Bill Watt’s Blog

So, my poor Honda Passport was starting to really show it’s age after 8 years of wear and tear. The breaks were gone, the check engine light has been on for >1.5 years with 2 different dealers telling me that they couldn’t find the issue, and there were other noises going on that boded poorly.

I got the Honda back in 1999 after my Saturn SL2 took one too many hits. That Saturn was an accident magnet. Not the make or model… just that one car seemed to have been destined for trouble. Seriously, most of the accidents were not my fault. There was one winter back in Boston where 3 different people slid into me at different times and from varrying distances. There was one incident where a woman behind me slid about 25 feet on ice and bumped into me. When people are being pulled into your car from that far away you start to accept it.

I used to joke that I had the Honda longer than I’ve had Alice (only by about 30 days).

Well, this weekend we decided it was time to let the Honda go before it broke down on me and we upgraded to a new Acura MDX. We went in early Sat did some shopping and test drives and had it home by 2PM. I went a little overboard with the accessories but it is fun and you only live once! Here’s one image:

I guess the biggest surprise feature so far is the surround sound system. Tonight, while waiting for a take out dinner order, I was watching a TV show stored on the video iPod and running through the car entertainment system. At one point in the show there was a knock on the door and it was so clear that I actually looked left thinking someone was knocking on the car door.

I have seen advertisements for custom computer systems you can install to do all kinds of extra stuff. Maybe I’ll have to look into that. Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing if I can keep this one for 10 years.