The Forgotten Family Member?

"SHARPSPEED" (SHARPSPEED) 01/27/2014 at 11:49 • Filed to: None

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Hey, Oppo. I'll have plenty of time to explain who I am, but until then, lemme give you guys my introduction piece. I write as a hobby, but I'm still pretty amateur-ish, so if this isn't up to par with some of the stuff usually seen here, please just cut me a break. All two cars mentioned in this write-up are entirely BS by the way, so don't waste your time on a massive web hunt.

Hey you. Yeah you, Dickhead. Wait, you're probably not a dickhead. You're probably gonna agree with everything I'm about to say. Nonetheless, do listen. While you're probably one to appreciate the mechanical relative in your driveway, you're beaten out by thousands who don't It's disgusting, really. There's alot of reasons why it's such an abomination that the family car gets the shaft in the yearly Christmas card, and here's a good summery of why.

Here we see a typical home of a 4 person family (that sadly I couldn't build due to parts shortage so I'll just describe them and imagine they exist). We have the Parents, one 17 year old-daughter, and a 12 year old son. Lets call them the Thompsons after an old friend of mine. Now, the Thompsons did something significant recently. They recently put a downpayment on a brand spanking new Rogue Assailant Sedan. Yeah, that cute little guy in the driveway up there. They put all the bells and whistles on this thing, too. It's the highest trim available, with the big 390 HP Turbo straight 4 engine and whatnot. The Thompsons wanted something more luxurious, more sporty for their next car. With Rogue Motor's reputation with high performance vehicles the Assailant was the only choice, really. It's no Destroyer GTS like the Dad would like, but it sure comes close. It's also pretty practical and economical, what with being a roomy sedan with a turbocharged 4 cylinder. Their perfect family car. And despite how great the Rogue is, it has one helluva bar to meet. You see, it replaces something big. Something that was very important to the Thompsons for a long time.

It was a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . One that was with the Thompsons for about 15 years. It wasn't anywhere near as luxurious or sporty as the new Rogue Assailant replacing it, but that Perubahan holds something the Rogue may never. Memories. The Sipil the Thompsons had has that in spades. When the Thompsons got this nice house just about 30 miles outside of a city I can't care to name, the Sipil was in a way a part of the package. They bought it around the same time they got the house. At that time the Sipil was just what they needed. But here's the thing with that Sipil; the house was just the start. The 17 year old daughter I mentioned earlier? She went to her first day of school in the Sipil. It served the Thompsons well, a reliable machine always starting up in the morning rather it be in the heat of summer or the cold of winter. When one said summer, the at the time 3 member family when on a 14 hour trip across the country for a vacation, the Sipil chugged them along to their destination. The sights they saw, the things they did along the way, all in this pokey little sedan. Then came along another family member, the son I mentioned earlier. The mother, right in the middle of labor, was rushed to the hospital in the family's Sipil. A couple days later, it brought the infant son to what he would call home. The son's first slice of life outside of the hospital was in the Sipil. That son would grow to become a car guy (or kid in this case) over the years. And not just some kid who could name some obscure cars he passes on the highway. He learned about cars and what made them move. His teacher in a way? The Sipil, which was all he had, yes, but nonetheless. Anyway, now that the family was bigger, there was more trips, more memories gained in that Sipil. A few years before the Thompsons bought their new Rogue Assailant, the Sipil showed signs that it was reaching the end of it's road. Weird noised from under the hood, occasional visits to the shop. It wasn't a quality issue really. The Sipil was simply aging. Before it revved it's final rev, it gave one final memory that would link it as significant to the Thomspons forever. A real piece to them. We're back to the 17 year-old-daughter. Right before the Sipil's road ended, she learned how to drive. The car she learned in? The car that she's known the best for her entire life at that point. The Sipil. learning to drive, as I can tell you, is one of the most memorable things a teen will carry with them. The car they learned in being a huge part of that. fast forward a little later, and we're at the Thompson's house, the shining red Rogue Assailant on the driveway, and the Sipil strapped to a flatbed trailer, about to embark on it's final journey to it's resting place. The entire Thompson family was on the front lawn, watching as the tractor trailer took the Sipil away. They'd never see that old hunk of Indonesian steel again. They remembered everything they did with that Sipil, and how effortlessly it did it. All the laughs, all the fun, all the sweet, sweet memories had with that Sipil. Truly, the Sipil was a part of them in a way. A real member of the family. It was a bittersweet moment. There's a new, sporty car for the family now, but will it ever be as significant as the Sipil? Some of the stuff done in that Sipil could only be done once. No matter how much of a superior car the Rogue Assailant may be, It may never be as great of a car, as a family member, as that Sipil was.

So, what am I telling you here? Simple. You don't have to be a car guy or anything, just don't write off the four-wheeled slab of sheetmetal you or your family owns as just another soulless machine. it's not. You have it long enough, and things will happen with it. Things that couldn't have happened without it. Things that will be with you forever, because the forgotten family member was there for you and the ones you love.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > SHARPSPEED 01/27/2014 at 12:00

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Some constructive criticism:

That next to last paragraph is far too long. It needs split into at least two sections.

I noticed lots of capitalization mistakes. It's not a huge deal, however, if your desire is to get shared to the Front Page, you'll need to keep an eye out for basic stuff like spelling and proper capitalization.

The editors will reward good content, but usually only if it's also well written.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > SHARPSPEED 01/27/2014 at 12:01

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First off, your writing is above many articles posted on here (I am not saying that you opponaughts can't write; but most articles on here are quite short and not fully detailed, and thats okay, please don't kill me!) Just watch some grammar things like capitalizing words and stuff (higher quality = more likely to go FP)

Second, great story... I hope it was dust, but I felt myself getting sad reading this.

I drive a 2013 Civic LX with an auto.. it isn't a Jalop car... it isn't exciting... but I love it.. Its my first car and I am already making memories... this is what oppo is about: loving cars!

Welcome to Oppo!

SHARPSPEED > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 01/27/2014 at 12:11

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Bleh, wasn't going for FP. The chances of me achieving something like that on my first write-up only exist when all the planets line up during a solar eclipse or something like that.

oldirtybootz > SHARPSPEED 01/27/2014 at 12:33

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As a Lego guy, I approve of this.

ptak appreciates old racecars > SHARPSPEED 01/27/2014 at 15:36

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Great to see this on here.