MY RIDE-Clay Moldenhauer: 1995 Honda Civic VX

PHOTO BY ROSALIND WARFIELD-BROWN

It'd be hard to beat the reliability of Clay Moldenhauer's 1995 Honda Civic VX. With 330,000 miles, the little red compact– still running on its original engine– gets between 40 and 50 miles to the gallon, according to its proud owner. (The transmission has been replaced.) Now retired, Moldenhauer says he racked up those miles by driving 600 miles a week for 10 years to and from his counseling job in Lynchburg.

In addition to the car's low maintenance, Moldenhauer says, he particularly likes its unusual rear door. Instead of a standard hatchback, the window opens up as the bottom folds down to form a shelf.

The car's one shortcoming: "It doesn't have drop-down front seats, so I can't sleep in it," says Moldenhauer, noting he thinks auto makers ought to consider sleepability a key component of new car design given the current state of the economy.

"A lot of people," he notes with a chortle, "are going to be sleeping in their cars in these coming years." 

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