At Home Mechanic

I am not the promiscuous type, usually I am faithful to my cars and keep them for years. If I have a fault of any kind it is that I hold my cars too long, throwing good money after bad into old cars that need to be retired. I love my cars, I never would have bought them originally if they did not initially appeal to me. They become a member of the family with so many happy memories associated with them that I hate to let them go.

But the current Accord (it is the third Accord we have owned) is playing out its last days with our family. The car is approaching 42,000 miles on the odometer representing a 14,000 mile per year average, a number that is higher than average usage. If I continue to put mileage on this car at the current rate the residual value of the car at resale or trade in plummet in a year’s time. A used car with less than 50,000 miles on it is afar more attractive to potential buyers and will allow a bout more leverage at trade-in.

The car is also coming up on some wear item replacement. I had to replace the brake pads and shoes at 25,000 miles and I expect that I will need to replace them again within the year. I replaced the rear tires about 7,000 miles ago when they both suffered sidewall damage in separate punctures. The original front tires still have tread on them, but they will need replacing within 5,000 miles and I would rather not put any more money into a car that I am not planning on keeping.

This car is the latest generation of the ubiquitous Honda Accord line of family sedans, a line of cars that have always been top sellers. But over the years Honda has made each successive generation of Accord larger than the last until the current car is the size of an E Class Mercedes. Not a large car by American standards, but a larger car than I am used to driving. I prefer something smaller and easier to maneuver in traffic and parking lots.

I have owned four door sedan since I became a parent, it was convenient to load a family in through rear doors rather than having to twist and bend to get into a smaller back seat of a coupe. But my children are growing and more independent and it is no longer necessary to haul a large load of family to every destination. Now is the time to return to driving a coupe.

So the hunt begins. What car will I replace my reliable but boring Honda Accord with? I want something with a power to weight ratio of at least 18:1 or better, I deserve to drive a snappy performer at this advanced age that I have found myself at. And I want the new car to be mechanically and aesthetically pleasing to me, I have to respect the workings under the hood for me to drive a car on a regular basis. Sadly, this eliminates nearly every car made by US manufacturers.

I am open to your suggestions, perhaps someone out there has a good suggestion. Note to Buck: No Mustang convertible suggestions please.