The Case for the Car you Hate
By Tyler R. Jan 1,2021
To me, what makes the car scene so awesome is the diversity of opinions on modification. While some of us lose our minds over lifted trucks with portal axles; others are trying to put their floor pans only inches above the pavement. Now, I have mixed feelings about the two sides described above. I love off-road vehicles and their respective mods, but I also have an immense appreciation for cars of the “low and fast” persuasion. However, I have almost always hated one vehicle in particular: the Honda Civic. Inherently, the Civic is a good car that has sold well in all of its generations. We can all think of at least one in our town that looks terrible, sounds even worse, and is driven like a stock car. I have always had a special little place of disdain towards this particular make and model. Now that being said recently, my mind was changed completely.
I was out running errands and I happened to come across a yellow car that I liked. Later to my surprise, I found out that it was a 1992 Honda Civic hatchback, with red NRG seats. I saw this as a unicorn, a rarity seen only once in a millennium. A Civic that I was actually impressed with its modifications to the point, I took the time to tour the car. I even sent the pictures I took of the car to my friends. Now, I’m sure this isn’t the only one out there that is “tastefully” modified. But this one captivated me in such a way that I wanted to emulate it. Since my sighting of this mythological car; I’ve actually started looking for one.
Granted, I have been doing a fair bit of project shopping lately to replace my 1993 Ford Bronco in my shop. But, I never thought the venerable Civic, the dream car for ricers everywhere, would even make it to the top 10 on my shopping list. So the question remains on my mind, why are there so many Civics on the road that are rolling miscellany of parts and modifications? Cars that should have been sent to the great scrapyard a long time ago. So I did what any person does, I investigated this question.
My conclusion is the Honda Civic is an affordable car, and it always has been. Therefore, a lot of them were produced. Adding to that, the pre-owned market is full of them in every condition from totally clapped out, to pristine. The aftermarket parts catalog is almost immeasurable, backing my claim. So, inexpensive car + cheap (and cheaply made) parts = “that Civic” you see driving around town. No matter the caliber of the build, we are all certainly allowed to take pride in our own handy work. The Civic is a fine car to make this point evident. But I stand by my newfound view that all it takes is one car. The one that is built or modified in such a way that it soothes the discontent one holds for it.
The one that makes the case for the car you hate.
