Human-Generated Automotive Gibberish
Back to basics.
At least, that was the idea. After being so put off by the idea of having to strip my last Miata down just to rebuild it into what I wanted, I decided it was time to try something a little different. This would be my fourth NA Miata, but my first example powered by the 1.6L B6ZE.
It sounds so fantastical, it may as well have been a day dream.
Somehow we’re at Car 11 and I’ve yet to offer any advice. Of course, that we’re only at Car 11 with no end in sight means I should be asking for it rather than doling it out. But the following advice would have prevented a couple of gaffes for me and may safeguard your sanity, pocketbook, or marriage in the future: Never Buy a Modified Car.
Finally, my fourth E30 but now my first 325i. Up until this point my E30s had been of the high-torque but low-revving “e” or “eta” version. Another late-night Craigslist session brought me upon this car. It was posted locally, had a ton of miles, and a couple choice modifications.
I couldn’t tell you where my head was. For a short while I spent street sweeping days running back and forth moving this car and the MR2 around. This wasn’t the first time I’d owned two cars at once, but it was the first time I thought it’d be a good idea to own two two-seaters.
I had wanted one for the longest time. During an apprenticeship in high school, I would constantly drool over a bronze AW11 (MR2, 84-89) that sat in the corner of the shop’s lot. It was such a peculiar thing, being nearly the same bronze as the E30 my father had, having the same engine as the AE86 in Initial D, and generally being a Toyota that seemed so far removed from the rest of their product line.
We all have our preferences.
For me that means a lightweight, rear-wheel drive, balanced, naturally aspirated roadster or coupe. Over time my ownership experiences have narrowed down what I desire in a car. However, there’s an infinite variance in taste out there, so inevitably people I’ve befriended have preferences different from my own.
Funny enough, it hasn’t been by intention or typo that the majority of my BMWs have been from 1987. Just really, really consistent coincidence.
Rose-tinted spectacles. Or maybe beer goggles, except it was more excitement than alcohol that blocked my inhibitions from saving me from this pile.
Every now and again I get to pilot something new. A group of us piled into my buddy’s GTI and headed up to Tahoe one weekend. I “volunteered” to do the driving. Some of the roads up to the lake would have been well suited to my roadster, but the snow and sub-40*F temperatures we were facing would not have agreed with my Bridgestone RE-11As.
