My GTI

I bought this car new back on February 1, 2003. It was my first new car, and I fell in love with it the moment I spied it on the lot. Silver has always been a great color for VWs, but the Silverstone Gray was a perfect match for the MKIV GTI's lines. It was also a rare color in 2003, at least in St. Louis. During my ownership time while living in St. Louis, I could count the number of Silverstone GTIs I came across on hand. And it was the little things about the color that grabbed me. It had just the perfect amount of metal flake to make the angels pop. The smoked accent in the taillights actually matched the paint perfectly. The black/gray sport cloth interior the car sported even matched the paint perfectly. And as much as I loved it, I had zero intentions of buying her.
I was at the dealership that day to purchase a 2002 black GTI with red sport cloth interior. It was a great car: fresh off a lease, less than 16K on the clock, it was in flawless condition, and it was $4000 less than a brand new GTI. Perfect, and in my price range!

I went in to the dealer on January 31st, grabbed a sales guy, and started talking numbers. After a few back-n-forths, it was obvious i was not going to get the deal I hoped for, so I told the sales guy to put the papers on hold and I'd be back tomorrow with my father to co-sign so we could work out a better deal on the APR. Long story short, I showed up the next day for my appointment with my father (who had taken time off from work), and they sold the car out from under me. Needless to say I was pissed, and my father was even more so. The pressure was on, and my window for negotiation was now wide open for the Silverstone dream car.
We negotiated for a few hours and a deal was struck. Sometimes it was rough making the payments during the five years, a few Ramen noodle and PB&J nights, but it was all worth it.

Here's the mod list so far:
Engine:

• APR 91 Octane/Stock chip
• APR 2.5" Turbo-back exhaust
• Carbonio cold-air intake with AEM dry-flow filter
• Samco diverter valve
• Forge/Samco turbo inlet hose
• Forge/Samco turbo hose kit
• Forge/Samco intercooler hose kit
• Hitachi upgraded bolt-down coil-packs
  
• ECS Tuning Ultimate Timing Belt Kit
• ECS Underdrive pulley system
• B&M short shift kit

• 18" BBS OEM RC wheels w/ BBS center caps
• PowerSlot slotted rotors front/rear
• Goodridge stainless steel brake lines
• Hawk pads all around

• H&R Premium coil-over kit

• OEM European HIDs
• FK Badgeless grille
• Shaved hood and bumper notch
• LED-modded smoked crystal bumper lights
• OEM smoked sidemarkers
• 18% Formula One Premier tint

• Currently underway...