Hello everyone out there in internet land, this is Joseph LaFlare of Nemos Garage. First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to check out our site. We have been working hard for the past 6+ months to put our website together and we hope you have enjoyed your experience thus far. It's been a blast putting the website together to provide a haven for enthusiasts to buy affordable, quality parts and we are still working to add more and perfect your shopping experience.
I've always had a penchant for authenticity and quality, so it is great to work around the same products I have always enjoyed and appreciated. Though not the most seasoned veteran in the car scene, my experience of building cars for the past 8 years or so has shown me that quality should never be compromised. A quality piece is going to perform great, last long, and often be aesthetically pleasing at the same time. It is for this reason, we are happy to offer nothing but goods we would proudly use on any of our personal cars.
With that said, here is an introduction to my DC5 that I have built (twice) over the past 8 years. I didn't buy the car just because it was available, I bought it because I had wanted it immensely after a friend purchased one new off the lot 3 years earlier (In 2005). The interior was beautiful, the ride was great, and his installation of a cold air intake and the way VTEC sounded with it on was the main selling point. I was hooked after hearing that tone, and the desire to own my own just increased as the years went by.
The only thing that stood in my way was I didn't have the funds to grab one of my own. At the time, these cars were going for around 20k with low mileage and great condition. Sure, thats a bit less than the hefty 30k asking price that the dealer wanted you to pay, but still a bit out of my budget. Due to this, it must have been fate that helped me stumble across my very first RSX. I purchased it at an insurance auction, and after some minor repairs, I was proud to own the car I had wanted for so very long.
The desire to modify started exactly where it ended a couple years earlier: Cold Air Intake! Thats all I wanted, and that really as far as I planned to go. But thanks to message boards and new friends, I became encouraged to take the car further than I ever would have dreamed
Equipped with Buddy Club N+ Suspension, a Buddy Club Pro Spec Exhaust, an Integra Type R wing, Work Emotion CR-Kai's, and some other small goods throughout, this was really as far as I ever planned to go with the "build" and it stayed this way for quite some time.
(Photo appears courtesy of Andre Aranez)
Things started really moving after I met a group of friends (at a local arcade, of all places) who shared the same love for import Hondas as I did. Gone were the CR-Kai's in exchange for Advan RG-IIs. The Pro Spec exhaust was swapped for a J's Racing FX60RS catback, the suspension for A'PEXi Type V's. Additions in the sense of OEM knick knacks here and there, a Buddy Club P1 front lip, as well as a Buddy Club/Shift Sports hood. Things were really starting to move and the build was becoming more and more fun.
Though not the greatest photo, it is an important photo because it is one of the last I ever took of this car. Equipped with even more new goods like a ChargeSpeed front lip, Mugen Aero Spoiler, WedsSport TC-105Ns, A Bride EXAS and Stradia seat, and so much more. I was really loving the project, which is why it hurt to have this happen:
On a cold night in November of 2011, an unfortunate error while driving resulted in me crashing and totaling the project I had been working so hard to complete. Distraught and confused, I thought I would never own another RSX, and maybe never own another Honda. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to have the money to buy another one so soon, and if I did find one that was affordable, did I really want to start over? but there was a glimmer of hope...
I began to tear down the car and strip it to bare shell the night the accident occurred because I had remembered an affordable yet effective way to bring the car back, and was crossing my fingers that it was still available. At this time, RSX shells were extremely hard to come across. You'd be lucky to see one in a years time. Yet, lo and behold, there was one sitting there for the taking. I will never forget when the accident happened the 3 calls I made that followed the accident. First, I called my mom to let her know what had happened and that I was okay. Second, I called Triple A to get the car towed back home. And third, I called Donnie. A gentleman who was selling a shell that I had seen on a message board. (I am sure he didn't enjoy receiving a call or two from me at 1 AM, but I just had to do it). Lucky me, the shell was still available and the project resumed
My garage sat like an RSX junkyard for a couple months. Two RSX shells next to one another. RSX parts scattered everywhere with no room to move. It looked like a chop shop, but I had a vision that needed to be completed. Even with no mechanical background, I called on friends to help me learn and help me do whatever they could. We got everything out of both cars and then the fun task of reassembling the car I had loved so much began.
The car was sent to paint, which took the greatest amount of time during the whole rebuild. But once the car was back a month or two later, an avalanche of progress was made. The motor was back in by the first day and the car ran by the second day. A couple weeks of tying the loose ends together resulted in my car coming back to what it initially was.
(Photo courtesy of John Tran)
The first photoshoot of the car after the rebuild. Additions in the form of Vision Type MC mirrors, Mugen 05-06 Side Skirts, Stoptech 4-POT BBK, Spoon Difuser, and much more were made during the time under the knife, and all was right in the world for me once again. It was a blast to be faced with a seemingly insurmountable task and find a way to make it all work once again. To finally be able to caravan to a meet with friends in my own car or to just enjoy it once again was such a great joy. Sure, I could have picked another chassis with a much less strenuous path, but the lessons I learned I am infinitely grateful for.
I am sure I could write even more about the aftermath of what has happened since, but I will just drop some photos of the car in its current state as I am sure it will be a topic that pops up again on this blog.
(Photo courtesy of Andy/NWP4Life)
(Photo Courtesy of Karlo Morcilla)
(Photo courtesy of Mark Anthony/Canibeat)
Thanks again for reading. Hope you enjoyed this brief history of my car. It's a fun story to tell and I hope it inspires someone out there to not give up on their personal project. Times do get trying, but the reward is worth the effort. There will be updates in the future, but for now, thank you again for reading, and hope to see you again on the Nemos Garage store/blog.
(Photo courtesy of Andy/NWP4Life)
