I am a member on a few car forums and decided I will start a blog about my Subaru. I already have a project thread for my MINI (see later below). I have had a decently long car history in a the span of the last few years.
I have gone through hondas, VWs, subarus, mazdas, and one suzuki (motorcycle). Here is a quick recap of my automotive life (leaving out some that I am too lazy to dig up pictures of.
1. 1990 Acura Integra LS
This was my first car. Reliable, great gas mileage, and it had a 5 speed so it was decently sporty for a highschooler. It was a great first car until some lady totalled it for me. Luckily, I got more $$ than I had paid for the car, so I was ready for a newer car.
2. 1995 Honda Civic EX
This was my second car. It was just as reliable as the 90 integra. I learned a little more about cars by this time, and was able to upgrade the suspension, install a camshaft and intake, and a few other little parts to it before I moved onto car #3. This car served me my first two years of college without any major issues.
3. 1992 Acura Integra GS-R
This was the car I had when I went away for college, transferring from GMU to Radford. This was equally as reliable as the other hondas that I owned. I had wanted the GS-R since I had bought the 1990, but finding one in good shape was pretty hard. I found this one locally and did some small upgrades to it as well (intake, exhaust, coilovers). This lasted me through college until a few months after I started my first job. Unfortunately, it was hit and run in a parking lot and instead of fixing it, I chose to sell it and get my first "real" car/car that cost more than a few thousand dollars.
4. 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX
So this was my first car that I had to take a car loan on. I had wanted one since highschool. It was amazing. All wheel drive stability, sportyness, and a lot of room for upgrades. I owned this car for a few years until I decided to sell it since insurance on it for a single male under 25 years old was killing my finances.
5. 1993 Honda Prelude Si
I bought this car as a cheap daily driver. It had the japanese 200hp motor but it ended up needing too much body work to make it look decent. I ended up selling it and getting my first miata.
6. 1990 Mazda Miata
So this was the first of three miatas. It was cheap (insurance was cheap, no car payment, and great gas mileage) plus it handled great. I planned on going turbo but decided to get something newer. I kept it until buying my 2002 MINI.
7. 2002 MINI Cooper S
I have owned this car the longest out of any car I have owned (owned since late in 2008). It has great potential. It gets great gas mileage, has great aftermarket support for upgrades, is sporty and handles well, and is relatively inexpensive used. I have an on-going project thread on NorthAmericanMotoring forum (
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/1st-gear/159750-new-2002-mini-cooper-s-owner.html) that tracks the progress of my MINI project.
8. 2001 Honda S2000
Another car I had wanted since highschool. 240hp, RWD, amazing handling, and 9k RPM screamer. I managed to daily drive this the past few winter storms here in No. VA without any issues. It was a great car.
Biggest downsides of this car is it is impractical, gutless at normal driving RPMs, and only seats 2 people.
9. 1990 Volkswagen Corrado G60
So I sold the S2k and moved onto something cheaper so I could avoid having two car payments. My friend and I both bought G60 corrados. They were supercharged, handled well, and best of all unique. There are not than many corrados around No. VA. I sunk a lot of time and money into this car. It was a total POS looking car before other than the new paint. When I was done with it, it was a pretty nifty looking car. Too bad corrados are known for being PITA to maintain.
I ended up trading it though for a 84 GTI as I started wanting a more classic project.
10. 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI
This was one of the first fun to drive hatchbacks that started the "hot hatch" trend. The car has no power, no features, but was amazing fun to drive. It had almost no rust and was in great shape for a 25 year old car. I ended up selling it though since financially it did not make sense to keep investing in an old junker. I had to keep myself from buying a supercharger kit for it that was worth 3-4 times the car's value.
11. 1993 Mazda Miata
This was my attempt to get another cheap daily driver that I could have fun in if I needed to work on the MINI. Too bad this car was a total POS compared to the 1990 miata I had before. I hated this car due to the crappy maintenance the dealer I purchased it from "did" (when I say did, I mean claimed to have done, gave me reciepts for, but did NOT do anything). I sold this quickly when I found out there were huge discounts on leftover PRHT MX5s.
12. 2010 Mazda MX-5
I got a great deal on this car. I wanted one since my first miata since the PRHT seemed really cool and useful. It was a great car with more usable torque than the S2000, and a more liveable ride. I ended up trading it in on something more practical and with more than 2 seats.
13. Subaru Impreza WRX STI
So I have come around the circle again with a Subaru. Some people hate the wagon STI and some people love it. It is heavier, but it is also more refined than my 2002. To me, it feels like an evolved version. It is more practical since the rear seats actually fold down (the 2002 seats did NOT fold down), it has a lot more comfort features, handles better OEM, and has a lot more stability and power than the 2002. There is a huge aftermarket support and owner community for maintenance. My only problem is trying to hold back from sinking too much $$ into this car. I am looking forward to winter though this coming year.
Motorcycles
1. 1995 Honda CBR 600f3
This was my first bike. It was a POS but it ran and I learned a lot on it.
2. 2003 Suzuki GSX-R 600
This was a step up from the 95. It was better in every way except the purchase price. The fuel injection showed me how much easier it was to maintain this bike than the 95 cbr. I sold this after the mailman knocked it over and cracked the fairings. I told myself I was going to hold off from bikes.
3. 2005 Honda CBR 600 RR
So this was the bike that I had wanted since highschool. It is amazing and I did not keep with my holding off on bikes lol. This bike handled better, was lighter, and was faster than the 2003 suzuki. I ended up selling it though so that I could stay alive. Riding around No. VA is pretty dangerous with all the yahoos that drive around here.
