Let's see....
Just turned 59 and down to 5 vehicles. Had to get rid of '78 Chevy pickup.
I started with a '66 Dodge Monaco wagon in '75. 383 motor RWD and powerful. Cost $300. Me being a surfer brought me to liking station wagons. They were under the radar with the "heat" and had the utility needed to put surfboards locked in the car. Back in those days surfers smoked wacky tobacki. 2nd station wagon was a Chevy Impala with a 350 small block and disappearing rear tailgate. That sheet was cool.
After that I got a Chevy Monza wagon with 4 speed manual. This way my 1st smaller car with great handling and a sticky set of tires. Loved that car, just 2 doors and enough utility to accommodate lots of stuff. Went to a hatchback after that (I blew the motor on the Monza wagon). Mom gave me the car (Pontiac) and it had terrible handling. Put a cutting edge stereo into it and just cruised around for a few years.
I love racing and it has been in my blood since about 7 years old. Dad would take me to the drag strip all the time. In my neighborhood there were so many muscle cars. I lived right across the street from the local park where they would all meet every day. Spent countless years in garages with custom builds, race cars, fuel dragsters and muscle cars. Man, it was great. Some of these guys would have tires so wide and ladder bars with the rear end jacked up. Were talking Cudas, Camaros, Road Runners. All day and night you could see these guys hanging out burning rubber right in my front yard. 3 blocks one way from my house was 5 garages with custom cars and go the other way and there were another 10 garages filled with motor heads like me. The problem with me was that I wasn't old enough to drive. I got picked on a lot due to my age, but it was worth it. There were a lot of cars with the B&M Transmissions and ratchet shifter. I used to race motocross on Sundays till I go my license at 17. So my race bike and trailer for my 1st car. Dad wouldn't even buy me car insurance. He said you need to learn how to do things on your own. That hurt having to quit racing, but driving is freedom from parents and an adventure every time.
Then there was the tuner car revolution. Sticky tires and great handling smaller cars. I took an interest in the culture and couldn't afford one. I hung out in car repair shops that my friends own and just had a great time with the whole thing. I was the car stereo guy. Had the best sounds around. 15" subs in trunk, 8" subs on back floor, Polk bookshelf speakers on back seat, custom boxes built to go under my legs, and tweeters in the dash. Denon CD player with Carver amps and $2k worth of audiophile wiring. Tuner cars seemed to trump muscle cars due to the handling. Just to go all out into turns was more exciting than straight line speed. The FRS has to be the best car for handling that I have ever driven (with sticky tires and lightweight wheels needed). I really don't know why anyone would change the suspension on this car other than stance. For the street the '13 model FRS is just light years away from anything Japan has ever offered. It's lightweight and that makes it superior when going to other cars now. Now matter how well another car handles, it isn't usually as lightweight. And you can really feel that.
My 1st tuner car was '89 Nissan Maxima SE 5 peed. Had that until the new '92 came out with new 24 valve motor and LSD differential. The dealer's son called me and said that I have to drive this car. I said that I couldn't afford a new one. He said just get your ass over here now. I have one in Pearl White. So I go drive it with him. I liked the new motor. Much faster car and on the turns the limited slip was a god send. He said to me.... give me $300 and I'll take your car and add another year to your lease. I had 2 years of lease left on my '89. And here this guy is offering me a deal where I add a year more and give him $300, that's it. The wife couldn't even say no to that. I still have the Maxima and it has been modified with all new racing suspension, JDM motor, billet flywheel, pulleys, exhaust, tune and uses NOS off-road octane booster. It revs so fast, wish the FRS did that. Press on the gas pedal and instant response and instant slowdown of RPMs. I used to go to Sonic and drive the young kids crazy with how fast the motor revs. Also it is so loud that you know I'm coming from 1/2 mile away. That Maxima is the best car at speeds over 100mph (Mexico) that I have ever driven. Just like glue to the road and never ever does a bump put it out of sorts.
Bought a '12 Roush Stage 3 Mustang right before the FRS came out. Always wanted a Roush, since seeing them at the NHRA Summernationals. Met all the guys from Roush and couldn't believe how well they made the car look and perform. These cars to me are better than the Shelby at that time. The new Shelby though is another story. Wish I had the scratch for one of them. I still wouldn't trade it for my Roush. The '12 year Mustang is one of my favorites for the look of the fastback Mustang. I only drive it a little bit. It is my garage queen. Hoping to cash in later at an auction for more than double of what I paid for it. It already happened at Barrett Jackson in Arizona. Wish me luck on that one. Only 2,800 miles on it and I have had it for almost 4 years. It will do 11.3 at the strip.
FRS is just so much the car I have been waiting for. The Honda S2000 is a great car, but I prefer the FRS hands down. I almost bought an S2000 and got back in my FRS and realized that I would be taking a step backward. The torque on the FRS down low responds. It does not at all with the S2000 and that makes the FRS feel faster. The FRS is also much roomier and the dash design reminds me of Porsche. Sometimes I walk away from the FRS for a coulple of weeks and start thinking about a change of car. Then I get back in and realize that there might not be another car quite like it to come down the pike. Maybe one day put a supercharger in it, or put an LS motor. But that is really not needed. There is enough power there to be a hoonigan and have some fun when nobody is looking (in Mexico). The only thing I would wish for would be a six cylinder boxer motor with an 8500rpm redline. That would make it a super sports car.
Well I hope you have been entertained with my jibberish. I'm retired and wake up thinking about cars. And I used go surfing all the time, but my move to Florida has led me to stop. Waves are way to small here. It's just cars and good music now with a touch of the beach. Have a nice day.
