[VZ86]

Hey folks, I've been lurking the boards ever since the contest launched but only just now joined for the sake of trip planning.

For the registry: I ordered an Asphalt/AT from Keith Pierson Toyota in Jacksonville, FL, but it will really be living in Orlando.

I'm not really a gearhead, but I find myself reading the car blogs every day. My dad is very mechanically-inclined, and I picked up that curiosity of how stuff works and tinkering from him, but I directed it more towards computers and software.

Like many young people, I first became aware of the AE86 via exposure to the Initial D anime (as crappy as that show is), and I've intently followed news of the FT-86 project over the past several years. My first car was a '99 Corolla, and when I moved onto an '06, I was disappointed to be sitting higher and to lose a lot of feel through and sense of agency in the steering and pedals. My family's other cars I've driven were an '82 Corolla (the car I learned to drive in), '92 Legacy, and '02 Camry. As you can see, we have a long history with the brands, especially Toyota. My "reasonable" aspirational car is a Lotus Evora, so an affordable, agile, low-slung, Japanese-reliable car with similar characteristics interested me greatly.

When I started my current job late last year, I made it a goal to replace the current Corolla I'm driving within a year. Realistically I was looking at a Mazda 3 or Suzuki Kizashi within that window, but when I won one of the spots in the contest, I took it as a sign to go ahead buy the FR-S sooner rather than later. I'm still young and unlikely to start a family any time soon, but I'm also old enough that I no longer really see my friends often (at least in the context of carpooling places). Those two things help justify getting what is essentially a two-seater instead of a more practical sedan.

I look forward to meeting you folks out in Long Beach!