Meet the Fleet

"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori) 01/12/2018 at 11:05 • Filed to: Disco Inferno, The Alfa Doesn't Have A Tag Yet, Project Dumpster Fire, Blue Pill

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It occurs to me I never posted this image. A while back I had a friend in town who is (A) an excellent photographer and (B) the only person I’ve successfully covered to driving stick. Furthermore, all the cars were running at that moment (this was days before the Disco got in a wreck and the Alfa went to try and get some repair work done), so we took some “family photos”.

EDIT: Added transmission info. Which is to say yes, the Volvo is manual.

1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Graduate - Bought on my first “cheap car challenge road trip” and kept because it is awesome, as it turns out. Currently has some major rust that needs addressing and is a bit messy, but otherwise a great little car. 5 speed manual. Owned for 2.5 years.

1984 Saab 900 Turbo Sedan - Given to me as my first car in 2002 after my brother didn’t want it anymore. Sent to the mechanic for a broken starter in 2004 and didn’t return until July of 2016 when I somewhat forcefully took it back from the mechanic. Spent approximately 1.5 years to get running again and currently runs and drives mostly OK. 5-speed manual. Owned for 15.5 years or 4.6 years, depending on how you look at it.

2013 Volvo C30 Polestar Limited Edition - I traded my 2009 Civic Si for this Volvo when I decided I was tired of driving a “reliable” car that wasn’t particularly interesting. Good car and surprisingly quick. Just out of warranty last month, which is scary. 6-speed manual. Owned for 5.1 years.

2001 Land Rover Discovery II SE7 - Bought during my second “cheap car challenge road trip” and kept because I am apparently into abusive (car) relationships. Recently was backed into by a neighbor and has blown head gaskets. 4-speed automatic. Owned for 0.7 years.

The Renegade also helped out ferrying drivers to and from the shoot location and acting as a photographer stand.

Thank you to Taylor for all the awesome photos. Also they are his, so please ask before any reuse.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 01/12/2018 at 11:10

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Wow. Jalop level 10/10

E90M3 > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 01/12/2018 at 11:12

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Looks a lot like downtown San Antonio.

Party-vi > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 01/12/2018 at 11:13

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These are neat. This is a good post.

Milky > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 01/12/2018 at 11:17

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I really like the c30 polestar. Quick, fun, great backseat too. Most practical car among my roommates and myself.

Great fleet.

CobraJoe > Milky 01/12/2018 at 11:20

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Is the back seat really usable in a C30?

I might have to add that to my possible replacement DD list, it’s the most realistic way to find a manual Volvo. I’d love a manual T5 V50, but those things are extremely rare.

Milky > CobraJoe 01/12/2018 at 11:24

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Fully useable. Fits a 6' person behind another 6' person. I just looked and it’s wheelbase is only 1" shorter than a Focus.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > E90M3 01/12/2018 at 11:25

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I can kind of see that, but if I were to guess I’d say downtown Tulsa, which is what this is, is quite a bit older. We had a lot of oil money up until the 70s/80s and that netted us a lot of awesome art deco buildings.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > CobraJoe 01/12/2018 at 11:29

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Usableish? Once your in there it is pretty comfortable. Getting in is OK and aided by there being a button to move the power seats on top of of seat in addition to on the side. Keep in mind the back is only a 2 seater. In fact, and rather annoyingly, Volvo mounted a center arm rest that can’t be raised so (so the story goes) Americans wouldn’t plop someone in the middle and then sue when they died in an accident.

That said, especially with the rear seats down, cargo space is excellent and the car is a delight to dive. The low end torque is a lot of fun!

E90M3 > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 01/12/2018 at 11:33

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Spent 6 weeks in Tulsa, thanks to the oil industry back in 2015. Didn’t really see too much of downtown cause I stayed over in the Jenks area.

CobraJoe > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 01/12/2018 at 11:40

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Thanks! I know it’s based on the same platform as the V50 2.4i I used to have, and that was a solid little wagon, so a performance hatchback version of the same thing sounds pretty good to me.

Definitely putting it on my list to check out when I actually start searching.

CompactLuxuryFan > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 01/12/2018 at 12:19

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Great pics! Love the Volvo! Such a unicorn!

I just got back from spending a lot of time with my mom’s V40 Cross Country T5 AWD. You can’t help but be charmed by that turbo I-5 being stuffed in a small car. Hers is loaded, too! It’d be the perfect car for me here in San Francisco, but alas.

I’m probably going to look at V60s with that engine when time comes to replace my A4 Avant.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > CompactLuxuryFan 01/12/2018 at 12:28

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Thanks!

Yeah the V40 was really a missed opportunity here in the states. As the C30 was my only daily driver when I bought it I would have been very tempted by a V40.

Sovande > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 01/12/2018 at 12:29

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That C30 is great, I love mine. The tune I have really woke it up. Nothing like 300hp and 375 torques to liven up the daily commute.

I am 6'4 and have ridden in the back of mine.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 01/12/2018 at 12:31

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Great photos of possibly the Jalopest fleet in OPPOland.

RPM esq. > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 01/12/2018 at 12:43

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My first reaction to looking at your spectacularly unreliable fleet is not revulsion and terror but rather envy and an immediate desire to open a new Craigslist tab. I have a serious problem, right?

Also, how in the world does a car sit at a mechanic for 12 years ? Life is too short, man. I’ve never even owned a car that long (although if I hadn’t wrecked my first car I’d probably still have it, so it’s not like I can’t imagine it).

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > RPM esq. 01/12/2018 at 14:25

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Haha why thank you! The nice part about having a large, unreliable fleet is at least one of them is usually running. Even better, everything but the Volvo can be had for under $3000.

The Saab story is kind of a long one that I wrote about a while back, but the tl;dr is I bought an Accord to replace the Saab, but my parents kept the Saab because... reasons. They sent it to the mechanic and were in no real hurry to get it back. A week turns into a month, month turns into a year, year turns into a decade... you know how it is. Not sure why the mechanic wasn’t more interested in getting rid of it, but he was having his own issues.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/12/2018 at 14:26

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Clearly I watch too much Top Gear.