Big Dreams, Little Budget :-)
julia1990Civic
Band Wagon
Hi, my name is Julia. I live in Atlanta, GA. I bought my 1990 Honda Civic Wagon in excellent condition from a Honda dealership. The interior is near mint; brown, tan and white. The exterior is brown and has some dings. It was in the "bargain" section. $2700. 109,000 miles. My small business had closed due to the recession. I was broke. I sold my vehicle that I had been making car payments on. I had no choice but to buy the "bargain" Honda.
It was a battle to learn driving the 5-speed. I stalled making a left turn in a major Atlanta intersection. A chorus of horns followed my "bucking" and "bouncing" wagon (due to my poor shifting) to the correct roadway. I cried (I can do that - I'm a girl). I was so embarrassed and frustrated that I swore I'd trade it in for something else. My boyfriend, who has a Honda S2000, persuaded me to keep driving it.
I have a new career with AOL. I mastered the 5-speed. I fell in love with the Wagon I affectionately call "The Sassy Wagon." I read a Honda Tuning magazine about Alexander Cardona's '91 Honda Civic Dx Wagon. That's when it happened. I started having big dreams for the Sassy Wagon, lol. Now that I'm making a good income and have confidence driving the Civic Wagon, I want to transform it into a Fast-N-Furious car. But I'm on a budget, so baby steps. First, I'm replacing the stereo and speakers because the original is worn and the speakers crackle. Next step, a paint job. I'm thinking white with some kind of original, but not gaudy, design somewhere. No flames. Oh, and I plan to have a Swarovski Crystal license plate holder. A little bling never hurts. My interior is near mint, so I plan to leave it alone except for adding maybe some monograms on the head rests or sprucing-up the sun visors. I plan to replace the shifter with something bombastic. Then later, I'm thinking of installing those fancy headlights (don't know what they are called), and an Integra VTEC engine.
So, this is my story. I'm interested in hearing about yours, and any advice that you may have about paint jobs, discount parts, and so on. :-)
It was a battle to learn driving the 5-speed. I stalled making a left turn in a major Atlanta intersection. A chorus of horns followed my "bucking" and "bouncing" wagon (due to my poor shifting) to the correct roadway. I cried (I can do that - I'm a girl). I was so embarrassed and frustrated that I swore I'd trade it in for something else. My boyfriend, who has a Honda S2000, persuaded me to keep driving it.
I have a new career with AOL. I mastered the 5-speed. I fell in love with the Wagon I affectionately call "The Sassy Wagon." I read a Honda Tuning magazine about Alexander Cardona's '91 Honda Civic Dx Wagon. That's when it happened. I started having big dreams for the Sassy Wagon, lol. Now that I'm making a good income and have confidence driving the Civic Wagon, I want to transform it into a Fast-N-Furious car. But I'm on a budget, so baby steps. First, I'm replacing the stereo and speakers because the original is worn and the speakers crackle. Next step, a paint job. I'm thinking white with some kind of original, but not gaudy, design somewhere. No flames. Oh, and I plan to have a Swarovski Crystal license plate holder. A little bling never hurts. My interior is near mint, so I plan to leave it alone except for adding maybe some monograms on the head rests or sprucing-up the sun visors. I plan to replace the shifter with something bombastic. Then later, I'm thinking of installing those fancy headlights (don't know what they are called), and an Integra VTEC engine.
So, this is my story. I'm interested in hearing about yours, and any advice that you may have about paint jobs, discount parts, and so on. :-)
Comments
You're in a good part of the country to be an enthusiast
wagon..................4ever........
:shock: another Georgia member....
I wish i lived so close to The BamTECH Garage...
Many of us here have big dreams and little budgets so you're among friends in more ways than just owning a wagon. Spend some time browsing the forums first, reading the stickies, and some of the more popular topics in each forum and you'll probably find a lot of answers to your questions, realization of your ideas, and thoughts for projects you haven't even dreamed of yet!
This is a great community to be in, and this board has a lot of very helpful, enthusiastic members.
That said...Pics of wagon!!!
he's right!! and you're in the company of 2 more lady wagonistas.
I will post pictures of the Sassy Wagon soon. I feel fortunate that the interior is in such good condition.
I'm eager to paint the exterior which I hope to get done within the next couple of months. I'm saving $. Black or white, I cannot decide. I'd like to lower the body which sits high above the wheels. The muffler is big, older, and noisy, so that needs to be dealt with.
For Christmas I received a Kenwood stereo and Alpine speakers. Sweet! The first step in the Sassy Wagon make-over.
I'm reading the forums. I have so many questions about rims, bodykits, lowering the body, and more.
I hope you had a great holiday and look forward to talking with you more.
I drive through Decatur a couple times each month. Usually the farmer's market or to browse the shops. Hope to see you and your wagon some day soon!
Can you recommend an Atlanta area body shop that paints cars?
Happy New Year!
Julia