Going to hang out with a friend tonight...

[matthew1]

... one I haven't seen for about 20 years.

He's a car guy, so I'm looking forward to it. We were high school friends, then my path took me to college and his took him right into the working world. Now we're back in the same place (working, families, Denver). Funny how that happens.

Check this out: in 1988-89 he "riced" his 1986 Nissan Sentra. "So what?" you say. Well, here's what. It was one of the first "riced" cars I'd ever seen, let alone rode in and knew the owner.

Back then it was uncommon, unheard of even to mod Japanese cars. It was still 70's Camaros and other similar types that got the attention.

Kenny though knew what he was after. I don't know where he got it, maybe he visited LA or San Diego around that time. The minute he could afford aftermarket unidirectional wheels and tires (maybe 15/195's) they were on the car. NOBODY in our south Denver suburb area had anything like it. It was lowered, tint, radio, etc.

But slow.

I'll fill in the blanks tomorrow after I run this all past him and see what he remembers.

[matthew1]

He STILL HAS the Sentra. It's not drivable and is kinda going to rot, but he still has it. It was good to catch up with him. Still a Nissan fanatic. He drives a 2wd Nissan pickup.

He runs a remote controlled car/plane/helicopter hobby shop here in Denver. Good guy, super technical.

[jblackburn]

So he's not like all the other Nissan/Infiniti drivers that CANT FLIPPING DRIVE then, right? Good, you should tell him to make an example to everyone else that buys one I swear, Altima drivers are some of the worst on the road. Them, and Floridians. Every time I'm behind someone from Florida they never have any idea where they're going or what the speed limit is. Or maybe they do and then just automatically subtract 15-20 mph from that speed.

I was out in the parking lot working on changing a fuel filter today when a guy in an old 240 stopped by and asked if I needed help. He's the one that I've seen a couple buildings over that owns a 1983 240 wagon - he grew up with it his entire life, it was handed down to him, and he still drives it to campus every day

There's actually quite a few Volvos in Blacksburg. There's also a guy that looks a lot like me and lives two buildings over that drives a non-turbo blue 2000 S70 just like mine, and parks beside me all the time. There's also a smoking hot girl that has a white S70 AWD who I need to make an opportunity at some point in the near future to strike up a conversation with. I've had a few people around the area contact me and gone to help them out with a few things; I just need to figure out how to get in contact with her

[FCPEURO]

He STILL HAS the Sentra. It's not drivable and is kinda going to rot, but he still has it. It was good to catch up with him. Still a Nissan fanatic. He drives a 2wd Nissan pickup.

He runs a remote controlled car/plane/helicopter hobby shop here in Denver. Good guy, super technical.

That is awesome that he still has the Nissan. Does it run and drive still?

[matthew1]

Barely, he said. While we were catching up Friday night, he reminded me he'd come from S. California the year before we met in high school, and that explains where he got the idea for the Sentra modifications. Because really, nobody around here was doing that.

And it was well before the Internet... so it was either having lived in S. California or reading about it in magazines.

I remember one night he was catching some tire chirp on the 1-2 shift (he let the revs blip), and he asked me if that was horsepower. "Nope" I said. "It's just the internal momentum getting released all at once to the driveshafts." I hated to burst his bubble, but that was it. That car was slowwww.

He had to flog it to really get up to speed. Riding around with him was just one redline shift after another all night. The car would corner like it was on rails, but there was no speed.

[FCPEURO]

Barely, he said. While we were catching up Friday night, he reminded me he'd come from S. California the year before we met in high school, and that explains where he got the idea for the Sentra modifications. Because really, nobody around here was doing that.

And it was well before the Internet... so it was either having lived in S. California or reading about it in magazines.

I remember one night he was catching some tire chirp on the 1-2 shift (he let the revs blip), and he asked me if that was horsepower. "Nope" I said. "It's just the internal momentum getting released all at once to the driveshafts." I hated to burst his bubble, but that was it. That car was slowwww.

He had to flog it to really get up to speed. Riding around with him was just one redline shift after another all night. The car would corner like it was on rails, but there was no speed.

WOW, sounds just like the Hondas that people make today. Someone should have donated him a turbo. Still cool that he was one of the first to have a modded car around this part of the world.

[jblackburn]

You know the saying that "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow?" That applies to some slow cars; then there are those that are just pathetic (an ex-girlfriend's Chevy Tracker comes to mind).

Case in point: my old Accord had all of 98 hp under the hood, could barely outrun my friend's Jetta with the "2.slow" engine, but God it was fun to drive fast The Saab 900 was the same way - that car probably took 15 seconds to get to 60 in its older years, but it made some good noises.

[FCPEURO]

You know the saying that "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow?" That applies to some slow cars; then there are those that are just pathetic (an ex-girlfriend's Chevy Tracker comes to mind).

Case in point: my old Accord had all of 98 hp under the hood, could barely outrun my friend's Jetta with the "2.slow" engine, but God it was fun to drive fast The Saab 900 was the same way - that car probably took 15 seconds to get to 60 in its older years, but it made some good noises.

I agree. I drove my friends base model mini cooper and it was a blast with its little 98 HP putt putt of an engine. I can't say my old Chevy S10 pickup with its little 4 cylinder was anything great though. That thing was actually scary to drive fast. Must be something about slow Chevy cars.

[jimmyboy]

I used to have a '95 Sentra. I hated that thing, but on the plus side, it never broke down. Ever.

[jimmyboy]

There's also a smoking hot girl that has a white S70 AWD who I need to make an opportunity at some point in the near future to strike up a conversation with.

Hahaha. I ended up marrying the girl that rear-ended me on the highway.