What started out as looking for a newer used car to replace the 10 year old Prius that our son (17) mostly drives, quickly snowballed into a new, fun car for Dad (me!)
You can read the whole sorted tale here. https://forums.vwvortex.com/forumdisplay.php?5080-The-Car-Lounge&#/topics/9422903
Cliffs Notes: Originally I was very keen on a Corolla SE 6spd. Drove one, liked it a lot, under budget even.
Decided to test a new Civic as well. Sport trim sedan with the tried-and-true 2.0 K-motor. A straight up competitor to the Corolla SE. LOVED IT. This was the car. A bit larger, far better looking (imo) and with a bunch of features we really liked that the Toyota lacked, and still under budget. Only problem was no local stick shifts, and every attempt to swap one in was a dead end. I was looking at driving to Connecticut to get one, not ideal.
My dealership finally asked if I would be interested in an Si if they would deal on price... YES PLEASE! More money but still within the original budget and much more car in every way.
Again a few false starts to swap one in, but finally it all worked out and here she is!
![]()
This is my 3rd Civic, and 5th Honda, and by far the best. I asked them not to detail (pre-swirl) it so I’ll spend Sunday washing and waxing and making it gorgeous.
I can’t wait to start piling on the miles. MPG’s are reportedly excellent and I have a nice commute to work every day.
It’s so quick and I need to take it easy for break-in miles. The sound is lovely. Shifter is super snick-snick but the clutch take-up will need a little practice.
My only concern is those 40-series tires. Thankfully they’ve repaved a LOT of the roads in my area this summer that we regularly travel, but still.
Shoutout to the Prius, 10 years and 171k hard Vermont miles, through every weather. It never let us down. It’s been paid off for 5 years now and I knew that when the day came that it would need an infusion of upkeep cash, it would be time to move on. I’ve never owned any car for 10 years, but it was exactly what we needed when I became a stay-at-home-dad and freelancer in 2008.
![]()
Now that I’m back in the workforce and things are going well, we can afford a little splurge.
Thanks to TCL for being my car-shopping sounding board and for encouraging me not to settle.
More later, gotta get out and DRIVE!
![]()
![]()
![]()
You can read the whole sorted tale here. https://forums.vwvortex.com/forumdisplay.php?5080-The-Car-Lounge&#/topics/9422903
Cliffs Notes: Originally I was very keen on a Corolla SE 6spd. Drove one, liked it a lot, under budget even.
Decided to test a new Civic as well. Sport trim sedan with the tried-and-true 2.0 K-motor. A straight up competitor to the Corolla SE. LOVED IT. This was the car. A bit larger, far better looking (imo) and with a bunch of features we really liked that the Toyota lacked, and still under budget. Only problem was no local stick shifts, and every attempt to swap one in was a dead end. I was looking at driving to Connecticut to get one, not ideal.
My dealership finally asked if I would be interested in an Si if they would deal on price... YES PLEASE! More money but still within the original budget and much more car in every way.
Again a few false starts to swap one in, but finally it all worked out and here she is!
This is my 3rd Civic, and 5th Honda, and by far the best. I asked them not to detail (pre-swirl) it so I’ll spend Sunday washing and waxing and making it gorgeous.
I can’t wait to start piling on the miles. MPG’s are reportedly excellent and I have a nice commute to work every day.
It’s so quick and I need to take it easy for break-in miles. The sound is lovely. Shifter is super snick-snick but the clutch take-up will need a little practice.
My only concern is those 40-series tires. Thankfully they’ve repaved a LOT of the roads in my area this summer that we regularly travel, but still.
Shoutout to the Prius, 10 years and 171k hard Vermont miles, through every weather. It never let us down. It’s been paid off for 5 years now and I knew that when the day came that it would need an infusion of upkeep cash, it would be time to move on. I’ve never owned any car for 10 years, but it was exactly what we needed when I became a stay-at-home-dad and freelancer in 2008.
Now that I’m back in the workforce and things are going well, we can afford a little splurge.
Thanks to TCL for being my car-shopping sounding board and for encouraging me not to settle.
More later, gotta get out and DRIVE!
:beer:
