Landscape supply hauler. Last year of the D22 Nissan in the US. Bulletproof KA24DE + a manual - the 240sx truck! One previous owner took good care of it. A 2" lift with Vision wheels, AT tires, few other bits, made this truck into a nice desert runner. This build is done and the itch is strong to move on, just a few more landscape supply runs...

Before leaving SF in 2024 traded in the Corolla for the Rav4 Hybrid. It hurt to let go the hatch, but we needed the extra space and fuel economy. A base model hybrid ended up being a great deal. Nothing crazy with this one, a few OEM appearance items, to bring it closer to the XLE trim, plus some seat covers.

Corolla hatches are my jam. After the CX9 blew up we needed a car quick. Post COVID shortages were still a thing so I was lucky to find this hatch as soon as it hit the lot. TRD/OEM upgrades and Euro window deflectors complete the look. Love to get this with a manual one day.

The Box. The Toaster. One of my all-time favorite builds. Super cute and with the right wheels, drop, and front-end upgrades, a mean little stance. Quick too. Lots of upgrades listed under Mods. Sold to a young lady who was super excited to join the Toaster Mafia.

Fell in love with the CX9 at the 2015 SF Auto Show. Drives like a sports car. Mazda's first independent flagship car post the Ford split. Unfortunetly, first year engine problems sprung up at 60k after the warranty had expired. Sold to Carvana. In 2024, Mazda did the recall. I still believe in Mazda especially when they collab with Toyota.

Picked up on a whim for $1400. My first interaction with Toyota's 1.5l series of engines (Tercel/Paseo/Sera -> Echo/xA/xB/Yaris). Oozes with 90s Toyota quality. Unfortunetly the clutch went out after a few months along with the inspiration. Gave to a good friend whose family mechanic replaced the clutch and the Paseo keeps on going.

My second Matrix was to serve as a basic school shuttle and grocery getter. Too bad I wrapped it around a pole after a few months. Still, the Corolla Matrix is one of the most practical cars ever made and plenty fun with a manual. Stock photos. There will be a third!

My first foray into trucks. 2015 was the last year of the 2nd gen Tacoma and towards the end of the year Toyota was practically giving them away. $500 under invoice! I was on the hunt for a manual base model and after realizing there were none left, drove out with a brand new PreRunner for $20.5K. 2 years and 25k miles later sold it back to the dealer for the same price. I needed a real back seat with the second kid on the way. Amazing how well Tacomas hold their value. The 4 cylinder is slow, but extremely reliable and sounded amazing with a Flowmaster Delta 50.

Subaru Era Part 2 - The Outback. Bought from original owner who replaced the headgasket twice. Lots of space - camped in it a couple of times. Burns oil, but if you kept it topped off, it would run forever. Almost a better car than the Matrix if not for the headgasket issues on the EJ25.

Subaru Era Part 1 - The Impreza Hatch. Traded in the XRS for this baby and new mom friendly hatchback. This Subie generation had very unique smooth styling, still my favorite. With the second kid on the way, sold it to a college student and upgraded to the CX9.

Oh My Lord of The Rings... The Holy Grail... almost. No doubt the 2nd gen Alltrac 1990-1993 is my ultimate dream car, but when this 1st gen popped up for $4k - I was there. One of only about 2,000 that made it to the US. It was a joy and honor to drive this historic rally machine. A year later I was moving to downtown SF with only one parking spot available and spoken for by the XRS. I'll likely never touch or drive another Alltrac in my life, but the memory will stay forever.

One of only about 6,000 made, this was the fastest production Corolla in the US until the GR Corolla in 2024. Using the Yamaha developed 2ZZ-GE engine, this was the ultimate and final evolution of Toyota's high performance NA 4 cylinder engines that began with the 4AGE. The Honda boys called it the Type R killer. 2ZZ was also used in the Celica GT-S, Matrix XRS, and Lotus Elise/Exige. The Corolla XRS specifically was made by Toyota Canada using surplus parts from manufacturing the Matrix XRS. 8,400 RPM redline, lower and stiffer stock suspension, and traditional mechanical steering system made it a true sports sedan. Gold Rotas, Injen CAI, full Magnaflow catback - I still drive this baby in my dreams.

My 2nd brand new car was a 2008 Matrix XR with a manual and sunroof. Simply the most practical, reliable, and fun car ever made. Back then I called it a grandpa car and proceeded to trade it in for the XRS within the year. Can't find any exterior photos so the first one is a stock photo. The second, from the interior, is me and Aramis going on our first road trip. He pooped all over the trunk.

My first ever new car, the 2007 Scion TC Spec Package was a rare version only available for two years. The Spec package was a barebones version of the TC with a solid glass roof, steel rims, and simplified interior. Designed for tuners and track days it had a lower MSRP of around $17K! Oh the good old days. It drove fantastic when new and I had lots of plans for it, but the young and stupid in me totaled it in less than a year. More about the Spec Package. White one is stock photo.

Still shook from loosing my AE101 Corolla, I purchased this Integra without verifying the milage. Turns out the odometer was rolled back and so was my inspiration. Sold and moved on after a month.

This 1996 Dodge Stratus ES was part of the payment for totaling my AE101 Corolla from the boys in LA. Smooth and quiet ride, but not for me. Sold within the month.

AE101 Corolla aka "Baby Lexus". One of the few cars I have a dedicated craigslist alert for. For over 20 years I have been looking for a DX model with a manual or better yet, a wagon with a manual. The only thing that makes the Matrix a better car than the Corolla wagon is collision safety. These old cars don't stand a chance. This specific 1996 Corolla base was mint. Purchased from the orignal owner with the backseat never sat in. Rota Slipstreams in Gunmetal were my first aftermarket rim purchase. Can't find any of my own photos yet, but these are the photos taken by the seller right before I bought it.

The coolest car I've ever owned and the one I drove when I met my wife. The 1991 Toyota Supra Turbo Targa. Bought for $4.5K from the orignal owner's son (father recently passed away). Had 74k miles with the only issue being a sizable parking lot dent on the driver door. Ultimate GT car with the targa top down. After getting laid off and with the gas prices surging, I reluctantly sold the Supra to a racer girl from Auburn and purchased the AE101.

Perfect car to learn driving a stick. 70hp, but light as a feather. I would zip all over downtown delivering pizzas until someone crashed into me while changing lanes. One of only two Hondas I've owned.

My second Celica came in liftback GT variety. The styling of this gen Celica will never get old. Of course, the widened rear arches on the GT-S and Alltrac versions look even better. Just beautiful. One day, another Celica...

First car that I bought with my own money. The 1993 Toyota Celica ST Coupe in turqoise. Didn't take long for someone to hit me on the freeway. The car was fine, but insurance chose to total it and pay me a good sum which allowed me to upgrade to the GT.

My first car, given to me by my dad and infused with thousands of pizza deliveries. Kicked of my lifelong passsion for modifying rare and weird cars. I was really into PC case modding and since computers and cars share the same type of electric systems, I was easily able to integrate cold cathode and LED lighting with custom wired switches. Fast and the Furious got nothing on me. Eventually, the transmission gave out and I moved on to the Celica.