There was the CRX:
Note: This isn't my CRX, but it looked just like this one. Digital cameras cost a lot of money back then.
It was fun and zippy, so I named it 'Zippy'. It was a great car, an it's what introduced me to the world of sport compacts. I never had any plans for it. I wanted to do a ZC swap, but that cost money back then. Forget about dropping anything that had VTEC into it. But it was nimble and great. Eventually I outgrew it. Two seats is fun, but when you gotta carpool and carry stuff, it's not so fun. Sold it to a coworker and used the money to buy this:
My introduction into the world of all-wheel-drive. I drove that car with reckless abandon, fearlessly flying over potholes that even Suburbans feared to approach. It was different though, going from a revvy little D16 to a torque monster like the EJ25. First couple of weeks, I 'd accidentally bounce it off the rev limiter trying to drive it like my Honda. I named this one 'Impy', but I should've named it 'Albert King' since it was obviously born under a bad sign. Rear ended a Suburban, curbed it and ripped up the front suspension, hit a pothole which bent the oil pan and pickup and spun a bearing. Never had so many accidents and tickets before, and never had as many after. It was cursed. I was planning on turboing it, but then my cousin took me for a spin in an Evo. The Impreza just didnt' feel the same. It was slow, lethargic, and exposed it for the underpowered mess it really was. So, I threw up the for sale sign and picked up this:
I actually tried looking for an Evo, but I had two problems: Price and insurance. I could afford it until they started talking markups. Suddenly a $25k evo was selling for $10-15k above MSRP, and then to make things worse, the insurance was a dealbreaker. I was complaining about this to a friend when he said the most wonderous thing: "The Eclipse has an Evo engine." With those words, I was introduced to the world of turbocharging. First time I floord it, it scared the beejezus out of me the way it shot forward. Then I learned I could make it faster, and thus I did. I named her 'The Banshee' because of a persistent squealing belt problem I had during cold starts. Pure fun was had on the streets taking out the little fish and giving the big boys a run for their money. Eventually, I had to get it out of the driveway to make room for this:
My most ambitious project so far. Picked it up as rolling shell, and put it together as another fine street machine. No name, just a number (931/2000). A true sleeper. Those who didn't know were given a rude awakening. Those who did know steered clear. She was a maintenance bitch though, and I let her go after I found myself spending more time under the hood than behind the wheel.
After I let that one go, I found myself in need of another pavement pounder and this one just happened to fall into my lap:
No, it's not a GT-S. It will be, eventually. It's hard to find a hatchback around these parts, and it just needs a bit of TLC. Single cam is getting tossed, in will go the good ol' 4A-GE, and in a twist, I'll be carbureting it. I'm still gathering parts, so don't expect 'Ugly Betty' to be on the streets anytime soon.
I tried to work it as a daily while I got parts, but double digit horsepower doesn't cut it when you're trying to merge on the highway. A soft suspension with crumbling bushings doesn't make for a fun ride on the twisties either. I needed something better, and that's when this came into my life:
Bone stock, loads of miles, oodles and oodles of maintenance receipts. I haven't had a car this fun to drive since the CRX. I'm really trying to keep it stock while I finish up on the Corolla, but I guess it won't be a problem to add an i/h/e and maybe a sway bar, but it's fun as is.
Impressive list, isn't it?
