Car Lust

Salt + Cars = Stress

Ever read Sophie's Choice? Because that's kinda how I feel right now.

Growing up in the Midwest, I've had the pleasure opportunity to experience all the joys of winter, in full. Playing in the white powder is great, as John DeLorean could attest (the charges were dropped!--Chris H.), but I'm talking about snow.  Lots and lots of snow. Snow is generally pretty great. The reduced traction allows you to drive like a stunt man; sliding sideways around corners, doing donuts, J-turns, and pretending to be a rally driver. However, it's not really the snow I'm concerned about. Seeing as how our country caters to the lowest common denominator, we cater to people who don't have snow tires by salting every square inch of the roads.

From an auto enthusiast's perspective, I hate this. The salt corrodes everything on my vehicle, and half of the time my entire car is covered in white haze. Milwaukee is even worse than usual. They use double the amount of road salt per mile than most cities in the Midwest. Ignoring the whole concept of the government demanding your money to pay for salt that ruins your vehicles, I'm now faced with a choice:   What to drive this winter? I've been so stressed about this choice I figured I'd ask for your advice.

1988-1991 Honda Prelude 4WS

About a year ago, I was searching for a car to replace my unloved 1992 Accord (AVOID), and I needed something reliable, relatively cheap, and easy on gas. Since I've had an extremely good experience with my 1989 Accord, I set out to find a Honda product that was made in that same time period.

Hondas of this vintage are cheap to run, reliable, and efficient, but what really makes them desirable is the fact that almost all models, from the base CRX to the larger Accord, have double-wishbone suspension.

While browsing the local classifieds, I came across a car that fulfilled all of my needs, fit within my budget, and shattered my expectations of just how good a small, older car could be.