Bridget The Midget - My 1988 Honda Civic Project
A while ago I was desperately looking for a new hobby. No, I am not done with computers, I just needed a break form them. A longer one, perhaps. The opportunity presented itself in form of a lil' car, which I initially called Squeaky, due to amount of plastic interior components which seemed to move and rub a lot. It is 1988 Honda Civic hatchback, standard edition, 1.5 liter engine, and almond cream body paint.
My reasoning was quite simple. My primary vehicle, 1996 Nissan Pathfinder, gets 16 miles per gallon, this puppy does twice as much. After doing a little calculator work I discovered that in seven months of using it, with an average of 160 miles a week of travel, the car will completely pay for itself in gas saving alone (assumed gas price was 3.60 - we already passed that in California... :-( But it will also provide additional benefits such as decreased environmental impact, and, of course, a new hobby.
The car itself initially cost me 500.00 and required a new alternator. My new hobby, and adventure was about to begin. Removal and installation took me a few hours, but this first task made me feel good and hopeful (like I know what I am doing kind of thing...). Well, after making it "drivable" it was time to make it legal to drive. Next step: SMOG CHECK!
BOOOO!!!! It failed!!! Due to high HC emissions at idle. It scored 133, while allowed limit was 120. And what to do with that? I know, research!
| Item | Price | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Initial price | 500.00 | Negotiation ongoing |
| Alternator | 125.00 | Kragen |
| Sum | 625.00 | So far so good! |
Apr. 09, 2008 19:35
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