January-25---Tell-a-Love-Story---My-Love-Affair

JOURNALING:
My love affair began in 1993 when the Honda Motor Company introduced the Del Sol to the American market. When my husband, Jim, and I went to buy the car, the salesman tried to talk me into another color since there were no red ones on the lot. I told him I’d gladly wait because I’d always wanted a “little two-seater red sports car”. It was worth the few extra weeks!
“Del Sol” means “of the sun” in Spanish and refers to the targa top that can be removed by hand and stored in the trunk. I agree with reviews at the time that the car is “…light, nimble, and almost racecar-like” to drive. The interior featured an easy-to-read dash layout and comfortable seats that seemed “molded to my body”. The trunk was surprisingly large, even with the top stored in it. Jim, being 6’1” disliked my little car, but for 5’1” me, it was almost perfect.
In 1995, Jim and I attended a car show where the newest “Del Sol” was on display. I enthusiastically admired the little changes that had been made, such as a remote trunk release and a low fuel light. I was going on and on about this little gem of a sports car to other people looking at it. I noticed two Honda representatives standing off to the side just beaming at me – I was “selling” the Del Sol and they didn’t have to do a thing!!
In late 1996, Porsche introduced the Boxster. It was a “mid-engine” two-seater roadster. I previously had owned a mid-engine car and LOVED how it handled. Coming in the beautiful Porsche red with the cachet of that prancing horse on the hood, I was tempted to trade-in my Del Sol. The only problem was the cars were very popular and there were none on the floor to look at or to test drive. So, we put our name on the list and waited. One afternoon Jim called me at work and asked if I could leave and meet him at the club right away - there was a Porsche Boxster in the parking lot. I rushed over and got to see a “real, live” Boxster for the first time. It was sleek and beautiful, but I wasn’t enamored with the car as I had been when I first saw a Del Sol. I returned to work, took the elevator up to the 8th floor, and looked down on my little car and fell in love all over again. There would be no Porsche in our garage, I was sticking with my original “little two-seater red sports car”.
In 1997, Honda stopped manufacturing the Del Sol due to rapidly declining sales. I was one of 5,603 people in the United States to buy a Del Sol that year and possibly the last one sold in California.
After enduring California and Florida sun, my car was re-painted in 2021 and looks fantastic. I get compliments on it all the time (even before the paint job!). It doesn’t have the fancy gadgets that new cars have (oh, for a back-up camera and heated seats), but the last car I own will be my “little two-seater red sports car”.

CREDITS: PHOTO – by me; KITS – “Home” and “On the Road”, Kristin Aagard; FONT – OldNewspaper Types