My Favorite Car - So Far

I don't know why I have been thinking about this....but in case anyone ever wondered....

My all time favorite car (so far) was our 1992 Honda Accord. I loved that car.

We bought it off the show room floor in North Platte. It is and probably will always be the only car we will ever buy brand new.

I will never forget the new car smell and all those zeros in front of the few miles....15 of them I think.....that it had.

I wouldn't say it was super fancy but it was quiet and solid and reliable and it lived a long long time. In fact, we just traded it off a little under two years ago and it is still driving around Chadron. It's new owners have been hard on it. Last time I saw it....there was at least one hub cap gone and the back bumper had been smashed in.

That 92 Honda was great on gas mileage....we would get around 30 all the time and 35 if it was on the highway. It had about 255,000 miles when we traded it and my original goal when we got it was to drive it to 321,000. But it was not to be. The last couple of years it was only a "to town and back" vehicle so the miles weren't racking up very fast at all.

We traded it for a 97 Honda Accord that is a nice little work car but not as roomy, not as quiet, not as good on gas, and the air conditioner is not very cold. I don't know if we will ever have another car as solid as the first Honda.

And.....we almost didn't buy it.

You see, I was driving the old red pickup back and forth to town. In those days we still lived south of North Platte and town was 30 + miles away so the 70 something 3 speed on the column pickup that my Uncle Ernie had used to go camping, then sold to my oldest brother, Tim, who either sold it to us or traded it for a horse.....was not exactly an economical or a comfortable ride.

I started car shopping. I had a budget to adhere to and looked at many within that limit that looked nice....but felt flimsy. Then I found a used Honda and drove it and loved it. I had driven a Honda in Maine when I was nannying there and liked that one too.

I didn't think ole John would go for a 'foreign made' car but I thought he should come try out the cars I had picked in my search.

He was a hard man to get to town but I did manage to get it done one day and we drove a GrandAm, a Taurus, and the Honda. We both agreed that for the price bracket....the Honda was a way better ride. So.....we meet Sam. Sam was an older guy that worked for the Ford/Honda dealership there in North Platte. Sam somehow got us to thinking NEW on the Honda instead of thinking about the used one. It was still in our price range and he talked about the horrors of timing change non-maintenance and how great it is to get a new car that you service and take care of like it was intended and how if you do that....300,000 miles is attainable.

So the dealing began. Sam would talk awhile and John would talk awhile and Sam would go talk to his boss and the price would drop a little and the pattern would repeat. I grew weary of the process. Sam bought me a Coke.....and.....my allegiance.

Somehow I ended up on the same side of the desk as my new best friend, Sam, and John was on the other side. I was swilling Coke like there was no tomorrow and John and Sam were stalled out with $35.00 between them......actually between me and my new car.

So....I said..."John! It is $35.00! You are being a JERK!"

I know now that it was the wrong thing to do. I handed Sam the power in that transaction and I really made my husband irritated. They inked the deal....with us $35.00 more in the hole than John wanted to be.

Sam, my BFF, handed me the keys and I drove our new great wonderful car home. It was the best drive I have ever taken!

About a week later my friend Sam calls up my husband John. He starts asking about our car shopping venture. John seems confused on the phone. Sam was asking some strange questions that didn't make sense to John. Then Sam asked if we were still interested in purchasing a Honda. John said we had purchased one. Sam, sounding defeated, asked if John minded telling him where he bought it at. John said, "We bought it from you Sam."

My BFF Sam...didn't even remember! I thought we were kindred spirits! HE BOUGHT ME A COKE FOR PETE'S SAKE! Sam! Didn't I mean anything to you?

By the way....I would like that $35.00 back.