Six years ago, I was an angsty 20 year old that absolutely hated where I was. Six years ago I found escape from my reality, I found here. I was a hot headed, short tempered asshole to be honest. I tempted the mods on more than one occasion, but they had mercy on me. Through that, Oppo has helped me become a much more open minded individual, and has helped me see through a rural Alabama born closed mind. Since this is mainly a car blog, we won’t delve into the politics of it, we’ll drop into the vehicular side of this. Before Oppo, the lowest vehicle I had any desire to own was the absolute nugget of a 4Runner that I had a very love/hate relationship with. I was very insecure in my car choices, but suddenly I was somewhere that loved the same Volvo 240 I grew up in, hated, and probably tainted my view on cars. In the same place I was swarmed with Miata owners, a car I was always informed was “gay” or a “girl’s car”, but no people actually race these? My view on cars pretty quickly changed. Not on the 240, but on pretty much everything else. I still didn’t want a car, I was happy with my garbage 4Runner.
Then it was announced a new fun car for the masses was actually coming to our hot hatch deprived shores. Suddenly I had an attainable dream car. A car. I wanted a car, a thing that I wouldn’t have been caught dead in before. I wanted what? A Fiesta ST. At the same moment in time, a big change was coming, a new start. I got to leave my “hellhole” that was Florida. Within a couple of months I had a decent job, and the road to my ST was paved. Suddenly my 4Runner that I was perfectly fine with was falling apart.
Enter Kona, my 2016 Fiesta ST. It was my first new car, it was how I was going to order it, but better yet they had it there the next day! So far I have only found 3 other cars in the Kona Blue color with the Molten Orange Recaros(my Corvette owner is showing.) I was in love, it was auto journalisms current baby, therefore it was the greatest car on earth. Until about six months in. Six months in, the magic wore off. It was still fun, but I could feel every flaw in the car, and it glared at me every day.
But this isn’t about the car, it’s about what the car started.
The car brought me places that I wouldn’t have gone before. You see, I had enough reasons to never trust the garbage old 4Runner for more than 50 miles. Suddenly I had a fun reliable car that got 40mpg on the highway. I started going to Cars and Coffee events, where I met Daender, whom I’ve now been to several events with that I probably wouldn’t have gone to without him. I was now driving 500 miles to meet strangers on the internet. I was going on drives with strangers in the mountains. It was a world that I had never had the confidence to experience before. It helped form a new me.
The problem with Oppo is the bad influences. Despite being a much better driver than me, LimitedTimeOnly had me convinced(unknowingly to him at the time) I needed to ditch the Fiesta for something better because of course that’s why I was slower. Enter:
Yeah, THAT car. That car was 3 months of absolute joy, followed by 4 months of absolute chaos. It brought me 3 loaner cars, one of which Oppo will never convince me is good. Still during this time I was able to go to Daytona for the 24(where I was able to argue with a VW representative on the phone at the track), and meet up with a few Oppos and friends of Oppos and one enemy of an Herb. There is something special about getting food out of a strange van in a grass parking lot at Daytona. Thanks VW for the loaner that I drove further than I was supposed to, whoops. I never got to confirm whether or not if this was the reason LimitedTimeOnly was faster, so we’ll just say it was.
But this absolute pile of garbage brought my vehicular insecurities to an end, and for that, I thank it.
Something inside of me snapped. Justifying a fun car because it was practical just didn’t make sense anymore. These universally hated cars by people who’ve never driven one had been tempting me for years. Just as the Fiesta was wearing off, the guy across the street had a 2004 Z16 Z06 for sale. On the end of the road was a millennium yellow Z06(which I previously called gross, that aged well.) Another neighbor had a pewter convertible for sale. They were haunting me, a car that absolutely disgusted pretentious, yet self conscious me. But I didn’t move on it. I manic impulse bought a Golf. I almost immediately regretted it, even before it had issues, but I’ve second guessed every car I’ve ever had. But then it was gone. For the first time I actually bought a car with a clear conscious. I bought a bright yellow Viagra alternative. There is no wild ride after this, no nightmares, and absolutely no second guessing it. It’s been a near perfect car, and without Oppo I wouldn’t have it.
Despite a lot about me changing though, some things stay the same. After all the hate I’ve had for it, all the breakdowns, all the thousands of gallons of gas burnt, all of the passes I couldn’t make, it’s still chugging along after 9 years of my abuse this month. It’s wounded, as it always has to be a thorn in my side, but it’s here, somehow more functional than it’s been most of it’s life with me.
Despite me being less than 100 miles than where I absolutely hated and still having this thing haunt my existence, my outlook is much brighter than it’s ever been. Maybe there won’t be an Oppo Meet 2020, but maybe there will be a 2021.
This isn’t a goodbye, it’s a see you later. Thanks for everything!