Make: Volkswagen

Model: GTI Edition 35 (Driver’s Edition)  

Year: 2013

Horsepower: 409

Current Mileage: 54,000

Cost: $31,860

Mods:

Cuadra listed out all of the modifications that he has done to his car as follows:

• The suspension is an H&R Cup Kit with front and rear sway bars and an ECS Dogbone mount.
• The wheels and tires are Enkei TS9 18”x8.5” ET42 and Nitto NTO 235/40. He has been through several sets of rims.
• There are BBK Porsche stage-five six-piston calipers and ECS two-piece slotted and drilled rotors with hawk pads and stainless brake lines.
• The exterior of the car has OEM Euro tail lights. The red GTI grill was removed and replaced with a Euro GTD grill, color-matched painted front-side marker lights, carbon fiber front spoiler, rear spoiler extension and mirrors with license plate frame and rear emblem, Maxton Designs rear diffuser with side splats, 35 percent tints and blue-tinted side mirrors with a blind spot. All of the fog, reverse, and turn signals are LED.
• As for the interior, there is a P3 digital gauge for an OEM look. Passport escort solo radar detector has been placed along with a nine-inch Android OEM head unit.
• Engine wise, there is a KO4 turbo, ECU and TCU tunes, a full Billy Boat catted with resonated turbo back exhaust, stage-one Neuspeed cold air intake with stage-two Spulen intake to turbo, CTS oil catch can, Neuspeed boost pipes, Forge FMIC, Audi R8 coil packs with upgraded plugs, Porsche oil cap, Audi coolant with windshield fluid caps, and an ECS polished oil dipstick.

As for future mods, Cuadra will probably change the wheels again. “It’s like changing shoes,” he said. Maybe he will repaint the car, but overall he likes the look. He is going for a clean and stealthy personality.

According to Cuadra, he has always been into cars ever since he was a kid. He has owned some heavily modded cars in the past. For instance, he had a 2005 Nissan Frontier and 2004 Nissan 350Z. The first week of having the 350Z , he invested in it right away. “I dropped like 15 grand on the car just like that,” stated Cuadra. However, after a month, he sold it. Buying a house in Lake Nona was on his list. The two-door lacked convenience, and he also had to consider the financial aspect of the picture. He needed to execute a plan that he would benefit from the most. He kept the Frontier. After some time, Cuadra said he was “missing a toy.” There had to be a vehicle in his life that he could have fun with. He longed for a four-door, yet something sporty.

He started looking into hatchbacks again. He was also looking at a MazdaSpeed3 and the Ford Focus ST. The cars were great, but it did not grasp his attention as he anticipated. There was not enough quality in either car. There needed to be something more. “I saw the GTI, and I fell in love with it right away,” said Cuadra.

He was tired of the truck because it took so much gas. He was also looking for a six-speed manual. He had his eyes set on a Volkswagen Golf R, but he went with a GTI since he could mod it up himself. He visited the dealer in Napleton and did not pay attention to anything else they had on the lot since he was so focused on the GTI. To his disappointment, the dealer did not have a six-speed manual in the GTI. However, they did have one with dual-clutch. This meant paddle shifters. He decided to test drive the GTI. When he test drove this car, he didn’t even think about stick shift anymore. Cuadra says it is so much fun to drive with the paddle shifters. It gives a smooth and fast feel, very responsive to his taste. The following evening, he went back and purchased it.

Besides Cuadra’s Volkswagen, another element to his interest in motor vehicles would have to be the detailing business he built for himself. Before he moved to Lake Nona,

he used to have a  mobile car detailing business. He spent a lot of time in areas such as Heathrow, Winter Park and Dr. Phillips. He eventually ended up selling the business and took on other endeavors. However, in the past year and a half, he’s been detailing cars again on the side a bit. He meets a lot of people at Lake Nona Cars & Coffee who are interested in getting their cars cleaned. He mentions the most rewarding part of detailing is making people fall in love with their cars again. The reactions and expressions are priceless.