I Went Economical My New Car

tallok · 08-26-2007, 02:08 PM

Well, I got a new job about a month and a half ago. Even though I am making more money than I used to, I didn't really see an increase in the money that I have at the end of any two week period. I realized it was because I'm driving between Schaumburg and Highland Park five days a week now (it used to be no more than 3) and all my money was going to gas. I did the math on the whole situation and decided to trade in my Grand Prix for something more economical.

I bought a 2005 Honda Civic DX coupe. I got a great deal on it because I bought it at the dealer where my cousin works. It's got a few more miles on it than normal but I know that they are 80-90% highway miles. They gave me a good deal on the Honda and they gave me the wholesale price for trade-in on my Grand Prix (over twice what it's worth). It's a five speed with no features at all. I'm going to be saving quite a bit per month in gas. That savings is going to go toward a down payment on a sports car to purchased at a later date. Also, this move will enable me to pay my school loan payments.

Anyway, this is the photography thread and so here are the pics:

Arch · 08-26-2007, 03:27 PM

Looking at the dribble from shot#3 I had to ask myself: Since when did Harley Davidson make motors for Civics?

((yes, I know it's probably just AC Condenser dripoff AKA H2O and not oil))

tallok · 08-26-2007, 03:48 PM

^^I thought about that the first time too. I checked and it is just water.

flip240 · 08-26-2007, 08:45 PM

zomg... but smart choice overall, gotta make sacrifices sometimes

Headsick · 08-27-2007, 01:23 AM

Not bad man, congrats on the new ride!

fretburnr · 08-27-2007, 10:03 AM

glad to see you in a 5-speed car!

tallok · 08-27-2007, 10:51 AM

Thanks. I'm happy to say that I didn't kill it on my way to work today.

Blackie · 08-27-2007, 11:05 AM

hehe...... thats good. i was the same way when i picked up my car, and had to drive to work........i was so scared.......

but yay for 5-speed

tallok · 08-27-2007, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackie

hehe...... thats good. i was the same way when i picked up my car, and had to drive to work........i was so scared.......

but yay for 5-speed

I was afraid of the same thing this morning. I left the dealer really late on Saturday and went straight to the theater to see Superbad. Sunday I started drinking around noon and by 4 or 5 I figured it was a bad idea for me to go driving for practice.

Well, the car didn't come with a tach and I think it's weird without it so who wants to help me install some

?

randyvettes · 08-27-2007, 04:52 PM

You don't need a tach. When it stops sounding like a lawnmower and starts sounding like a weed wacker its time to shift.

Wild Country · 08-27-2007, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by randyvettes

You don't need a tach. When it stops sounding like a lawnmower and starts sounding like a weed wacker its time to shift.

Haha... awesome!

Congrats on the new ride man. Any plans for it?

fretburnr · 08-27-2007, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by randyvettes

You don't need a tach. When it stops sounding like a lawnmower and starts sounding like a weed wacker its time to shift.

+1. the car still has modern fuel injection with a rev limiter.

my dad's old beater corolla was a standard with no tach, and carbed with no revlimiter. I would just shift when it sounded right, when done needing power, or when the valves floated and it stopped making power.

tallok · 08-27-2007, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wild Country

Haha... awesome!

Congrats on the new ride man. Any plans for it?

Well, even though everybody says I don't need it, my parents included, I want to get a small, tasteful tach.

I'm researching how easy or hard it would be to install Honda factory power windows and locks. I can live without them but if my Honda Certified cousin can do it out of his garage then I'm going to get the parts.

tallok · 08-27-2007, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fretburnr

+1. the car still has modern fuel injection with a rev limiter.

my dad's old beater corolla was a standard with no tach, and carbed with no revlimiter. I would just shift when it sounded right, when done needing power, or when the valves floated and it stopped making power.

I've been shifting when it sounds right. The tach is a convenience.

Star_Fire · 08-27-2007, 09:58 PM

Damn, you got me thinkin now about getting rid of the Caprice to save money....

I've been tossing the idea around for about 1 1/2 years and I'm still stuck. I guess the main thing being that I don't want another car payment (Car is currently paid for) but the gas savings would be close to $160-180/month.

I just want something that is not hard to maintain and is fun to drive and I won't feel like a tool for driving it. Oh, and a standard gearbox is a must! If I were to go that route, I would also get a 5-7 year old Civic and just use it to and from work (15mi one-way).

That, and if I got rid of the Caprice (after I get it re-painted) I could only hope for 3k on the high end. That car is still worth more than 3k to me....I just can't do it.

fretburnr · 08-28-2007, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Star_Fire

I just want something that is not hard to maintain and is fun to drive and I won't feel like a tool for driving it. Oh, and a standard gearbox is a must! If I were to go that route, I would also get a 5-7 year old Civic and just use it to and from work (15mi one-way)

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