Monday, August 17, 2009

My 20 Year Old Honda is Not a Clunker

Apparently, even after the readjustments made by the EPA for fuel consumption, my 20 year old Honda Prelude does not qualify for the Cash for Clunkers program. I believe that there are probably even better emission standards in late model vehicles that burn more fuel per gallon, but I am not a scientist.

Perhaps there should have been some other factors brought into play here, but whatever. I am kind of proud that my car has been efficient beyond the governments standards even 20 years ago when it comes to fuel mileage. I have worked it out a few times, and it averages 24-27 mpg regular driving to my calculations to this day. That is even a little above the EPA's number, so I am even happier. I got this gem for $3000 in 1998 with about 33,000 miles on it.

It now has 160,000+ miles on it, and is still getting me to point B. I am actually thinking of restoring it at this point as it is actually close to being an antique car at this point. I don't know if they count cars made in Japan, but in 5 years, my car will be eligible. I am not sure if I can get it restored to that level, but I will definitely be fixing a few things and throwing a new coat of paint on her. Hopefully I can get another 100,000+ miles out of her.