Heap of the Week: The Cheezit

Ethan Walp’s eye-catching 2003 orange Honda Element is currently the talk of the junior lot. Having had this car for only four months, the Cheezit has already gained its name from its bright orange, box-like appearance. Walp noted how he initially thought the car was ugly, until his mom “broke the news to him” that he would be driving one around for his high school career.

Walp illustrates the Cheezit’s origin story: “I knew people I went to middle school with had it, and they lived near me, and my mom was driving home one day and saw it was for sale, and I had just gotten my license, and she thought it would be a good car.”

Spending only $4000 on the Cheezit, it has many intriguing features, such as the double suicide doors, the ability to adjust bass and treble with the push of a button, and the back seats that fold up, expanding the usable cargo space. He continues to say that he can put blankets, chairs, and a mattress in the back, creating the perfect nook for watching sunsets. In addition to the interior niceties of Honda, it also has the capabilities to drive up to a screeching 80 miles per hour. Walp finds himself driving most often to school, home and Panda Express.

Lena Fackler, habitual parker of the junior lot, confirms the origins of the car’s name, “His car looks like an orange cube and it’s boxy…His car looks like a Cheezit.” She then further remarks upon the particularity of the suicide doors, saying, “The doors open, like double doors do– and you can’t get out of the back seat unless the person in the front seat gets out first.” Fackler knows this among many other facts about the Honda Element, but most importantly that it’s owned by Ethan Walp.

Recognizable cars can be described as both a blessing and a curse, but Walp has a positive outlook on his circumstances: “It’s cool, I’ve connected with people that recognize it from previous owners.” While the car is recognizable, Honda Elements are surprisingly more common than you’d think. Walp explained that once you have one, you begin to notice them all over Santa Barbara; a phenomenon that he calls the “Honda Element effect”.