Ladies and gentlemen of the North Florida Subaru Group, allow me the privilege of presenting to you your November Member of the Month for the year 2015, Mr. Jonathan A. Garcia. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Jonathan found his way to our sunny southern hemisphere much the same way many of our members have; he is a Sailor in the United States Navy (currently in transition from Jacksonville to Whidbey Island). As we are all very well aware, once you’re bitten by the Subaru bug, you never fully recover; this young man is on his second Badge of Ownership, but his love affair with the automotive industry is a well-documented one. Boasting an impressive history of over thirty cars, his past collection ranges from brands like Ford, Honda, Lexus, Nissan and Volkswagen, but he is most impressed by Subaru and it’s awesome community saying that, “…it makes you proud to have one and to make it your own.” Mr. Garcia has done just that with his stunning 2015 Subaru Impreza WRX.

Early on, Jonathan faced a grave moral dilemma, whether or not he should purchase a Subaru STI or a Mitsubishi Evolution; he ultimately succumbed to the charms of a bugeye. After a time, he traded his original Subi for his Lexus, but he found that he missed the scene and traded it for his 2015 at SOJAX. With each modification to his ’15, his passion grew exponentially, and with every depression of his gas pedal at the track, he knew he’d made the right decision. One of the most attractive qualities about the Subaru community is the openness to different tastes and aesthetics; Jonathan says that, “I know my car isn’t for everyone but it’s a representation of my personality and what I like.” He found a home in the Subaru community, with NFSG, and in turn with Team Blue Falcon (who, much to the chagrin of many entrants, have dominated the MOTM category since its inception). Another hallmark our stellar community that Jonathan is thankful for is the friendships garnered through the love of these amazing machines; NFSG and #TBF have produced friendships that reach beyond the love of the Subaru brand.

It’s difficult to improve upon the new platform, but Jonathan has managed to do just that; using clean and simple modifications, he has modified his 2015 into a gorgeous ice silver metallic beast. The familiar boxer rumble pops and snaps from the dual exit Invidia N1 with Killer B I and J pipes and the smell of corn from a Drunkmann tune charges the air. BCBR coilovers and Buddy Club lower control arms give the car its lowered stance; while immaculately clean bengal white powder coated Enkei NT03s perfectly fill the 15’s wide fenders. Tastefully simple accents like fender inlays, wood-grain emblem overlays, 15% tinting, rain guards and Rally Armor mud flaps give the exterior of the vehicle a truly polished feel.

Peeking through the front bumper is a hint at what’s really going on with this newer model’s FA power plant; who doesn’t love to see the peek-a-boo from an Extreme Turbo Systems FMIC? Under the hood, you’ll find a Mishimoto intake delivering that extremely aggressive swoosh under boost and acceleration, a Tial BOV that gives quite a unique sound (almost reminiscent of compressor surge), and a Grimmspeed EBCS tops off his list of bolt-ons; let’s not forget that this is all assisted with a necessary fuel pump upgrade: a DeatschWerks 300s. The interior of the WRX is equally adorned with stylish accents like LED bulbs, and sports two 12” Pioneer Championship Series subwoofers. Finally, a Yakima Q Series roof rack crowns this silver beauty, a cherry on top of a classy and capable build. His favorite part of his build? Hands down the ETS front mount of course!

Subaru and its scene have made quite the impact on Jonathan. The friendly and welcoming people of North Florida Subaru Group have been what made the difference for him, saying that, “…they are always there to give you advice, or point you in the right direction.” One of my favorite lines from Jonathan’s Subaru journey has to be that all that matters at the end of your day is that your car makes you happy; clearly, he’s found his (we should all be so lucky).