August 8th, 2014 - The good ol' days

August 8th, 2014

Does anyone else remember the ‘good ol’ days’?

When I first bought my CRX in 1996 the times were much different than they are now. The Olympics were in Atlanta, the Internet was still in its infancy, the Taliban had just taken over Afghanistan, the DVD video format had just come out, eBay was just starting up, Tupac died, Independence Day and Twister were in theatres, Bill Clinton was the president of the USA and the Macarena was #1 on the radio.

Shortly after buying my CRX I would see other CRX drivers in the coming lane and I would stick my hand out the window in a half-hearted wave/peace sign. Not quite a ‘Hi Mom!’ wave and not quite a Hippie-salute, but just enough of a combination of each that they’d notice… And I would almost always receive a reciprocal wave. 

I had a friend in college who was one of those a Chevy guy through and through, and even he was impressed at the display of automotive solidarity. One day we were driving to the beach in White Rock, cutting classes on a sunny spring day to check out the latest trends in ladies swimsuits for 1997, and he witnessed the gesture and the return. His mind was blown and he told me that he had no idea that this type of thing occurred outside of motorcycles or truck drivers, and was especially shocked that it happened between a couple of "Honda" drivers. 

One of the last times I took my CR-X out for a drive I actually saw another CRX driver and stuck my hand out the window and I didn't receive a corresponding gesture. Granted I was on the "wrong side of the car", and not everyone responds, but it occurred to me that this is something I'll probably rarely and perhaps never get to do again. The CRX is not a common vehicle on the roads anymore, at least not in Calgary, and it's a different time now. The import community is much larger and more impersonal than it was back in the mid-to-late-90s and most importantly, I don't think people pay that close attention anymore. Too many gadgets nowadays.

I do hope that owners of other, more common cars, continue this tradition in some form. It was something small and seemingly insignificant but for some reason I really miss it. 

The flyer for the first annual BC CRX Meet in 1998 said at the bottom: "If you don't own one, you wouldn't understand." and I like to think that simple gesture, from one CRX driver to another, was our way to acknowledging that we do in fact "understand".

Remember, this blog was written in chronological order so, you will need to click OLDER POSTS to move forward in time, and click NEWER POSTS to go backwards.