I wouldn’t have believed it, unless I saw it with my own eyes, but I think I saw my first Cash for Clunkers scam. I’m not 100% sure if that’s what it is, but the cynic in me thinks so. Take a look for yourself.
So I went test driving cars this past weekend. One of the cars I sampled was a Honda Civic. The 2006 redesign is one slick puppy I must admit. Acceleration, handling, and responsiveness are top notch for a car in this class. Unbelievably, my tall frame can actually fit in the backseat. Plus it sips gas, an all important consideration, now more so given rising gas prices. It has an impressive list of standard features and it pretty much comes down to not which package but which trim you want—whether it be the one of the three standard trims, the eco-friendly hybrid (though the Prius is still the reigning king in this class), or the sporty Si. There are available options for customizing the trim even further, but other than fog lights, many are simply superfluous. Yet, since I’ve been considering the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3 and the Subaru WRX, I found it rather odd that a 5-door Civic was lacking in Honda’s line-up. I certainly recall a 5-door being available in past iterations. It’s not that Honda doesn’t make them, it’s that they don’t sell them to North America. WTF, Honda?!