Yes, prepare the trumpets and bunting, because I’ve done it again! You may struggle to believe it, but I, the champion of the Everchanging Fleet, have managed to own a vehicle for an entire year! What’s more, that makes it three fifths of the fleet that can now be classed (on my terms) as long-termers! The Perodua Nippa is now halfway into its third year with us, while the 2CV has recently passed the 17-year mark. Those two are the only cars to have made it past two years. Remarkable.

Happy anniversary Honda! It deserves a wash.

But, enough about those, because today, the Honda is the star. I’ve written very little about it recently, and it has also been absent from many videos, simply because it just keeps on soldiering on with very little other than routine maintenance. The MOT was passed with no advisories (after a pair of utterly crap track rod ends were replaced, having been fitted the previous year), and the last major work it had (gearbox flush and rear suspension bushes) was back in March. In fact, as a project car for Retro Japanese magazine, it has been a liability of late, not giving me much to write about.

The gearbox continues to be a bit ‘fluffy’ when cold, but is much, much better when warm now. It even manages to kickdown properly most of the time. Not bad for a car with over 150,000 miles on it. I’ve added around 10,000 in the year, necessitating an increase on my insurance as I’d initially put it down to cover 6000…

The only issue is a propensity to drink oil. I’ve replaced some seals, but the level can still drop quite dramatically at times. That said, on the recent trip to the Manchester Classic Car Show, it seems to have lost not a drop. Cars can be strange.

Sure, the ride is still pretty terrible (well, similar to a lot of moderns I guess), and it still views corners with the same distaste I reserve for vegetables, but I somehow just really, really like it, even after an entire 12 months. I like the driving position, the enormous windows, the huge door mirrors and the way it merrily bimbles along at 70mph. I like the way the engine growls menacingly when you ask it to get a shift on. It’s borderline antisocial, especially when it kicks down. I like the column gearlever, the fact I can sleep in it (even if the ‘bed’ is rather uneven) and that its size is so hard to gauge – it’s the same footprint as an MG3. Most of all though, I’m proof that us humans are suckers for looks. I just love the look of this car. The back end is how I dreamt cars would look when I was a child, with those enormous rear lamps and an entirely flat back end.

Here’s a bit of fun, with a before and after. Here’s what the Honda looked like on this day 12 months ago.

The Honda on 18th September 2016.

And how it looks today, after a wash.

The Honda on 18th September 2017 (yes, it does have more doors on this side).

Firstly, you’ll notice the wheels have changed colour. I did that back in April, just before Japfest. Originally, the S-MX had diamond cut wheels, but while I’m sure that looked good when this car left the Honda showroom back in 1997 (another anniversary!), diamond cut alloys never tend to stay nice for long. So, I decided to get them powder coated. Only, I wanted a more distinctive look. Seeing as the Honda has orange interior fittings (yes, from the factory), I decided to go orange.

Luxury bed! And odd orange bits.

In truth, the wheels are a fair bit brighter than the interior bits that are orange – some S-MX Lowdowns could be specified with orange seats! However, I like the orange wheels. They certainly make the car stand out. Oh, I must plug Autoglym for a moment. Its Headlamp Restoration Kit restored night vision when I bought the car, and its Rapid Aqua Wax helps me keep the car looking shiny for minimal effort. I find that very appealing.

There is still stuff to do with this car. I still need to do something about the dreadful state of the paint on the roof for a start. Perhaps my anniversary present to this car might be a vinyl wrap of the roof. Now, what sort of scheme could I choose?