Chris’ Celica

Chris got his first car this weekend. He had begun to search Craigslist about a month or so ago, about the time he started working at Safeway. Though I had thought he’d want to wait longer, he was itching to get “something to work on,” even though he had yet to get his drivers license. So, we started looking. I couldn’t not believe what people tried to pawn off as “decent” or “good” cars within Chris’ price range. We look at one 1974 Toyota Corrolla that we should have been paid to take away! Then there was the 1990 Honda CRX in Pittsburg that had oil leaks, bondo over an entire front fender panel, cracked CV joint boots, suspicious wear on rear tire, a check engine light that was always on, and a non-working speedometer…and that’s only what I saw. But on a lark, we drove a bit further to Antioch after talking on the phone to the seller of a 1978 Toyota Celica GT (Chris adds more specifically that it’s an RA42 GT.) Apparently it was originally purchased by the father of the seller and has remained in the family since his passing four years ago. Sure, it looks like a 28-year-old car, but is in good shape and with a new carburetor, alternator, clutch, rear end, radiator, water pump and tires. (And everything except the radio is original…it even came with the original owner’s manual and window sticker!) Sure, Chris will have to put some work into the interior, and there a few things I’ve specified need to be fixed before he can drive it daily (including getting his license), but I think he found a good first car for a good price.

The aggressive pose.

As my family and close friends know, I am a bit particular – maybe to the point of having a touch of OCD – when it comes to cleaning my car. Well, we finally had a sunny day, allowing me to give my “new” car (2003 Honda Accord but new to me) its first through washing, waxing and detailing. My son Chris thinks this car goes “18 dummy” (meaning it’s off the hook, dude). Sometimes it looks a bit sinister to me. Received the registration a few days ago, so soon I’ll be off to DMV to swap the plates to my amateur plates, then I’ll work on the dual-band radio installation.

How I came to own this car was summed up by why a fellow co-worker who said that “Pat has never met a new Honda or Toyota that he couldn’t trade in.”  The upshot is that I traded a 2006 Civic for this 2003 Accord because the seats in the Civic seemed to be designed for drivers with more delicate derrières.  Yeah, one would think I would have sensed this problem in the test drive, but it was oh-so subtle.  Sure, the seats were a bit stiff, but having not owned a new car in may years I said to myself, “Self, they’ll soften up over time.”  But a week into ownership, I found my right hip was beginning to hurt after my commute, and even the new-car smell did not assuage my feeling that something was wrong.  I thought it was the seat padding, so I tried a few things that I thought offer a bit more padding, even though I have plenty o’ padding on my hiney.  However, it didn’t help much.  I can’t say why, but one day during my commute, I came to me, and with an examination I confirm my suspicions that the seat belt latch was above the top of the side bolster — much higher than any other car I have driven — and that was digging into my hip.

After quickly firing off letters to the Honda dealership, the dealership owner and Honda corporate, I realized that (1) there wasn’t much that could be done and (2) I was unlikely that anything would be done.  With some quick research and bit of luck I found the Accord (for basically any equal trade and no extra money out of my pocket) and not once have I second-guessed my decision.  I, and my derrière, are much happier.

P.S. I must commend Honda’s warranty service, as my extended warranty on the ’06 was fully refunded.