Sharp Sand: Reading & Writing » car

Car Slob

jd — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:20:36 +0000

I am a car slob. I have a nice new car, but I let it fill up with junk. I’m pretty tidy in general, but the car is a mess. When I drove old junkers it never seemed like a big deal, but with the new Honda, I thought I might change my ways. Alas, no.

The New Honda

jd — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:47:41 +0000

Very sober color, don’t you think? Honda calls it “polished metal,” but Carole call’s it “graphite” and says the car is the color of No. 2 pencil lead.

The Saga Continues

jd — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:04:29 +0000

By going to a different dealer (65 miles away), I think I have found the Honda Civic I’ve been looking for. In fact, this dealer, in Plattsburgh, did not have the car but was apparently able to trade another dealer for it. I’ll know tomorrow morning whether this transaction has actually taken place or whether it it has resulted in another mirage vehicle. I’m going to have to accept an automatic transmission, which is okay by me despite the fact that I think of myself as a standard tranny kind of guy. In the old days when I was learning about cars automatic transmissions were sluggish and didn’t get very good mileage; modern automatics get better mileage than a stick, I’m told. And I’m not looking to squeal my tires.

Update: The dealer just called and they actually have the car on the lot — had to send someone to Massachusetts to get it. Turns out that Honda just doesn’t manufacture very many Civics in the coupe model, especially ones with the snazzy trim package I picked out so I could get heated seats. (Oh, California readers may laugh, but I tell you such amenities are no laughing matter in January in the North Country.)

Update: The car is parked in the driveway. Very easy to drive, comfortable. Went by the local dealership and got my deposit check back from them, cancelling that order.

Slammed

jd — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:12:14 +0000

I don’t bounce back like I used to. This cold hit me ten days ago and today is the first day I’ve felt like doing anything. Carole has it too, along with a couple of friends and it’s a real beast. Something like regular blogging should resume here in a day or two. Today, though, I go pick up my new car, a Honda Civic EXL. We have usually bought cars that were a couple of years old, letting someone else take the depreciation hit, but this time I decided I wanted to watch all those dollars fly out the window myself. Come January, the heated seats are not going to seem like a luxury at all. The morons at Dealmaker Honda in Potsdam ordered the wrong model.

Good Idea

jd — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:05:14 +0000

Speaking as someone who plans to buy a car in the next few months, I found this article in The Nation enlightening. It would be far better if I could bypass the dealership entirely and order the Toyota or Honda I want direct from the factory. When you think about it, the current system of dealerships just doesn’t make any sense. The dealership monopoly is anti-competitive and inefficient.