How i got into cars
I was twelve years old when I went to my brother's friend's
house. His name was Dave and in his garage sat a beautiful,
black modified Toyota MR2 Turbo. It was his brother's.
Months later, the engine blew, but the car was replaced by an even
more gorgeous black 1994 Toyota Supra Turbo, soon to be modified
with every possible upgrade there was. I wiped the drool from
my mouth.
When I turned 16, I felt the best car to complement the garage would be a nice, shiny coupe. I wanted a BMW but when my parents asked what kind of car I would like, I courteously responded, "I'll take whatever I can get," excited to drive and own anything. Well, I got anything. It came in the form of a white 94 Ford Tempo GL. The shiny turd sported a 86-hp 2.3L inline-4 engine which was mated to a 3-gear automatic. The speedometer maxed out at a whopping 84 mph. It overheated a few times. Luckily for me, Ford didn't make good passenger cars and the car did not live longer than a year.
My parents bought a 2000 Honda Accord EX V6 sedan. Previously devout American car buyers, we switched to imports on a trial and realized we could save thousands in maintenance costs. We liked that Accord so much that we purchased three more. We had four sixth-generation Honda Accords in the household for years.
the accord
My Accord was the second one purchased, intended to be given to my brother, Jeff. Recognizing how badly I wanted the coupe, he swapped it for my sedan. From there, my ridiculous project to build an import show car took off.
Rather than listing the three pages worth of modifications, if you are interested, the list can be found here.
I was part of a forum called V6Performance.net. Of all my years of searching, it has been the greatest resource for Honda owners who want to know more about their cars from other fellow enthusiasts.
the M
Long story short, I was frequently pulled over for inspection by police - of whom usually do not like "rice rockets" or modified imports. On the final occurrence, the officer asked me [verbatim] why "a guy like me was driving a rice rocket and not something nicer, like an Acura TL." When the law tells you to move on, well, I knew it was time to move on.
I've always wanted to own a convertible and I had been saving up, so I sold the Accord, added some cash, and purchased a BMW M3 convertible on a really sweet deal. Though I wanted my parents to get me that BMW as mentioned before, I ended up getting it myself many years later. And I have to admit - it does feel a little sweeter.
Why a BMW? Most people around these parts of town think it's some kind of status symbol. Honestly, I really don't care - but what I do care about is quality engineering. When you work on a BMW (and I do all work on my vehicles myself), you appreciate how everything is logically designed. Corners aren't cut and components are set up very purposefully with the intent to enhance the driving experience. And since driving is one of my favorite things to do, well, that's why a BMW.
Beaters
A beater is a car you don't care about, often used for daily chores and commuting. I've owned a 91 Nissan Maxima, 91 Honda Prelude Si, and 96 Nissan Maxima alongside my cars and bikes. It makes life convenient, and you learn to appreciate these "normal" cars as luxury blessings. I'm a firm believer in spending on what matters to you most - and I'm a man who likes my toys!