If it had been up to me, the Honda Civic that my wife Sandy and I bought fresh from the factory in 2001 would still be parked in front of our house, ready for action. I’ve always liked that car. Even though its body paint eventually mimicked the appearance of my age-mottled skin, and the fabric on the underside of its roof has drooped like a cow’s udder for years, I didn’t care. Sure, a paint job and a fabric repair would have been just what the doctor ordered, but I’ve got a knack for putting things off. Ergo, I happily continued to drive the Honda in its unattractive condition, allowing it to take me around my immediate area. In its old age, no way was I going to test the car’s capabilities on a long-distance drive. For modest daily transportation needs, however, the Civic has performed its job damn well.
On the other hand, Sandy has disliked the Honda, which I fully admit is an eyesore, ever since its appearance went south. She wouldn’t be seen as a passenger in said eyesore. Nor, as follows, would she drive it. She therefore stuck exclusively with our other car, a much, much newer model that I also motor around in a lot. And, needless to say, she also wasn’t thrilled that the Honda was on full display, for everyone to see, in the neighborhood. Who could blame her?
That’s why I promised last year that I’d help to make the Honda disappear by replacing it with a modern vehicle, one that looks good and is equipped with far more safety features than the Honda possesses. One situation or another kept getting in the way of that happening. But finally a miracle occurred a few weeks ago. Hallelujah, a new Toyota has become part of the family!
So, now we possess two recent-vintage vehicles. Sandy and I share them. And the Honda has been relegated to the bottom of the driveway, behind our house, where it awaits its fate. In a matter of days it will be towed away, a donation to a worthy charitable organization. I suppose they’ll get a few hundred bucks for it. I’ll be sorry to see it go.
But why will I be sorry? It’s a good question, one I probably wouldn’t have thought about had I not decided to bless cyberspace with a Honda tale. Luckily, a few insights have popped into my head.
I’ve never been too much of a materialistic sort of guy. Partly that’s because I had only a small amount of funds during the first 12 or so years of my adult life. And even though I’ve done all right financially since then, I haven’t felt the need to make up for lost time, acquisition-wise. Fact is, most of my possessions mean little to me anyway. Except for my vinyl album collection. Vinyl is f*cking cool, after all. And for a few pieces of artwork that tug at my emotional core. And for the Honda Civic, which, it’s only now dawned on me, reminds me of some qualities that I like and admire in people.
The Civic, which I’m going to refer to in the past tense here, was easy to be with, unpretentious, and made its way through life in good spirits despite my neglect of the face that it presented to the world. It also was reliable, having had very few mechanical issues in its lifetime, and, by virtue of its reliability, demonstrated excellent loyalty towards me.
Is it any wonder then that I felt totally at home when I slipped behind the Honda’s steering wheel? Being inside that car was like spending time with a good friend. I was on the same wavelength as the Honda. I understood it. Our personalities melded admirably. We were a compatible pair that had grown old together very comfortably.
I enjoy but have yet to develop anything resembling a love affair with either of the vehicles that Sandy and I now drive. And I’m nearly positive that I never will, which is okay. As long as they get me from here to there and back, that’s all that really matters. But they are too high-tech for me to fall heavily for them, too full of buttons and knobs and adjustment options and display screens. All of that places them far from the warm and cuddly section of my spectrum that the Civic occupied. These two newer cars don’t remind me of the sorts of people that I want to be around.
I don’t know, maybe I’ll go out for a final spin in the Honda before it’s towed away. Haven’t decided yet. Whether I do or don’t, the deep green Honda Civic, once as handsome as hell, soon will be gone from my life forever. Shit, I’m going to miss that old boy.
(Please don’t be shy about adding your comments or about sharing this story. Thanks.)
Yeah, Another Blogger 
We still have our 2008 Chevy Impala, our third of that make and model. Still rides smoothly and comfortably on long trips, so she’s hard to part with. Her odometer rolled over to 250,000 kilometers in July. 🙂
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That’s a lot of miles!
Hi Jennifer, and thanks for stopping by.
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Gosh, I had a 1988 US Toyota until I stopped driving 3 years ago. I gave it to my mechanic who loved the car and took good care of it for me for years. He was thrilled. I understand your attachment to an old, reliable vehicle. Mine was, it was my vision which let me down, not the car. Chuckle.
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Hi Muriel. No doubt about it, cars can be very good friends.
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I think there’s always that one car that we always feel comfortable with no matter how much it’s falling apart. I’ve not experience that car yet, but Bo’s Pontiac Grand Am was a lot like that. 🙂
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Evening, Jean. The Pontiac Grand Am was a great looking car. Really stylish.
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I’ve recently parted with my old 2003 Saturn. I drove that car for 16 years through thick and thin. I have a cute little Toyota now but still miss that old chariot.
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Hi Kimberly. I always liked the looks of the Saturn. I was surprised when it went out of production.
Take care. Have an excellent week.
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I’ve spent many years driving a Honda, actually three Accords. My daughter’s Jetta was recently totaled, victim to multiple gunshots (I couldn’t make this up if I tried). Thank God it was parked and unoccupied at the time. All of this to say, she’s the proud new owner of a 2016 Civic. It’s super cute and practical in so many ways.
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Did the police figure out who shot up the car, and why?
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That’s a really good question, and now I feel like a bad mother for not asking. She was at a friend’s house overnight, and the friend’s roomate’s car also took some bullets as well as the next door neighbor’s house. I know both the friend and the roommate, but I don’t know that any of them filed a police report. It seemed random.
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Love my Honda Civic, 19 years old, never much wrong with it. ☼ I talk to it, and thank it for its loyal service.
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Your car appreciates what you say to it!
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It’s always a bit sad to say goodbye to a car, isn’t it? Your tribute is so well done, even I am sad to see the Civic go…
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I miss it!
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I understand how you feel. I get sad when saying goodbye to a car I’ve had for a long time. I get melancholy when I give anything away. I still miss my 20 year-old refrigerator I gave away years’ ago.
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Hello there. Right, we become attached to certain things. It’s that feeling of familiarity, I suppose.
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I just got a Honda Civic this year and I’m loving it. My previous Mini was much sexier but I never bonded with it (always something going wrong). Nice tribute to your beloved Civic.
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Hi Caroline. Thanks for stopping by. I can tell that you and your Civic are a perfect match!
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I tend to hang onto cars – I’m still driving a 2003 Acura. I never really got a strong emotional attachment to it, it more reflects the personality of the friend I bought it from in 2005, and I don’t drive a ton of miles. Good car though. It’s predecessor was was a 1989 Celica. I was more attached to that one, I bought it new and it was more “me”. These days I’ve been thinking about finding a new home for the Acura (I’d inherit the wife’s car, a Mazda CX-5 – but I was the one that shopped it.) But the wife hasn’t really said what she wants, so we’re in limbo.
Still, I know what you mean. I sold that Celica to an in-law’s cousin, and whenever I saw her I’d have to ask how it was doing. It finally died a couple years ago…
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Hi Dave. You know, a couple of hours ago I was thumbing thru the photos on my camera. I looked at the 15 or so that I took of the Civic shortly before it left my life. I had that car for a lot of years. It was a good one.
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That model was my first car! God how I loved zipping around in that thing! Had it for ten years and never missed a beat! They are a good car!
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Hey there, Anna. Good, reliable cars are great. They improve our lives. Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it. See ya!
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I have a 2009 honda odessey it has 100k miles, i used to own a 2009 toyota corolla but my mom selled it i loved that thing, but my mom selled it i was sad, but now i have a 2009 honda odyssey and a 2014 toyota highlander, but i still miss the 2009 corolla.
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