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Another update on the Honda Civ issue

by on January 8, 2009, in around town, automóviles, stupid assholes

Apparently I am a squeaky wheel about to get greased.

So you remember from this and this about my 2007 Honda Civix EX’s defective rear upper control arm, which in turn jacked up my alignment and therefore my rear tires, right? And how the dealer said Honda wasn’t paying for it because my car was no longer under warranty, even though it is a part that has been defective since Day 1, not something that has gone wrong due to the number of miles on the vehicle?

And remember how I called Honda and was told that sometimes they do pay for stuff like this, but I needed the service bulletin number for them to look it up and so I had to call Reddell and get it, and then when I called Honda back, the bitch who was “helping” me said there was nothing they could do, the car was out of warranty and too bad that the part was defective when I bought the car? And how I was all, “Look bitch, I paid $20k for a car that I was told was NOT defective, and now you’re telling me that it is defective but you’re not going to fix it and where’s Ralph Nader because I’m pretty sure that violates some kind of lemon law.”

And she was all, “Well I can’t help you” and I was all “Then forward me to your supervisor or someone who can because this is bullshit” and she was all “Fine I’ll take down your info but you probably won’t hear from us til after the holidays.”

And then on Dec. 22 a nice man named Tony left me a voicemail at work telling me that apparently I had raised enough of a ruckus that they assigned me a case manager, and he was it, and he was going to be reviewing my case and would call me back after the holidays.

So today I got a call from Nice Man Tony asking me if Jim the service adviser from Reddell had called me back yet, and I said no (all the while picturing him sitting on his stool glaring at Ian and I from across the service department while Eric, our service rep, went to ask him on our behalf exactly why we should have to pay for this issue when it was obviously a Honda problem). Nice Man Tony sounded sounded surprised that Jim hadn’t called me, and he told me that he was going to make a quick call and I would be hearing back from him shortly.

About 20 minutes later I received a call from Eric at Reddell letting me know that Honda is going to pay for the repair. And not just the defective rear control arm. They are also going to pay for the alignment my car needs because their defective rear control arm jacked it up. The only thing they’re not going to pay for is new rear tires. But in all honestly, I was expecting to buy new tires sooner rather than later anyway since the tread is getting pretty low.

Ha, but Eric says, “And the tires are $139.99,” to which I replied, “Well that’s OK, I can get tires for cheaper anywhere else so I’ll just bring the car in to you guys for the repair.”

No fucking way am I paying $300 for TWO tires. Especially when I can get comparable tires at Sears for probably just a little more than half the price. Plus they do that $5 per tire roadside assistance thing that’s pretty sweet.

Anyway, I scheduled an appointment with Honda to bring the Civ in on Jan. 17 to get the repairs done. Let’s hope they aren’t so pissed off at me that they screw something else up just so they can still get money out of me. Although they should be getting reimbursed from Honda for the repair so they should still be happy. Though I bet they were inflating the price JUST A TAD when they thought I was going to be rolling over and vomiting up the money to them.

So, yay. This saves me anywhere from $300 – $450, depending on what I get the tires for at Sears.

I think this calls for a celebratory “I fought the car dealer and I fucking WON” beer, don’t you think?

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Update on the Honda Civic issue

by on December 15, 2008, in around town, automóviles

Tonight on the way home from work I called Honda’s main customer service office to find out what I could on my own about this supposed service bulletin that went out saying my car’s upper rear control arm kit was defective, which makes the two rear tires wear unevenly, messing up the alignment of the vehicle.

I spoke with a very nice woman named Kawana who said that if a service bulletin goes out about a defect on a vehicle, almost all of the time, Honda will pay for the repair. NOT WHAT REDDELL TOLD ME.

Even more interesting, she looked up my car’s VIN and couldn’t find any service bulletin attached to it. I advised her that I was 100 percent sure there was something wrong with my vehicle, and she said that while she believed me, she was a bit confused that the dealership would mention a bulletin that she couldn’t pull up.

She advised me to call the dealer and get the bulletin number, and then call Honda back (unfortunately she didn’t have a direct line I could call her back at) to follow up. She said that while my vehicle is out of warranty, Honda makes every effort to repair defective parts and they would forward my information on to their case department to determine if they were going to pay for all of the repair or part of it.

I didn’t get into my whole “When I buy a brand new car, I don’t expect to have to fix defects on my dime that have been defective SINCE THE CAR WAS MADE, not just something is wrong because the car is aging” argument yet because they couldn’t really do much without the service bulletin number.

So it’s going to be interesting to see if Reddell was lying to me about the service bulletin. I mean, obviously something is wrong with my car because it makes a roaring noise and shakes. But maybe it just needs its wheels balanced. Or maybe it does have a defective upper rear control arm kit, but Kawana just couldn’t find it in the computer. Or maybe it applies to some Civics but not mine (though she said she searched for bulletins of this type on all Civics, and all she found was something on Accords).

Either way, I already know Reddell wasn’t telling me the whole truth. I need to get that service bulletin number to know for sure. It will be interesting to see if they give it to me (according to Kawana, they are required to give it to me if I ask).

More follow up later.

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No money, mo' problems

by on December 14, 2008, in around town, automóviles, quandaries, WTF?

If there were ever a time I needed to win the lottery, this would be it.

Evil Twin is still sick. Besides the diabetes, for at least two weeks he’s been painting the catbox brown—when he manages to get it in the box. Sometimes he just explodes on the floor. We’ve probably spent around $1,000 on him since finding out he had diabetes in July, and we just can’t keep hemorrhaging money to find out “nothing’s wrong, it’s just his diabetes.” But we also can’t keep changing the catbox every day, cleaning shit up off the floor and wall, and worrying if he has some other sickness that could spread to our other two cats.

On to the second money-pit problem.

For about two or three months I’ve been hearing a roaring sound coming from the back wheels of my car, and as time has passed the sound has gotten louder. The car also shakes a bit when I get up around 70-75 mph. When I took my car to Reddell Honda for an oil change yesterday (I only take it to the dealer for oil changes because they send me coupons that make it cheaper than a Jiffy Lube type of place), I asked them to take a look.

They called and told me the rear control arms on the suspension were defective—something Honda “put a bulletin out on a few months ago” to all their dealers. The problem affects several Civics made in 2006-2007, mine included, but not enough to warrant a recall. It’s not a safety issue, but it causes my rear tires to wear unevenly, making the roaring noise and the vibration.

Then they dropped the bomb: I had to replace the rear control arm kit, get an alignment and two new tires. For $600.

Now, my first question to them was “I bought a new car from Honda under the impression I was getting a NEW car with no problems. If THEY made a defective product, THEY should have to fix it.”

The tech’s response was “Your car is no longer under warranty. You should have bought an extended warranty.”

My thought was “No, you buy an extended warranty in case something goes wrong AS THE CAR AGES. You don’t buy an extended warranty to protect against stuff that the manufacturer fucked up from the get-go but never told you about.”

The weird thing is that when the service tech called, he said he had already spoken to the service manager and they were willing to split the cost of the control arm kit with me. Now, that immediately set off alarms in Ian’s mind. Why, if Honda was not reimbursing them for fixing it, would they offer to split the cost of the repair with me? Right off the bat? They also told me that they would only honor the “we’ll split the repair with you” for another 5,000 miles. No explanation as to why.

I have never had any problems with this dealer before. Actually, after we dropped my car off for the oil change, I remarked to Ian how nice they always were. Hmm.

We looked online and found several people talking about this issue, but most people—in and out of warranty—are getting the repair done at no cost. Some have to pay for tires, some have to pay for alignments, but most are getting the rear control arm kit covered for them because, duh, it’s Honda’s fault.

So we are thinking either one of two things is happening:

  1. Honda is reimbursing their dealers for the entire cost of the repair, and Reddell Honda is trying to get $600 out of me by making it look like they are being kind
  2. Honda is not reimbursing their dealers for the repair, but the total cost really is $600. Reddell is just saying they’re splitting it with me to make me go ahead and do it

I have a hard time believing that a defective part—something that has been defective since the car was made and is just now manifesting itself because the tires have 51,000 miles on them—would not be fixed by Honda. I have had three recalls on the car and had them all fixed free of charge. Only one was a safety issue; the other two were just like this. Just defective parts that could cause more problems down the line.

This repair HAS to be done. If I don’t fix the rear control arms, every pair of new tires I purchase will wear unevenly and be ruined. I will never be able to rotate my tires because moving the front, good condition ones to the back will ruin them. My alignment will always be out of whack.

Why the hell would Honda not cover that, in or out of warranty?

I’m hoping that when I call Honda on Monday I will find out. This all smells funny to me.

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So apparently the Nashville gas crisis freakout isn't completely unfounded

by on September 22, 2008, in around town, automóviles, jump aboard the crazy train, news/politics

On Friday when the Nashville gas stations began to run out, word on the street was the panic was started by a rumor, and people reacting to said rumor created a self-fulfilling prophesy. I never heard a rumor that we were going to be out of gas, just co-workers that morning talking about not being able to find gas in the area. Things seemed normal on my way to work that morning as I drove through Murfreesboro, so I just figured maybe it was a Nashville-based rumor.

When we got home that night and people in Murfreesboro were freaking out and buying all the stations out of their gas, I just figured the news of people freaking out over the supposed rumor had made it to the ‘Boro and this was its delayed reaction. Later that night I read on Consumerist about the rumor, and the next day CNN reported it.

Well now, three days later, gas is still scarce in Nashville. Most people I’ve talked to can’t recall hearing a rumor, they just started to notice the gas stations around them didn’t have gas. Most of the stations here in Murfreesboro seem to still have gas (I guess they got shipments in after Friday night’s freakout), but it seems like this could continue to change on a daily basis. Based on what I’ve seen since Friday, morning is a better time to get gas in the ‘Boro.

At work today people were discussing whether there was an actual shortage, and if the talk of a rumor sparking the panic is actually a rumor itself.

Atlanta was running out today, and yesterday when Ian talked to his dad, who was in Charleston, he noted they were running out of gas there, too.

I’m not freaking out yet. I refuse to hoard gas. Not just because it adds to the problem, but because gasoline not in my car’s gashole scares the shit out of me. I don’t want all that combustible shit in the back of my car or at the house just waiting to, well, combust. My car is quite fuel efficient, and I’ve got about a half a tank left. Ian and I drive 400 miles a week (we carpool), but this should last us until Thursday at least, maybe Friday if I’m willing to push it. I doubt I’ll let it run down past the E light until all this is over, and I’ll probably take my computer home with me from work each night this week in case the stations here run out and some yahoo siphons all the gas out of my car in a panic and I’m stranded.

But whether this panic is unfounded or is actually a harbinger of a bigger problem, I’m not too worried about it for the moment. I guess we’ll see if that’s a smart outlook to have in a few days.

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Comments { 1 }

Why is the Nashville area out of gas?

by on September 19, 2008, in automóviles, jump aboard the crazy train

To everyone who drives a large SUV or truck that has no real reason to other than you think sometimes you might have to maybe move something that perhaps might not fit in the back of your car easily and might one day require you to move that pile of shit on your seat or your soccer-mom-NASCAR-dad neighborhood will think less of you if you drive a vehicle that actually gets more than 30 25* mpg:

FUCK YOU.

*After some thought (I did write this post initially out of frustration), I have revised what I thought to be a reasonable mpg to expect out of a car. I looked at several different mid-sized sedans and realized that many of them only get about 28-31 mpg highway. Taking into consideration that there are many vehicles on the road that are older and aren’t getting optimum mpg anymore (heck even mine has dropped from 38-42 mpg to 35-38 in just a year and a half), it seems a bit unreasonable to expect everyone to be able to drive what would amount to be a compact car in order to achieve 30 mpg. Now that I do place on the heads of the automakers. There is no reason why we can’t have mid-sized vehicles that get more than 30 mpg (the Honda Accord is the only one I found out of Ford, Toyota, Honda and Pontiac that gets 31 mpg).

However, and I’m sorry if I pissed anyone off, but I stand by my statement that there are still a lot of people who drive large SUVs for reasons other than pure necessity.

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Let's play "Who's that commuter?"

by on February 21, 2008, in around town, automóviles, jump aboard the crazy train, life etc., stupid assholes, traffic: also sucking out my soul one day at a time

After more than two years as a Murfreesboro-Nashville commuter, I’ve learned there are several truths about Nashville-area drivers. The No. 1 truth I have discovered, and I believe a commenter on Music City Bloggers mentioned this once, is that drivers on Nashville’s interstates take being passed as a sign of weakness. It doesn’t matter if they only want to travel at 73 mph. If someone tries to pass them, they will speed up to at least 85 mph before they resign themselves to being passed.

I admit I have been guilty of this occasionally, though only if the passer has already passed me only to then slow down to a speed less than what I was traveling previously. Otherwise, I just suck it up and let them go on about their way. Since I mainly travel at 74-76 mph, anyone going faster than me runs a greater chance of getting pulled over by one of the many state troopers on the road, leaving one less cop for me to watch for.

In my time on I-24 and 440 (I have a 75-mile roundtrip commute each day), I have come to the decision that most Nashville interstate drivers can be categorized. There are countless types of drivers out there, but these are the worst that I encounter most frequently in my daily commute. I call them the Asshole Commuters:

The Pusher. This is the driver that no matter what lane you’re in, and no matter how much over the speed limit you’re already going, will come up behind you and act like he is prepared to hit your back bumper unless you MOVE OUT OF THEIR WAY IMMEDIATELY!!!! While the Pusher mainly targets drivers in the HOV, left and middle lanes, I have actually seen the Pusher once force someone to merge left to let them pass in the far right lane.

The Floridian. Generally driving a Buick, Lincoln or other old-person sedan with Florida tags, the Floridian will drive no faster than 10 miles under the speed limit. The Floridian is elderly and always has an elderly passenger with him. Nintety-seven percent of the time, the Floridian will drive in the HOV lane and refuse to move to let you pass. Technically they are allowed to be there since there are two of them in the car, but in rush hour Nashville traffic this is a dangerous feat to attempt, as the HOV lane is often the last refuse of those trying but failing to pass in the other lanes. I have come to believe the Floridian is OK with taking such a risk because he is resigned to the fact that he only has a few years left to live, anyway, and why not go out pissing somebody off that has several years left to spend fighting traffic.

Let's play "Who's that commuter?"

An example of a vehicle the Hillbilly might utilize. Other common options include a Dodge Neon, Chevy Lumina or Chrystler LaBaron

The Hillbilly. Like the Floridian, the Hillbilly is most often found riding in the HOV lane at several miles per hour under the limit. The only entities capable of persuading the Hillbilly to move out of the way are the Pusher and a state trooper or Metro cop. However, unlike the Floridian, the Hillbilly is always riding alone and most likely in a vehicle that would best be described as “busted.” The Hillbilly’s vehicle might include any four-door sedan made before 1995, will have at least two hubcaps missing, at least 25 percent rust on the body, and may be utilizing a donut tire. If you see a vehicle that resembles the aforementioned and notice the license plate has tags from Bedford, Warren, Cheatham, Hickman, DeKalb or Cannon counties, you are driving near the Hillbilly. Roll up your window immediately to avoid projectile cigarette butts and the tell-tale sounds of Def Leppard.

Mr. Important. Mr. Important always drives a BMW, Saab, Audi or Mercedes, and travels at a speed approaching that of light. He is most often found riding in the HOV lane, because let’s face it, he doesn’t have time for all that passing-slower-cars business. Mr. Important occasionally appears to be the Pusher, though he will not bother you after you’ve moved out of his way. He doesn’t want to traffic-battle you; he just wants to make his 40-mile commute in 20 minutes. If you are ever having trouble fighting your way through traffic, try to stay in the wake of Mr. Important. He will always find the quickest way out of a pack of slow drivers.

The Redneck. Not to be confused with the Hillbilly, the Redneck only drives a large truck (think Ford F-150, Ford F-250, Ford F-350, Dodge Ram, Chevrolet Avalanche or any of those other big-ass trucks. No Rangers or Tacomas allowed). He can have plates from any county, though most found along I-24 will be from Rutherford or Davidson counties. The Redneck is annoying because when he passes you, your view will be obstructed–but only momentarily, as the Redneck is generally found speeding way more than you are. Incredulously, the Redneck is actually the most courteous of the Asshole Commuters, as the majority of the time he will move out of your way if he can see your tiny car behind him through all the glory of his American-flag-painted back window. The Redneck is also good about staying in a lane that fits his speed, and you will rarely have to pass and then move back in front of the Redneck. You will, however, be assaulted with an onslaught of “They took our jobs!” “W, the President,” and “It’s not a choice, it’s a life that I don’t want to raise or pay for with welfare programs but I’m going to vote for politicians who want to force you to have the bastard anyway” bumper stickers.

The Soccer Mom. The Soccer Mom drives–yep, you guessed it: a minivan. The soccer mom is not usually on the interstate for more than 10 miles or so, as she is either shuttling her kids to or from school or heading to work after dealing with the kids, but the damage she does in a short amount of time is unmistakable. If she has her kids in the car she will drive–slowly–in the HOV lane, even though technically her kids don’t count toward HOV-lane occupancy, as they are not licensed drivers that otherwise would be operating an additional vehicle in traffic. No matter what lane she is driving in, she will not move out of your way, no matter how slow she is traveling, until she sees her exit. She will then increase her speed by 70 percent, whip across four lanes of traffic without looking, yielding or turning down the Dave Matthews Band or the Doodlebops, and hit the exit ramp completely oblivious of the chaos left in her wake.

The Blocker. The Blocker is a commuter who doesn’t just want to prevent you from passing him, he doesn’t want you to pass anyone. He will maneuver his vehicle to a position that traps you behind another vehicle but next to him, and maintain the same speed as the vehicle in front of you so that there is no way you can get out of the pocket unless you slow down considerably. This can be dangerous, though, because the Blocker will often target vehicles in the middle or left lanes of traffic, and you risk pissing off other drives by slowing down to get away from the Blocker. The Blocker will also slow down or speed up to match your speed, so you must plan your extraction strategy carefully and be ready to initiate when he least expects it. The Blocker is most often seen driving a large-size SUV or a small, sporty luxury car.

The Megalomaniac. The Megalomaniac is perhaps the worst commuter you will encounter on the road. He drives an SUV the size of a house, and will do everything in his power to make your commute miserable simply because you dared to drive within 100 feet of the ridiculous amount of emissions coming from his vehicle. The Megalomaniac drives primarily in the left lanes of traffic, including the HOV lane, at approximately 65 mph, and under no circumstances will he move over to let you pass. Ever. If the pavement in his lane were to suddenly go up in a 20-foot wall of flames, the Megalomaniac would come to a complete stop, end his cell phone call to ring up 911, and then wait for the fire department to clear the road before he would move to another lane. You will most likely have to pass every Megalomaniac you encounter on the road once, but once he realizes what has happened, he will speed up immediately and become the Pusher. Once he has pushed you out of his way and is traveling in front of you again, he will then slow down until you are forced to brake and swerve to avoid hitting him. The Megalomaniac often exhibits signs of The Blocker as well.

The Douche. The Douche is a commuter who is driving a small, sporty luxury car but obviously does not understand how to operate such a vehicle. The Douche varies his speed from slow to did-he-just-pass-out slow, weaves in and out of traffic for no apparent reason as if still asleep, hugs either the right or left line of his lane for miles before taking up half of your lane temporarily and frequently, and taps the brakes unnecessarily. If you suspect you might be driving near the Douche but aren’t sure, look for the bluetooth headpiece in his ear or a three-letter vacation destination sticker on his back windshield.

These are just some of my pet peeves that I encounter on my way to and from work every day. I know I am not completely faultless when it comes to inconsiderate driving, but I really do try my best. Unless you piss me off first. Then it’s on, bitches.

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A Review: My 2007 Honda Civic EX Sedan

by on September 12, 2007, in automóviles, life etc.

Every day that I drive to work and back, no matter how shitty the traffic, one aspect of the drive brings me consistent happiness:

I am in love with my car.

My new-ish (I bought it in early February, but have already put over 15,000 miles on it) car—my 2007 black, four-door Honda Civic EX, that is. It fucking rules. And since some form of “2007 Honda Civic” consistently ranks as the top search engine query leading people to my blog, I am going to expound on the ways in which it rules.

Let me say right now that in this review I will discuss why I did not choose other cars in the Civic’s class. If you own one of these cars that I dismissed, I’m sorry, but please don’t take offense to my reasons why. This is my own personal taste. You like your car better than a Civic, I assume, and I like my Civic better than these other cars. Let’s just keep it at that.

The search
The main issues that brought me to the Civic when searching for a new car to replace my 1999 Pontiac Grand Am (aka the gas guzzla–21 mpg on the highway–GAH!) were (in order of importance):

  • Better gas mileage
  • Reliability (read: I was NOT going to buy another American-made car)
  • Cost (I didn’t want to even THINK about a car that would be over $20,000)
  • Style (it had to look good–not too sporty, not to grandma)
  • Size (compact was preferred, though not subcompact. I am 5’8″ and Ian is 6’2″)

I immediately decided I would not consider the Toyota Corolla nor the Nissan Sentra because while their larger cars are well-rated and look nice, I did not find anything I liked about the looks of either of these two, and their quality ratings weren’t high enough to excuse the sense of cheapness I felt when looking inside of them.

And there was no way in HELL I was going to buy a Volkswagen. Yeah, I know, every debutante/Vandy grad drives a Jetta and every trendy yuppy drives a Bug and they’re both totally cute, but seriously, my second reason for finding a new car was reliability. And let’s face it: Anyone who needs their vehicle to work consistently—and last for more than just a few years—does not buy a Volkswagen.

So I eventually narrowed my choices down to three cars: the Civic, the MINI Cooper and the Mazda 3. And then down to one.

I quickly crossed the MINI off my list because it wasn’t very practical, as it was just too goddamn tiny. And I’m just not that preppy. (I feel like in order to drive one, I’d have to start smoking Virginia Slims or drinking after-work Appletinis and complain about how the last time I went skiing in Vail, the lodge totally fucked me by not offering mimosas in the mornings, which I really needed because my husband’s stock portfolio was in the shitter but I couldn’t show my worry around little Pembroke and Hegemony for fear of causing another episode where they pull all of their eyelashes out like they did when they just didn’t “get” second grade algebra.)

Anywaaay, the MINIs are so cute, but I just couldn’t see myself actually buying one on purpose. I mean, there’s no way I could name my future kid Pembroke. Plus, the MINI doesn’t get as good of gas mileage as the Civic.

I almost as quickly crossed the Mazda 3 off my list because I didn’t read any reviews anywhere saying the Mazda beat the Civic in anything except 0 to 60 rating (and even then I think it just beat it by one or two seconds.) And also not helping Mazda’s case was this douche that I used to work with who drives one. (You know, the guy who wears the big glass earring trying to pretend it’s a diamond and talks about how all the chicks love the Mazda?) Yeah, even if I could get past all that, the Civic still had more of the qualities I was looking for in a car to love.

Gas mileage
Since I have had the Civic, I have averaged 35-37 mpg each week. The lowest I have gotten was 33 mpg (and that was just once), and the highest was 42 mpg (also just once).

I drive at least 74 miles every Monday through Friday; my commute is 37 miles to work and 37 miles home. Sometimes I go out for lunch or run errands after work, but for the most part I am on the interstate. However, not all of my time on the interstate is spent driving at interstate speeds, as anyone who’s ever driven in Nashville rush-hour traffic knows that much of your time within Metro is spent creeping along cussing out the asshole who keeps weaving in and out of traffic, causing you to have to either slam on your brakes or inch up and almost smash the person in front of you just to avoid being rear-ended.

ANYWAY… I would say that about 65 percent of my driving could be considered true interstate driving, and 35 percent would be considered city driving. Also, I drive fast whenever possible, so this cuts down on my gas mileage considerably. I think I remember hearing that for every mile per hour over 60 you lose a certain amount of gas mileage. Well, let’s just say that my average speed is 80 mph, though it is not uncommon for me to reach speeds of over 85 mph to pass someone.

Performance
For a compact, 4-cylinder car, the Civic can get up and go when it needs to. It’s not going to race a Corvette or anything, but I still can overtake just about any vehicle I am trying to on the interstate, and I rarely have any trouble beating anyone off the line at a stop light (Not that I try to race people in a damn Civic, but most of my time is spent trying to get to the freaking interstate ahead of the snails that will make my commute a living hell if I don’t pass them asap.)

The ride is smooth, even and always comfortable. The shocks on this thing must be really good, because I have gone over some nasty potholes and other bumps and didn’t feel like I left part of my car behind.

Comfort
The fact that Ian, who is 6’2″, can fit comfortably in the back seat (without requiring the person in the front move their seat up so they are licking their own knees) says a lot for how much the Civic has progressed. From what I’ve read and seen, this new Civic redesign brought it to the size of the old Accords.

The seats are comfortable, which also was important to me because almost all of my trips in this vehicle last at least an hour. I drove it up to Chicago to see my family (a 9-hour trip one-way), and was quite comfy. My ass did not hurt nearly as bad as it used to in my Pontiac, but maybe I’ve added some of my own cushioning? Let’s hope not.

Also, for those of you who do drive a lot, the steering wheel on this Civic is so cool. I don’t know what material it’s made out of, but it feels like some kind of microfiber/leather hybrid. It’s not really squishy, but it’s soft, and feels really good in my hands. I was afraid after having my hands all over it for thousands of miles it would harden, but so far it’s retained its original feel. It sounds odd, but that’s probably one of my favorite little things about the car that I didn’t realize it had before I bought it.

Style
I know most car reviews offer their own take on the style of the car, but I’m not going to sit here and relist sizes and specs of shit. Just go to honda.com and look it up yourself if you really need to know what size wheels I have and how long the nose of the car is (not long at all, actually—I think it looks good this way, too!)

I will say that I would not have bought a Civic if not for the redesign (originally done in 2006). I know, I know, I said style was the second-to-last concern on my list, but I really think this recent redesign has matured the car into an adult’s car, not a college or high school kid’s deal. Before, when I would see dudes driving down the road in their little 2004 Civic I would kind of chuckle. Now I see both men and women driving this current model and it looks more natural.

Plus, in black my Civic looks freaking bad-ass.

Perks
I don’t really know what to call this section, but these are the things that I didn’t necessarily need in a car, but I was willing to pay the extra $1,000 or whatever to upgrade to the EX (well, actually, it was the better brakes–rear disc–that caught my attention). With the upgrade to the EX, you get:

  • Moonroof (WTF is the difference between moonroof and sunroof??) that’s operable with only one button. It’s smooth.
  • Rear disc brakes
  • The key-fob thing with a trunk-release and a panic alarm
  • The better steering wheel
  • Radio and cruise controls on steering wheel
  • Front and rear cup holders
  • Fold-down part of the back seat for trunk access
  • Two power outlets
  • Auxiliary plug for my iPod! (Though I hear that was made available in later LX models, too)

There are some other differences, too, but I can’t remember them and honestly I think they were just dimensions or something.

Oh, and some other neat things: The Civ tells me the outside temperature (temp. gauge is at top of front windshield), antenna is on the back windshield (nothing to remove when going through car wash), the auxiliary jack (I love just being able to plug in my iPod and listen to it through the stereo), two digital tripometers, and the oil life is measured in percentages–starts at 100 percent and when it gets down to 15 percent a little light comes on and I know to go get it changed. And there’s lots of storage space. And the spedometer fucking rules. Have you seen it? Oh, and it measures your speed even when you’re driving backward. Hell ya.

I see on the new ’08 models they’ve added the EX-L trim, which comes with leather seats, and at first I was kind of bummed. But after the ass-sticking-to-your-seat kind of hot summer we had, I don’t really care that much now. Plus, it’s still just a Civic. Do you really need leather??

Overall, I am really, really happy with my car, and hope that I’ll still be driving it around 10 years from now. It’s my little Yoshi (because it’s compact and Japanese, just like Yoshi from the Super Mario Bros. series, haha, yeah I’m a Nintendo nerd so shut it), and I love it.

If I had to come up with a con, I would probably say it doesn’t have the most pick-up of the cars out there, but I honestly don’t find it too slow or sluggish for my needs at all. I had a 3.4L V6 in my 1999 Pontiac Grand Am SE2 with 170hp before, and the Civic’s 140hp seems to match up pretty evenly, as far as I can tell. I never feel like I’m going to get run over when I’m trying to merge on the interstate, at least, and I have no problem speeding. :) You’ve got to give up something for that unmatched (at least in a non-hybrid) gas mileage.

If you are reading this review because you’re considering the Civic for your next vehicle and have any other questions or want me to take a picture of a certain part of the car, please just drop me an e-mail or leave a note in the comments here. I’d be happy to help out any way that I can.

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Nice parking, asshat

by on July 15, 2007, in around town, automóviles, I hate my neighbors, life etc., photography, WTF?

Nice parking, asshat

Nice parking

Originally uploaded by Megan_G.

This awesome car-parker either lives or is a friend of the person who lives in one of the houses across from us. The house has a garage plus a driveway, so three cars in all can be accommodated, yet this person chose to leave their car–parked like this–directly in front of OUR house for at least a week. (I think they went on vacation, because it never moved.) We’ve also had their Jeep Grand Cherokee parked in front of our house for so long that we called to report it as an abandoned vehicle. Their third car is often parked a few spots down from us. I wonder how they’d feel if I just randomly parked my car in their driveway??

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Project365 | June 26

by on July 1, 2007, in around town, automóviles, news/politics, photography, Project365, WTF?

Project365 | June 26

Project365 | June 26

Originally uploaded by Megan_G.

This asshole tried to run me off the road TWICE in the morning on the way to work. This picture is of my evening commute, where he cut me off (There was less than a car’s length between me and the person in front of me, so I actually had to brake to avoid hitting this asshole when he cut in front of me, as you see here.) I saw him speed up the road, cutting in and out of traffic, causing others to swerve, slam on their brakes and honk. Is there someplace to report drivers like this? Because if he almost caused me to wreck three times in one day, imagine what he’s doing to others.

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Randomosity

by on April 13, 2007, in automóviles, blogging, life etc., news/politics, technology/yes I am a geek, travel

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted, but I’ve been pretty busy (being lazy.) So here’s a quick run-down of the lately-ness in my life:

  • I’ve finally decided that the “allergies” I’ve been plagued with the last week and a half are not allergies, but in fact a common cold. And it’s pissing me off because it won’t go away and every morning and every night I feel like I have a low-grade fever.
  • We are supposed to go to Chattanooga tomorrow to see the Montgomery Biscuits play the Lookouts, but it’s supposed to rain. Since by the time we get there and hear if it’s rained out (it’s a night game) it will be too late to cancel the hotel, anyone got any recommendations on what to do in downtown Chattanooga at night? Besides drink yourself to death because you’re in Chattanooga (I kid, I kid! Sort of.)
  • Ian FINALLY got a new phone. After his old one, which was dying a slow death, met its untimely demise in a commode, he went out and bought the brand-new SamsungUpStage, which I told him about a week ago and he swears he just heard of it when he walked in the store. ;) Anyway, it’s freaking sweet. I almost like it better than my phone.
  • This whole thing about a local blogger getting sued by a company that she received shitty service from (and then posting her experience online) is pissing me off. So does that mean because I wrote about how I went to Darrell Waltrip to buy a car and they treated me like I was an unknowledgeable little girl and actually said, “In this area people are wealthy so we can sell this car to anyone we want to for cash,” like that would make me pay more than the car was worth for it, that they can sue me for writing that down? Wait, don’t answer that.
  • I am very sad that Kurt Vonnegut died yesterday. But kind of surprised he lived as long as he did, seeing as he smoked his entire adult life. If I had more time I would draw a picture of a sphincter here in his honor. But I will not say “And so it goes” because that’s what every other god damned blog or news story is ending with and it’s really getting old.
  • For the Garden of Egan blogger: I found the movie I had commented about on your site. I tried to comment again, but it didn’t show up. And on the second try, WordPress said it was a duplicate comment. Anyway, if you read this, hope it helps. :)

Other than that, things are going great. My future’s so bright, I’ve got to wear shades. (Not really. My glasses get in the way anyhow.)

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