senditsister

You’ve seen this amazing drift build for sale, it’s super unique and well known in the scene. But be aware- buying a unique and custom-built cars either goes one of two ways, they can be the gift that keeps on giving or a curse to be associated with. Here some of the highs and lows of my experience of buying a somewhat known s13.

It was in early 2021 I bought my s13. With a gold lace roof, and work tequilas, it was a low rider and a JDM drift missile combination. After over two years of owning it, I still regularly get asked why I’m driving such and such’s car. In my case, having known the car fairly well prior to purchasing, as the owner was a mate, I had personally seen the disparity between how the previous owner and then had an incredibly frosty reaction to my purchase of the car. I became slightly disturbed and incredibly frustrated by the ridicule I received from some relative outliers in the drift community. The peak of this ridicule came from a Facebook post where someone shared a photo of me driving and claimed that my car was wasted on me because I couldn't drive to the same level as the previous driver at my first drift event in the vehicle. This type of criticism is not only unfair but also highly damaging to my confidence as a driver. As a relatively new drifter, I understood that there is always room for improvement yet as a subjected to unwarranted ridicule only serves to undermine my confidence and make me question whether I even belong in the community. The peak of this frustration came when I found out that these insults where coming from someone who hadn’t even driven in the sport to any real extent. It was incredibly demoralizing to put in so much hard work, only to be belittled by others who have no idea about my driving experience or the challenges that you face when moving between cars.

Considering the depth of the effect all of this had on me, you may be surprised to hear that, given the opportunity I know without a doubt that I would do it all again. Like with anything that attracts attention, the bad was only a fraction of the response. The support I garnered from fellow drivers has continuously grown from the first day I ever hit the track in my little skid machine. Being a tiny naturally-aspirated powerhouse and supported by almost the entire GKTech S13 catalogue, it is more an oversize go-cart than a street driven car. Despite this, it survived me daily driving it for the first year I owned it.  That little car has taken me all over Queensland, my former partner hit a kangaroo in the Silvia, it lost its exhaust going up Mount Glorious, and I’ve loaded it to the roof with tyres and driven it at three Matsuris. Not only did I seemingly buy a Silvia that had a fan base, but I also bought one with a soul I just adore. Have I had to push start it at a petrol station. Yes. Have I had to be towed home from super cheap, after a helm on my lock hit sheared off? Yes. Did the response I get to owning it highlight just how hard women in the drift scene have to work to garner even basic respect in the car scene? Also, yes. Despite all of this I will be the first person as such to recommend everyone purchase a build that has had love and passion put into it over a “bone stock” car, especially when purchasing drift cars. If that is a car known within a community, is up to you. If you take the leap of purchasing a known car, the man piece of advice I can give is to make sure the old owner is in good standing with the community. But no matter what, never be afraid to make it your own. Drifting and the JDM platforms are defined by those who have taken the cars and boldly made them their own. Don’t be afraid to make them your own. I know that is what I’m doing.