Nostalgic for a stick shift

Just got our tires rotated at Costco. We have a 1995 Honda Civic hatchback with 372,000 miles on it [with a little help from a Japanese reconditioned engine along the way.]

It's not our primary mode of transport, we are intrepid urban bicyclists, but this little car makes all our trips up the mountain, down to Monterey, up to San Francisco, the Humboldt redwoods, and such.

We've driven rental cars all over the world and have oftimes commented that our little old car is a better drive, for all its 21.., ah, now 22 years. We're only the second owner, bought it maybe 15 years ago for $1,600 after the first owner lost confidence in it because it broke down on the highway. But in truth, it's the most reliable car we've ever had and it costs peanuts to fix *[at one-man show Santa Cruz mechanic Classic Honda].

It drives as good as ever, holds the road like a little racing car, is great on gas, and, volume-wise, it's like Dr Who's #tardis (we can and do use it like a truck).

Well I figured it was time to say all this about our trusty steed since I'm still tickled by the Costco tire mechanic's reaction, backing our car out of the bay when the job was complete, jumping out with a grin and the comment "I still miss my stick shift!" then, wistfully, "My first car was a stick shift."