Hello from Chicago

[GordosTacoShop]

I figure I'd better introduce myself.
I've been a member for a year now, but never posted. Been lurking for several years at this point.
I live in Chicago, and have recently taken an interest in modifying my Mirage, (2014 DE 5-Speed with 65XXX miles, Avg 32 MPG.) The only problem I've had was the heater core going last winter, been great otherwise.

I have an ambitious list for what I want to do, but time is tight for me so I have to chip away little by little. I essentially want to bring the Mirage up to what I believe is should be- An Evo Lite. Do I want to do a 4gXX conversion with AWD? Sure. Will I? Probably not. In the meantime, I want to modify the aesthetics to lean toward EVO III meets Renault Clio RS territory. I love 90s JDM style, and I feel that can easily be achieved on this platform with some minor vinyl, tint, and paint mods.

As far as suspension goes, I'd really like to go full nine with it: F/R Sway/Strut Bars, control arms, and coilovers. Problem is, this crap is so hard to find here. I know some members make these on occasion, but nothing really mass produced in the States or Canadia. I've spent a year just trying to find rear struts that aren't from the damn dealership with no luck. I may just go with Godspeeds and the Doax rear sway until I can make a friend in the Philippians to ship this other stuff to me.

For the body- I want fender flares. Just think it looks damn good on this car. Chunky wheels and tires would follow, with all windows tinted to 40%. What have I done so far? Debadge and desticker. It's a start.

Finally, for performance, I stated I'd like to do a 4g63t swap, but honestly, I have a soft spot for three-bangers. Besides, I'd have to spend a fortune on drivetrain and tires just to keep the car on the road with that much power. At most I'd do headers, intake, and exhaust. I'd love a short throw kit, light flywheel, and better clutch for sure, but those parts are on the list of rarities as well.

Or who knows- I might just replace my carmax plate frames with plain black ones and be done.
I'll definitely post if I make progress.