Recently I was driving home from  my friends in Guelph and I kept glancing at my odometer waiting for the moment I knew would be coming soon. Suddenly I let out a deep wahooooo as the odometer clicked over and rolled to 300, 000 kms.  It was a good day for me and my 1995 Honda Civic that has been an amazing piece of engineering for me ever since I purchased it from my brother a few years ago. Basically get oil changes regularly and put gas in it and it just runs, and rns, and runs I’m hoping to reach a half a million clicks.

I always heard many stories of people many people who have similar year civics that have very high mileage. I was literally put to shame when upon researching this I found my same  car on CraigsList with count em, 939,899 miles. The fact that in 1995 they could make a car that would presumably go 1 million miles is astounding and has opened my eyes to the possibilities for my “White Lightning”. 

Another thing I have always loved about my civic is the amazing gas mileage. I would find it difficult to find someone who doesn’t consider gas mileage at the top of their must have list when buying a new car. Only having to fill up my small $35 gas tank between once and twice a month with an average of around 450 kms per tank has been amazing in light of the ever increasing price of gas. As I passed the recent 300,00 k milestone I began thinking more about how great of a car my civic has been to me. It wasn’t until I looked up the MPG and emissions reports that I found out just how great it actually is. With a highway fuel consumption of 41 mpg, 33 in the City and an impressive combined fuel efficiency of 36 this car surely must rival the most fuel efficient (non-hybrid) cars of today. The best car for 2008 in the subcompact car class goes to the Toyota Yaris, surely this new car will blow old Bessie out of the water……..huh,,,,,,,,,,,,what……….dur,,,,,,,,,,,, So it turns out  my 12 year old car beats this years most fuel efficient car in pretty much every section, MPG, Green House Gas emissions, driving costs and energy impact score.

See for yourself, check out this comparison I did on fueleconomy.gov/  :

Surely there must be some explanation for this…..

Back in 1995 the emissions studies were probably different and inaccurate?? Ok, turns out the sticker emission was 44 combined MPG and a whopping 46 on the highway and 42 in the city. These figures have been adjusted so that comparisons would be accurate with 2008 emissions standards.

The Civic must have no balls?? Excuse my language but balls is the scientific term for automobile acceleration but considering the model shown and mine are both standards and I know mine to be quite peepy when I need it to be. Granted it’s not the fastest car out there but it does what I need it too with ease.

In conclusion I find it utterly revolting that 12 years ago we could develop a non electric car that blows all of this years current cars in all of the areas that are deemed the most important car buying factors as of late, Green house gas emissions and fuel consumption. Sure we have smart cars and hybrids they are in a league of their own. There has yet to be a car as efficient and downright affordable to the average consumer that addresses the rising fuel costs demands and emission requirements.

The only explanation for our (the auto makers) inability to make a car as efficient and reliable as the 1995 Civic is that nowadays a car is not just a car anymore it’s a home entertainment system, navigation console, adjustable foldable mass of electronics and gadgets that we trade in every 2 years and forget about how entirely unnecessary it all is and how we are undermining the value of efficiency and dependability for cheap quick thrills.

Jeff Radecki