Takumi was bought 6 months ago, integrated into Ireland with wallet-annihilating speed, and has been enjoying his new life (hopefully).
He grabs loads of attention still. The car scene in Ireland is dire. It's not just that nice cars are expensive - everything is expensive. So a modded GT86 is more of a head-turner than it has any right to be. This wouldn't even be worthy of a sniff in Britain.
The previous owner - a delight of a woman from everything I've heard - has covered most of the basics of modding. Aero kit is in good shape, Invidia N1 exhaust looks like the correct call, and the decals are cool without being over the top. With the engine at 100,000 miles, I don't want to strain it more than necessary, and probably won't try to push more power out of it. A supercharger sounds fun, as long as I could keep it switched off 95% of the time. And where's the fun in that?
The ride leans on the stiff side. Which is to be expected, but roads in Cork are an incredibly accurate simulation of the moon after cluster bomb strikes. So this is my main area of focus. Fully adjustable suspension, in particular being able to adjust spring stiffness, would be amazing. This is a €1,000+ job though. Gotta sort out other life stuff before this.
Tyres are good, as Michelin Pilot Sport 5's would be, apart from the bit where Sandy uses them to sharpen his claws. No I don't plan on doing anything about this.
I've scratched the wheels a few times which is frustrating, especially as the base paint underneath is orange and looks terrible when exposed. Parallel parking is very prominent where I live, so this may continue to be an issue.
Fuel consumption is pretty poor in-town, which annoyingly is where most of my driving is located. I haven't let Takumi stretch his legs as much as he'd like. Even when good roads do exist, they're populated by tractors, campervans, and old people who got their license in 1968 down the bottom of a cereal box. I may end up just taking a ferry to Wales. Or France maybe. Particularly if I learn how to solo camp...
Getting the approval of bikers is my big thing. I got some revs of approval from a Kawasaki rider a few weeks back and am still glowing from that. Also got an earful of throttle from a modded Audi RS6, which considering that thing is a nuclear power plant on wheels, is a nice motivator! Plus the kids who ask me to rev it are still great.
Unsure will I take it to Mondello Park, as I've already been there twice and might enjoy learning a new track this time. Anglesey in Wales is right next to Holyhead and looks gorgeous, so that's the next goal!
Edit: what the fuck do you mean the ferry is more expensive than the entire track day