As it turns out, the 2006 Honda Civic Hatch, which is due to be launched here in the next few weeks, is coming in at around R30k (4,470 USD / 2,405 GBP / 3,493 EUR) more than I was originally told by the dealer 
Which means, very sadly, that it now falls just north of my price range 
So last night my motoring-mad husband & I lay in bed & scoured the New Vehicle Prices section of CAR magazine to see what other choices I had. Not terribly surprisingly - being the fussypants that I am! - the ONLY other machine that I was even remotely drawn to was the 4-door sedan version of the 5-door Civic hatch
During this whole process of elimination, I found myself coming to the (perhaps long-overdue?) realisation that I'm not in my 20s anymore, & that it's probably about time I grew up a bit & moved on from a hot-headed hatch to a more sensible family saloon! I am, after all, turning 32 in a couple of month's time 
& would like to be taken a little more seriously - by the world in general 
It's a fact of life that most of us prefer associating ourselves - in both our private & professional lives - with people who APPEAR to be doing okay for themselves. No-one with an iota of intelligence &/or a grain of self-worth is going to be seen willingly hanging around / doing business with people / companies who look like they don't know where their next meal / deal is coming from. Note I used the word "appear" because it may all be a big fat farce...ie. these seemingly deep-pocketed peeps could very well be in debt up to their eyeballs!...but at the end of the day, the right IMAGE is still being portrayed. PERCEIVED success inspires confidence, & it is this magic quality that I've got to cultivate if I really want to get my little sideline, Edge Models, off the ground & competing with the bigger, more established agenies out there. I can't be rocking up for meetings with potential clients looking like a cheeky "girl racer"! Hell, as lame as it sounds (for someone who still feels like she's 16 inside!), I'm really gonna have to start thinking & acting more like a grown-up. And for those of you who, like me, happen to work in the very pretentious & cliquey advertising / fashion industry, you'll know that breaking into a clique & securing business means being seen in not only fabulous clothes in all the right places, darling!, but also behind the wheel of a shit-hot & preferably rare vintage gem, or a nice respectable luxury car
One day when I have my inevitable mid-life crisis, however, I'm definitely giving myself the permission to revert to something small, sexy, & hey, perhaps even convertible! - if my heart at the time so desires
I have also decided that I am quite partial to an automatic this time round, as opposed to a manual (stick), as frankly it is quite exhausting trying to concentrate on constantly changing gears in bumper-to-bumper Jo'burg rush-hour traffic!
Anyway, after like a dozen phonecalls this morning, I am rather chuffed to report that my finance has been approved & I've booked a test drive of both models (manual & automatic) for next Saturday! So if everything goes according to plan (ie. the power, drivability & creature comforts of the car are all they're cracked up to be & there is stock available locally), I should be slipping behind the wheel of my very own "nighthawk" black Civic in the next few weeks...watch this space
Which means, very sadly, that it now falls just north of my price range
So last night my motoring-mad husband & I lay in bed & scoured the New Vehicle Prices section of CAR magazine to see what other choices I had. Not terribly surprisingly - being the fussypants that I am! - the ONLY other machine that I was even remotely drawn to was the 4-door sedan version of the 5-door Civic hatch
During this whole process of elimination, I found myself coming to the (perhaps long-overdue?) realisation that I'm not in my 20s anymore, & that it's probably about time I grew up a bit & moved on from a hot-headed hatch to a more sensible family saloon! I am, after all, turning 32 in a couple of month's time & would like to be taken a little more seriously - by the world in general
It's a fact of life that most of us prefer associating ourselves - in both our private & professional lives - with people who APPEAR to be doing okay for themselves. No-one with an iota of intelligence &/or a grain of self-worth is going to be seen willingly hanging around / doing business with people / companies who look like they don't know where their next meal / deal is coming from. Note I used the word "appear" because it may all be a big fat farce...ie. these seemingly deep-pocketed peeps could very well be in debt up to their eyeballs!...but at the end of the day, the right IMAGE is still being portrayed. PERCEIVED success inspires confidence, & it is this magic quality that I've got to cultivate if I really want to get my little sideline, Edge Models, off the ground & competing with the bigger, more established agenies out there. I can't be rocking up for meetings with potential clients looking like a cheeky "girl racer"! Hell, as lame as it sounds (for someone who still feels like she's 16 inside!), I'm really gonna have to start thinking & acting more like a grown-up. And for those of you who, like me, happen to work in the very pretentious & cliquey advertising / fashion industry, you'll know that breaking into a clique & securing business means being seen in not only fabulous clothes in all the right places, darling!, but also behind the wheel of a shit-hot & preferably rare vintage gem, or a nice respectable luxury car
One day when I have my inevitable mid-life crisis, however, I'm definitely giving myself the permission to revert to something small, sexy, & hey, perhaps even convertible! - if my heart at the time so desires
I have also decided that I am quite partial to an automatic this time round, as opposed to a manual (stick), as frankly it is quite exhausting trying to concentrate on constantly changing gears in bumper-to-bumper Jo'burg rush-hour traffic!
Anyway, after like a dozen phonecalls this morning, I am rather chuffed to report that my finance has been approved & I've booked a test drive of both models (manual & automatic) for next Saturday! So if everything goes according to plan (ie. the power, drivability & creature comforts of the car are all they're cracked up to be & there is stock available locally), I should be slipping behind the wheel of my very own "nighthawk" black Civic in the next few weeks...watch this space
VIEW 10 of 10 COMMENTS
feerlessfreddy:
i saw in the vw group that you were interested in getting a restored one. did that ever pan out?
seancoetzer:
You have a problem here. If you buy the Honda you will have to start supporting Button, and the Renault you will have to shout for Alonso. I am sure Mr. Montoya will feel very betrayed? Have you considered a black VW Polo TDi - goes like hell, excellent value for money, looks cool and will save you big bucks on your fuel bill...