Crew Spotlight: Tyler
Tyler and I met way back in elementary school, but our car connection did not begin until we were in high school. We were playing Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010) one afternoon after school and I saw his eyes light up and watched him get excited driving the 997 GT3RS in game. He did find it hysterical when crashing into the NPC cars, even funnier was the fact that somehow he was only crashing into the Nissan Versa’s.
Tyler and I have oddly had connections through the 2nd generation Acura CL and TL. The car I drove in highschool was a red ‘01 CL Type S, which I nicknamed Anna. The car Tyler drove in highschool was a black ‘00 TL. Later, in his college days, in Santa Cruz, he purchased a dark blue ‘03 TL. Most recently, he purchased an ‘03 CL Type S 6-Speed, but we will come back to that car later. My point, well really just my analysis of this, is just how bizarre and random the universe is. Why on Earth was it the YA4 and UA4 Chassis that we had in common? Maybe a deeper dive is required later, but at the surface level, it is purely coincidence.
After many years of driving his dad’s ‘00 TL, buying the ‘03 TL, and moving back to SoCal, he finally had enough money saved to buy a much more sporty and enthusiast vehicle. That car was a navy blue ‘03 Mazda Miata (NB2), it was fairly clean and he bought it at a solid price. The car was ideal for him and strengthened his love of cars and taught him some more about working on cars, how to diagnose issues, and how to drive. The Miata was most definitely Tyler's answer. Experiencing this world he was always aware of but hadn’t yet jumped in, he got sucked in extremely quickly. Tyler enjoys doing research on things he is interested in, so he dove down the deep deep rabbit hole of Miata ownership and learned all the could in a short amount of time. His enthusiasm had never been so high, I could see how much the car meant to him and he was truly enjoying himself. Making memories, and embracing what it is all about to be a car enthusiast.
Sadly, the NB2 met its end only a few hundred feet from Tyler's home, one afternoon. A Cadillac ATS had blown the stop sign by his house as he was making the left onto his street, the car got t-boned and was ultimately totaled. The NB2 protected Tyler and another Mill-Mot crew member, Clay. Even though the Miata’s life was cut short, I know that Tyler will have another JDM sports car one day, when the time is right.
Now, circling back to the CL Type S 6-Speed, this car came into Tyler's life by pure coincidence. After the Miata was totaled, Tyler bought an '02 Accord coupe manual to daily drive. A mere 6 months after buying the Accord, the local Nissan dealer had an '03 Acura CL Type S for sale in their used lot at a really good price, a higher mileage car than the Accord he just purchased, but it was in pretty decent shape. We took it for a test drive and a few days later he took it home! It's been his daily driver ever since.
Tyler is once again moving, but now to SLO in Central California and is taking the CL with him. His journey continues but he will always be a part of the Millennial Motoring family as the first crew member. His contributions are nearly endless, he is woven so deep into the history and even still the future of Mill-Mot. From the very first video, to the most recent, he has been there. A very trustworthy individual and a loyal friend. He is one of the best people in my life and I'm extremely thankful for all that he does.
Be sure to give him a follow on Instagram!
Instagram: @tyylaaar
