When I first began working on cars, it was to repair and restore. Other newer cars in my stable were used as daily drivers and remained stock. I worked with my father on restoring our 1967 Mustang convertible, red on red with a black top. Amazing how much room there was in the engine bay of that car, and most older vehicles in general. I became my own mechanic when I purchased a 1985 Jeep Cherokee, which required constant effort to keep on it in running order. After that, I took on the efforts of restoring a 1969 Bronco, a 1979 MGB, and later a 1985 Dodge Ramcharger. Prior to my 2005 Mazda 6i, I had a 1990 Saab 900 Turbo that was my daily driver. That became the first daily driven car that I would attempt (sometimes succeed, sometimes fail) to make modifications to. Once the transmission died on that car, I decided it was time to move to something of a more recent vintage. And thus began my Mazda ownership.
I purchased my 2005 Lapis Blue (one of the best colors for the car, in my opinion) 6i in April 2006. I made a few minor modifications to the car. I rewired the taillights for better lighting, changed the stock antenna for a CX7 antenna, and removed the side door moldings. After that, I purchased the CP-E MAFci kit for the car, followed by purchasing some Mazdaspeed6 wheels, and wrapping them in Kumho Ecstas. The car was also debadged (except for the Mazda emblem). The final result was this:
