JACOB KONST/Arizona Daily Wildcat Peter Vanatta, a computer engineering junior, stands with his modified 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX. Vanatta has made 12 modifications that allow his car to run a quarter-mile in 14.2 seconds with a top speed of 95 mph.

You've been there before, sitting at a traffic light in your Geo Metro. A car pulls up next to you, windows tinted, strobe lights flashing and subwoofers pumping; just for a second, you think, "I can take him."

You're wrong, and he's long gone. There's a lot more behind these tricked-out street racers and the students who built them than your three cylinders can take.

Some students are into getting power out of their cars. Others go strictly for style; so there's really no one way to classify their rides.

"A lot of people say 'hooked-up,'" said Peter Vanatta, a computer engineering junior and employee of Motorsport Warehouse, an auto supply shop that specializes in performance and sports parts.

"We kind of make fun of people who say that."

Vanatta drives a 2002 Subaru WRX that can go a quarter-mile in 14.2 seconds, he said. He's put about $4,000 into it to get his car this powerful, but he wants to get his quarter-mile time under 10 seconds.

Vanatta first got into cars as a little kid watching Night Rider, but he didn't always drive such a hot one.

"I had a piece of shit Ford Escort. I hated that car, so I got rid of it and got this," he said.

I don't care if girls like it. I don't care if guys like it. I do it for myself. - Cameron Haun pre-pharmacy junior

Now, Vanatta races at Tucson's Southwest International Raceway, which has an open track for anyone to race on.

"I don't race on the street," he said with a sly grin, "because it's illegal."

Whether they want to race or not, the owners of these customized sports cars are constantly being challenged.

"Sometimes it will get annoying because I get challenged all the time, at every light almost," said Keith Pavlik, a mechanical engineering junior. "You're just like, I don't know, it wastes a lot of gas."

Pavlik doesn't have to worry much about being out-performed; his 1991 Subaru 300Z with Nitrus boosters can get up to 400 horsepower.

"Tha Z," which Pavlik's friends and the custom tags call it, is also equipped with an 8-disk CD changer with a 5.1 surround sound conversion box and a Panasonic DVD player. To ensure maximum performance control, Tha Z also has an engine management computer - which allows control over engine functions such as air-to-fuel ratios and RPM settings on-the-fly.

The car also has custom gauges and strobe lights, which are illegal to actually turn on. With all these features, he can practically live out of it.

RANDY METCALF/Arizona Daily Wildcat Keith Pavlik, a mechanical engineering junior, has put more than $30, 000 into his Nissan 300 ZX. Pavlik has added a DVD player, touch-screen computer, CD player and multiple gauges.

"I just need a fridge," Pavlik said.

Pavlik takes pride in doing almost all the auto work himself.

"Anyone can just take it to the shop and have stuff thrown in," he said. "Since I'm a mechanical engineer, I want to make sure it's done right."

He put about a year's worth of work and money into the car to get it just the way he wanted it.

"I didn't really care if anyone else liked it, but it turns out that everybody else does like it," he said.

Pavlik shows a lot of modesty when discussing his car.

When it works after you're done, the whole experience is worth it. - Mario Sweeney, computer science senior

"I don't show it off. I only talk about it if people ask about it," he said.

Cameron Haun, a pre-pharmacy junior and owner of a 1996 Honda Civic DX embraces a similar ideology.

"I don't care if girls like it. I don't care if guys like it. I do it for myself," he said.

Haun is starting to work on his Civic, which already had rims and a good sound system when he bought it. More concerned with racing around than looks, he plans on putting in a new engine soon.

To Haun, tricking out your car is more than just a hobby; it's an expression.

"What you do to it makes it unique to who you are, your personality," he said.

Sometimes the car can actually become who you are, as Mario Sweeney, a computer science senior found out.

"A girl I ran into the other day didn't say, 'How are you doing?'" he said. "She asked, 'How is the car?'"

Rather than purchasing an already powerful car, Sweeney has been working on turning a Volkswagon Bug into a racecar for a couple of years. The frame is from 1962 and the pan is of a later model. Everything else is completely custom, from the headlights to the tailpipe.

Sweeney built this car up from almost nothing, just using his imagination, time and money.

His car has also caught the attention of the Tucson Police Department.

"I've been pulled over at least three times just on Sixth Street alone," he said.

For these amateur mechanics, it's not just about speed and looks; it's about getting your hands dirty and putting your heart into something that you love.

"Working on it yourself is really gratifying," Sweeney said. "When it works after you're done, the whole experience is worth it."