We would like to introduce the next car enthusiast and what is the most interesting thing is she is a Military person! She has lived in Japan for a long time and works for U.S. military base, currently on the island of Okinawa.
Is it possible to do what you love and maintain your hobby while away from your homeland?
The answer is simple, home is where you feel comfortable and have found your social circle. Rachel often drives her beloved car with friends and attends local drifting events. She has found her circle of friends and like-minded people with whom she always has something to talk about (about cars, of course). We have always been interested to know what it is like to live in a country that produces legendary cars and how it is like to be part of the JDM culture. So, let’s listen to Rachel`s story and try to answer the question of whether it is realistic for a representative of the beautiful half of mankind to be involved in car customizing?
Hi! My name is Rachel Losco. I have been in Okinawa, Japan since late 2018. Before this, I lived in Misawa (another US Airbase located on the south of the mainland) from 2015 to 2018. I started getting into cars when I was younger because my neighbor built drag racing cars. I used to see his racecars in his garage and always thought it was cool! I love to take my car on cruises and I plan on getting more serious about drifting this year.
My first car was a 2001 5 Speed Honda Civic. When I moved to Japan, I initially started with a Subaru B4. I wasn’t used to driving in the snow so I wanted something that was cheap in case I wrecked! Haha.
Once I got more comfortable, I wanted something with a little more power so I got a 1997 Toyota Aristo V300, 2JZ-GTE. This car was way faster than the Subaru B4 and looked much better!
Soon after that, I wanted to try something new, but still luxurious so I traded for a 1997 Toyota Celsior V8 on bags. This was the first car I ever owned that I got air suspension in. This car was definitely a head turner! I always loved Toyota and knew I wanted a JZX. When I found out I was moving to Okinawa, I knew it was time to sell the Celsior and begin searching.
I currently have a 1997 Tourer V Toyota Chaser 1JZ-GTE.
Car specifications:
- Year: 1997
- Name: Chaser
- Model: JZX100
- Engine: 1JZ-GTE
- Transmission: 5-speed MT
- Aero: URAS Full Body Kit Type L
- Coilovers: BLITZ-ZZ-r
- Exhaust: A`PEXi
- Steering wheel: Viilante Exclusive (350 mm)
- Inter Cooler: HPI
- Wheels: 18-inches WORK EMOTION D9R, F: 9.5J ET+38 (25 mm spacers), R: 9.5J ET+12
My car started off black and I painted it pink earlier this year thanks to Body Shop Aros located in Okinawa. I think black is a boring color for cars so I knew I wanted to do something different and cute!
My car was automatic but has since been swapped to a manual transmission. I have kept the majority of the car stock other than suspension, front mount intercooler, and control arms. I spent $4000 on this car in early 2019 and am amazed at how much the cost of them has increased.
For me now, I have a lot of friends that drive JZX so I have a good support system when I need help or just want to talk about cars. I love to see how people build their cars and none of ours look the same. We all have different tastes.
If I didn’t have a Toyota Chaser, I would love to get a Nissan Laurel. I currently have WORK D9R wheels but eventually, I want to get a set of white or chrome 3pc WORK VS XX. Overall, I really love my car. It’s a great stress relief and I enjoy teaching young people about cars. I currently work with high school students so it’s really cool to see them excited about cars.
Let us wish Rachel good luck and thanks again for such a motivating story! We will always cheer for her and all car enthusiasts all over the world. By the way, in Japan,「X」 symbol in is read as 「Peke」, and WORK VS XX wheels are called as 「WORK VS Peke Peke」by those who like it.
If you also have your own story and would like to share it with a wide public, please feel free to contact us. Your beloved car pictures are welcome as well. We are posting them here
Did you enjoy reading the article? If you did, would you give us some support by dropping a comment or sharing this article with your friends?
