I just got my first Civic - a white 2018 LX Coupe with a manual transmission. I love it.

Here's how I got to where I am now.

For years I was a loyal Hyundai driver. I bought my first new car, a 2002 Accent, for just over $8,000. It was basic, for sure, but I got over 8 years of worry-free driving out of that car. Unfortunately I was hit while stopped at a light and the car was totaled. I'd been so happy with my Accent that I didn't even shop around. I went right back to Hyundai and got a 2010 Accent. This time I treated myself to a higher trim level, and I liked nearly everything about the car. But it was not the worry-free ride that my first Accent had been. There were a couple of chronic problems (alignment, for one) and the car ended up dying for good two months before I paid it off. That soured me on Hyundai so I started to look around, but I was under the gun so I couldn't do as much research as I'd have liked.

I ended up with a 2016 Fit. There was no stick available, so I got the CVT. What a great car. Overnight I became a loyal Honda driver. The Fit was better than the Accent in just about every conceivable way. And it just had a feeling of quality that the Hyundai lacked. But as much as I liked the fit, a couple of minor things started to annoy. The first was that I missed driving a stick. Honda's CVT is a lot better than I was expecting it to be, but I still just missed driving a stick. The second - and I'm embarrassed to admit that this matters to me - is that the Fit is kind of silly looking. I'm poor. I'm used to driving entry level cars. But I just couldn't warm to the Fit's looks.

I'd never even dreamed that a base Civic would be in my price range, but it really is a very affordable car. So now I have the Honda quality that I fell in love with and the best manual I've ever driven, all in a comfortable, stylish car that drives like a dream.