to be honest, I got the barina SRI as i had to sell my s15 as i was unemployed. It had under 100k on the clock, it was a 1.8 in a hatch back and felt zippy when i drove it (nothing compares to the choo choo the silvia had though) and it was 5 grand with 6 months rego, rwc etc.
I swore it was my daily until i found a decent job, saved up and bought another turbo import again. until the modification bug set in, well actually first day i picked up the car I had a fart cannon put on it to make it louder, (always believe in having an audible car as people look when you drive rather than cross the road without checking and have you slam on the brakes)
then it went on to painting the engine cover, then looking into what other people have done, thats when i saw that not only were these cars popular over in the UK, but people had done alot to them, everything from mild turbo setups still netting in 200hp all the way to Mr Corsa with his monster of a thing, thats when my interest peaked and i made the decision to be different.
Ive been to a few different meets and one thing i noticed is that everyone has an s15, a skyline, a commodore, a supra, etc etc. but I was the only one with my little red berarri chilling.
sure its not too fancy right now but it will get there and it will be unique
still wouldnt mind going to a cruise or event with a bunch of people from the OA forums though just to see whats out there.
to sum it up, didnt start out with a passion for opels, still dont really have one for them, but i have a passion for my little barina, and ill enjoy the ride and see where it takes me