Jose Luis Valdes (LeStrat)
"Citroen CX 2.4 Palas, Ford Sierra 2.0iS, Opel Calibra V6, Renault Laguna 2.0, Audi A4 B5 2.8 Quattro. Currently I have a Renault Laguna 2 2.0 16V as an everyday car."
Well, it's not an MX-5 and that in itself is a bonus
"Usually, people who buy a weekend car like this one do it after following the model for a long time but this was not my case; although I have always been a fan of petrol Opel engines, and of course knew the car.
"The story begins with a broken gearbox in my father's car. He urgently needed a cheap van to substitute his Audi A8 while it got repaired and to be used as an everyday vehicle later on. We went to several official dealers, and at last we got to our nearest Opel dealer searching the cheapest Opel Combo [Corsa van] they had.
"We came into the store there it was. With its top down. Low, very low. I only disliked its yellow colour. I sat down on the driver's seat and I knew it was going to be my car.
Unrelated visit to Opel dealership ended up here!
"That day my father decided to buy an Opel Meriva, and I told the dealer I was also going to buy the Opel GT. He did not take me seriously. After literally having to convince the seller that I was not joking, we arranged it so that they brought a Midnight Blue unit to the store the day after. That was my car."
What I wish I'd known:
"How poorly it brakes with the original brake kit. Nothing that cannot be solved with new brakes, of course, but it meant a sensible waste of money, hours and several legal problems to homologate everything. Some steel pieces of the structure holding the dashboard quickly get rusty, it's something that must be seriously taken into account if thinking on buying one."
Things I love:
"What I love most is that it's a roadster. I had never had a convertible before and it's a different world. Handling, specially with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres, is outrageous and the engine performance and sound is great."
Familiar - and tweakable - engine at its heart
"There is nothing I really hate. It still doesn't have a perfect braking behaviour. The brake pedal is too sticky, but I hope I can solve it. I also don't like the interior trim quality which I think it's the main reason for most of the bad reviews this car has had."
Costs:
"Maintenance is as cheap as any Opel in the market. Performance improvements aren't expensive either, because there is a huge spare parts market in the USA. Luckily one of my best friends is another PHer with a great mechanic's knowledge, so I almost have no extra expenses in the performance modifications I make."
Where I've been:
"I am lucky to live in one of the best places in Spain to drive. Asturias has plenty of beautiful roads. On the weekends I usually meet some friends and drive our cars discovering new mountain routes."
Not without niggles but our PHer is a happy owner
"This car will hopefully never be replaced in my garage. I still need to keep improving its performance until it behaves as a proper sports car. In the near future, sometime this year, I have the firm intention of attending to my first trackday with the Opel and I am also planning a long road trip around Spain and the south of France. Thereafter ... who knows?"
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!