Project BRZ: How I learned to stop worrying and love my car

[VesperLynn]

So I don't really post to this forum very often, and when I do I usually stick to the NW region forum, however I felt as though the forum would enjoy what I posted on one of the facebook groups I'm a part of, so here's my small story of a seemingly insignificant occurrence that happened on a short two block drive back home from a friend's house:

I constantly flip between loving the machine I have purchased and spent way too much time and money that could have been spent more intelligently in other places in my life, and absolutely despising my car with all it's odd quirks. The rub on my fender liners when I turn full lock from having ridiculously wide offset concaved wheels that are way too big to be fitting in the wells, the sound of my endlinks that I haven't had the chance to readjust properly that constantly make an incredibly annoying clicking noise every time each front wheel goes over a bump independent of the other, or the bottoming out scrape that happens when I hit a dip in the road a little too fast for my current suspension setup that just isn't stiff enough... But tonight while driving a friends boat of a car that made me feel as though I was a great Admiral of an Old Timer class Buick ego destroyer, I realized something that I take for granted when driving my car.

As much as I love driving a car that shifts beautifully and easily into the next gear without any thought on my part, glides over bumps with the grace of a gazelle, and soars through the sea of asphalt with little to no noise of the bustling ocean of cars around me as I am too tired to care or focus on driving because the auto slushbox is so easy to handle at 01:43 in the AM, the moment when I relinquished the helm of the late 90's Buick to her real Admiral and stepped back into my car, I had a strange rush of emotions I would have never thought I could get from simply owning a car I've poured my college funds into.

I opened the door and slumped down into my seat. The hour long drive in the Buick with it's soft leather couch of a front seat and transitioning into the firm, familiar hug of the BRZ's buckets made me feel at home. I depressed the clutch, pushed the start button displaying my instruments sweeping across the display, and that deep throaty rumble of my wee little 4 cylinder boxer motor roared to life. I put her into first and drove down the street, feeling the grooves of the pavement and all of the impurities and imperfections of the road ahead. Each bump I could feel and each turn in the road I could feel my car grip and hold to the road with the precise surgical movements that I could only relate to a fighter jet, just as my dash wraps around me with my no nonsense cluster of available amenities. No buttons to clutter the steering wheel or unnecessary displays to tell me where the power in my wheels is going to. I can *feel* that power being put down to the road. We always complain about this car not having enough power, but I think it has exactly what it needs. Power that can be used effectively right up until it's point of losing the rear end, but even then the end slides so beautifully right where you want it to go. It may have only been a few blocks home from my friends house to mine, but late tonight in the deep red glow of my dash I realized why I bought this car. Every day when I walked outside to go somewhere, I enjoy every inch of road traveled. I'm coming up on 30,000 miles after owning the car for a little over a year and I'm proud to say that I've put each and every single one on. I'm not scared of looking at the odometer and seeing those digits, I enjoy seeing them realizing that each number represents a mile I have spent driving this car, enjoying it at all its strengths and limitations. It may not be the fastest car on the road, but I can safely say it sure is the most fun I've yet had in a car. I'm proud to look back at it each and every time I step out and leave it parked knowing how far I've come with it and pondering all the improvements I want to make for its future. I don't listen to the rubbing of my tires on the interior of my fenderwells at full lock, the squeal of my slotted rotors while braking, or the ridiculously loud interior noise of the road all around me and find it an annoyance, I see it as just one more aspect of my car that I love and why I bought it. In a sea of passenger cars and safety features, little is left for the drivers in these days. The police crack down on the kids modifying their cars telling them it's too low or too loud, the neighbors find the enthusiast down the street a nuisance when he or she wakes up to head off to work in the morning, the fun of driving is taken away around too many turns by all these eco-friendly flower-powered bullshit boxes. All too similar and all toting so many things that have nothing to do with driving, or things that try to make driving idiot proof which in turn actually make the roadways less safe with a surge of idiots blabbering on their cellphones about how infuriating their cubical-lord boss makes them while they don't pay attention to the car ahead, slamming on their brakes and splashing the StarFucks chocolate drizzled caramel cockhiatto all over their cluttered navigation display and sixteen zone climate control.

But then there's the 86. The perfect platform to do whatever you want. The blank canvas to paint your automotive masterpiece. Whether it be low and slow, a rocketship ready to take off down the runway of the track and dragstrip, or a little combination of both... This car has allowed car enthusiasts to come from all different walks of life, car cultures, and brands. Just as a panda is black, white, and Asian; the 86 is Toyota, Subaru, and downright fucking sexy. I look back at my car as I walk away and tap the lock button on my key not because I want to see the affirmative flash of my signal lights and honk of my dinky little horn, but because I continually see areas of improvement and cultivate ideas in my endless petrolheaded brain. The neural pistons fire and my wallet burns a hole through my back pocket straight to the center of the earth. This holds true for any platform a car enthusiast uses to paint their mechanical Mona Lisa, but for me this car is special because it is the first car I've modified, driven hard, and loved each and every second. This car is the reason why I'm a car enthusiast and my girlfriend looks at me eyes glazed when I explain to her why I need new LCAs and a sexy rear diffuser, and it's the reason why I've met countless other car enthusiasts like myself and continue to find other people proud of their builds just as I am of mine. I'm proud of this community and I enjoy seeing all the updates you guys have in store every day.

Keep sliding around corners, navigating tight cones, and hitting that apex as hard and as fast as your tires will allow you. This car was meant to be driven, and as I step back to admire my caldera sized concaved wheels; I also realize that it's one of the reasons that drive who I fundamentally am as a person, because for a car enthusiast our vehicle is just an extension of ourselves. An extra arm, and extra leg, and extra heart and an extra reason to enjoy the smell of burnt gasoline in the morning.

Stay thirsty my friends.

[Kotu100]

Great read and that's a gorgeous car.

[Young_makaveli]

Very nice setup my friend

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[dbrandt01]

Great read and that first picture though Damn I need to get a picture like that of mine.

[BRZNutt]

Couldn't agree with you more. Whenever I drive the wife or daughter's cars, they feel like they have marshmellow tires and I'm going to tip over going around corners...

[Churnobyl]

Too new to thank posts or I would. But VesperLynn you nailed it! I smile every single time I see mine. When I'm not driving it I'm thinking about driving it. Every other vehicle I'm in now I compare to the 86. Off the record I think I finally know what love feels like...(don't tell my wife )

[DavidBob]

This is maybe the greatest thing Ive read so far on this forum, thank you and i am looking forward to see the "improvement" on this beast of a ride you aready have.

[Ganthrithor]

Yeah, these cars are pretty magical. It's actually shocking how good they are: I've driven plenty of fun cars in the eight years since I started driving, some of which cost twice what my BRZ did or more, and I prefer my car to a lot of them.

For example: I'm a complete sucker for old air-cooled 911s, and yet I'm in the process of discovering that I have serious reservations about trading my BRZ for a 911 SC and ten grand. The fact that there's even a doubt in my mind about whether or not to make that trade continues to shock me: given that I'd rather have an air-cooled 911 than just about any sub-$100k modern (post-traction control) car, I can't think of a better way to communicate how much I like my BRZ. I really, really like this car.

[codesplice]

Great read, thanks for sharing. You're in a group of kindred spirits here, and I think most of us probably enjoy the same thoughts about our cars. Thanks again for putting those abstract thoughts into words.

[go2brz]

This is a great for enthusiasts to drive who cannot spend 70K for a Cayman or the new Alfa Romeo. I have to thank Subaru and Toyota for deciding to build this car. I have owned Alfa Romeo's and a BMW M Coupe (fixed roof M version of Z3) and an RS2.5 tricked out by Cobb Tuning. I liked them all, but I feel like I can push this car with less blowback or little chance of losing control than any car that I have owned since I had a 72 Lotus Europa in the late seventies (I gladly traded a 69' TR6 (in perfect condition at that time, plus some cash). Since then lightweight performance cars have been few and far between, or just too expensive. But this car offers everthing that Lotus offered with a bit more HP and a bit more weight, but still feels amazingly similar. And a price that you have to like. I absolutely love it!!.

[86-tundra]

dear God I didn't know oregon got dark enough to see the milky way.

maybe time to drive out to the void that is west texas. great shot. couldn't imagine getting that shot in general, definitely couldn't imagine getting it with my CAR!

[Fenka856]

I enjoyed reading that. It's great to see someone else pour their heart into the car and a car that returns the sentiment.

[Simon99]

I'm quoting you on that buddy. Sweet ride, take great care of it.

"This car has allowed car enthusiasts to come from all different walks of life, car cultures, and brands. Just as a panda is black, white, and Asian; the 86 is Toyota, Subaru, and downright fucking sexy."

[SirBrass]

In acknowledgement of the inspiration of your thread title...

"Mein Fuhrer, we must not allow a wheel space gap!"

On phone I am. Therefore, if mistakes I make, Frank Oz blame you should.