The Tragic Tale of ElSuperPinto

So... ElSuperPinto no longer exists. The kid that bought it... parted it out a few months later, putting the engine and transmission into a Ford Ranger and selling the hulk on Facebook. I only found out because a friend saw the ad and sent it to me.

And... I accidentally have a project car... sort of.

That damned 1996 Avalon that I really didn't want and planned on selling, became my "short term daily driver" when the 4L60E in the Sonoma did what all 4L60Es inevitably do. I put that in quotes because even though I ordered $1200 in rebuild parts and upgrades for said 4L60E, I've simply driven it without 2nd and overdrive when I've needed it, and let it sit since then, because the Avalon is far more comfortable and gets 33% better fuel economy while being much faster and having much colder A/C. So I've driven the Avalon 100+ miles per day, 5 days a week, for nearly eight months now, and suddenly being driven hard and fast after sitting for most of the past three years took its toll on 28 year old dried out bushings and boots on the front suspension, so over the past few weeks it's gotten all new brakes (including hoses, rebuild kits in the calipers, and a new master cylinder), all new front suspension (every single part), CV axles, rear struts and swaybar links, an Android Auto headunit from Soundstream, MB Quart speakers in all four doors, and an amplifier and subwoofer in the trunk. It also got all LED lighting, new front seatcovers, new inside door handles, and will be getting a new door lock actuator and window regulator soon. I've still got more upgrades planned, including a wireless charging station for my phone, 115v inverter, keyless entry, USB charging ports in each door for passengers, a candy or colorshift paint job, additional car audio to be determined at a later date, a new windshield, window tint, and possible aerodynamic mods.

I don't know why a beat up old Toyota luxury sedan has me excited and how it pulled me back into the project car game, but every single thing that I do to improve it has me working on it more. I mean, technically, it's just my beater/daily... but I've really grown to like and enjoy this car. The 3.0L 1MZ V6 makes surprisingly pleasant noises, the 4-speed automatic is smooth and shifts surprisingly quickly when driven hard, and there are two buttons ("O/D OFF" on the shifter and "ECT PWR/NORM" on the dash) that, when used together, change the car's personality and make it think it's a front-wheel-drive musclecar.