1. How did you come to the decision of buying this car?
My first car, the car I could actually call my own and not that of my parents, was a 1988 Honda Civic Wagon. Nicknamed the Ratmobile or Pregnant Roller Skate, it had seen better days. Cracks in the windshield were measured in feet not inches. My arrival was prematurely announced by virtue of no muffler and my recent departure indicated by a small pool of coolant and motor oil. It sucked, and I loved it.
I've always scanned eBay, Hemmings, Facebook and the like for another Civic Wagon, holding off on purchasing if all my criteria were not met. Being a Honda Civic, 1980s models were either run into the ground or coil-over stanced to death by aspiring Initial Ds. Then: the perfect one. Like a salmon returning to its spawning ground or a boomer returning to a '68 Camaro, I pounced at the chance to buy another Honda Civic Wagon, this time in perfect nick. But unlike the front-wheel-drive model of my youth, this was the trick version: 1989 Honda Civic RT4WD Wagon with the factory Six-Speed Transmission.
Most versions of the Civic Wagon were FWD in either five-speed manual or automatic. The rarer RT4WD drivetrain not only came with the uprated 16-valve engine of the contemporary Si, but had the exceedingly rare optional six-speed manual with a dogleg "SL" super-low gear. And a perfect interior. Cool LED lights and roof rack didn't hurt either. So after outbidding 46 others, I flew to Salt Lake City and - sight unseen - picked it up and drove it back to New York. There it was nicknamed: WackHondaForever.
2. What has your ownership experience been like?
Despite being two decades on and over 200k on the clock, this car runs like a - well it runs like a Honda. At first, I was nervous I bought a lemon as it wheezed and stressed across Wyoming until I passed a sign saying Continental Divide, Altitude 7,411' and realized that 105 hp out of the factory plus time, minus oxygen, equals downshifting uphill.
Caveat: I live in New York City so the car only sees occasional use and for long distances, I usually drive my 750Li so it doesn't have much time to experience problems other than the time the alternator died.
When it didn't start in the garage, the staff brought a portable charger/jumper to get it running and I feathered the throttle, clutch in, at stoplights to keep it from dying. I made it 10 blocks from the garage to my block, where it died in front of a firehouse. The four FDNY firefighters outside first admired the car, then helped me push it to my local auto repair shop. They put in a new alternator and found a stress fracture in the rear half shaft which would've been cataclysmic should it have failed at highway speed.
For daily usage, a 1989 Honda Civic Wagon is a TARDIS: a lot bigger on the inside. Upright glass, narrow footprint, and sloped hood for in-town maneuvering coupled with Swiss Army knife-like folding seats for cargo and moving things in a fairly economical 4 cylinder package.
3. What is your fondest memory with this car?
Other than the cross-country drive - SLC to NYC in 5 days and 4 nights - the best memory was filming a television pilot with a major network featuring my Honda. Let's hope it gets picked up, probably filmed by socially distanced drones and HAZMAT suited PAs.
4. Why do you love cars?
I'm having a hard time articulating this. Aesthetically, they're enjoyable to look at. Viscerally, they're enjoyable to drive. Practically, they serve a multitude of roles to fulfill a multitude of purposes. Varietally, there's one for every personality or inclination. Basically, they're cool. And as we see that they're pretty selfish and not all that sensible as a mode of transportation but still great as a hobby, I think their coolness will only increase.
I look forward to a day where we all perform our daily needs in low-to-zero emission mass transit, bicycle to work, walk to errands, and then reserve our cars for special occasions, powered by renewable gasoline or diesel substitutes. Then, we can keep our cars if we want, and democratize transport for those who do not care how they get around.
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If you would like to participate, just answer the above four questions and submit one to three photos of your daily driver to milhousevanh at geemail. Thanks and have fun!
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