My Honda Civic

After putting $60 in my gas tank this morning, I am missing my Honda Civic. It has been stranded outside my house for over a month and I miss it.

It has a broken throttle senor, according to the AutoZone computer. This wouldn’t bother me, but I got a new throttle sensor installed as my birthday gift last year. Not a romantic gift, like the lovely jewelry I got this year, but much appreciated.

So how did the first one work from 2003 till 2009 and this one didn’t last a year?

Did I mention Honda wants like $1500 for the part? So clearly the Honda will be waiting for a while. I just spent $400 dollars getting tires for the car I bought Liz in December, and between registering all three vehicles and the increase in insurance costs now that Liz has her license, my car fund is EMPTY!

Don’t get me wrong, the Land Rover is a great ride. The seat warmer is awesome on cold mornings and the stereo is a six disk changer…not to mention the two sun roof openings with shades… a wonderful way to travel. But with gas at nearly three dollars a gallon, I miss my Honda.

I bought my dark blue Honda new in August 2003. It was just over $15,000 and after the downpayment, I had a $10,000 3-year car loan. I loved my car. It handled well and did everything I needed- a real workhorse that I could rely on.

My first car was a green 1977 LTD (The Green Machine) that had a cracked block, so we had to add a quart of oil before every outing. (We kept a case in the trunk). It was a steal at $400 dollars in 1984.

My next car was $1200, a brown Chrysler LaBaron, and it always needed something. Of course driving through Hunt’s Point construction everyday was hard on it…I got seven flats in a month before turning to Mass Transit and sending the car to my sister Ellen.

It was almost three years before I bought my Dodge Spirit. A nice little grey car that my friend Arnie found for me. He had married my college friend Sally and she told him to find me a good reliable car. And it served me well until the Honda came along.

(We also bought a black Dodge Neon for $1800 when my husband George needed wheels- it worked around the neighborhood for a while, but once it started having issues it was a money pit. I would not drive one again if I got it for free.)

So my Honda was like heaven, and was mine. I gave it gas and oil and it gave me six years of perfect service. I drove to and from Ohio six times when we were moving and never worried about my little Civic.

Even when I bought my Land Rover in 2008, I still favored my little Honda for commuting. Let's face it, the biggest reason I bought Liz her purple 1999 Corolla was so she would not drive my Honda.

So my tax money will be going to my first real car, my 2003 baby. I wouldn’t have it any other way.