Honda Stages | Blogger Contest Runner Up

By, Lee Gientke

Looking back over the years, there has been a Honda at every major stage in my life. You might say the Hondas I’ve owned were rites of passage.

The very first car I bought for myself was a 2000 charcoal gray Honda Civic. I bought this car in 2003 as the second owner shortly after I graduated from college, where I didn’t have a car. Buying this car was a marker of adulthood for me. I found the car in the newspaper listed for $5500 – a huge sum of money for me at the time. I can remember thinking how much I loved the styling and how quick the car felt even though it had a whopping 127 horsepower. I was also attracted to the things most people love about Honda’s: the reliability and fuel economy. As a recent college graduate I didn’t have much money to dump into a car so my maintenance regimen consisted of changing the oil and filling the gas tank. Fortunately, my Civic didn’t require much more than that.

My Civic lasted until 2006 when I got what I would call my first real serious job for a startup in Los Angeles. If you’ve ever lived in Southern California, you know that your car is a marker of who you are. While my Civic was great, it was time to upgrade the wheels. Here I was, finally making good money, living the single life in Los Angeles and while my Civic was awesome, it was time to get something more fun. The more fun car for me was a 2002 Honda S2000.

With a drop top, 240 horsepower and a redline of 8900 RPM, my S2000 was a blast. I loved dropping the top and driving along the California coast or later, up Provo Canyon on a spring morning. I loved how it felt like driving a go-cart and how it was quick around the corners. It was also amazing how smooth and stable it was going 80 miles an hour (or more!) as it was going 20. It was a really confidence inspiring and it just wanted to go fast. It was also the car I received my first speeding ticket in and it was the car that moved me from Los Angeles to Utah.

Unfortunately, getting married a couple months ago meant that my s2000 had to go, I know that there’s another Honda in my future. I would love to say my next Honda would be another screamer like a Civic Si or a S2000 (if Honda brought it back) but my wife is thinking more along the lines of a Pilot or Odyssey so we can transport more than just us. 

My Honda Love Story | Blogger Contest 2nd Runner Up

My Honda Love Story begins in 1995. I was only 8 at the time but I remember as my parents were visiting different car dealerships, I had fallen in love with this beautiful new green Honda Civic. It was so much better than our 10-year old other car (not a Honda) and it smelled like heaven. My father worked with the car salesman until he got a great price for the car and we took it home.

Not the original car, but my neighbor happens to own one just like by old one except in blue! 

I remember going out to the garage and just admiring it. I've never been a lover of cars, but this thing was beautiful! And my mother even mentioned that I may get to drive it when I turned 16 which, to an 8-year old, was one of the most amazing things she could have ever told me!

As silly as it may sound, I grew up with this car. It took me to piano lessons, swim lessons, softball practices, and tennis practices. The Civic took me to school and picked me up from school. It took me to museums and the zoo. I even spent many hours sprawled out on its back seat on long car rides for vacations (back in the day, apparently it wasn't as big of a deal to have an 8-year old child laying down on the backseat ... or maybe it was and I was totally breaking the law). The comfortable backseat and door kept me propped up for rides to Grandma's house and gave me a nice seat to immerse myself in books or a nap.

Finally, I turned 15 and a half and my parents decided that I should learn to drive on the Honda Civic. I was so excited to drive this car that I had grown so close to for the past 7 years. And over the next few months, I cried a lot in that car. It was a stick shift so not only did I need to know how to drive, watch everything around me, and not hit anything, I also had to remember when to shift gears. There really had been nothing tougher in my life than learning how to not stall the car every time I started moving and how to not roll back a few yards after being stopped on hills.

This little Honda Civic gave me my freedom (after I learned to drive it, of course). I passed my driver's test with flying colors and there was no looking back from there. My friends and I had some fun adventures in that car and it even took me on one of my first dates as a teenager. When I think of my childhood, I think of this car because it was there for all of my big moments up until I was 18. It heard me laugh, cry, yell, and even sing at the top of my lungs. There really was not a better car than my beautiful, enduring, and reliable Honda Civic.

Again, not the original Civic I fell in love with, but exactly like it except in blue! 

Kim Corrigan grew up in Sandy, moved to Utah Valley for college, and has remained there ever since. She enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. She and her family love to do anything but stay home. Picnics, bike rides, special events, and vacations are at the top of their "Most Favorite Things to Do" list. Kim started Utah Valley Moms and socializes on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, and Instagram.

Learning to Drive the Bitty, Bad, Honda | Blogger Contest 1st Runner Up

Photo Credit: Wikipedia.com

It was a sunny afternoon in late June. I was around 16 and scared to drive. I didn't pass my drivers exam in high school and put off trying again for years. But my determined older brother took me to a local grocery store and decided he was going to teach me to drive whether I liked it or not. At the time he drove an old Honda Civic with over 130,000 miles and a stick shift (eeek!). I was beyond terrified to drive it to say the least.

After buying a few items we headed back out to the car of all cars. Instead of hopping into the driver seat, my brother got into the passenger seat. And looked at me expectantly. I almost immediately broke into tears. I was so scared to get into that Honda and test my skills (or lack thereof). After what felt like a billion years I was coerced into the driver seat. I can still remember the smell of the leather steering wheel as I gripped it with deathlike force.

I took a deep breath, put one foot on the brake and one foot on the clutch while easing that bitty, bad Honda Civic into first gear. I eased my foot off the clutch as I pushed down on the gas and I was off! I stopped for a red light and all bets were off. As the light turned green I slowly moved into the intersection. The Honda stalled. I'm pretty sure I said a few choice words, restarted the trusty Honda and put both feet on the correct pedals. Cars honked and went around me, and a few people even swore at me as they passed by.

I put the Civic in first gear again, and eased my foot off the clutch. And stalled the car again! Then the green light turned yellow and then back to red. All the while I was in the middle of the intersection listening to my brother tell me what to do and trying my hardest not to completely lose it. I slowly lurched a few feet forward during the next two lights. That's right; I was in the middle of the intersection for three entire lights!

Finally, I was able to squeak out of the intersection and go to the side of the road. After I caught my breath, I got out of the car and quickly switched places with my brother. I was DONE driving for the day. Mostly I was just thankful that I wasn't dead and that my brothers sacred Honda Civic was still intact.

The next time I got behind the wheel of that car was a much better memory. I had no issues at all. For whatever reason, the horror of that first lurching drive had given me the battle scars I needed to be able to handle a stick shift for life. And it was all because of a bitty, bad Honda Civic.

*****

Hi! I'm Jacki and I blog at www.mamasonadime.com. I am a mom to three little munchkins and love being involved in my community. I also love all things frugal, but I'm not willing to sacrifice quality in the process. Which means I'm all about getting more for less!

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https://twitter.com/MamasonaDime

Calling All Honda Lovers | Share Your Story For a Chance to Win

I've never been shy about sharing how much I love my Honda.  It holds its value in a crazy-good kinda way, it tops safety ratings, and its got all the features that makes my family really love it!

How about you? We want to hear about how you love your Honda and we're giving away a month-long test drive to a first place Honda lover!

To enter:

1. Write a 300-500 word essay on why you love your Honda. Do you a have a specific fond memory of the car? Do you have a favorite feature? Have you taken your Honda on amazing road trip or been saved in a harrowing adventure? Share anything you love about your Honda!   This can be your current car or a past vehicle.

2. Please include (attach) a picture of the car.  Extra points if it's an original picture.  Double bonus points if you're in the picture.  If the picture isn't original, please include proper attribution.

3. Write a 3-6 sentence bio on yourself.  Include links to your blog, and any public social channels as applicable. (e.g. links to pages on G+, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or YouTube)

4. Include your first and last name and phone numbers or other contact info, so we can tell you if you've won!

5. Email your entry to jennakwood@gmail.com by May 6th.


Rules for winning:

1. All work must be original and not unpublished.

2. You must live in the state of Utah and be able to drive to the Orem dealership to pick up your car.

3.  You must be at least 21 years of age.

4. You must have current car insurance.

5. By submitting your essay, you give Ken Garff Honda of Orem the rights to publish your post and submitted images on our blog, Facebook page, and other social channels.  We give all credit and attribution to you.


Prize: 

Prizes will be announced May 9th.

First Place: 1 month-long test drive in a 2014 Honda vehicle.  We will decide together which vehicle is best based on our inventory, your interests and family size.

Runners up:  2nd, 3rd, and 4th place entries will be awarded a week-long test drive in a 2014 Honda vehicle.  Additional runners up may be decided by the essay committee depending on the number and quality of entries.

Each test drive will be exclusive for that winner.  We will promote you on our blog and social channels during your test-drive.


Questions?  Ask in the comments so that everyone can benefit from the answer!