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 
I had three Hondas.
My first was about a third year after introduction, compact. It was so tiny, and dark brown, and manual five speeds! I was an undergrad. Still, one of my favorite cars, ever, even after I moved to German ones, like my current boxter spyder s limited edition. My second honda was a gorgeous prelude custom painted and nearly new, when I got my first real job, and my third was an accord, after I had my first child.
I never thought, until now how the cars we own, tell our own stories without us maybe even noticing.
Hondas are good cars and I like yours.
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I think we become more attached to some cars than others, just as we become more attached to some people than others. Our personalities help determine all of that.
Thanks for stopping by, Cindy. I appreciate that a lot.
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I’ve loved all my Honda Civics and one Accord – my new Civic is awesome, but I still miss my last car, an Accord. It was he last car my mom drove and it was nice to get in each day and remember her there.
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Hi there. Right, there can be a variety of reasons why we become attached to a car. Your attachment to the Accord was for a very good reason.
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Have you ever heard Kate Campbell’s “Galaxie 500”? It’s a great song about loving cars…
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Hello Martin. I might have heard it, though I’m not sure. In any case, I’m going to check it out! Thanks.
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Take it for one more spin! You”ll both enjoy the ride. I bought my Toyota Echo in 2001. It is still in good condition. I don’t know if I will ever be able to part with it.
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2001 was a very good year for cars, it seems. The Echo has served you well.
I’m glad to hear from you. Take care.
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I always enjoy your writing.
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Merci beaucoup!
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Great post! We are on our second Honda CRV at the moment and it’s a great vehicle. Very reliable, which is of utmost importance. My husband is now talking about getting a new Toyota Rav-4. Anyway, the “eyesore” commentary reminded me of a funny story. We were living in the twin cities at the time, Hubs with a new job in the swanky burb of Wayzata. At the time, we drove a used, but reliable Ford Escort. It was what could be referred to as “dusty red”. Not sure how that happened other than possibly after it was painted it was driven through a dust storm. So one day when Hubs went to leave work, he found a handwritten note on the windshield of ‘ol Dusty. The writer requested that he park in the back because the vehicle “was an eyesore to the neighborhood”. How rude, right? Here we were, struggling to make ends meet, he with a new job and me with two little ones at home, striving for a more prosperous life, and some hoity-toity a**hole takes the time to put this note on our poor little reliable car. However, this event did give us a few laughs over the years, so there’s that 🙂
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Hey there, Rhonda. That was a nasty person. At least you’ve gotten some laughs out of it. Take care —
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Always sad to part with trusted old friends. Maybe you will forge a connection with the new car, who knows, only time will tell.
Lieve
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Maybe. But I’m not betting on it. Have an excellent rest of the week, Lieve. See ya!
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I totally understand how you feel about your car. I had a Rover Metro for over 20 years and it was like brand-new when I gave it away to my cleaner in Spain who had a van which was more rust than metal. I had to get rid of it as I couldn’t drive due to the bottom of my feet hurting on the pedals. Shame really. I loved that car.
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Hi Ralph. Your Rover was a trusted and reliable friend.
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Completely understandable. What’s not to love?
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Right. The Honda is now gone, but not forgotten.
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I felt this way when I finally had to dispose of my old Toyota Corolla. I, too, donated it to charity and was rather insulted when all I got for it was a check for . . . wait for it . . . $25. I really liked how you compared your car’s virtues to those of people you know and trust. Great post!
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Thanks, Paula. I’ll be curious to see how much the charity was able to get for the Honda. I hope they get at least a few hundred dollars.
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I’m a dedicated Honda driver, so I get this completely. I have a ’94 Del Sol that doesn’t look good, and I don’t drive it much, but can’t bear to give up.
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Hi, and thanks for stopping by. You definitely have a love affair going with your 1994 car.
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I lost my Honda this winter, when it was attacked by a street light pole on an icy day, and I miss it. One of my grandfathers used to talk about bonding with his cars, and thought they even got sick at the same time – whenever he’d develop a cough, he’d go out and spray Gumout in the carburetor. I don’t know what he did when the muffler fell off.
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Your grandfather was a very caring person!
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My 2003 Honda Accord’s name is Olivia. We’ve been through so much together that I’ll cry on the day I have to say good-bye. I like her for the same reason you like your Civic, unpretentious and more reliable than many people who I know.
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Yeah, it’s easy to love an aging, reliable car. Cars like that have a sweetness to them.
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We had an Audi estate for eighteen years…having bought it second hand…it carried everything, you could work on it yourself….it was comfortable and unpretentious. When finally the repairs started to mount up we gave it to a young man who could do repairs himself and would use the car to be able to get to work and bought another Audi, a sporty little number. It was a good car but felt alien…too high tech…
Now in Costa Rica – where if you can afford to drive an Audi you are either a senior government official or a drug dealer – we have a Japanese tin box…a Toyota Galloper, which again carries everything, gets over the rough roads and can generally be worked on by the man up the road. It’s nowhere near the quality of our old Audi…but it suits us.
Take your Civic for one last spin….
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The Civic was towed away a day after I completed writing this story. I miss it!
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Neil, in many ways, you’re mind kind of people! I’m familiar with the scenario you describe, being that Sandy hasn’t been seen in your Honda for quite a while. Even though my wife has a newer, nicer car, I often feel shame when she gets stuck riding in my ugly 2004 Santa Fe. It would be hard, but at our age, maybe I should be more considerate and get rid of that sorry-looking jalopy as well. Great post!
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Hi Des. Yeah, if the Santa Fe isn’t to your wife’s liking, maybe it’s time to replace it. It can be a difficult decision, though.
Thanks for dropping by. As always, I appreciate it.
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Always enjoy your posts, Neil. And also, I just noticed, I wrote, “Mind kind of people!” I must be losing mine 🙂
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We all need to hang onto our minds!
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I’ve owned four cars personally (not shared) in my life: a Buick Skylark, a Plymouth Arrow, a VW Jetta, and now a Subaru Forrester. My son has the Jetta and that is one I miss. It was a fun car, but not great for winter driving.
I think I miss it because the salesperson touched a nerve when I was considering buying a VW. I loved the Jetta, but was told that I didn’t fit the “demographic” of a Jetta owner, I was more the Passat type. Clear reference to my age at the time, as I wasn’t 20.
Now, with the Subaru, I have a practical car. I’m 60 next month. I want my fun car back.
Take a final ride Neil. You and the car deserve it!
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Hi Deb. My final ride in the Honda was driving it from the bottom of the driveway to the street. The tow truck came soon after that and towed it away.
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New cars are nice, mine are both older vehicles and the only doo Dad I wish for is a back up camera but I have survived 44 years without one so no biggie.
I like my car is older when I buy insurance which is expensive here. I also worry less about parking lot dings, not completely but less.
I also like the no debt part, and even feel disloyal if I check out a new car. lol
I always feel a twinge of melancholy every decade or so when I get my next new to me vehicle
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I know what you mean. There’s a lot to be said for older cars. Lower insurance, as you say. And less worry about dings is a very good point.
Take care. Thanks for adding your thoughts.
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I get comments on clothes I wear – in the garden, not in public. They are of comparable vintage to your Honda, similarly dilapidated and similarly familiar and comfortable. Until they fall off me, as many have done over the years, they will continue to give service.
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I understand! I’ve got clothes too that go back many, many years. I have a sweater from circa 1974, and I wear it often.
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Got rid of our green Civic, a 1998 I think, about 4 years ago. Still had some life, if a bit worn and dirty. But we decided that one car would be ok in retirement. Ironically I was a juror in a trial involving amoung other things a suit against the Honda Civic due to its air bag. None of the testimony turned me against Honda and the jury didn’t award a penny. Often wonder where my Civic is today.
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Hello Vincent. Your Civic probably is serving somebody pretty darn well.
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I wonder why you didn’t buy another Honda. That one served you well (I ask with my marketing hat on). My Range Rover is 15 years old, still looks gorgeous in my eye, and is only challenged on trips longer than 200 miles, which doesn’t happen often. We bought it to keep my teens safe when they started driving and kept it. This is my long way of saying I know exactly what you mean about an old friend!
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Hi Jacqui. We have two Toyotas now. Hopefully they will provide real good service for years, just as the Honda did.
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I loved reading this. Tell us more about the vinyl collection! I don’t drive but I like your attitude to cars.
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Evening, Basia. I have many hundreds of vinyl albums, collected from the 1960s thru 1990 or so. Rock, jazz, blues, folk . . . many types of music. I still play the albums pretty often.
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It’s great isn’t it? My husband I often find ourselves reverting back to our teenage selves when we put on our records and dance! Just do the grown up children can’t see us!!!
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📀 I guess this might be a vinyl album, tho it’s probably a CD. I couldn’t find an emoji of people dancing. See you!
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I know how you feel. I had a VW Polo for 19 years and haven’t felt quite the same about the car I drive now. In fact, it infuriates me with too much information.
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Right. Our age is one of information overload, and that’s reflected in newer-model cars.
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I’ve almost always felt sad when we had to part with one of our cars, although like your Honda, some of them suited me better than others. I liked the VW bugs the best! And I agree with your assessment of new cars: too much stuff on them, no real personality. I feel your pain….
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Yeah, the Honda meant a lot to me. I drove it for far more years than I did any other car.
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Hey there Neil, I had a Honda once but the trouble was I was late everywhere I went – turns out the dashboard clock ran on Tokyo time. And storage was another problem, the glove compartment was only big enough for one glove. I finally got rid of it when some dogs chasing it caught it. Now I ride the bus. Have a great day – enjoy your new wheels. Jerry
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I’m a big fan of public transportation. I’m glad to learn that you are too. Even though I own cars, I don’t drive them anywhere as much as many people do. I use public transportation a lot.
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There’s something to be said for a car so old you don’t have to worry about damaging it. Which is partly why my family still has, as its one and only vehicle, a 2003 model. The downside is that, when it received relatively minor damage in a collision, the insurance company declared it a “total loss” (meaning the cost of repair exceeded the market value). However, we repaired it anyway and now proudly drive a car officially deemed to be worth less than nothing.
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I like your approach. If the car’s reliable, there’s a lot to be said for keeping it. Thanks for adding to the conversation, Sam. Much appreciated.
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Actually l miss seeing the green junker. I keep looking for it and realize you got a new car.
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I hope the Honda finds a new owner, rather than being sold for scrap metal.
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I had a 2004 Mazda 3 hatchback…..loved that car……would probably still be driving it, except…..my granddaughter got her drivers licence! Still looks good, though, even in her driveway!
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It’s an oldie but goodie.
Hi, and thanks for stopping by.
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A good car goes with you where you need to go and helps you get home again. A good friend does the same. Beautiful insight. And, vinyl totally rocks!! 🎶. Take care, suzanne
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Hello there, Suzanne. The Honda is gone, but I still have my vinyl albums. I played a few of them last night, and probably will do the same tonight.
See you!
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Like the piece especially paragraphs 6/7. Didn’t Neil Young write a song “Kinds Fonda My Honda’. or was it “Wanda”?
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CB, only you would remember that! I just googled that song and found out it’s on his Everybody’s Rockin” album. I’m pretty sure that I have that album on vinyl. I’ll take a look.
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I think it sold about 14 copies.
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Yes, that was in an era when he was making albums that were not anything like the ones that he had became famous for. I think his record company sued him over this.
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I really like that album. And you’re right, they tried to tell old Neil what to do. Not going to happen.
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I once owned a Subaru 82 that I just loved. It had less power than a vacuum cleaner but never needed a single repair. Gave it to a child who had no appreciation whatsoever!
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You had a special relationship with that Subaru!
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I think I’ve mentioned this before but I too had a Honda Civic until a couple of years ago – It was a faithful servant for 10 years but because of its age I stopped trusting it for longer journeys so it had to go.
Hope you get to enjoy the new car as much.
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I hope so too. But the Honda will always hold a special place in my heart.
Take care, Alyson. Be seeing you.
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Congratulations on the new car, and thanks for donating the old one. Not enough people are willing to do that.
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Hi Gabriel. Donating it seemed like the right thing to do.
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I owned an Explorer that was the same way, sort of a friend. I sold it to a friend several years ago and he’s still using it, and it feels like a friend to him as well. 🙂
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It’s good that the Explorer has had two good homes.
Enjoy the upcoming weekend. Take care.
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Hi, Neil – I feel for you: when the day comes for me to part with my (12 year old) Civic, it’ll be a sad day. What a great gesture to give it to charity though! You’re a good man.
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I hope that the Honda finds a new owner soon. That car is loveable.
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I hear you!
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My very first car was a Honda Civic. I loved that car . . . and it lasted a good number of years before it had to be laid to rest. My current car is 20+ years old, but looks pretty decent and I’ll keep her until she, too, is on her last legs, er, tires.
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Years ago, cars weren’t engineered and built very well. They didn’t last too long. But starting in the 1990s that began to change. Your current vehicle proves that. Enjoy the weekend, Tyler. See ya!
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What a beautiful color!!!
And how wonderful you love it, it is indeed reliable and trusted, on the same wavelength, as an old friend, as you said.
I guess you are not getting old together very comfortably anymore.
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Hello. I’ll always remember that Honda fondly.
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You are definitely a kindred spirit with my husband, who continues to drive a crappy old Hyundai that our daughter gave up (it is baby blue – just the color for a male adult, no?). Even though I would not be caught dead driving that thing, I do fall in love with my own vehicles and loathe giving them up. I even wrote a post a long time ago about a Toyota Sequoia with 288,000 miles on it that I dreaded saying goodbye to!
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288,000 miles is fantastic. An amazing car.
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We’re so alike. Me anti-materialist too, other than my vinyl, some art, photos, and genealogy. I’ve had two Honda Civics (my first was a 2001 Civic HX, got 220,000 miles). In between the Civics, I had a Chevy Silverado pickup truck, since I was doing professional landscaping, but that marriage was troubled from the start. I divorced the pickup truck, I’m back behind the wheel of a Civic, and I our marriage is idyllic.
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You and Civics are a perfect match!
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Cars are in some ways just like people. Some are comfortable and reliable and others are just ostentatious and no fun. We all need a Honda Civic in our lives.
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Yeah, cars like the Honda put you at ease somewhat. It’s hard to be too much at ease in most areas, though, what with all the traffic and road construction and obnoxious drivers.
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The Honda is a family member….😟
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It served me well!
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I am sure that true. But car manufacturers are processing new cars just from a mold. The metal on new cars are plastic metal a little stronger than the, “forever-needing-repair” plastic bumpers 1930s and 1940s cars were strongest. Best wishes Neil!🍵😎
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I’ve got a friend who has you beat by seven years. His ’94 Hyundai just died on him a few weeks ago! He’s been expressing the same sentiments as you.
Hope you take her (or him) out for one last sweet little ride…….
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The Honda has been towed away. It was pretty sad to see it go.
Hi Stacey, and thanks for stopping by.
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I love the way you describe your former Honda Civic as having “some qualities that [you] like and admire in people.” It’s unfortunate when our lives are driven by appearances of success and not on functionality and comfort. I have a similar ongoing battle with my sons over my antiquated, flip cellphone.
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Afternoon, Rosaliene. I’ve read that flip phones are favored by quite a few people. So, you’re not alone!
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I have similar feelings for a few items in my life. Should I call it sentimental value? I don’t know. These things evoke good and sometimes sad memories, and remind me of the distant past. I enjoy your car story very much. Take care, Isabelle
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Yes, some objects mean a lot to us, though most don’t. I think you’re right that sentimental value is often the reason. Many thanks for adding your thoughts, Isabelle.
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Vinyl collection, absolutely, right up there with my ancient laptop which has all my short stories and novels on it, and just below the cats on the roster of what to save in the event of a fire.
I share your nostalgia/ambivalence/attachment to the vehicle that has taken you hither and yon. I gave mine to the Humane Society a coupe of year ago–a 2001 Ford Focus wagon about which the state inspection guys said, “This is absolutely the last time we’re gonna give you a sticker on this thing.” I had never bought a new car until then, and it took a long time to get used to it (but not as long as it’s gonna take to pay it off). The gift of an older car is that all those traumas–first dent, first scratch–they’re in the rearview mirror. Thar said, I wish you much happiness in the new Toyota.
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It’s not easy parting with “old friends.” But The American Red Cross hopefully will get at least several hundred dollars for the Honda. And maybe more. I’ll be interested to find out.
Thanks for your thoughts. Appreciated, as always.
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I once had a Volkswagon Polo that I became attached to, and was reluctantly persuaded to pass it along to a friend who couldn’t afford to buy a car. Like your Civic, it was fine on local journeys, but slightly worrying for anywhere more than 10 miles away. I thought they’d love my little car. They cut the roof off and at the end of the summer, sent it to be crushed because they’d had a win on the Bingo and could afford something much shinier…
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Not very nice of them! They could have found someone who would have appreciated the car.
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Somewhere along the line someone has to make that big decision, I suppose. And I quite like the idea that the polo got ‘pimped’ before crushing – no matter how amateurishly.
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Aaah, yes. My family has a tradition of holding onto cars for years; last year, we were forced to scrap Dad’s 1997-bought Renault Laguna, with its super soft seats and manual handbrake. My mum always hated to be seen in it but it got us from A to B. When I was born, I was brought home from the hospital in it! Very sad.
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Hi. The Renault served your family well. It’s a car that you’ll never forget.
Take care. Enjoy the week!
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We still have a 1998 Honda Accord that the youngest one drives when she’s home from college!
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The Accord is 21 years old. It now can legally drink!
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👏😂🍾
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Sorry for your loss, Neil. I have never driven a Honda, but we LOVE our 2004 Subaru Outback. It, too, might go the way of your trusted friend one of these days, but we are not yet ready to part with it.
Safe driving! 🚗
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Hang onto that car. It sounds like a winner.
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We will as long as we can…
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Hondas are remarkably GREAT cars. My husband had an automatic Civic that he had planned to pass down to our teenage daughters, but for the same reasons that you wife had, they both declined. Can you imagine that??? Anywho, I also drove a Fit for six years, racked up over 150,000 miles commuting and never had any issues with it. My youngest daughter now drives it and it’s just as dependable. My hubby also has the new Civic, which is a pretty amazing vehicle. I don’t know if you can tell, but Honda is top on my list of cars to own.
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You can’t argue with long lasting and efficient cars. They make life easier.
Hi Kathy. Many thanks for stopping by.
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I like this ode to your car: it shows respect and love. I have loved all my old cars too
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They are true companions.
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