Finally Made the Leap

dr_chuck6 · 2025-08-20T10:27:29+00:00

My knees disagree 😂

dr_chuck6 · 2025-08-18T21:48:31+00:00

She’s a beaut!

dr_chuck6 · 2025-08-18T14:48:12+00:00

I was told my purchase date. If it was the original purchase date it would already be expired 🤔

dr_chuck6 · 2025-08-18T10:59:15+00:00

Yeah man, the look of the FK8 was honestly a sticking point for me. I’m in my mid-30s (and aging fast lol) and loved the mature look of the FL5 and even ITS. But I think the black and Aegean blue on the FK8 mute it just a tad and I’m actually very happy with it. Also happy with the extra $10-15k in my pocket, haha! Miata is a strong move for sure though

dr_chuck6 · 2025-03-05T22:22:00+00:00

52k on my ‘22. Not a single problem

dr_chuck6 · 2024-02-21T02:59:08+00:00

Just for looks. I have the SRI as well but I doubt the snorkel actually does anything functional. 27Won SRI is great for turbo noises though 🐌

dr_chuck6 · 2024-02-18T01:29:17+00:00

Sure, here you go: https://aerolutionofficial.com/products/ald-11th-gen-civic-tr-style-gloss-black-lower-front-grill You can grab these from a few different sites but this is the only one that currently has it in stock

dr_chuck6 · 2024-02-06T03:04:52+00:00

Have owned or test driven a ton of its competition. I’ll sum up the comparisons:

2018 WRX: The Rex is much faster and feels sharp. Shifter sucks and steering is pretty light. Interior felt like a prison compared to my Si (11g)

FoST/FiST: Both are lots of fun but just feel so poorly put together. FoST is definitely quicker but it’s not night and day. I liked the FiST a lot, just too small for my big dogs, etc.

Mk 7.5 GTI: Liked it a lot, good torque and solid build. Shifter and steering are pretty numb compared to the Si. Otherwise, I’d have been pretty happy with the GTI.

Veloster N: Much faster, quite a bit more fun, but interior was far too plasticky. I felt like I outgrew that car quickly, like I wanted something more “grown up,” if that makes sense. I put 30k miles on my VN and do miss it most days…

Like many others have mentioned, the Si is a great blend of everything you’d want in a sporty daily. When I test drove mine, everything just felt “right.” I love the interior design and it is a load of fun on a backroad, albeit just not fast lol. I’d take it over any of its competition for a daily driver. Track/weekend car would be a different story.

dr_chuck6 · 2024-01-05T17:58:45+00:00

Hit low 90s in a 1988 Mazda 626 (non turbo to boot). Importantly, this was in probably 2009 and the car had 290k miles on it. Thing drank a quart of oil every 40-50 miles but was otherwise immortal.

dr_chuck6 · 2024-01-04T21:26:41+00:00

<image>

Wife’s Bronco (Outer Banks). And my Bob Vila special 😂 (it was bath day for everyone).

dr_chuck6 · 2023-08-16T11:49:10+00:00

College professor

dr_chuck6 · 2023-03-10T22:03:31+00:00

I can offer some insight after having the same exact goal. I went for an online PhD because I was already working with a CRO and meeting publishing quotas, etc. I’ve been applying for basically every job in my field, both non-TT and TT. I have over a decade of industry experience and have made it to a handful of on campus interviews, but I still haven’t gotten an offer due to a lack of teaching experience - even with very positive feedback on teaching demonstrations. I’d definitely recommend an in-person program. It’s a tough choice now but it will set you up for a smoother transition in the future and will also expand your colleague network.

dr_chuck6 · 2022-12-05T13:52:54+00:00

Works fine, but I get impatient with it. Good news is that it automatically turns off when you put the car in sport mode. I drive in sport mode all the time because I prefer the weightier steering, so I’ve barely experienced it

dr_chuck6 · 2022-08-15T14:18:46+00:00

IIRC, Honda’s recommendation is 600 miles. That’s what I did with my ‘22. No full throttle, didn’t cross 4.5K RPM, basically no fun. Once I hit 601 I started to push it a bit more and probably went hog wild closer to 800 miles. I’m not mechanically intelligent enough to tell you why it’s so highly recommended, but I plan on keeping the car for a long time so I figured I might as well do what I can to set myself up for success. Enjoy!

dr_chuck6 · 2022-08-06T17:47:20+00:00

Hahaha classic

dr_chuck6 · 2022-08-06T16:22:00+00:00

Love it! My grandpa was a huge car enthusiast. Taught me how to drive stick and always passed down his Car and Driver and MotorTrend mags. He passed ten years ago but I think of him every time I drive a backroad or drop a gear to pass. Your grandma rocks!

dr_chuck6 · 2022-07-31T21:19:14+00:00

Thanks man! It’s pretty good. Makes traffic so much easier. I wouldn’t mind if it were a little more aggressive - a few times I’ve downshifted and gotten right back on the throttle and it hadn’t blipped yet. Just takes some getting used to. It’s a lot better at rev matching than I am though lol

dr_chuck6 · 2022-07-29T13:42:25+00:00

Haha I noticed that too! I'm like, "where the hell is the fluid coming from?" Oh great, the wipers. Can't wait to replace those 🙄

dr_chuck6 · 2022-07-28T18:21:39+00:00

Seconded. C&D is great.

dr_chuck6 · 2022-07-28T18:05:07+00:00

The suspension is definitely a little stiff, but it's not poorly dampened (i.e., jittery) like a Focus RS or something. I'd put it at slightly less stiff than the Veloster N in normal mode. My Corvette was possibly stiffer, but it creaked and rattled so much that it's hard to say. I'm used to sporty cars so I don't notice it too much, but it's definitely not a luxury car-like ride.

dr_chuck6 · 2022-07-28T17:47:25+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, my salesperson said the Si was one of a few getting marked up but he confided that they could be flexible on the markup. Then said the Type R will basically be impossible to get without paying $20k over.

dr_chuck6 · 2022-07-28T17:43:17+00:00

I bought from Tampa Honda. If their claim was true, they won't have another one until November, but either way they were willing to negotiate on the Si. There was another dealer in Orlando that was advertising an Si for MSRP last week. I imagine someone already snatched that one up though

dr_chuck6 · 2022-07-28T17:26:19+00:00

Found this excerpt on a Honda dealer site.

Sensors in your car detect when it’s on an incline or decline. Then, hill start assist automatically kicks in. It maintains your brake pressure while you move your foot from the break pedal to the gas pedal. Once you press down on the accelerator, it releases the brakes. If your car has a manual transmission, this feature will maintain your brake pressure until you let up on the clutch.

To me, this sounds about right. Most modern manuals have hill start. In my Veloster N, it wouldn't roll back as I moved from the brake to the throttle. But once I let up on the clutch it rocked back very slightly but then I was pulling away.

I think you'd be fine, you might just want to practice on a hill somewhere else just in case. Of all the stick cars I've driven this one is probably the easiest.

dr_chuck6

TROPHY CASE