As I was finishing up my oil change this afternoon, I wrote on the next service reminder tag, “next oil change due at: 291,000 miles.” And I was thinking to my self “wow, that’s a big number.” That’s 291,000 miles on the body of my CRX which means 191,000 miles for the D16A1 motor. And it still amazes me every time I get behind the wheel that I can still pull this thing as hard as I could for some adrenaline rush and still get to places day in and day out. My much newer 2005 Subaru experienced numerous hiccups and has cost me close to $3000 in maintenance and service in less than 5 years. I can always rely on my 23 year old CRX to be there when I need it. It always starts up right away no matter how cold, hot or how long it’s been sitting in the driveway. The Subaru however, hasn’t been that nice to me.

This 23 year old CRX of mine can put the new CR-Z to shame any day whether it be performance or frugality. It can occasionally hit 40+ mpg if driven gently. It has no problem hitting 37+ mpg even when I drive like I just robbed a bank. All this with 0-60 mph in 6 seconds flat. The 113 horsepower from a naturally aspirated dohc 1.6 really does wonders for this 1900 or so pound shell. All this with a trunk that can swallow 90% of the stuff you can buy at Ikea. How cool is that?

It was only a matter of time. After all, no Honda can escape the curse of the wheel arch rust. My CRX was no exception. Despite being rust-free for the past 20 years or so in California, my CRX has finally succumbed to the infamous plague after just two years of Chicago winter.

The rust has now grown too big for me to ignore it anymore. There are few minor rust spots forming on the sunroof panel and around the windshield as well. Well, there goes my summer. Damn you rust god!

In the beginning I thought it was about time the corner cutting at Toyota rightfully revealed itself. It was interesting to see how things panned out. But then again, this sort of thing is nothing new. Recalls and corporate fiascoes happen all the time. So this Toyota thing is getting old and stale not to mention that it has been totally blown out of proportion. The almost comical overreaction of Congress has shamed even Jerry Springer and Maury Show.

Congress criticized Toyota for placing its bottom line in front of customer safety. But what company doesn’t? We all know companies wouldn’t give a hoot about safety unless they are legally bound to. It’s only normal for a company to act defensive at the allegation of a possible defect. But before we even get to that, are those politicians even in the position to judge someone based on their priority? Aren’t the politicians themselves the creators of this skewed priority in the first place? Aren’t they the ones who put their own riches and greed before the good of the nation and its people while their seat and job description clearly suggests the reverse? Who’s criticizing who here? And who really has done more harm to American public? Toyota’s mishap intentional or not doesn’t even come close.