You know there had to be a car page on here somewhere, right?
A little car history about me: I've been a car fanatic ever since before I could drive. My father "says" that he used to "drag race" back in the PI when he was younger (He currently drives an E36 M3 . . . I'm just waiting for the day when he goes on an extended vacation so I can put that car through its paces!!). I guess that my father's side of the gene pool is what prompted me to take up an automotive interest. Not so much the stoplight bandit, I usually try to take hone my skills on an autocross course, with the occasional highway run-ins from time to time (disclaimer: comment made for entertainment purposes only).

This is the second Subaru Legacy I've owned since I started driving. I used to drive a 90 Legacy Lsi. That thing was a tank, bless her soul. I treated that car like a red-headed step child (no offence to the read-headed step children out there). Really, I'd go fifteen thousand miles without an oil or filter change, I would hardly take the thing in for servicing, and she still drove like a champ!! I was sold on the Subaru brand.

When the 97 GTs came out, I instantly knew that I had to have one. I waited a couple years and eventually found a used 97 GT that was within my price range in April of 1999. I drove up to Lancaster, PA, and drove home in my "new" car. You won't see too many off these vehicles on the road, much less one with a manual transmission. That is pretty much why I purchased the car - uniquity. I cherish being different!!

My ownership of the car hasn't exactly been all gravy. My bad luck all started March of last year (2001). I was waiting at a stoplight when a woman in a 90's Mercedes decided to use my car as an arrestor net . . . launching my car into the intersection of the next street. That was incident one . . .

Two months later (I think it was Memorial Day weekend), I was driving home in a pretty heavy rainstorm when the person in front of me decided to make a sudden panic-stop. I stand on the brakes and stop, as does the guy behind me and the guy behind him. Unfortunately for me, the last guy doesn't stop in time and causes a five car pileup, in which my car gets shoved underneath the back end of a, ironically enough, 70's Mercedes in front of me. That was incident two . . . Mercedes two, Legacy none.

I think it was September of the same year. I was driving to work one morning, and making good time, when I look in my rearview mirror and see smoke billowing out from underneath my car. Thinking that my car was about to burst into flames at any moment, I pull over and inspect the undercarriage of my car, assuming that my hair would catch fire . . . I don't see any flames, but instead see oil draining out of my engine at a rate of about a 1/4 quart per minute. Not good. The car was diagnosed with a headgasket problem, which is a problem I came to realize was quite common for cars of my particular make, model, and year. Too bad I found out a couple years too late. That was incident three . . .

A few months, a new year, and a new engine later I park my car on 31st street down in Georgetown to stay over my friend, Tilly's place. Get up the next day to go to work and find the car, again, smashed to hell!! Apparently, some stupid drunk ass bastard decided to use his car as a battering ram. Fuckin spoiled brat in a Range Rover. Witnesses say that he was so full of himself he was heard screaming, "go ahead, arrest me!! I have enough money to buy my way outta this!!" What a fucktard!! And that, my friends, was incident number four.

So there you have it. I've had the car for three months now since getting it back in July. I'm just crossing my fingers to see what happens next . . .

What have I done to it?
When I first bought the car I could find ZERO performance parts for it. Subaru was not a car manufacturer known for its performance offerings at the time (at least on this side of the pond). So, I had to wait . . . and wait. Eventually, Subaru decided to bring over the new-age WRX . . . and EVERYONE and their friend's, sister's, mother's uncle bought one . . . Jump on that bandwagon, I tell ya.

So what have I done to the car? Nothing much. With all of the crap that has happened to my car over the past year, I haven't had too much disposable income available to me. Here's the short list:

Cobb Tuning Intake
2 1/4" Custom Catback
Eibach Pro Kit Springs
Clutchmasters Stage 1 Clutch
Unorthodox 11-pound flywheel (not on the car right now)
Kartboy shortshifter and urethane bushings
FHI 18mm rear sway bar
Cusco Front STB

So what's next?
Having little to no additional funds for major modifications, I'd have to say the next mod would have to be nitrous (NAAAAWWWSS!! I NEED TWO OF THE BIG BOTTLES). I wish I could go turbo, but unless I win the lottery (or straight JACK to save me that MAD CREAM!!), IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!! Seems like the cheapest, RELIABLE turbo kit out there retails for about $7000. Ironic how all Subarus in Japan ALREADY HAVE TURBOS!! Someone please explain to me why the US always seems to get neutered, watered-down, iterations of incredible cars that can be had overseas?!?!?!

"Limited?!?! You damn right it's limited. $18,000 and no turbo?!?! Just a big shiny dick and we just the balls draggin along!!".

For $500, you too can have some cheap horsepower (some might call it cheating, I just think you gotta do what you gotta do to keep up with the big dawgs)!!!

Zex Nitrous Kit