Hi y'all,

I am new to the forum and this is my first post. First thing I'd like to say is the amount of knowledge the people on this forum have is incredible. I love reading up and learning things about my car. I'm only young and besides doing basic things to the car like oil, filter and spark plug changes and removing certain parts of the car that's pretty much all. Anyway I recently bought a 1998 2.4 TF Magna Executive from a family member and I was wondering what modifications or upgrades I can do or get done to my car. I've tryed looking around and can't really find much about the 2.4 4 cylinder, don't know why but yea. I'm looking for any kind of modification, it can be exterior, interior or engine wise. Maybe even drop me a line on anything interesting I should know about my model.

Cheers, I look forward to hearing everyone's responses. :)

Depends on what you want to throw around.

If I was in your shoes again with the money I'm on now, I'd buy an evo engine and drop that in.

You could start with a decent set of speakers and a nice deck. That should keep you motivated.

Welcome to the club mate.

Congrats on your first(?) car! Its not a bad car to start with and armed with all the knowledge from here plus the large array of parts available from wreckers - you should be able to run this car for cheap :)

Unfortunately you will not find too much information on the 2.4L because it was quickly dropped from the Magna's. The engine was too small for such a large car and alot of reviews and/or owners were not happy with the performance,or lack thereof, and the high fuel usage. Its defintely the least favoured engine I'm afraid :( That being said - if you like it and happy with it then don't worry it. Just do the usual mods to these cars - rims, lower, parabolic headlights, letterbox grille, some sound system and of course - good maintenance! Alternatively you could save this money and invest in a 3.5L or even a 380 conversion from Mal. If you want a cheap 3L engine then let me know - I'm willing to let mine go for as little as $80.

I wasn't thinking that extreme although Mal suggested an engine change today but mines got no problems ATM and until it dies I'll probably stick with it. Besides being a little under powered at take off which doesn't really bother me I find its quite good on fuel. Been considering a sound system since I got it. Anyway found out my exhaust was cracked today and was considering a catback(?) exhaust system, think that's wat its called. Anyone know if there any good and if they fit the 4 cylinders. Or should I just fix the stock exhaust I've got now?

A lukey cat back (from the catalytic converter to the tip) exhaust system is very popular but there are also good options from Magnaflow and redback. Check it out. A very worthwhile investment. I would go for a Lukey 2.5" system personally. This is what I'm doing to my te 3.0l.

Don't bother fixing the crap stock exhaust. They are no fun.

In my opinion:
There's not really much point getting a cat back even if you have a 3.0/3.5 liter unless you're doing other engine mods. Actual performance gains are going to be virtually unnoticeable.. If you want something with a bit of noise, just replace the rear muffler with something that has a bit more flow. Not sure how that would sound on a 2.4L 4 cylinder though...

Yea not sure on redback now, supposedly there not to durable. I want something that will sound nice, not necessarly loud and something that will last me.

I think the change is very worthwhile. IMO the sound makes the the car. They are better in the 3.0 or 3.5 but still would be decent on a 2.4

Go for the Lukey. They sound fantastic. Don't worry about the power output. It won't be much different, if at all.

+1 for the Lukey. I'd also recommend that if your piping from cat back is still good & not rusted anywhere then just get the muffler itself replaced to save money. Cheap mod & will sound good.
Other mods I could suggest is a set of mags, window tint (if not tinted already) and again stereo gear.

Can't remember what Mal called it but me exhaust is cracked around the small round hotdog looking muffler thing. Mal also see he could fit a 380 one on in its place.

So much misinformation in this thread already. Yes a catback will change the performance of the engine. Yes it will be noticeable. The only difference between the 155 and 163kw V6's is the rear muffler. This would translate to less gains from the 2.4, but gains nonetheless. A catback is the very best bang for buck mod you can do for a magna. Is yours an auto or manual?

Mines an auto. Good to hear theres a performance gain even in the slightest.

Besides being a little under powered at take offOff topic, but personally I think this is a good thing when you are younger, forces you to judge gaps etc better than just relying on grunt; better to be on the wary side and have plenty of leeway than to try jumping in and finding yourself in a bad situation. You'll appreciate a bit of grunt when you get it later, rather than just taking it for granted.
</oldmanrant>

Well a manual conversion will definitely make things a bit more fun. Fair bit of work involved though. Your 4G64 has the same exhaust stud pattern as the 4G63, so I'd whack a second hand turbo setup on it for a bit of fun. Could be done for as little as $1.5 to $2k, if you're mechanically inclined.

Yea definetly miss manual

Its probably been covered but how much do I need to spend and what brands should I go for to get a decent set of speakers. Also is there a brand that is good for everything or are there better brands when it comes to head units, amps, subs ,etc. I want something that will still sound good when I turn it up but not to a ridiculous level. I can't get everything straight away so I'll probably get bit by bit. Also just out of curiosity how much have others spend on their sound system??

On my old car, I spent about $100. Sony head (2nd hand), no-name 6.5" in the doors, no-name 6x9's in the cargo, no-name 12" sub in the cargo, no name amp.
New car's got a pioneer mp3 head already, stock speakers elsewhere, and I ain't gonna touch it, does plenty well.


Now for the "audiophiles" to start screaming...