My little Honda Civic, which I love, is closing in on 100,000 miles. It has been a steady, sturdy, reliable car so far, requiring little more than oil changes, new tires, and new brakes. I still like the way it looks. I still enjoy driving it. And yet…the minor inconveniences are starting. Neither of the alarm remotes works anymore. The automatic door lock on the passenger door is broken. It makes an ominous creaking noise if you take a curve or corner too fast. John insists that creak is just the car getting older, but it makes me nervous. The engine doesn’t run as quietly as it once did, and on top of that added noise, mystery rattles make an appearance from time to time. Every once in a while, it sort of hiccups between gears, which makes me wonder if the transmission is starting to go. But like I said, it has been a great car so far.

Lately, John and I have been talking about getting a new car. I have a long drive every day, and as John points out, I won’t love the car very much the first time it breaks down and strands me on the side of the highway. Part of me feels like it is dumb to get rid of a car before it breaks down – I mean, it’s working fine right now. Part of me feels like it is smart to get rid of a car before it breaks down. I mean, we all know it will someday! Part of me is sentimentally attached to this car. Part of me likes not having to make a car payment every month. We can afford it, but not having to spend that money is better.

So I guess you could say I’m conflicted.

Then there’s the problem of what car to get. I like cars like these:

Volvo C30

Honda CRV

Honda Civic coupe

Porsche Boxster

Ok, fine, so the Boxster is a complete fantasy that a) I can’t afford. Hell, I probably can’t even afford the insurance on it. and b) far too impractical for me to buy even if I could afford it. But I do like the other cars. Another Civic coupe would be acceptable. I think those new Volvo hatchbacks are really cute and they aren’t planning on selling a ton of them, so I’d have a car that wasn’t like everyone else’s, and I just plain like the shape of the CRV. It may be too much of an SUV for me though, in reality.

John wants to get a hybrid, and I know he’s right. I drive a lot, so we probably would make up the extra expense with savings in fuel costs. I do care about the environment, and none of the cars above get spectacular gas mileage. Oh, my current Honda isn’t bad, but it’s no hybrid. He’s specifically interested in a:

Toyota Prius

Or

Honda Civic Hybrid

because they have the best gas mileage and yet are still decent sized cars. It’s kind of funny, because you would expect him to be whining about not getting a sedan – the man loves to drive, and drive fast – but no, he’s fine with the idea. The design of the Prius is probably closer to the type of car I like than the boring Civic sedan, however, my brother’s girlfriend has one and it beeps at you A LOT. I think that might get on my nerves. You don’t have to tell me when I’m in reverse. I know when I am in reverse, because I am not a moron. Plus, I already know Hondas to be quality cars. Of course, I think my mom is closing in on 300,000 miles on her Toyota, so I’d say that’s a pretty good mark of quality too.

For now, I think I’ll probably waffle indecisively for a while until either my car breaks down and I get pissed off enough to take action, or I start to feel better about one of my options. Maybe take a couple of test drives. Perhaps if I try that new Volvo C30, I will hate it, and then not want one any more. And I could take a Prius out for a spin and fall madly in love. We'll see.

Posted by Bad Penguin at September 23, 2007 10:59 PM