Meet Jiji!

When you're offered a cheap Porsche, the answer should always be yes! Or at least, that's what I think. This 1986 Porsche 944 was destined for the scrapyard. That was, until my good friene, Otto, got a hold of it, and decided to sell it to myself and Mr. X as a group rally car project, with me affectionately giving it the name "Nena", who sung the 80's German hit, 99 Luftballons. The car is exactly what you'd expect for a cheap 944; body is worse for wear (and made out of a LOT of Bondo), non-operational mechanicals, and wheels from a 928 that definitely don't belong on this car. However, with some TLC, this is a car that will be ready to hit the rally stage someday!

This underrated gem of Bubble Era Japan is Seiko, named after my favorite anime character of the time, Seiko Shinohara from Corpse Party for the car's fun, quirky, and sometimes joking behavior, similar to the character. I received this car for free from my uncle in 2016, and since then, its progression has been slowed due to titling issues. However, that doesn't stop me from loving the living hell out of this thing, going as far as to give the suspension and steering system almost a complete overhaul in my high school auto shop alongside a few friends. This is a forever car alongside my IS300, as I reminisce the short rides in it with my uncle when I was just a little boy.

Ah yes, the stimulus check Civic. I bought this in 2021 during the height of the Pandemic for sub-$1000 LOL! This 215,000 mile EG Civic Sedan was listed on FB Marketplace for about 3 hours before I saw the ad. Everything from a new transmission, a suspension refresh, and the most obvious, an exterior tune up was performed. I acquired this car with the sole intention of having that cheap Honda fun and reliability while simultaneously living the dream I've always had of having a Golden Era Honda just as my dad did back in the late 90's-early 00's. Most of the parts are bought from either a Honda specialist site like JHP USA, or eBay, with the SSR Type X wheels being my personal favorite cherry on top, all that's left is to apply the Amane Kanta itasha livery and this Osaka-styled street runner will be near complete!

"Sakura" is the very first car to ever have entered STS. This car's history with me spans since 2002, brand new off of Lexus of Las Vegas' then showroom turntables, with a 2-year old Gino jumping on the brand new seats yelling "Papa's car!" again and again as my parents looked to trade dad's DC2 Integra GS-R for it. Long story short, they made the trade, and I spent nearly my entire childhood in the backseat of this sports sedan, which is finally getting its spot in limelight within the tuning community back as they dwindle in population and grow in age. From high school, to the present, from the bad times in life to the most unforgettable, this is my true, 100% definition, of a forever car.

Another car seeing a resurgence in the tuning world is the ZZW30 Toyota MR2/MR-S. Gino purchased this worse for wear example in 2021 after totalling his ZN6 86 in an unfortunate accident. Luckily, this car has a secret hiding under the uh...bonnet? Boot? Anyway, it's got a 2ZZ-GE out of a Celica GT-S of the period, making roughly 40 more horsepower than the 1ZZ-FE Corolla engine that usually comes in these cars. According to Gino, with the lack of essentially all driver aids aside from ABS, this car is the most raw, soulful, and passionate driving car he has ever owner, and for that, it seems he can never get rid of it, even when he tries. Its name, Aerith, comes from the FFVII character, who is normally overshadowed by her in-game partners in the community.

For a long time running, Gino has always loved the look of the E210 Corolla Hatchback. When in 2019 the first rumors dropped of it receiving the then-newly released GR Yaris' quirky, three-cylinder turbo drivetrain, all dreams of an FK8 Type R disappeared, and he knew he had to have it. Come 2023, and he was able to snatch one up with colors reminiscent of Kaguya Shinomiya, his favorite character from his favorite anime of all time, Kaguya-sama, Love is War. Two years year and nearly 27,000 miles later, Gino says this little hot hatch has lived up to the fanfare and then some, and it won't be going anywhere soon. Now, it's just a matter of waiting for part prices to drop 😅