Why are we the way that we are?

"mazda616" (mazda616) 04/21/2020 at 11:15 • Filed to: Cars

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Do y’all ever feel...dumb? For your taste in and/or obsession with vehicles?

I am sort of feeling that way now, after all the subterfuge I’ve gone through for a 30-year-old trashily made economy car. I can’t help it, though. The stupid thing makes me happy and is really just fun. I know it shouldn’t be, but it is.

I guess that’s what makes me Oppo, huh? I mean, I love all sorts of cars. Crap GM FWD stuff, import stuff, muscle cars, luxury cars, off-roaders , brown diesel manual wagons, etc. I just happen to locate a little ‘Bird that I love.

Anyone else wonder why they love what they love as far as cars? I get made fun of a lot of my interest in taking care of Jolene, but it is what it is at this point.

Honestly, when I found Jolene, I was searching for a Chevrolet Corsica (the car I grew up in, basically). Or a Beretta GT/GTU/GTZ/Z26.

I just happened to locate a J-body before I found any L-bodies .

Future next gen S2000 owner > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 11:25

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People like different things. It’s just the way humans are. Emotions are complicated.

VincentMalamute-Kim > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 11:30

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Good question. Imprinting while your brain is young and neural connections are in a malleable phase. Then your brain ossifies, your neurons are set, and you think everyone else has bad opinions and poor taste.

Like me. I was thinking you’re nuts for lavishing that much attention on a disposable Cavalier. Y ou mentioning Corsica and Beretta was only marginally better . But then I remembered GM’s appearance packages looked pretty good.

Chariotoflove > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 11:31

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I don’t see any subterfuge, unless you’ve been sneaking out to the shed to do clandestine things with Jolene in the middle of the night.

From what I understand, you’ve made your hobby into something you share with your wife, at least some. The only time something like this becomes dumb is if it gets in the way of other more important stuff in life. Good hobbies bring you joy and enrich your life.

I do feel a touch silly sometimes when I stop to take a pic of a car on the street, and my wife rolls her eyes. But it’s in good fun, so no harm.

Svend > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 11:38

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Each to their own some like stamps, others guns, etc... As long as your not hurting anyone, just enjoy the things that make you happy, because there are so few of them in life compared to what’ll make you sad. 

Cash Rewards > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 11:42

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You can’t explain and don’t need to justify your liking of this car. I think car culture in general should be more accepting. Like stance? Fine, who cares. Autocross? Have fun. 80-90s fwd gm cars? Go for it.

mazda616 > VincentMalamute-Kim 04/21/2020 at 11:44

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A Celebrity Eurosport VR! So rare.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 11:46

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I guess that is what makes the Oppo community so great. These things don’t exactly make sense from a purely rational point of view but this is a community that for the most part understands because we’ve been there. Jolene the Sunbird brings you Joy and you don’t need a better reason. I happen to own a crap FWD GM economy car and I meticulously maintain it and clean it only for people to say, “why you driv brown car ?” when it is obviously orange. But I enjoy it and I enjoy this community with such diverse tastes.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 11:47

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i still miss my panda

only car ive ever sold still running and roadworthy

wonderfull little shitbox

pretty sure the missus wont let me get another one tho....she kinda hated it...a lot...but it never failed me

no idea what/when my next car will be...but as its sunny now..im thinking escort

user314 > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 11:51

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Mom had a red ‘ 90 Beretta CL (or maybe a GT) when I was a lad. My sister had it while I was at college, then she traded it in for ‘00 silver Eclipse.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 12:06

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I need to dig through my old college textbooks to find it, but my old Sociology professor had us get a book from someone who talked about how we have “heroes” and “villains” that we use to define our beliefs and values. Now, these aren’t the typical comic book types of heroes and villains which are easy for all to sort. Rather, we find our own personal heroes and villains and use those to find where we stand on given topics, and to figure out who we are, or want to be, in our day to day lives.

So even though it seems strange or odd, an underappreciated daily driver is a hero for you. Or the sort of person who would dispose of that car or say that it has inherently less value than a “better” car is a villain to you. Your values and morals as a human are reflected in these choices. And to a point, when people tease or explain that they don’t get why you do it, it reinforces why you do it - because no one else did. And one way or another, almost all of us here view cars and trucks as something of such high importance that we all subscribe to that type of hero/villain mindset whether we’re aware of it or not.

Hell, there’s someone on here who likes the Juke. And another who likes the *shudder* ...... C rossfire. Vehicles which are detested by any sane human being, but we can count those mad lads among our ranks here.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > VincentMalamute-Kim 04/21/2020 at 12:08

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Case in point:

Car I learnt to drive on. Been a crew cab sedan man ever since. I mean, isn’t the point of an automobile to be something for humans to sit in and ride around in and look out the window at stuff? (1977 Caprice Classic, BTW, Motor Trend Car of the Year for 1977, but crappy 305 V8 and TurboHydramatic 200 transmission...)

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Chariotoflove 04/21/2020 at 12:09

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Well said, Dr. Sir.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Svend 04/21/2020 at 12:09

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Unless it’s Volvos. (ForSweden trigger bait...)

Long_Voyager94 > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 12:12

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My love of bland/boring cars stems from growing up in and around “performance cars”. There were always Camaros, Mustangs, Novas, RX7s, Supras, etc in my family when I was younger, so these cars are to me what mom’s minivan is to most people.

End of the day, as long as it makes you happy, who the F cares what someone else thinks.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 12:17

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I had a post about this sort of thing back in February!

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/how-did-i-get-to-where-i-am-1841863813

I wouldn’t feel dumb at all. My favorite car is an originally-communist-Polish- built Italian city car manufactured until 2000 from 1972 and based on a car from 1957....so... :P

We like what we like! Nothing wrong with that! I love my 2009 Hyundai Accent hatch even though most people wouldn’t think twice about a 2000's Korean ecobox.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 12:22

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Like me and my Vanagon obsession?

I don't have the car, mind you, but I do have the books and brochures and dozens of scale models. And I'm saving a NIB Blaupunkt Dallas SQM88 for when I find the perfect one. 

VincentMalamute-Kim > Long_Voyager94 04/21/2020 at 12:25

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Absolutely. I see so many Mustangs, they’re like minivans. They’re a good a way to blend into the crowd. A modified Caravan is unusual and cool.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 04/21/2020 at 12:26

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Yeah... F$#^&*  Volvos!

Oh wait....

Ash78, voting early and often > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 12:29

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As long as we don’t become as irritating as Sneakerheads or Numismatists , I’m all good with it.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 04/21/2020 at 12:29

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I try to be understanding and inclusive but i t’s going to be many decades more for that Caprice to look good. (I’m kinda teasing you ). My dad had a superboat Caprice Wagon ( mid-70's?) - I did not imprint on those.

VincentMalamute-Kim > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 12:31

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Now that you mention it - I don’t think I’ve seen one in the wild since I first saw my neighbor’s in the 80's and thought it looked very good.

You should upgrade to that maroon Beretta you posted.

Isn’t your car a Sunbird? I seem to remember those wheels as Pontiac wheels.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Cash Rewards 04/21/2020 at 12:36

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Like stance? Fine, who cares.

No, not fine. I care. The line has to be drawn somewhere... /s (maybe)

mazda616 > VincentMalamute-Kim 04/21/2020 at 12:36

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Yeah. It’s a ‘90 Sunbird LE with 58k on it. Has the standard ‘80s Pontiac wheels.

wafflesnfalafel > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 12:37

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Not exactly “dumb”, more sometimes embarrassed maybe?  I have (and really always have had,) quite specific automotive tastes and pet peeves which generally do not trend with most folks... but that’s ok.  

Snuze: Needs another Swede > VincentMalamute-Kim 04/21/2020 at 12:42

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your brain ossifies, your neurons are set, and you think everyone else has bad opinions and poor taste

I don’t think that’s entirely true . You can still change your mind as you get older, it’s just usually harder, or happens more slowly. When I was a kid Superman was my favorite superhero, then one day suddenly it was Batman, for no reason.

But as a car person I was always a domestic, GM guy, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to respect other marques, and have owned a Dodge, a Subaru, 2 Volvos, multiple Honda motorcycles (GM doesn’t make motorcycles of course, but my domestic side didn’t go for Harley). As with anything, experience with things outside your comfort zone can break down barriers. 

RallyWrench > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 12:46

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At one point a couple of years ago I was surfing Craigslist for Eurosport Celebrity wagons. I wanted to lower one on some Corvette sawblades and use it as a funky surf & bikewagon.  Also, to your main post, the Beretta GTU has always given me fuzzy feelings, I really like the way they look. Probably because I spent a lot of my youth absorbing IMSA racing and they were one of the cool cars, if totally unrelated under the skin. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > VincentMalamute-Kim 04/21/2020 at 12:46

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Those cars are exc eedingly rare these days. A few of the coupes and fewer of the crew cabs.

fintail > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 12:47

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I wonder, did your family or a beloved friend have any of those cars when you were a little kid? I think that can do something. When I was a kid, my dad was into 50s/60s cars, and we had a few in the family fleet from time to time. Because of that, I have some ability to recognize the minutiae of what many would consider to be “boomer” cars, and I like the style of many. My dad influenced my old car tastes, and tolerated my later model car interests. I had a fascination with MB cars from a young age, something about the design and traditional styling traits that would carry from one generation to another. This was also in the 80s, when the brand was at perhaps the zenith of its cachet. When I was 12, one of the books I got for Christmas was a MB buyer’s guide, full of random data and I read every page. Fast forward to when I was 18, I bought this - maybe a combination of those older cars, and still under the brand:

And I’ve been driving the brand (and that car) since.  Many consider it a weird obsession, but to quote a famous character, I yam what I yam.

Jim Spanfeller > VincentMalamute-Kim 04/21/2020 at 12:47

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I think the reason I ended up becoming fascinated with classic cars is that as a kid, I always loved Hot Wheels. Those were my favorite toys for many years. I was most drawn to the wild fantasy cars, and always wished they were real, since none of the cars I saw in real life looked anything like them. Then my parents took me to a classic car show, and it blew my mind. I was surrounded by rows and rows of beautiful old cars with absolutely wild styling. To me, it was like real life Hot Wheels, and I was instantly hooked. Several years later, I drive a ‘66 Thunderbird. Sure, it’s bad on gas. Sure, its handling leaves something to be desired. But it gives me that feeling of “I’m driving a real-life Hot Wheels car”, and what more could you possibly want from a car? ;)

MoCamino > Long_Voyager94 04/21/2020 at 13:02

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I just turned 50, my dad is in his 70's. As a couple of olds, we still enjoy going to old-school car shows together. We don’t get to see each other often enough, and it gives us several hours without anybody hassling us to do something for them. It’s quality time for us. At a show with 400 to 500 cars, you can guarantee there will be 20 tri-five Bel Airs and at least as many first-gen Camaros  first-gen Mustangs. A good portion of them will be trailer queens that get driven less than 200 miles a year. Those are the cars we’ll briefly glance at and say “too bad you can’t afford to drive the thing”.

The ones we really spend time checking out are the oddballs. The cars that aren’t perfect, have some bugs splats on the paint, are often “in progress”, and are clearly driven and enjoyed. You can tell from 20 feet away which cars get the white glove treatment but are never driven and which ones often get driven like they were stolen. Those are the cars I love to see and will stop to spend time checking out. I don’t care what brand or model they are, as long as they are loved .

EngineerWithTools > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 13:22

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My younger sister had a Beretta for a short period of time. Although I’m sure I would feel different today, in high school the thing felt like a rocket, with all of the torque steer.   (Particularly compared to my 120,000 mile, V6, but only 80 HP Bronco II.)

I can’t remember why she, or more likely my parents, got rid of it. Bad trans maybe? Speeding tickets maybe? Hmmm.

Thanks for jogging those ossified neurons!

OPPOsaurus WRX > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 13:26

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dumb for my choic e in cars? no

it was the oil leak that was dumb

and the leak in the air suspension that was the dumb

the slipping clutch was dumb

but not my ch oice in cars

TheRealBicycleBuck > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 13:27

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I wish the Beretta had the performance to back up the looks! I WANTED one of those cars!

mazda616 > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/21/2020 at 14:21

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The GTZ with the Quad 4 was pretty quick for its time. And I’m a sucker for the torquey old 3.1 V6.

mazda616 > fintail 04/21/2020 at 14:22

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I was raised in a Chevrolet Corsica. They always remind me of my mom. And, all of my friends and I got old GM FWD cars as our first cars when we were teenagers. :)

mazda616 > Chariotoflove 04/21/2020 at 14:25

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That is true. We like to take it for drives and my son loves to ride in it, too. He is really excited that it is home now! It’s like a toy to him.

Chariotoflove > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 15:27

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You’re creating memories that he will cherish as a healthy adult.

Cash Rewards > Snuze: Needs another Swede 04/21/2020 at 16:01

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I love the argument that it’s unsafe, when I’m talking myself into brake and handling mods like it’ll keep me safer on the road, and my loud exhaust is so people can hear me and know I’m there. Please, it’s a lie. They’re all lies.

Ad the line gets drawn at people who ls swap rx7s. Fuck those guys

Cash Rewards > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 16:03

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My grandpa had a celebrity Eurosport in the tannest of tan. Everything was tan but the ashtrays

Cash Rewards > fintail 04/21/2020 at 16:04

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We really need more pics of your car in a regular basis

fintail > mazda616 04/21/2020 at 16:49

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No doubt the Sunbird is linked to that, then. Just as I associate a couple 80s and 90s Fords with my car, along with the 70s T-Bird she drove when I was a little kid.

I think I mentioned it, I took my driving test in a 91-92 Sunbird that had the same wheels, but it was a blue sedan.  Belonged to a family friend, it was the smallest car I could get my hands on at the time,  and I thought that would make the test easier.

fintail > Cash Rewards 04/21/2020 at 16:49

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I try not to appear too obsessed (but I am).  Pic was taken on Sunday, btw.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Snuze: Needs another Swede 04/21/2020 at 18:36

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I’m mainly thinking older people like 60's and up. Everything is new to younguns. Older people have seen everything and know what they like. That’s fine except when they refuse to try anything different.

I always think about that since I believe trying new things can keep your brain healthier.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 04/21/2020 at 18:37

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Should buy one now and sit back and watch the value rise!

VincentMalamute-Kim > Jim Spanfeller 04/21/2020 at 18:39

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as a kid,

I think that’s the key. Why I think I never imprinted on the 60's muscle cars. It was 80's Germans for me.