Junkyard Find: 1993 Honda Del Sol

As the owner of a much-loved 1992 Honda Civic (unfortunately, I’m not the only one who loves fifth-gen Civic hatchbacks), I know how hard it is to find parts for my V8-hauling hooptie at my local self-serve wrecking yard. The 1992-95 Civic has become to the 2010s what the ’57 Chevy was in the 1970s: the affordable car with great performance potential that all the 24-year-olds want. That means that these cars get picked clean within minutes of showing up at a low-price/high-inventory-turnover wrecking yard. The two-seat Del Sol version of the Civic is even harder to find in such yards; in fact, this is perhaps the third Del Sol I’ve seen in my last five years of junkyard crawling.

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  • Spookiness The Mazda interior really is nice. I recognize the rationale for the Mazda infotainment interface design in lieu of a touch screen, but the filthy masses have spoken. As with the rotary engine, it's time to move on. To sell more cars they'll need to have touchscreens. Other carmakers have evolved beyond the iPad-screwed-on-top-the-dash look, so I'm sure Mazda can come up with something aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly. (Another quibble: I really don't need or want AWD, so I wish it wasn't forced. But again, the masses have spoken.)
  • Lou_BC “We are always listening to the customer. "You sayin' the baller/gangsta types don't want Escalades on 24's that don't make vroom vroom rumbly sounds?
  • AZFelix I shall fully endorse the use of autonomous cars on public roads once they have successfully completed my proposed Turing test for self driving vehicles. This test requires the successful completion of an at fault incident and accident free 24/7 driving session in Buffalo and upstate New York from October 1st until March 31st, and throughout the city of Jakarta, Indonesia for one consecutive year. Only Level 1 and Level 5 vehicles are permissible.
  • Lou_BC I'd go Rav4. No Mazda dealer in my town and from what I've seen, Mazda's tend to rust.
  • Steve Jacobs I've got a bright Red Kia EV6. Easy to find in a parking lot.