ricky_flowers_
New member
- Location
- Miami, FL
Hey All!
I think this my third or fourth post on this forum, but my favorite things about car forums are the build threads so I figured I'd participate. First, a little background. This is my first VW product, ever. Before this I've had pretty much exclusively Japanese cars.
While I was stationed in Japan for a few years, I DD'd a 1993 Nissan Laurel with an RB25DET swap.
While I was overseas, I bought a 2002 Honda S2000 to be my daily when I eventually moved back to the states. The car I bought had some pretty questionable mods (replica EK foglights, terrible dual catback exhaust that rattled, the WORST tires I've ever driven on) but was really mechanically sound.
Here's what it looked like the day I bought it:
And after a year after cleaning it up, putting some BBS RXs on it, and driving it in Miami traffic every day:
I used to do track events in the Laurel while I lived in Japan, and I felt the need to start scratching the itch, so the S2000 eventually started to turn into a dual-purpose street/track car. Basic mods included coilvers, pads, brake lines, a nice exhaust and a seat. That started to snowball as I got faster, so add a roll bar, wider wheels, R-comps, Haltech w/ E85 tune, and (for a short period of time) a wing.
A few years later, and 50+ track days, and the car currently has a built motor, AP2 trans, built diff with a shorter final drive and OS Giken LSD, custom BBK, KW Clubsports, Volk CE28s for the track and Prodrive GC-07Cs for the street, and.... yeah, kinda went down the rabbit hole.
So, in short, I've always really been about getting on track and pouring time and money into my track car. I've had a daily driver to replace the S2000 since 2015, and they've almost exclusively been crappy cars (1996 Ford Ranger, 2000 Honda CR-V, 2015 Honda Fit LX). I just graduated college, though, and I wanted to get myself something I've always wanted since I was a kid: a nice, classy station wagon. My first thought was to go the used route, and find an A4/6 Avant, E39 Touring, or even an E-class wagon, but I really didn't want to have TWO project cars needing constant maintenance. I also wanted something with newer infotainment, and a good stereo. I was casually looking at Subaru Outbacks (I still cringe when I think about that) when I ran a search for "manual station wagons under 25k" and started seeing Alltracks pop up. Up to this point, I don't think I knew this model existed in the states, as they're SUPER rare in South Florida and VW does nothing to market them. I was shocked that you could buy basically my unicorn-spec wagon for as little as $23,000, or less than that when you factor in discounts. After doing some research, driving as many as I could, and consulting with all my VAG friends, I decided that this was the car for me. I found the exact spec I wanted in Florence, SC, called them and negotiated the sale over the phone. I flew up 5 days later to pick the car up and drive it home.
You can tell by the photo that I'm HYPE:
I have a few things planned for it, but right now I'm leaving it mostly stock. I've installed a Helix sub/amp, tinted the windows, and bought the VW cross bars for the car to carry my kayak.
Helix sub installed:
MuddyBuddy cargo liner:
Easily swallows up three sets of track wheels and tires:
This thing makes the PERFECT compliment to my S2000, as one is a knife-edge, raw, manual sports car and the other is a classy, understated, spacious couch. Overall, could not be happier. I eventually plan on doing some sort of ECU and DSG tune, a headlight upgrade, wheels/tires, and some suspension upgrade. I haven't decided on whether I want to go higher or lower, but I'm a bit of a suspension nerd and want to improve the quality of the ride, without sacrificing handling. I'll likely go with an off-the-shelf KW setup, as I LOVE the KWs in my track car and it should be a pretty painless upgrade. I'm open to suggestions from all of you, as this is my first foray into the VAG world and I'm learning just how versatile and easy to mod these cars are daily.
Thanks for looking!
I think this my third or fourth post on this forum, but my favorite things about car forums are the build threads so I figured I'd participate. First, a little background. This is my first VW product, ever. Before this I've had pretty much exclusively Japanese cars.
While I was stationed in Japan for a few years, I DD'd a 1993 Nissan Laurel with an RB25DET swap.
While I was overseas, I bought a 2002 Honda S2000 to be my daily when I eventually moved back to the states. The car I bought had some pretty questionable mods (replica EK foglights, terrible dual catback exhaust that rattled, the WORST tires I've ever driven on) but was really mechanically sound.
Here's what it looked like the day I bought it:
And after a year after cleaning it up, putting some BBS RXs on it, and driving it in Miami traffic every day:
I used to do track events in the Laurel while I lived in Japan, and I felt the need to start scratching the itch, so the S2000 eventually started to turn into a dual-purpose street/track car. Basic mods included coilvers, pads, brake lines, a nice exhaust and a seat. That started to snowball as I got faster, so add a roll bar, wider wheels, R-comps, Haltech w/ E85 tune, and (for a short period of time) a wing.
A few years later, and 50+ track days, and the car currently has a built motor, AP2 trans, built diff with a shorter final drive and OS Giken LSD, custom BBK, KW Clubsports, Volk CE28s for the track and Prodrive GC-07Cs for the street, and.... yeah, kinda went down the rabbit hole.
So, in short, I've always really been about getting on track and pouring time and money into my track car. I've had a daily driver to replace the S2000 since 2015, and they've almost exclusively been crappy cars (1996 Ford Ranger, 2000 Honda CR-V, 2015 Honda Fit LX). I just graduated college, though, and I wanted to get myself something I've always wanted since I was a kid: a nice, classy station wagon. My first thought was to go the used route, and find an A4/6 Avant, E39 Touring, or even an E-class wagon, but I really didn't want to have TWO project cars needing constant maintenance. I also wanted something with newer infotainment, and a good stereo. I was casually looking at Subaru Outbacks (I still cringe when I think about that) when I ran a search for "manual station wagons under 25k" and started seeing Alltracks pop up. Up to this point, I don't think I knew this model existed in the states, as they're SUPER rare in South Florida and VW does nothing to market them. I was shocked that you could buy basically my unicorn-spec wagon for as little as $23,000, or less than that when you factor in discounts. After doing some research, driving as many as I could, and consulting with all my VAG friends, I decided that this was the car for me. I found the exact spec I wanted in Florence, SC, called them and negotiated the sale over the phone. I flew up 5 days later to pick the car up and drive it home.
You can tell by the photo that I'm HYPE:
I have a few things planned for it, but right now I'm leaving it mostly stock. I've installed a Helix sub/amp, tinted the windows, and bought the VW cross bars for the car to carry my kayak.
Helix sub installed:
MuddyBuddy cargo liner:
Easily swallows up three sets of track wheels and tires:
This thing makes the PERFECT compliment to my S2000, as one is a knife-edge, raw, manual sports car and the other is a classy, understated, spacious couch. Overall, could not be happier. I eventually plan on doing some sort of ECU and DSG tune, a headlight upgrade, wheels/tires, and some suspension upgrade. I haven't decided on whether I want to go higher or lower, but I'm a bit of a suspension nerd and want to improve the quality of the ride, without sacrificing handling. I'll likely go with an off-the-shelf KW setup, as I LOVE the KWs in my track car and it should be a pretty painless upgrade. I'm open to suggestions from all of you, as this is my first foray into the VAG world and I'm learning just how versatile and easy to mod these cars are daily.
Thanks for looking!
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