After a quarter of a century of exceptionally reliable service to our family, I helped my mom finally retire her old 1988 Honda Accord. And by retire I don’t mean taking it out back behind the woodshed and putting it out of its misery Old Yeller-style. Nor do I mean sending it off with a gold watch to sit on a front porch somewhere and yell at kids in the front yard. No, the good state of California has a program for purchasing older model vehicles in an effort to take less efficient, gas-guzzlers that have difficulties passing smog checks off the streets. The ironic thing is that this 25 year-old Honda got better gas mileage than the six-year newer ’94 Infiniti that she drives right now. But it was getting long in the automotive tooth and was always the car with the most rust whenever any of us drove it around town. It just looked awful. But as long as it’s paid off, has all the doors and is drivable then there’s a very good chance that California Department of Consumer Affairs’ Consumer Assistance Program will give you at least $1,000 for it.
Not bad for a deteriorating piece of transportation.
After a minimal amount of forms to fill out and receiving a Letter of Eligibility from the state, I drove it one last time down to SA Recycling, the only facility in San Diego that officially accepts retired vehicles. My mom followed in her Infiniti.
It was a bitter-sweet journey. It’s embarrassing to drive but it has so much history with our family. At least it got to see the SeaWorld Skytower, the bay, the downtown skyline with the new library, and the Coronado Bay Bridge one last time.
