2010 Honda Civic Si
Out of all the cars I've owned, this is the one that truly got away.
When the 8th gen Civic Si dropped, it was a hit. Honda advertised under $20,000...they came in at $19.995 before options. An incredible bargin for the time. And they were everywhere. All of my friends had them, the Honda dealer employees bought them. They became immensley popular overnight.
At the time, I was still driving my 2001 Mazda Miata SE. I was also running EndlessHonda.com with my friend Alex. After a few months, he said "you're the biggest Honda fan I know...and you don't drive a Honda. Eventually, my time came and I picked up my 2010 Honda Civic Si sedan in Dyno Blue Pearl on 7/12/10 with 99 miles on the odometer.
It was everything I had dreamt it would be. At the time, it was the most powerful car I had ever owned. Honda still shorted us from 200hp, but 197hp was close enough. The exhaust tone was pure perfection. The interior layout offered a futuristic look with the dual tier gauges and digital speedometer. The interior materials took the Si to a new level with faux Alcantara on the snug seats.
Every drive was a moment of pure joy. I cared for the car beyond anything. Washing it multiple times a week. No food or drinks, no dirty shoes, hardly a rear seat passenger. The maintenance performed and documented exactly on schedule. I even went as far as to save every fuel receipt and document what type of driving I did, starting and ending mileage, and fuel economy. I was obsessed.
Eventually, the grass looked greener on the other side. Alex shared a super clean 1996 Honda Prelude SiVTEC with me and my old love for Preludes was reignited. CarMax offered almost as much as I paid for the vehicle, even with 45k miles. When the final check was performed before I got my check, the lady in the office had to get the registration from the car. She opened the passenger front door...then the rear...then the other two...all while looking with amazement. When she returned, she asked if I was sure I wanted to sell the car...because it still smelled new inside. At this moment, I knew I had made a mistake, but had already committed to the Prelude.
From this point on, I feel like I've been chasing the feeling that my FA5 brought me. But even after having two more years later, it just wasn't the same. The cars had aged and most were poorly cared for. They all needed constant work, the paintwork is flawed, and many needed parts and accessories are discontinued or sky high in price.