Past cars
| Vehicle | Owned | Notes | |
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2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart |
2004-2008 |
From the Evo, I went to the "baby Evo." At ~$17k US out the door, this 2.4L, 162 hp, 162 lb/ft tq., 2800 lb vehicle was a fun little pocket rocket. The interior was of course completely familiar, being the base vehicle for the Evo, and this little-known model even had sporty clutch and the Evo's short shifter. However, compared to the Evo, it was more fun to drive around town, more comfortable, more fuel efficient, and more useful thanks to fold-down seats. I'm very happy to have owned this car! |
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2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII |
2004 | After all of the bad luck with used cars, I finally ponied up for my first showroom-new vehicle, the baddest little import sedan around and the best new vehicle performance value on the planet. I did a handful of conservative customizations to it to really make it my own, and raced it at a few rallycross events. It was too much car to really have legal fun with day to day, and its stiff ride and clutch made it an unkind daily commuter. Amazing car, but it was costing too much (especially the insurance) for what it gave me back, so I decided to trade it in for something more sensible. |
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1989 Toyota Supra Mk.III |
2003 | When I went back to work, I decided to upgrade my wheels again and picked up this beautiful machine with perfect ergonomics and awesome high technology. It had the amazing TEMS active suspension system that could stiffen the ride dynamically in response to driving conditions. Absolutely phenomenal car. Until it got its first oil change under my ownership. It ended up being a lemon. The previous owner had installed thick high-mileage summer oil to disguise a rod knock. I ended up selling it for $600 to a gentleman on Craigslist who had one with a straight engine, but wrecked body. |
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1984 Toyota Supra Mk.II |
2003-2004 | Caught by the first collapse of the Internet industry, I found myself again needing a very inexpensive vehicle that I could depend on, and I went back to something I had very good luck with in the past. It served me well for awhile, but an emissions issue developed and I wasn't able to get it smogged. In digging for the problem, I discovered quite a bit of hidden evidence of home mechanic horror, including all manner of stripped & mis-matched hardware and even a stripped plug hole. This one went to the scrappers. |
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1994 Volvo 850 Turbo wagon |
2001-2003 | This car was me. It had it all. Comfort, style, speed, and the ability to carry a small sofa home from Ikea -- inside, not on top. I drove this car like there was literally no tomorrow. I made a custom cold air intake for it & swapped in a high-flow ipd grille and a cat-back exhaust system. Drag raced with it, street raced with it, learned how to e-brake park it. Blew the motor in it. Top speed attained: ~135mph (and still accelerating quickly). |
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1985 Volvo 740 Turbo wagon |
2000-2001 | My happiness with the 740 sedan led me to want more, so I stepped up to the turbo model of the same, and this time in tremendously spacious wagon form. Got it for dirt cheap and drove the hell out of it. At a bit over 195,000 miles, the transmission gave up the ghost. Top speed attained: ~125mph. |
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1985 Volvo 740 |
1999-2001 | After the extremely untimely demise of the Supra, I found myself in desperate, immediate need of a vehicle in good mechanical condition for the lowest price possible. This is what I ended up with, and it was great! The interior was a little torn up, but it was spacious, comfortable, and dependable. Top speed attained: ~115mph. |
no photo |
1986 Toyota Supra Mk.II |
1999 | Stepping up from the Celica to the Supra was a godsend. This lovely beast was in truly excellent condition and drove like a dream. Well, at least it did until this one old man in an El Camino pulled out of a strip mall, across two lanes of 35mph traffic, directly in front of me, and didn't even accelerate. RIP Supra. Top speed attained: ~146mph (long, straight, empty stretch of down grade). |
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1984 Toyota Celica liftback |
1998-1999 | With this car I learned that one should never buy a car from a friend. These were actually good cars in general, but this one ended up giving me way more than its share of headaches. Top speed attained: ~110mph. |
