Inexpensive Wheel Upgrade

Not long ago 16- and 17-inch tall wheels were found only on exotic cars. Today, minivans have 17s as standard equipment. Also, many spend thousands to replace perfectly good 16s and 17s with 18-, 19-, 20-inch and taller wheels. This expensive trend has spawned a cottage financial industry to loan money for wheel purchases: Maybe it's God's way of saying you can't afford to be that stylish.

Take-Offs
If your ride came on now-embarrassingly-small wheels, and you're moderately cash-strapped—or just fiscally responsible—what can you inexpensively do to improve your vehicle's looks? The answer is take-offs: Wheels discarded by those who view vehicles largely as fashion accessories. (The trendy types don't seem to understand that before they sell their vehicles, the soon-to-be-out-of-style wheels will have to be replaced with original equipment hardware.) It's possible to get a set of nearly new take-off wheels for as little as $200. The same set from a new-car dealer will cost upwards of $1600.


We did an automotive makeover on a 2000 Toyota 4Runner that came on decidedly non-stylish 15-inch steel wheels. For a vehicle that occasionally navigates unpaved logging trails, it was determined that 16-inch wheels were a better choice than 17s: Taller tire sidewalls will be less prone to pinch damage from stumps and rocks.

Shop Around
Then we went to eBay. After watching several online auctions, it was clear that 16-inch original equipment Toyota truck aluminum-alloy take-offs go for around $225. Prices for car wheels seem to be $75 to $100 higher, depending on make and model. Advice: Make sure the proper lug nuts and hub covers are included, and pay attention to shipping charges. After losing a few auctions, we scored a set of 16-inch aluminum alloy original equipment take-offs from a Tacoma. Cost, including lug nuts and hub covers, was $220. Shipping was another $60 or so. They're not Sprewell dubs, but they improve the vehicle's looks without overheating the Visa card.


While eBay has made such acquisitions easy, your local newspaper classifieds, shoppers' news, or flea market may have as good or better deals.