After saving up his money, junior Justin Baniak finally bought a bright yellow 1992 Mazda Miata. Justin has wanted this car since he could remember. 

“I’ve been looking at them for about two years and I just fell in love with it,” Justin said. “There are so many things you can do with it and it is so fun to drive.” 

After only having his license for ten months, Justin has already spent $5,000 on the car, fixing things like the headlights and getting a new exhaust. 

“I consider my car a project car,” Justin said. “I buy all of that stuff so I can customize it just how I want and how I imagine it. I can work for it to become just how I want it in the end.” 

Justin’s sister, Cami Baniak, has always supported Justin throughout his journey with his car. 

“Justin seems really passionate about his car,” Cami said. “When he knows what he wants or what to customize he goes for it and doesn’t hesitate to work for his goals.”  

Along with his sister, Justin’s friend sophomore Jackson Houk has supported him. Houk gets a ride to school from Justin almost every day. 

“It is so fun to ride in because of the power behind it and how small it is,” Houk said. “It’s really just a beautiful vehicle.” 

On top of just having the car, Justin has made an Instagram for it called Project_sunshine. 

“I made the Instagram to get in touch with the car community and see what other people can do to their cars,” Justin said. 

Other than then 1992 Mazda Miata, Justin has other cars he would like to invest in such as the Nissan Skyline R32 GTR, imported from Japan. 

“I would love to eventually get the Nissan, and import it from Japan,” Justin said. “I have loved cars for so long and now that I bought my own dream car is a dream come true.”