This is a little note to those annoying people who understand nothing about suspension geometry…

Dear Stance Idiots,

No, I will not be “slamming” my S2000. Ever. She’s much happier having some usable fender gap so that her fenders aren’t interfering with her tires when we’re turning. We had an absolute blast driving a twisty road with a bunch of Porsches last summer and we plan on doing it again sometime.

Of course, if you still think I should, how would YOU like it if I repeatedly slammed your face into pavement wherever we went? Every time you saw a speed bump, looked at my driveway the wrong way or found out that nothing really cares about what you think is “ill” (a phrase I’m afraid I just don’t get anyhow) enough to try and be low car friendly and instead smashed your face into a wall? No?

You sure??

Then don’t suggest I ask my car to smash her beautiful face into pavement just so she can look pretty in a few photos. We’d rather go autocrossing, thank you.

Cheers!
Meg & her S2000

P.S. When we do get coil overs, we plan on putting them to use on the track. Despite our few inches of ground clearance, we’re still quite low relatively speaking.

I’m afraid I don’t have too much car-related, and that I won’t for a few months. Winter weather has made its appearance and the cold makes me not want to do much of anything. (Other than go and finally buy a snowboard and hit the mountain.)

This Saturday I’ll be heading out to the Porsche dealership for the Club’s Tech Session, but other than that I’ve been swamped with work… Which gives me way too much time to think. And come up with posts like this, heh.

As many of you know, my husband is military. We live on a military base. I work on the same base we live on, resulting in an awesomely short five minute commute. However, this is about the best part of it.

I pretty much despise being surrounded by it so much. It’s almost soul-crushing, no kidding. Why? People around here just like to be so… Mediocre.

I mean this because they never seem to aspire to anything. I have my dreams and hopes and things I want to accomplish, but most people seem to think that having dreams and actually achieving them are impossible. I just don’t get it.

I’m working on selling both the Miata and the 240sx. Part of me does want to set aside a fairly large chunk of the resulting sales to put towards my first 911. I’m tempted to find the 911 SC of my dreams and get one… But at the same time, it would cause such a fuss to bring one home I’m not sure that I can. (Why I really want the bike, and also because the bike is easier to move when we end up PCSing again.)

I can probably find a good 911 SC for around $17,000. She may or may not need an engine rebuild, but even if she does after that she’d be good for quite some time and quite some miles. As much as I adore modern 911′s, the 911 SC is my favorite. I love the old school looks and the whale tail, I can’t get over it. I want it.

But as much as I know I could probably do this, I have to think about whether or not people are going to get dumb over it. When my husband took the S2000 to our last base, he actually got investigated for selling drugs because some guy thought it was a Porsche. So my fears aren’t without reason — It’s because we were investigated for having a Porsche when we didn’t. I don’t know what will happen when we do. (Even if I end up getting an SC for under $20,000.)

I know cars aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. But what I don’t understand is why I feel like I’m punished for what I like and what I hopelessly spend a ton of money on. It should be my right to spend my money how I please and not have to answer to anybody, but here it feels like I have to. Like me achieving a dream of mine is somehow wrong.

I already know I’m weird — I should be graduating college soon with my bachelor’s (better late than never?), I have a job and I prefer to work. Actually, I have two jobs, my regular one and one that I pick up when I can. I could have a third regularly if I wanted it, and I just signed up to do mystery shopping for my other days. And right now I’m working just over 40 hours a week, and am on day #18 in a row for work.

I don’t have kids, nor do I want them. I only have a cat and no dog. I don’t want to spend my days sitting at home, and I go to the gym and actually work out until I’m tired and not half-ass it.

For most of the people I know, this is normal. For where I live and the people I’m surrounded by, I’m really, really, really weird. And I don’t mind it…. Except when what I do is made other people’s business and it actually affects what I feel I can and cannot do.

I know I’ll get my 911 eventually. I know I’ll even have the 911 SC that I covet. The sad part is I may not have her as soon as I want her.

But I will have her. Someday. Idiots that surround me be damned.

For those who don’t know, the SCCA puts out a magazine for its members called SportsCar. It’s actually kinda cool, because it’s an easy way to keep up with everything going on in such a huge club.

I have a but, though… And that’s a bone I’d like to pick with them.

I really love the SCCA, I just have a tiny irk with one bit of the mag they publish, lol.

The Bone…

One of the features is called “First Gear,” which as they say interviews up-and-coming members. That’s all fine and dandy, but after a few issues I saw the same, unnerving pattern…

Almost everyone interview is 17-ish and has been involved in motorsports for the better part of their, oh, ENTIRE life.

Talk about disheartening.

So? What’s the deal?

Okay, I could be a bit whiny about it, but seriously. If you want to attract young people into racing, I dare say you don’t want to talk about how awesome somebody the same age is and how much better because they happened to be born into a family already involved in the SCCA.

For once, please, can I read an interview of another 22-ish year old, who started autocrossing locally with their chapter of the SCCA and is great but not super amazing? Why do all these people have to be on the verge of professional careers at 20 to be included?

Kinda De-Motivating, Really

For me, it’s always been a sore spot. People not much older than I am making huge strides in racing, when I struggle to pay for the few track days I might be able to get to, if I’m lucky, because I’m trying to make it on my own.

No, it doesn’t take away from what these kids are doing or have managed to do already.

I just wish the focus wasn’t completely on those who were lucky enough to be a member of the SCCA since they were born. Of course they’re amazing while they’re still so young. They’ve already been doing it for years themselves.

I bet if I started racing years ago, I could be a part of Club Racing by now too....? (Still a goal of mine right now!)

SportsCar, could we please…

Hear more about the kids who maybe aren’t so great? Maybe those just starting out? A tribute to the ordinary Rookies of the Year who may have only made it to local events? People who may be just as great drivers but haven’t gotten to find out yet?

I want to hear the story of the 18 year old who had parents who thought racing wasn’t feasible, he said it was though and made it so. The kid who works and goes to school and scrapes everything he can together just to get to races… Without the support of a family who’s been doing it for years.

Somebody who bootstrapped their way up into it. Somebody who could be a little bit more like me. :/

Is that too much to ask? Pretty please?

Into what normal people think of cars, anyhow.

The Show

I’m sure you’ve heard of CSI:Miami before? Probably, haha. Now, whether you’ve ever watched it…. Who knows. And that’s not the point.

The point is, more so than the other CSI series Miami has cars, quite a few. Usually Lamborghinis. Which isn’t totally surprising, because Miami does have some expensive wheels rolling around… Any city with money like that will. (Even New York, where the parking spaces are stupid expensive. So one time when we were there, we saw an Aston Martin parked on the street…)

Anyhow, one day I caught part of the episode “High Octane” on tv, and what I saw disturbed me more than just a little bit.

Hello, It’s Called Research!!!

Now, it’s a given that for shows there’s some actual research done to make it somewhat credible. And I’d expect with the booming car scene that it wouldn’t be so damn hard to come up with some facts….

Apparently, it is.

Mind the poor quality, but just take a look for yourself here. No, please, you’ll see my point rather quickly. The first few minutes give you an awful glimpse into what they came up with. (Funny side note: the subtitles are Chinese, and I can actually read some of the characters and phrases… It’s freaky lol.)

If you’re into a bit more torture, you can watch the whole thing…. It’s pretty awful, honestly. Especially when you get to the tire bit and it’s all about the “Hoosier slicks.” Yeah, Hoosier makes slicks… Slicks are for racing… Used in drifting… BUT NOT ON FREAKIN’ ECLIPSES.

I’m sorry, but in NO way, shape or form should you EVER fashion the words “drifting” into a sentence and show an eclipse. UGH!!!!!!!!!

But Then…

And yet, they show actual cars. Real cars. Built cars. Not “tricked-out” cars, REAL cars. Like the RX-7. A few Silvias. And a Levin, right? (I’m pretty sure…?)

This was one of the cars shown in the episode....

So it’s like, even worse. You can’t go and show these actual cars that people or shops worked really hard on next to your stupid eclipse for the show. It’s WRONG.

Why? Because then all the non-car people go and think that, “Oh, that’s how it is!” And it’s not! It’s not even close!

Drifting is NOT a crime. It is NOT a stunt. It IS a real sport. For some, it IS a way of life. It is NOT something to be thrown around lackadaisically on a tv show full of people who are probably really uneducated in the field and now they think they know what those “drifting punks” are like.

It really irks me to the core when things like this go down. It’s wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. Period. You should have done more research or, gasp, brought on a consultant to make sure you’re at least somewhat accurate.

And that’s not even getting to the final gem — the fact that the kid’s dad was siphoning off jet fuel and they were putting it in cars….???

For the record: Jet fuel is nothing more than slightly more refined diesel. You don’t fill up your car at the diesel pump, do you? No. So you wouldn’t put jet fuel in your car. It’s not high octane, it’s actually low octane.

On the flip side, I’m happy for the people who did get their cars into the show. It’s some nice recognition and a great achievement! It doesn’t take anything away from the cars, it’s the people who did the show that are……..

Kinda Frustrating

It’s pretty frustrating because there isn’t anything one can do about this. It’s there, it’s done and it’s out there — showing people some glamorized life that doesn’t really exist. Huh, I swore that was done before….

Oh yeah, the Fast and the Furious. Figures. That’s totally how it is, isn’t it?

I have to say, though, this irks me in a totally different way than that True Life episode. Because that was actually some dude thinking his life was something it totally wasn’t….

So tell me, what do you think when you see something like this? Does it irritate you? Or do you shrug it off?

In a way, I like that people don’t understand the lifestyle from the outside… But they have some stupid opinions I get tired of trying to fight.

I came across another of those horrible, depressing things again… This time, in the pages of Honda Tuning.

For the record, I kinda like Honda Tuning, it’s a pretty good mag. I will admit, however, I’m not a huge huge Civic head… Yes, I like the Civic, but I’m not, “OMG, Civic is the best car evarrrrrrrr!!!!11!!!!!1″ kinda thing. And I won’t ever be that way, really.

But I still like admiring cars that people built… Though, of course, most cars in mags were built to be in mags and not to be used. It’s a crying shame, honestly, but there are a few lucky exceptions. (Like the one Spoon-covered S2000 that IS tracked.)

And then…

So I went and flipped through the latest issue of Honda Tuning. (Or it might have been the last issue, not sure at this point, memory’s kinda shoddy for these sorts of things.) On the cover was something about a husband-and-wife duo that builds cars.

I thought, “Hey, that’s cool, there’s another couple like us out there!”

What I thought was wrong, and boy was it disappointing. Apparently when it comes to applying the label “car girl,” it’s passed out VERY liberally.

(Not the issue I was reading, just so you know!)

The Scoop

So the couple in question was written up with an EK hatch and an Integra, don’t ask me specifics on the Teggy because I’m quite bad with them… Ha. It was that, though.

First off, the guy’s hatch was nice. Maybe a bit too show-y for my tastes, but still respectable.

The Integra wasn’t exactly bad either… But I have developed a huge love for the JDM front ends, so the ones with the multiple lights (even though they were JDM for a few years) don’t resonate with me on the same level as the others.

I mean, I have a feeling I’m going to end up respecting the people who go ahead and do the front end swap more after I go through the Sil-Eighty conversion with my 240SX… I have a feeling it isn’t so easy.

Wait, what?!

Anyhow, car wasn’t so bad, that’s not my point.

(Well, the hubs did point out that the HP reported and mods that both cars had didn’t match up, hardly at all. If the engines really had that much work done, it’d have been higher HP, not slightly more than stock… WTF is up with that? Lying…?)

I dislike anyone who would lie to get into a magazine... That's low. Just be real!! Real cars are way better anyhow, I think.

I digress. It really isn’t what irked me the most, that kinda made me just laugh.

What really got me was the fact that it seemed to be making a huge deal out of the fact that this chick drove a modded Integra.

So what?! Her husband has been long into the car scene, and the article said he had parts lying around that went to the Integra’s build. Wow, excuse me for saying this, but that’s hardly something you should applaud a chick for.

Would you applaud a guy for picking up parts lying around a house and installing them, when they were kept for being good or whatever? I doubt it, honestly. Don’t lie to me about it.

Come on now. Really?

There can’t be that few girls into cars that you have to go and stretch that a chick driving around that her husband probably built, or at least had a LOT of input for, deserves to be made a fuss over.

Maybe I’m being too cynical, but I’ve had to put up with a lot of the, “Oh, so your husband’s into cars?” Yes, he is. But so am I.

He didn’t build my Miata. I did. He didn’t have parts lying around or even suggest too many to me. I asked for his opinion and did my own research. I got a job and made my own money. I bought my own parts at my own discretion. She’s what I wanted her to be, not something my husband just threw together.

What upsets me is that this totally minimizes what I do…. I’m not sure if people can see it, but that’s how it comes off to me.

Just because my husband’s into cars doesn’t mean I don’t have my own thing about cars. In fact, we have totally differing opinions sometimes. It would be way too boring if we thought exactly alike, ha.

Yeah, I'd like to make it into a mag someday... But for all good reasons, please!

I’m real.

Honestly, I’m the real deal here. I eat, sleep, live and breathe cars, because I love them, not because it impresses my husband or anybody else.

I blog about cars because it’s what I love doing. I take pictures of cars because it’s what I love doing. I race my cars because it’s what I love doing. I build my cars because it’s what I love doing.

I hate it when something comes along and somebody happens to get attention that seems to minimize many female accomplishments in the car scene. While many girls have a good guy behind them to thank for their love of cars, be it a husband, boyfriend, father, uncle or whatever, it’s when a girl takes to cars in her own way that’s commendable. It’s hard to be a girl in a boys’ world.

I’m hoping you can see my point. I’m not meaning to bash (Love you, Honda Tuning! :3), but come on now…

We all know that real car girls exist without having to make any stretches, right?

I wish I could tell you all about the very tiny car show that I went to. I suppose that, in fact, I really could…

But I don’t exactly have any awesome pictures to share.

Ugh

The night before the car show, I had to take my 365 Project photo for April 30th. It was kinda dark, so I had a lower shutter speed to compensate for the lack of light I had when I was taking a picture of my newest Choro-Q’s.

The newest Choro-Q's in my growing collection.

Well….

I kinda forgot that my shutter speed was 1/20. That’s plenty to get good light, so all of my histograms looked great from the car show. The issue was that it started sprinkling.

Holding an umbrella while trying to take pictures and not get soaked does NOT work. I found that out the hard way.

Lesson Learned

I didn’t realize what I had done until I got home and was like, “Ew, wtf did I do to take so many blurry pictures?!” So yeah…

And even the shots that I did get weren’t quite what I’m going for. I know I can do better than what I did, which kinda sucks. But with the rain and the wetness and all, I felt really off. It just wasn’t my day.

What I learned was this: No matter what, take a lot of pictures. Then realize that just because you take a ton of pictures doesn’t mean you’ll get a ton of good pictures. As long as you get some good pictures.

The Good Ones

I didn’t get anything great at the car show, but one of the cars that wasn’t in the show I managed to get some good snaps of… Happens to be an old Corolla wagon that I adore.

The other is when we found ourselves in a tiny car dealership with an NSX and a Carrera cabriolet. Just a shame the Aston Martin they had was tucked away and we couldn’t go see her… (Or maybe I’d have been more upset that pictures of a car like that didn’t turn out? Who knows.)

All I know is despite a day full of bad pictures, I quite like these two!

One of my few black and whites, it just fits I think... I really like this shot of mine!

I really wanted to bring one of them home, I did... But it wasn't the day for it.

I am completely, utterly and totally sick of the people who try to talk cars without knowing their facts.

I am sick of people who tell me that wanting to own a Ferrari is a pointless dream and that the car is not worth the money. They are wrong — it is possible, I won’t go broke over her and they are completely worth every penny. We’re lucky that Ferrari even makes cars for people to buy.

It’s called google, now use it!

There have been many times where I wanted to say something I was only 95% certain of. To make sure I didn’t go on and make myself look stupid, I did a quick google search. In about thirty seconds, I can verify that I’m either on mark or way off.

Now, most of these comments are made on non-automotive blogs. For those of us gearheads, we know that the general population is most definitely car-retarded. So it’s really to be expected.

Why it irks me…

There’s a specific reason why it irks me so bad — People can be such pricks and haters when it comes to cars. Really, when it comes to perceived wealth via cars.

I’ve had enough of the jealous spite from people when it comes to our eight year old Honda, our S2000. People definitely treat you differently when they think you have more money than they do… And not in a nice way, most of the time.

I wish people wouldn't be such pricks about our choice in cars.

Funny enough, people become a lot friendlier when they find out she’s eight years old and cost less than a brand new Scion. Then get shocked again when they find out she’s paid off. But you know, just a day in the life of a gearhead here.

Anyone can own a Porsche. I’m serious.

One spiteful comment I hear a lot is directed at those who own Porsches, as if those who own Porsches snob their noses at the rest of society.

Yes, I take offense to this. Not because I currently own a Porsche or even have had one yet, but because numerous friends of mine are Porsche owners. In fact, my husband and I have been somewhat officially invited to tag along with the local Porsche club on their various outings… All without owning a Porsche ourselves. We’re just huge fans.

We know guys who keep their Porsches spotless. We know guys who’s Porsches are strictly for racing. And there’s one guy who’s Porsche I absolutely adore — a 914 with a 911 engine, that’s completely track-prepped and he drives the crap out of her on the street. Just plain awesome. (Oh, her paint is crap, yeah, but come on… A 911 engine in a 914. Beat that power to weight.)

Note that I never said anything about the type of Porsche one can own. Just that anyone who can afford to own a car can afford to own a Porsche.

I’m not going to bother with posting ads here now to back myself up… Those who know I’m right know it, and I’m hoping to spur those who think I’m wrong to look it up for themselves. Yes, some Porsches are ridiculously expensive — Not everyone can own a Carrera GT. But nearly anyone can buy a 914 or a 944.

Personally, my dream is to own a 911 SC, the 911′s sold between 1978 and 1983. I just completely love the body style… Perfect. And she can be mine for under $20,000.

I couldn't have found a better picture that sums up this car, I don't think.

Have you ever seen MTV’s documentary series True Life?

If yes, have you ever seen the, “I’m a Street Racer” episode?

It’s classic, I tell you. Classic. And really old, but that’s not the point.

Pure Entertainment

I have to say, the episode is pure entertainment. It’s absolutely hilarious! If you’ve got 42 minutes and nothing better to do, or are curious, you can watch the whole thing here. It’s just really crappy quality… My apologies.

My Commentary

Here’s the fun part for me, hahaha. Why I felt compelled to do this, I’m not sure… But here are my collective thoughts on the whole thing.

1. LS/VTEC motor = ugh. Worst. Idea. Ever. Just get a B18 already, sheesh… (Edit: This isn’t entirely a bad thing to do, as long as you know how to do it properly. For the guy in this case, it certainly was a bad idea because I’m quite sure he had NO clue what he was doing.)
2. The dude’s Integra. Like wow, you did a RHD swap over…. And kept the ugly ass USDM front end. The JDM teggy looks a MILLION times better, but no. You pretended to be Japanese…
3. He gets his in the ending clip of him “professionally racing.” Like dude, the track was on your left…. Mowing the grass now, eh?
4. His freaking retarded girlfriend.
5. Her retarded quote, “That’s the life of a race car driver’s girlfriend.” Yeah, I bet.
6. All the girls are ugly, I think. All the guys too, for that matter. Huh.
7. The cops… If you watch nothing else, you should watch the parts with the cops. OMG. Dumb.
8. “The air intake’s been modified.” Pointing to what’s probably a K&N filter. WOW. Yes, blonde cop. You are a genius. I’d never have guessed it wasn’t stock.
9. The ugly blue and white CRX sporting the SCCA decal. Screw off, morons. The SCCA is one of the best things we’ve got in the States, no need to drag their name through the mud because you’re dumb.
10. It’s funny because some people still think this way. And this shit’s old, for real.

So….

Funny? I think so. Definitely leaves me scratching my head. The guy supposedly put all this money into a shitty Integra, when he could have started with something way better.

Then again, so many people do this. Anyone who modifies a tiburon, I laugh at you. Just, really, buy a better car to start with.

Kinda sad how long it took me to come out and insult tiburons, isn’t it? I’ve told myself it’s okay to have an opinion. Don’t like it, don’t read this stuff… Nobody’s paying me to be nice. (You can start if you really want, I don’t mind.) Yes, that was totally off track, but whatever…

Basically, here’s my thoughts for this post: If you’re a street racer, YOU SUCK. The end.

My cars, that is. I really really really mean it. This is a long time coming, I think…

Cars aren’t necessarily expensive!!!

Okay, I was a bit provoked by another comment on a different blog about, once again, cars being too expensive and flash only for impressing other people and therefore a waste of funds.

I read things like that quite often, written by people who aren’t car people. People who don’t understand how some of us who are car people live.

Me, not you.

My cars are for me, not for you…. Seriously. I’m not “wasting” a bunch of money on my cars to “impress” everyone else. I’m not that into everyone… Sheesh.

I’ve built my cars for my enjoyment. Because I like them this way. Because I use them this way.

I couldn’t care less if they impressed one person or one thousand people. Funny enough, my cars manage to impress people as they are… Without me trying to. That’s the best part, I think.

Get the facts straight, maybe?

What irks me, really, is when I get treated like I’m some sort of lucky rich snob who’s never worked for the stuff I have. I’m ticked off because I’m confused as to where people come up with this crap….

Our most expensive car is a 2001 Honda, and she cost us like $16,000. Is that expensive? Really?

My Miata was $5,000, blue book value for her condition at the time of purchase. And in summer, no less! So I was happy with that deal. Our 240SX was $2,000 for my lovely project car… And a chance to build up credit by working with a very manageable car loan.

Or here: Ask!!

I just hate snap judgements, period. I know I do it too, I’m human after all… We’re so used to doing it, which is sad. But I’m working on it, so can everyone else try, too?

But if you have to know, like you just have to know… Ask me. I’m hardly going to get mad over it, because I love talking about my cars.

So how do I do it?

Cars are my priority, pretty much my highest priority after basics.

I’m not rich, I don’t have a ton of disposable income and I have yet to win the lottery or even get an inheritance. I work, I delegate where my money’s best suited to go and I work with it that way.

Spending money on my cars makes me insanely happy. Even if I don’t drive on any particular day, I can look outside and see my darling girls sitting there all pretty. (And just about paid off, too.) I have access to a culture that’s great, and I have so many awesome friends who are into this too. It’s my hobby, really my only hobby that costs me a lot of money…

So please, don’t think I’m rich just because I have three cars. I don’t think I’m better than you because I drive sports cars. Really, unless you claim to be into cars and obviously aren’t, I couldn’t care less about you or your car.

Now, if ya wanna talk cars with me… I am all game. I’m just well sorted out priorities-wise!

I honestly don’t always mind fighting for respect. In fact, I seem to get all the more of it when I show that I deserve it. I know most girls aren’t car savvy in the least, so I’m quite alright with having to prove myself a bit. After getting our 240SX, life’s been grand as far as cars go. She’s the first that I can talk about her in terms of engine codes, power and anything else that sounds like word jumbles to other people.

And I love how my Miata is finally garnering some respect of her own. We’re to the point of being taken seriously by those who are smart enough to pick up on what we’ve managed to do thus far. I love how she can get a couple of stares when I have her parked when I’m at work… It’s great. Of course, I added a couple of subtle hints that she belongs to a girl: A girlRacer sticker on the passenger side of the windshield and my purple five-point Corbeau harness. Oh, plus the Coach scarf that I have tied from the rear view mirror, with our Special Award button from the car show at Myrtle Beach. It’s great to see people get kind of confused by her with that mixed in!

So when I happened across this article, “Tuner Chicks Pimp Their Rides,” I was appalled, to say the least.

Who the hell thinks this actually represents “car girls”?!?!??! It’s horrible. And it’s a huge insult to me for them to be called “tuner chicks.” Let me explain.

You say tomato…

When you say “car girl” or “tuner girl” or “racer girl” or anything like that, you must understand that there is a difference. A “car girl” is any girl that’s into cars, whether she knows a lot or a little. I’m definitely a car girl myself, and I don’t mind the title. Then there’s a “racer girl,” also me. It’s a girl who races cars, whether built herself or not, legal or illegal. I pride myself on the fact that the Miata and I race legally, and only legally. We do autocross, and later this year we’ll be on our first track learning the ropes of real racing.

Then there’s a “tuner girl,” my most prided title. A tuner girl is only one who actually knows her stuff. We’re the girls that turn the wrenches, not just pay someone else to do it or hand guys the tools. We can talk about suspension set ups, wheel and tire combos and the way turbo systems work. We can keep up with the car guys in a conversation, and are the actual real female gearheads in the world. We’re also the smallest group, and you won’t find many in existence.

Part of my motivation for writing a car blog is to expose myself as a female tuner. Ask me anything you’d like, I’d be glad to answer. My husband can vouch for me as well, in that everything done to my car is picked out by me, paid for by me, and either installed by me or taken to our very trusted mechanic. And, best of all, she’s raced by me.

All show, no go.

What really irks me about the article is that they’re called “tuner chicks.” Now, I’m not a fan of being called a chick. I am, but it’s a bit slang-y for my tastes. (Why I have my Flickr nickname set to “Foxy Tuner.”) And, to be blunt, they are NOT tuners in any way. While they came up with the visions and fronted the cash, the most work they put into the cars is cleaning and shining and polishing a car that probably barely gets dirty.

Tuning vs. Tricking

When you talk about tuning a car, it’s assumed we’re talking about upgrading the performance. If all you’re doing is building a car for show, you’re “tricking it out.” A tuned car may not be the prettiest on the outside, but they hide the best secrets. Usually, you can pick out a well-built go car… They look rather unassuming, yet there’s something about them that gives them up.

A tricked out car, on the other hand, is a peacock with all of its feathers out. It hides nothing, because everything seen is judged in shows. Why waste money upgrading an engine when you can just polish up the stock one and make it look pretty? Highly modifying the engine is just a waste, when you can dump the money into paint and other pretty things instead.

No big loss, really.

Then again, look at the cars these girls “modded.” Two Toyota Celicas. A Toyota Corolla, sedan at that. A Scion xB. (*Gasp* All Toyotas?!) No loss felt by the community, honestly. But if the one chick had dropped money into that “Honda 2000″ of hers, maybe she’d actually have something there. (My other big problem with the article. The journalist should be shot…. It’s a Honda S2000, get it right!!)

Both Celicas are rather new, so they’re the slowest and girliest of them all. The xB’s in the states are all modded atrociously anyhow, only the Japanese seem to understand the purpose of the bB. And the Corolla is new enough to be a complete waste of life as anything other than middle-class transportation. Sorry. Car shows aren’t my style at all. They’re rarely driven, if ever, and cleanliness and ricer parts are preferred over real performance improvements.

Some say I’m just jealous. All of these girls get the attention, I get maybe an eighth as much. But I’m not, I am so not. They can talk about “Lambo doors” and window tint and paint. I can talk about my camber and my cornering and my race performances. Honestly, I let the guys choose which they prefer. The ones I like better will choose me, anyhow… My cars aren’t that girlie, and guys have already told me they like them a lot. (Mostly they all love my wheels, my beautiful black 15″ Enkei RPF1′s.)

Life goes on.

My Miata is styled in a classic, timeless manner. She’s a race car, and race car’s don’t go in and out of style ever. The pink paint, the purple tint, the shiny bits will all fade and come in and out of style. In my favorite tuning style, JDM, less is more. And it really is.

I can be serious with my car without drawing unwanted attention. I can driver her to the track, race her and drive her home. Her paint isn’t perfect, but she’ll only get scratched and dented more when I take her to work or to school. Keeping her body perfect is too much work for such a minimal return. Besides, cars are built to be driven… And she’s a blast to drive fast through the corners.

I dream of a world…

My dream is for girls like me to get recognized. Whether it’s by five people or five thousand people. My goal is to reach as many car people as I can, to show that us tuner girls exist. We’re out there, doing all the same things the guys do. Maybe better. I want to be recognized as a girl who’s into cars. But, more so, I want the credit I deserve and the respect I ought to have earned… Female or not.