The Authors


So, who is the Test Drive Blogger? Let me start by saying I'm in my mid-thirties and I've owed as many cars! And the foregoing statement is not something I’m proud of. In all honesty, I really don’t know how my car fascination started. I only know that this fascination dates back as far as I could remember. As a kid, I collected all sorts of Matchbox and Hotwheels toys. I would sit there and play for hours at a time and even after my parents would tell me to go to bed, I would turn on the flashlight and drive the cars over the bumps and lumps in my blanket, pretending that I was driving through the canyons. I always told my dad that I would never stop playing with cars. More on that later. As soon as I was able to use glue, I got into plastic model cars. I remember sitting there for hours and trying to meticulously assemble what seemed like hundreds of fragile pieces. It took me a few years to master this hobby and all I could think about was that I could not wait to drive… and I was only 12 at the time. The summer after 6th grade, I remember going over to a friend’s house for the first time and parking my bike in his driveway and walking in through the garage. This was my first introduction to the wonderful world of scale radio control cars. His father was an avid radio control modeler. He had at least six cars fully built and participated in various sanctioned races. At the time, the minimum my parents would have to spend to get me even the most basic kit (car, electric motor, radio control, etc) was roughly $350. This was well above what my parents could afford to spend on a hobby for their 12-year-old son.


As such, I started to mow lawns and earn some money. I would get my radio control fix by going over to my friend’s house and watching his dad work on the cars in the garage then he would let me drive them on the street. I couldn’t wait to get my own. As soon as I had $100 saved, my mom took me to the hobby shop and bought me my first kit. Buying these things is like buying a new Porsche… you start with a base price but then it escalates 50% if you’re not careful with options. I remember telling the store owner I just want the most basic setup. I took everything home and spent the next week putting it together; refusing any help my dad offered. Just writing about this now makes me smile.

Eventually I was fortunate enough to attend a good university, go on to graduate school, and end up with a good career that afforded me the opportunity to do what I have always dreamed of doing… own cars! I could write 10 more pages describing every car I’ve owned and every modification I’ve made but that would just shift the focus from my being an enthusiast to my being a certified nutcase! Let’s just say that I once took a brand new Lexus IS300, replaced the brand new engine with one from a Toyota Supra Twin Turbo, swapped the twin turbochargers for a large single turbo and swapped the automatic transmission to a 6-speed manual. After spending $40,000 above the purchase price, I had a 700 HP sedan that outran Ducati motorbikes. It turns out that the seemingly childish statement I made to my dad years ago “I’ll never stop playing with cars” was perhaps the most insightful statement I have ever made!

Today, I’m married and have kids so I no longer have the luxury of only thinking about what I want. However, I still love cars but I have to be more selective about what I do with my pocketbook.

This leads me to explaining how I became the Test Drive Blogger. Well, you’ll need to read about that if you want to know…Click here

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