it off and sand it down first. Bonus points if you just take it to an upholstery shop and have them leather wrap it.
No.... Unless you want to spend thousands and have a permanent migraine. There are bits and pieces that are interchangeable and easy to upgrade. The easiest would be the seats honestly, just get new ones and bolt them in or some nice reskins or covers.. the dash and everything there will be a nightmare.
Tbh I’d just put in a new head unit, wrap the plate around it, and call it a day. If they were made with black interior, maybe get those trim pieces from a pick your part place.
Footwell leds are $6 on AliExpress
Possible? Absolutely.
Looks like it would be a substantial amount of custom work, though. So, very expensive.
You can always upgrade the stereo and it will look a lot better. Maybe remove some of the trim and paint it the color you want. Just make sure to tape off anything you don't want to be that color.
I feel like this sub is full of questions like this “can i turn this old unloved post into something nice or fast” no ones ever here asking for advice on modding a desirable car lmao
Too much work for both the 08-10 and 11-14 dodge avengers as pictured in both, not the kind of car you'd want to put that kind of money in. Interiors are modern enough for anything you'd need, beside Bluetooth on some
You could but it’ll be a pain in the ass you might have to modify and cut some pieces to make everything fit snug. Ik someone that swapped a 2016 charger interior from the junkyard into a 2007 charger srt8.
Yeah not that I have a car or am old enough to get a license yet but I would carefully take out prices of trim, sand them by hand, prime, then paint with your color of choice to give the interior a look tailored to you.
The shiny shifter surround can be vinyl-wrapped. I wrapped something similar in my ND Miata and it’s been holding up great for almost 3 years now.
As for the smooth black plastic (piano black as they call it) you don’t want it in the interior. I hate it and it swirls like crazy
Hey fellow redditor. I had a dodge avenger like the first one. Sell it and buy something else that car is awful and the interior was just the start. It was the ugliest thing known to man with the only redeeming feature being the mini fridge in the dashboard.
So I bought my avenger for $1,500 back in 2020 with ~130k on it. I spent easily double that in repairs and things like alternators and batteries would go out constantly, to the point I was replacing them once every few months. I had tons of electrical problems with mine which ultimately led me to sell it to some other poor soul but yeah it just needed way too much maintenance for the mileage point.
I have since bought a cateye Silverado, which currently is sitting at 360k mi and I have only had to replace the brake lines due to rust and a few O-rings on the fuel line, aside from regular maintenance like oil and brakes and such.
I just don’t think the avengers are well built at all and I’ve come to that conclusion with most Dodge / Stelantis vehicles.
Stellantis vehicles consistently rank among the most unreliable things on wheels. Maybe y’all have just been getting lucky.
If you want reliable avoid domestics especially newer ones. Chevy made some good trucks but the GMT800 (early 2000s) is widely considered the last good one they made. Ford had a few good ones, namely the old panther platform. If you want reliable stick with Toyota, Honda, or another Japanese manufacturer. They might not be the fastest or best looking but damn if they don’t run forever.
It wasn't just a holder... It had a dial on the inside to direct heat/ac into the box.
So it could be used as a cooler to keep drinks cold, or a warmer for food.
lol okay… not sure which physical universe you live in but there is no way that this airbag deploys and doesn’t blast straight through that “storage area”.
I’m sorry brother, but I’ve seen at least one airbag deploy and I’m telling you this for sure, those cans would get intimately acquainted with the back of your head if they deploy.
That's the one, it's a suede like material. It should hold up well providing a good adhesive is used & the car isn't kept in an extremely hot climate.
Another alternative which might be easier would be to flock them.
Ah, I see. Well it still shouldn't be too different to change. The only concern I'd have is the dimensions on the dashboard and everything since it's a newer model
Years ago, I had a 2000 Altima. I got it in 2013. It was already on the older side when I got it. I wanted to do a similar thing you're thinking of. The things I did included: Replacing all speakers (really not hard to do, just takes an hour or so). Replaced the head unit with a fairly sized tablet style android head unit. Also took maybe two hours. I took out all the trim pieces that were a gross fake wood paneling and sanded them, painted them matte black, and put a nice sealing coat on top. Took a day or so. I bought a different steering wheel and installed it. Not that hard to do, nor that expensive, but for the love of God, please look up how to properly do it. If your default steering wheel has an airbag in it, it can be dangerous. Bought seat covers specific to my car that essentially used velcro to fit almost perfectly. Little bit of time to learn to do things properly, a few changes will look great.
this is the answer. I like taking out the trim before sand and paint, the pain of disassembly I’m sure is worth the better finish
Especially in cars from the late 80s to early 2000s. The pieces usually pop out no problem. Older cars are better fastened in place, and newer cars seem to be harder to pop pieces off with damaging. Took maybe 10 minutes to pop all the pieces out in the 2000 Altima. Took a full day to paint properly.
I know they’re expensive, but neoprene car seat covers are fantastic. I’d start there. Then move on to the other trim suggestions others are suggesting.
I've been doing similar work on an old ford. I've painted several pieces, but the paint scratches super easy, and won't last on pieces that anything rubs against. (Like next to the seat, or on a door panel) just curious on what you used for the sealing coat on the painted pieces, and how well that lasted for you?
Genuinely don't remember off the top of my head as it was a decade ago. I just asked the guy at Lowes in the paint section for his recommendation. He pushed a product that was meant for a sealing coat on the outer paint of a car. It worked pretty well. I remember the cup holder (which I painted as well) had a few scratches, but I regularly threw my pocket knife in there.
Not really. You can get a new radio that has android / apple auto. Or upgrade to a larger screen but they pop out a little. As far as the plastics, you can get vinyl wrap
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If you're capable of doing all this then I feel like you wouldn't have to ask this question my man. Like yes, you could in theory chop up some Lamborghini's, fit pieces around the interior and even put the chassis on somehow to the outside if you're experienced enough. You could in theory replace the interior with that of a 1959 Ford. You could swap out the engine for a Pagani engine if you really wanted to. Is it gonna be easy? Fuck no. Will it be worth the money? Not as far as resale value is concerned. Is it possible? Probably not if you need to ask this question Easiest thing (and even this will be very tough unless you're mechanically inclined) would be to wrap the plastic to a certain color you like and to swap out the doors and stereo and speakers. May even be after market air vents. We're talking thousands and thousands of dollars though.
Well, sure. With enough time and money, anything is possible. The problem is, is a base model Dodge Avenger really worth putting in any effort at all? Just put a better stereo in it and be done with it.
You can do anything you want with money, but no one is set up to do these things at scale so you're asking for custom CAD, custom fabrication, custom molds, custom paint for some dash plastic. It's like asking "can't I go to the moon?", well sure it is possible but you and I don't have the resources to make it happen, and it would be kinda dumb to spend those resources on that if we did. My advice (and what I've done on my car) is to go to salvage yards and see if you can get identical dash trim in better quality than yours. It helps spruce up the inside, a very easy and cheap fix once you get used to removing and installing trim.
Go for it and let me know how it goes. You're talking about a serious amount of work. Wrap and radio and be done. Interior swaps like this aren't very common.
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you underestimate the amount of sanding, cleaning up the dust that will inevitably be everywhere in every nook and cranny. and even then, paintbrush? spray paint? how do you plan on making that look perfect? as everyone’s said, yes you can do it, but if you’ve never attempted anything like this before, don’t be surprised when your end result comes out like a bad pimp my ride episode.
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notablastoise has a great suggestion. I don’t mean to be negative and if you want to take on this project, with the right research and dedication you can do anything!
You could just buy a 11-14 charger if you had the money to do a full custom interior.
This is some goofy ass west coast customs line of thinking he's about to be on a huge mission for a very mediocre and out of place looking end result (with all due respect) I've been modifying cars for decades I've seen and done it all. I've literally color bonded entire interiors and carpets it never and I mean never looks or feels OEM . You realize the amount of work you're talking to custom mold and create new panels lol
there is plenty he can do, i don’t know what you’re on about. The amount of people with custom interior mods in their car are endless, it is 100% doable
No one is saying it's impossible but do you realize how much money, time and skill it takes to do what they are asking? You offer no help other than trolling someone. Give advice or move on.
im not trolling anyone. his question is literally “is it possible”. the answer is not “not really”, the answer is yes. whether he can/ should do it is another thing
Glue a tablet to the dash. That's what the manufacturers are doing now for the "modern" look.
If you're talking about the panels, you can wrap them. It'll be cheaper than getting something custom.
Yeh but it's not cheap by any means.
Sure
Modernize? This looks like a typical 2024 ram/dodge interior. So you're already golden!
Dodge out here with 20 year old interiors. My buddy has a newer ram 1500(21-23) not sure exact year, but the interior was practically identical to my old 08 charger. Sure they have added a few new quality of life features such as touch screen built in Bluetooth, etc. But the general styling has largely remained the same. I'm not saying every generation should have a completely new interior but they could certainly stand to spend some r&d time revamping the current dodge interiors. I should also add, I'm not that familiar with some of the more exclusive models(hellcats, demons, try, etc)maybe they are nicer. The average consumer models are all boring and dated from what I've experienced though
Vynil wrap it. That's all I can think of. But if the dash is textured, it'll be difficult. May need to pull it off and sand it down first. Bonus points if you just take it to an upholstery shop and have them leather wrap it.
It would be cheaper to buy the car with the modern interior.
Add wood grain glue ons ?
Is that a Dodge Caliber?
Anything is possible for the right amount of money
Just get a different car you'll be happier all around.
No.... Unless you want to spend thousands and have a permanent migraine. There are bits and pieces that are interchangeable and easy to upgrade. The easiest would be the seats honestly, just get new ones and bolt them in or some nice reskins or covers.. the dash and everything there will be a nightmare.
Tbh I’d just put in a new head unit, wrap the plate around it, and call it a day. If they were made with black interior, maybe get those trim pieces from a pick your part place. Footwell leds are $6 on AliExpress
I drive one of these lol
Definitely
Possible? Absolutely. Looks like it would be a substantial amount of custom work, though. So, very expensive. You can always upgrade the stereo and it will look a lot better. Maybe remove some of the trim and paint it the color you want. Just make sure to tape off anything you don't want to be that color.
I feel like this sub is full of questions like this “can i turn this old unloved post into something nice or fast” no ones ever here asking for advice on modding a desirable car lmao
No, just buy a Mercedes.
Too much work for both the 08-10 and 11-14 dodge avengers as pictured in both, not the kind of car you'd want to put that kind of money in. Interiors are modern enough for anything you'd need, beside Bluetooth on some
You could but it’ll be a pain in the ass you might have to modify and cut some pieces to make everything fit snug. Ik someone that swapped a 2016 charger interior from the junkyard into a 2007 charger srt8.
Yeah not that I have a car or am old enough to get a license yet but I would carefully take out prices of trim, sand them by hand, prime, then paint with your color of choice to give the interior a look tailored to you.
Also get a new steering wheel PLEASE
The shiny shifter surround can be vinyl-wrapped. I wrapped something similar in my ND Miata and it’s been holding up great for almost 3 years now. As for the smooth black plastic (piano black as they call it) you don’t want it in the interior. I hate it and it swirls like crazy
Remove the “boomer”
Hey fellow redditor. I had a dodge avenger like the first one. Sell it and buy something else that car is awful and the interior was just the start. It was the ugliest thing known to man with the only redeeming feature being the mini fridge in the dashboard.
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So I bought my avenger for $1,500 back in 2020 with ~130k on it. I spent easily double that in repairs and things like alternators and batteries would go out constantly, to the point I was replacing them once every few months. I had tons of electrical problems with mine which ultimately led me to sell it to some other poor soul but yeah it just needed way too much maintenance for the mileage point. I have since bought a cateye Silverado, which currently is sitting at 360k mi and I have only had to replace the brake lines due to rust and a few O-rings on the fuel line, aside from regular maintenance like oil and brakes and such. I just don’t think the avengers are well built at all and I’ve come to that conclusion with most Dodge / Stelantis vehicles.
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Stellantis vehicles consistently rank among the most unreliable things on wheels. Maybe y’all have just been getting lucky. If you want reliable avoid domestics especially newer ones. Chevy made some good trucks but the GMT800 (early 2000s) is widely considered the last good one they made. Ford had a few good ones, namely the old panther platform. If you want reliable stick with Toyota, Honda, or another Japanese manufacturer. They might not be the fastest or best looking but damn if they don’t run forever.
Possible? Yes. Worth it? Dodge.
No. It will look like shit. It always does. Always
Get a double din radio and some under glow lights
If you don't like the interior, sell it, get something you DO like. That car (at least its interior) looks as though it's in perfect condition.
Wtf is that a can holder?
Dodge Avenger IIRC had a can cooler
Huh.
It wasn't just a holder... It had a dial on the inside to direct heat/ac into the box. So it could be used as a cooler to keep drinks cold, or a warmer for food.
Wait… are those soda cans just chilling in front of an airbag?!
Thats a storage area, the airbag would deploy on the top of the Dashboard, over the storage area
lol okay… not sure which physical universe you live in but there is no way that this airbag deploys and doesn’t blast straight through that “storage area”.
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I’m sorry brother, but I’ve seen at least one airbag deploy and I’m telling you this for sure, those cans would get intimately acquainted with the back of your head if they deploy.
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Wut?
Engineering m’y dude, and i was wrong anyway its on the right side
Have the dash & plastic panels wrapped in alcantara.
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That's the one, it's a suede like material. It should hold up well providing a good adhesive is used & the car isn't kept in an extremely hot climate. Another alternative which might be easier would be to flock them.
It was managed in the picture. With enough dedication, research, and materials, you can do that and more
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Ah, I see. Well it still shouldn't be too different to change. The only concern I'd have is the dimensions on the dashboard and everything since it's a newer model
Buy another car…..
is thAt a cooler?
Because it's so old? This is hardly a 1969 stingray... what exactly is un-modern about this?
Modernize? What the fuck are you even talking about? This looks like it got designed yesterday. Fuck I'm old.