It was the summer of '96, and I was a '90s girl. I was happy with my life (and Mitsubishi Lancer GLX) and thought it was complete.. that was until I laid eyes on her...
I'm talking about the beautiful piece of machinery parked on the corner car lot, the black stallion gleaming in the sunlight.. the fine example of motoring which would become mine: the 1991 Honda CRX.
Now normally I was a stick-shift girl, having owned three consecutively, and I was noticeably disappointed when I noted the big knobby thing with a button on it protruding from the position where one would find the gears.. but I was a woman of the world and was willing to give it a go - and with absolutely no persuasion from the salesman I was buckled in and cruising around the streets for my (very extensive) test drive in no time..
Upon my return he almost had to have me surgically removed, and before you could say "would you like it on credit?".. I was asking where I could sign!
I was a CRX girl.
This car I owned for almost 3 years and during this time I had NO trouble whatsoever, I was a little relaxed with the servicing yet the car never used any oil, the water in the radiator was always the same (no usage).
The model was the short style with a glass boot, you can compare it to a Honda Civic (but with a flat behind) equipped with a smallish 1600cc engine with twin carbs, but when I say small this car could do 120km/hr and still be as smooth as 50km/hr - luckily it was a Japanese import and the little bell would go if I went over 110, it would have been so easy to do 140 without even knowing it!.
A sporty car with two doors, and a very small back seat (a very soft leatherette) and a reasonable sized trunk for the groceries. The two seats up front were similar to Recaro racing seats where there was lumbar support and moulding around the waist - a very comfortable car to ride in.. also all the mod cons like air conditioning, factory speakers (not the budget variety, good sound quality) which coupled with a decent CD/tuner made for every girls' dream car. It had electric mirrors but the door locks were manual, and the petrol consumption was excellent.
This car stuck to the road like glue, the handling was beautiful - and for an everyday driver like me it undoubtedly improved the safety of my driving as there was less room for errors.
There were no airbags installed in this car, I don't actually know when they became standard but I think at the time it wasn't normal to have them in a car of this price. Also an alarm does not come factory fitted, this is something that you need to install if the previous owner(s) haven't already - when I was driving it this particular car was considered a high risk by the insurance companies (theft) and it cost a lot of money to insure: but not so much now I don't think as I think the boy racers have moved on.
Now I know that not all CRX's are the same, they seem to vary somewhat between the years and I'm pretty sure that the 1991 model was the first of the 'new' shape after the original model. I personally find the latest shape (the third model) a little on the ugly side, but I guess everyone has their preference.. or perhaps I am just biased after my little black beauty?!
The only reason I sold my car was because I was going overseas.. otherwise I would have kept her until she fell apart..
..say no more.
More details
Purchase Price
NZ$11,500 (in 1996)
Reliability
Excellent
Spaciousness
Satisfactory
Customer service
Satisfactory
Security
Satisfactory
Fuel consumption
Excellent
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