I had a brief fling with this marvelous machine, but when my wife and I became Foster Parents it had to go (replaced with a Buick Rendezvous that didn't quite have the same handling capabilities). As you can see, the typical clearcoat failure on these cars was in full bloom, but I didn't care. With the 5Spd, AWD and turbo this little car was by far the most fun I've ever had behind the wheel. As a total novice when it comes to performance or other modifications (or anything mechanical really) on cars all I know is that it did have some aftermarket tweaks by previous owners.
The VW diesel truck in the driveway on the right belongs to my neighbor. Quite a rare vehicle I think. And the Solara in my driveway is what just blew its motor, forcing me to go hunting for a cheap, reliable, comfortable used replacement....
Hence the new to me '01 SLE that my wife is as I type this driving to her 3rd job at Lush at Woodfield Mall. So far so good!