Smile. Don't be jealous. Be kind. Rewind.
Photography blog: junction creative
The Importance of Being Content
Today I ran into this video of a person’s quest to have the fastest Toyota Supra on the planet. His goal is to be faster than any car out there. As seen in the video, every time a faster car beats him, he went back to the shop and made more upgrades to the Supra. The video is a perfect example of the “modding slippery slope” (albeit, to the extreme) that most car guys (me included) experience. As they say in Pringles commercials, once you start, you really cannot stop.
Towards the end of the video, the author reflects on his journey with the Supra and advises the audience to be content with what you have. I won’t spoil it (all) for you but it is not a positive ending for this his car. It must have cost a considerable sum to do all those upgrades to make that Supra into what it is – money that most would agree (and the author himself does) could have went towards something better and more worthwhile. It’s a lesson of discontent only leading to unhappiness.
I commiserate very much with the author of the video. As a car enthusiast I too, have got the “modding bug” before and was never satisfied with my car (and ended up dumping plenty of money on modifications). For sure, specific things about the car can always be improved, but I’ve come to realize that it’s a loosing battle. There is a fine line between personalization and genuine, constant dissatisfaction with the status quo of your car. Far too often I’ve seen people dump five-figure sum on their cars only a year later to sell them for a fraction of the cost. There’s that famous saying about a fool and his money and plenty of car owners out there personifies it.
When I got my new car (WRX STI), I vowed to be satisfied with it from the outset and to not put modifications on it as I did on my previous car. Obviously the current car hasn’t got the shortcomings of the old car (namely power and all-wheel-drive) so being at peace with its current potential was not all that difficult. Having the chance to enjoy the car for what it is and not be at a constant dissatisfaction with it has made the ownership experience a complete positive.
Modding a car is great and all but when it starts encroaching on your happiness and financial sensibilities, it is time to move on. I hope car enthusiasts that watch the video take heed.
Just announced this morning at the NFL owner’s meeting, the NFL has selected San Francisco to host Super Bowl L in 2016 (an endcap to the 2015-2016 NFL season). The event will be held at the new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara (home of the San Francisco 49ers). For those less inclined on roman numerals, it is the 50th Super Bowl, so it’s going to be super special (pun heavily intended.)
It also will be the first time in my lifetime that the Super Bowl will be local to me. Since attending an actual Super Bowl is on my bucket of list to do before I hit the dirt, I think this Super Bowl L will be the perfect opportunity get it checked off. I’d save on airfare and hotel accommodations because the stadium is just a mere hour worth of train ride from my house. For sure the tickets will be exorbitantly expensive but going to a Super Bowl, for me, will be a one and done, once-in-a-lifetime thing. Worth it, wouldn’t you say?
Even though it’s a little under three years away, I am already very excited and anxious for Super Bowl L, in my hometown (area). Time to save up those pennies, then!
experience comes from bad judgment.
Scion FR-S v. Mazda RX-8 (R3) v. Honda S2000 (AP2)
The guys over at Everyday Driver finds out which Japanese RWD sports car is most worthy of your $25,000.
Most people tend to not notice, but the front end of our cars gets absolutely bombarded by various road projectiles. The vehicles in front of us kick up tiny dirt and rock particles, and then launch them at hyper speed right at the front of your automobile. Look at the front ends of old cars (especially a black colored one) and you will often find the paint littered with tiny chips. It’s not uncommon for people to get their car’s front bumper and hood repainted every few years due to this reason (if they care about the appearance of their cars, that is).
For those of us that would rather keep our cars’ original paint intact (nothing is as strong and long lasting as paint applied at the factory) but at the same time have a deterrent for front-end chipping damage, the answer lie in paint protection film (PPF). More colloquially known as ‘clear bra’, PPF is just as it sounds – a crystal clear sheet of polyurethane a few mils thick that applies over the painted panels of the car. It acts as a barrier between a car’s virgin paint and the outside elements by repelling rocks and dirt particles - their impact absorbed and cancelled out by its material characteristics. Because PFF is optically clear, one should not be able to tell that it has been applied to a car, allowing the factory paint finish to still do it’s business.
Before I even purchase my Subaru WRX STI, I knew I was going to get PPF done to it’s front bumper, hood, and front fenders (yes, there are those that get their entire car, wrapped in PPF). Subaru is not exactly world-renowned for it’s paint quality; in fact, it has the reputation of one of the worst quality of paint amongst mainstream manufacturers. Subaru paint is so thin and soft that just the mere action of looking at it the wrong way will cause it to scratch. Since I plan to keep the car until it no longer runs (hopefully a very, very long time), I’m going to need the front end to stay pristine as long as possible. Getting it repainted once it gets chipped up is not an option because Subaru’s ‘Satin White Pearl’ color is a triple stage paint (base, pearl, clear) ergo color match is extremely difficult (and costly).
Lucky for me, one of the best PPF shops on the planet is but a stone’s throw away from me in San Francisco. Premier Protective Films in Fremont, California is the preeminent experts in PPF installation (proper application of the film is the most critical part in how invisible it looks). Two weeks after I took delivery of the STI (I drove carefully until then), I took the car there for a custom (read: seamless) wrap of the entire front end of the car. It was not exactly cheap (you definitely get what you pay for when it comes to PPF), but for something that will last for at least five years, I deemed it a worthy investment. When the PPF film does deteriorate, just have to pull it off (paint safe!) and get a fresh application.
If you’ve just bought a new car and you care about the upkeep of its appearance, getting paint protection film on the front end is a very smart decision. At the very least, heed this tip: stop following other vehicles so closely when driving – it will save you a few rock chips on the front.
