Meet the Fleet!

In this post I wanted to introduce everyone to the current 95overdrive fleet and provide details regarding current mods and future plans. Full disclosure, my experience with building, maintaining, and collecting cars is still very limited. I am a recent college graduate with limited money and time to commit myself to working on cars. At this point it is simply a hobby that I am very passionate about. I spend as much time as a can educating myself about all things automotive. ​I didn't grow up in a family that cares much for cars, and I didn't start to generate interest until my teenage years. I have only recently started gaining access to the tools and resources I need to really learn about mechanics and car ownership. Regardless of my experience I am excited to share my fleet, future plans, and everything I have learned to this point. 

My first car was a used 2009 Audi A4 2.0t with an automatic transmission. I originally selected this car purely based on they way it looked. This was at the beginning stages of my love affair with cars and I hardly knew what an Audi was at the time. It was a fantastic car when it was functioning properly and I miss it dearly. That was followed up by a 2014 Subaru Outback that I used while attending college in Colorado. Post graduation I decided I wanted to sell both cars and buy a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. I never wanted to sell my A4 but I decided I needed something more practical for my lifestyle, it wasn't a manual, and it didn't make sense to keep it. I know what you're thinking "but don't you also have an Outback"? Yes, but besides being a tank the outback wasn't the car for me. I purchased the Crosstrek late 2019 with plans to turn it into a light offraoder/baja style vehicle. It is my daily driver and I absolutely love the car. The current modifications are simply: 15 inch R2 Relations Race Wheels with 215/75/r15 BFGoodrich KO2 tires, RokBlokz mud flaps, and a 1.5 inch lift kit provided by Anderson Design and Fabrication. The only other modifications I plan on installing is an offroad lighting kit. I haven't decided on what I want yet but at some point I will install lighting. In my year and a half of ownership I have put 30,000 miles on the odometer and everyone one of them have been a joy.

Next up is a car that is very near and dear to my heart, my 1986 Subaru BRAT. This is a car that to me, was always endlessly cool. A car that I wanted to be a part of my permanent collection some day. I always thought that day would be in the very distant future. Little did I know one would graciously fall into my lap. The first time I saw my BRAT I was visiting my new girlfriend's grandparents in the middle of nowhere Virginia. We pull up to their house and low and behold... there it was... a muddy, old, SUBARU...FLIPPING...BRAT. Keep in mind I was in high school at that time and I was soon to be off to Colorado for college. I thought 1 I can't afford it 2 I didn't want to inappropriately ask to buy their car when we've only just met and 3 It looked to be a busted barn find. I also, knew how challenging a BRAT restoration project can be because of rust, the lack of parts, and available information. In my mind I had written the car off as SUPER COOL but I will never own it. A few years later my girlfriends grandfather passed away peacefully on his farm at age 93. The BRAT eventually was passed down to her brother but their family decided they didn't have space or time for it. When I found out he was thinking of selling it I immediately texted her brother and causally offered $850. The rest is history. I drove it home smiling ear to ear but slightly nervous to fully inspect it. I had only ever seen it covered in a thick layer of mud, so I had no idea what kind of condition it was really in. I gave it a very thorough detailing and to my amazement, it was in immaculate condition. A few superficial spots of rust here and there but other than that...it was a SOLID BRAT. 

Since I purchased the car/truck in the summer of 2018 I have repainted the wheels, replaced the suspension, removed a dead rat, replaced a window, changed fluids, spark plugs, and replaced fuel filters. This past fall I purchased an identical BRAT from North Carolina to use for parts. Unfortunately, I was only able to pull a new seat, and some other small components. I quickly sold it as I no longer need anything from it. Besides a muffler delete my BRAT is bone stock and I have put over 6,000 miles on the odometer. It currently has around 144,000 miles on it. 

My future plans for the BRAT are very ambitious and might not make sense to some people but it's my BRAT and I will do what I wish. I eventually would like to do a full resto-mod to the car. I plan on color matching it to my cool khaki gray crosstrek and changing the decal color to white. I also want to install custom BRAID race wheels, roll bar, and light kit in order to give it a rally car vibe. My plan is to create a classic looking rally BRAT. I have also been heavily inspired by Singer Porsche and would like to do some custom work to the interior. Lastly, the engine....I will run the current motor for as long as it will go but when the time comes I believe a full engine swap is in order. The current AE81 boxer engine is just too small and hard to maintain for the modern world. Parts are scares and 0-60 is probably 35 seconds. I will likely put an EJ22 and a 5 speed in it when the time comes. It will take many years because parts are limited/custom and as you all know custom projects get very expensive. For now I am keeping it safe from the elements and loving every second with it. I have no plans of ever selling my goofy little mullet on wheels.  

Enter the newest member to my fleet...Pilaf! It's a 1990 1.6L 5 speed Mazda Miata. I purchased this car for a number of reasons and so far I couldn't be happier with the decision. I live out in the country with a commute into the city for work. On the weekends I day dreamed about carving pavement in a car that was designed for "driving." I love both my BRAT and Crosstrek very much, they are great cars and extremely fun in their own ways. That being said, from a pure driving perspective they are both about as slow and bland as it gets. I don't think there is a car in the state of Virginia that is slower than my BRAT, so if you ever find yourself stuck behind me I apologize...I give it everything she's got 24/7. The Crosstrek really isn't as slow as people make it out to be but it's definitely not equipped to handle any sort of performance driving. I really wanted something that I could learn proper performance driving in, wasn't a pain to work on, and was designed for the love of driving. I can't afford a WRX, S2000, Mustang, or most sports cars, so that left only one option.... the Mazda Miata! Before owning mine I had never driven one or really been all that interested in them. After watching countless reviews, reading about them, and seeing them around town I finally decided that I would pull the trigger. I had an itch that needed scratching. I decided to get an NA because pop-up headlights are an absolute MUST. I didn't have a preference on the 1.6 vs 1.8 that didn't really matter to me. Both engines seemed to have their pros and cons. All I  wanted was one that was affordable, stock, and rust free. I't didn't take long until I found one near by with 106k miles on the odometer. The seller accepted my offer and I was off to check it out. I was really nervous about adding another car to my collection. I didn't want to bite off more than I could chew and I wasn't sure how much I'd actually like the Miata. However, 30 seconds into my test drive every bit of doubt and buyers remorse flew out of the drop top. I was completely hooked. I was ripping through gears like an F1 driver in the 80s. I paid cash on the spot and I wont look back. 

I've had the car for just a few weeks, so I have only been able to chip away at basic maintenance items like fluids, detailing, etc... I plan on performing the timing belt service soon and replacing seals to hopefully eliminate the waterfall of oil coming out of it. I also, removed the short shifter and installed an OEM shifter with a rebuild kit and Bronze bushing. My goal for this project is to build a tasteful, reliable street car that can handle minor track use and autocross. The previous owner installed a full stainless steel exhaust starting at the headers, and it actually sounds fantastic. It also has a set of Advanti Storm S1 wheels, new tires, and an aftermarket cold air intake. Other than that it's bone stock with a remarkably clean interior. I bought this car to use as an educational tool. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post I am a noob when it comes to building cars, so I want to use this one as a starting point. I plan on doing all the modifications myself from mechanical to cosmetic. I also, plan on joining VMSC and participating in autocross as well as track days at VIR, RIR, and Dominion Raceway. I want to learn as much as I can and how to properly drive before moving on to bigger and better cars. I really love this little car and I can't wait to see it evolve in the future!