This girl is just about the first car I've owned in my life that wasn't older than me, or nearly so, and that's over about 30 years of owning and modifying vehicles. She's a pretty little thing, and super fun to drive especially after some of the mods I've done; she's quick if not exactly fast - as I tend to say, ""quick enough to be fun, not fast enough to be super likely to put me in jail"".
These cars catch a lot of flack both for their quirky asymmetrical design, which is one of the things I actually love, and their reliability issues over the years - but to be fair, a lot of the owners don't help their case. Personally I take maintenance as a religion, and study known issues so that I can address them preemptively, and that's saved me from having any significant problems with the car whatsoever over the past 4 years of owning her. Bought from Carvana at the start of the pandemic, fortunately before prices shot up, and immediately corrected a bunch of things that Carvana had claimed to have done but didn't, like basic fluid changes and all that, then started the modifications and just haven't ever stopped!
My main focus in mods has been a mix of practical handling mods, driver comfort/experience, and aesthetics - I try to keep that balance going. Not going for major power since there's simply no need and these little 1.6t blocks can't take much added power without affecting reliability. But she's my daily, my project, and my weekend warrior rolled into one, and I love this car more with every passing day and with every little adjustment I make!
