Tag Archives: Civic

After 30 Years, New Yorker Says Goodbye to Beloved Car Bluey

Back when I was in high school, I bought my first car. It wasn’t flashy or really anything special on the outside. In fact, I bought it used from my grandma, earning it the nickname of “The Grannymobile” in my family. On the outside, it was an unremarkable silver-grey sedan, and inside, the entertainment center didn’t even have a CD player. Instead, I had to hit up discount and vintage stores and buy cassette tapes, and I ended up with a very strange music collection including Prince’s “Love Machine” and Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame.” While it wasn’t exactly a teenager’s dream car, the Grannymobile was reliable, and I grew to love all of its quirks. I finally had to retire the Grannymobile after a rough road trip to Florida (and a rainstorm/mini-hurricane) left the bottom rusting through. It was a bittersweet goodbye. After all, this car had seen me through my high school and college years. It wasn’t just a way to get around. The Grannymobile was like an old friend who had seen me through good times and bad, and many of my best memories of those years wouldn’t have been the same without it.

This week, I was reminded of the Grannymobile when I read the story of New Yorker Harry Ettling and his old reliable car Bluey. Bluey, a 1982 Honda Civic, had lasted three decades and 170,000 miles with Ettling. Throughout Bluey’s life, the car survived getting totaled, having all four tires stolen, and then later getting flipped during the Washington Heights riots in 1992. Somehow, Bluey kept on running all these years until Ettling noticed the car floor was rusting out and knew it wasn’t safe for the road anymore.

After 30 years of service, Ettling didn’t want to just send Bluey off to be sold for parts. Instead, he hosted a full-fledged “funeral” for Bluey. He hired a Dixieland band to play in Bluey’s honor, and he dressed up in a black suit jacket and top hat. A floral wreath was even placed on the hood of the car, and when Bluey was eventually taken away to the junkyard, Ettling headed off to a local bar to continue the festivities.

What I really loved about this story was not only the impact of Bluey on Ettling’s life but also on Ettling’s neighborhood. Bluey certainly didn’t look like much, but this car became an icon with neighbors regularly stopping to get a picture with it. On the day of Bluey’s funeral, a New York neighborhood came together as a community to celebrate one of their own, even if it traveled on four wheels, and that kind of unity is wonderful to see in the headlines these days.

Ettling has said he’s not ready to get a new car because he needs “time to heal,” but we hope that when he is ready, he will consider going through Approved Loan Store. We want to get you the best terms on a new or used vehicle. Fill out our secure online auto loan application here, and keep up with the latest auto news by liking Approved Loan Store on Facebook, following Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribe to Approved Loan Store on YouTube.

Should I Buy a Hybrid?

The rise of gas prices have lead car drivers to start making more educated choices in their choices. Hybrids are really seeing a surge in sales due to people looking to keep away from those high prices as much as possible. That popularity is causing many buyers to ask the question, should I buy a hybrid?  The San Francisco Chronicle offers advice for these very people.

Hybrids have gained this upswing in sales because it’s thought that they will save money when gas prices rise. The cars SF Chronicle uses to show the difference is the 2012 Honda Civic Sedan and the Civic Hybrid. The Sedan has a price of $15,995 and gets around 28 miles per gallon in the city and 39 on the highway. In comparison, the Civic Hybrid’s price is $24,200 and is 44 miles per gallon in the city and highway. After doing some math based on the average miles driven by someone ages 20-34 (15,098 miles a year) the conclusion shows that the fuel cost is indeed lower on the Hybrid by $455. The problem with that number is that the difference in cost is still $8,205. That means it’ll take 18 years for the buyer to make up the lose.

That doesn’t bode too well for the idea that hybrids save. It’s unrealistic to expect a car to last 18 years. There’s other things to take into account, however. The government used to have tax incentives to encourage purchases of hybrids. This was done more then the idea was new though, and since the car maker has sold more than 60,000 vehicles, that incentive has gone. As of December 31st, 2010, that credit is no longer eligible. There’s one exception however, and that’s the plug-in hybrids. They still offer credit of up to $7,500 but be warned the vehicle tends to be rather pricey.

That brings us to the new generation of the hybrid, the plug in hybrid. While normal hybrids use a combination of a gas engine and electricity, the plug in relies on batteries. While keeping gas out of the equation, they are subject to shorter ranges, only having about 50 to 100 miles in them before needing a recharge. There is a gasoline-powered engine, however, that does take over once the battery is dry. What to keep in mind when thinking of purchasing a plug in to save on gas costs is that they do come with a hefty price tag. The 2012 Chevy Volt for example is $39,145. The tax incentive brings that down to $31,645. The traditional Honda price is half of that.

Hybrids do a good job of making the driver feel good about the environment. In a world that is starting to put the green moniker on everything they can, driving a hybrid gives a sense of aiding to make the world a better and cleaner place. Hybrids certainly are good for the environment, but in the problem of if they are worth the extra cost to cut down on gas prices, they aren’t so good. It’s up the consumer to see if this is a good enough value for themselves, but a hybrid will not save you overall at the pump for the time being.

Wanting to get yourself a new or used hybrid anyway? Don’t worry if you have challenged credit, here at Approved Loan Store, we work with people struggling with bad credit to put them in the car, or hybrid in this case, they want. Go online to fill out the application to see how our staff can help you. To stay current on all the latest news and advice pieces, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.