Saying Goodbye to a Good Old Car

Goodbye Old Paint

Tears blurred my vision as I bade a fond farewell to my old, beloved, mostly reliable 1993 Honda Civic EX 2-door Coupe with moon roof and loads of 5-speed stick shift fun. We had a lot of miles together. 167,673 of them.

I loved that car beyond what’s reasonable for a motor vehicle. It carried itself well, even into old age, keeping its rakish look and turning heads when I remembered to wash it. It roared through acceleration like an Indy contender and swooshed through hairpin curves like Baryshnikov with body-colored exterior mirrors. The interior was plush and shockingly well made, it had cup holders that folded down into a cleverly hidden pocket. We had good times. We had laughs. We traveled well together.

Hondas age well, but things started to run downhill a little after 140,000 miles. Not bad, just little fixes here and there, some more costly than others. I was happy to do it for an old friend, especially one who got 35 mpg on the highway. Then at 142,593 miles, I hit the deer.