me and my car, the story of how she and i came to be, and of how she became what she is today...
it all started back in 2001. i was just about to turn 17 and take my roadtest. i was in desperate need of a car to get me to and from school & work so that i wouldn't have to rely on my parents or friends anymore. and i had my heart set on one car and one car only... a P10 infiniti G20.
i set out looking, but every car i found and looked at was quickly sold thereafter.
one day i was searching online and found what seemed to be the perfect car... a 93 G20, leather interior, sunroof, power everything, low miles, and automatic. i wanted an automatic because i didn't know how to drive stick back then and didn't want to break the transmission trying to "learn". however, the price was way more than i could afford.
i went to go see the car anyway. i knew from the moment it pulled up that somehow, this was going to be my car. i just knew. i had that gut-feeling that told me this was the one i was meant to be with. the same kind of feeling married people say they got when they first met... yeah, love at first sight.
i made an offer, which was refused. i left without test driving the car or even checking under the hood. i was very dissappointed, but i somehow knew everything was going to work out...
well, i got home and two hours later, the man selling the G20 called me to tell me that his other buyer backed out, and if i still wanted it, i could have it at the price i offered. i had never been so happy. it was meant to be...
so i took her to the mechanic the day after i took delivery, being as i still hadn't inspected the car. we put her up on the lift and he said it was one of the best cars he had ever seen. damn did i get lucky.
so two weeks later i passed my roadtest, and spent the next year paying off a loan i had to take out to pay for the car after a family emergency had depleted my previous savings... bah. however, i was not to be deterred from my dream...
after i was no longer in debt, i began modifying the car. i started with the basic bolt-ons, HotShot cold air intake, GReddy MX catback exhaust, tints, subs... i kept it relatively simple as i had big plans for her... the turbo swap.
i went away to college that following september, and brought my baby with me. i saved all my money and actually used some of my student loan money to save for a new motor. however, i actually decided to buy a 1G DSM so that i could have AWD turbo instead of FWD turbo...
i guess my car got mad at me, because a week after i made that decision, the automatic transmission started slipping... well, that really left me no choice other than to DET and 5SPD her huh? ;)
i spent a couple months getting all the parts together... motor, LSD tranny, ecu... the hardest part of the whole thing was finding a junkyard near me that had a manual transmission P10 G20 to get all the necessary parts to do the conversion since the dealer ripped me off and couldn't get half the stuff i needed anyway. junked manual trans G20s are so rare, it's like finding a needle in a haystack. but again, fate interveened. i found several places, all wanted $1500+ for all the parts. then, one place literally 5 miles from my house, wanted $800 for everything, including the transmission, which means i would have a spare tranny. i got really lucky with that find...
so the swap was done. took only a week. and it went so smoothly. the install was simple, the car runs amazing, the turbo spools like crazy... i couldn't be more pleased.
and now, i'm 20 years old, with a car that continues to make me ridiculously happy every day. i fall in love with her all over again every time i drive her. she fits me perfectly, both physically and personality-ally (yeah i know that's not a word, but it is now! haha).
i love my car more than anything, she is the world to me. nothing makes me happier than spending time with/driving her. she is the only thing i have that will always be there for me, that will always listen when i need someone, that keeps me safe, and that makes me so purely happy just from driving her...
Page 1: pictures & specs
Page 2: NY to LA roadtrip!
Page 3: some more pictures
Page 4: you are here
Page 5: my mom's P11 G20!!
