It might seem planned that both our family’s rides would be sold within five months of each other, but actually this was, as many things are, just a luck of the draw. Of course, personal (or shall I say logistic) changes have had a lot to do with it, but at the end of the day – they were gone, whilst a new member replaced them both.
First, the Honda Civic Tourer; I’ve written a post about it in 2019, little over a year since its purchase (as a used vehicle), to serve the family as, well, a workhorse. It was, however, meant to be driven on nothing but short journeys, say around town, as the Opel Astra was much better, so would still be designated as number one vehicle. I will not elaborate much over the original post which, I think, illustrates the reasoning behind its purchase and usability (also, I did continuously update about it and the Astra on other posts, see example).
It did provide us with a surprise: from a car that was meant to serve as an also-run, the Civic has turned into the main vehicle of the family. We went everywhere with it, traveled to the most northern parts of the country and down to the desert, not far from the most south point. It never skipped a bit and when it did dye (or rather, its battery), it did so just about near home, only two days after returning from said desert, where it might have proven to be most unfitting to break down. Being a (very) reliable Honda, and as it was an ex-company car, already having had a strained life, I felt at ease assigning it with any manner of demands. This doesn’t mean it was neglected- far from it. Its annual services were performed to the letter:
And should it suffer from any discomfort, treatment was supplied with no expenses spared:
When its boots were worn, replacements were issued with the best possible choice on its day, Michelin Primacy 4:
And all the time, it was kept shiny and clean (well, that’s my obsessiveness but nevertheless the Civic did benefit):
So, why get rid of it? Well, sometime mid 2023 we came to a financial opportunity that enabled us to think about (and pursue) a new car altogether. My wife’s preferred vehicle was an SUV, and I slowly came around. I mean, I will always hold a candle to classic hatchbacks, but have to admit I was getting tired “falling” into low seats that did not prove sporty, as if it mattered; As I was doing was driving through everyday traffic, which was mostly slow and bothersome. For this sort of driving, you could be seated much more comfortably and if you choose correctly, some SUVs haven’t lost all sportiness so are somewhat enjoyable (ish). So we settled on this new car (more on which later), but we had to sell one of our cars beforehand, to use its proceedings and also not to be stuck with three cars.
We decided upon selling the Honda because, even if just one year older than the Opel, it was much longer in the tooth milage wise and let’s face it- much less modern. It started to feel ratty in places, was not as accessorized as the Astra and of course, compared with the Opel, devoid of any dynamic aspirations.
So the Civic Tourer was published for about a month, during which all types of prospected buyers (read annoying naggers who weren’t about to buy the car anyway but just wasted my time) called me up. Eventually, it was rather an ad I hung up at the Honda service center, which summoned a nice young man whose mother works at said center. A deal was struck and so, one morning in June my elder son said goodbye:
… and we were able to finalize the deal and deliver the Honda to its new owner. I drove the car to his parents’ place, some ten kilometers away from home. Parked it and took one last photo:
And so, about a month later, we took hold of what was meant to be the Civic Tourer’s replacement, a brand-new vehicle to go alongside the Opel Astra. So how come we sent the Astra on its way as well?
It’s just a case of changing fortunes (maybe fortunes is too big a word). I mean, the Astra (having had its own COAL) really served us well, only to be set aside when we started using the Honda more and more in its place. As written in the original COAL, when we purchased it back in 2016, it was loaded with the latest gadgets and accessories (for the times), that would really fit more luxurious brands – and our Astra wasn’t the most accessorized one. I was weary of stories about how unreliable the 1.4 turbo engine was, with turbos malfunctioning and dreaded LSPI issues. But the truth is that during its time with us, the Astra turned out to be spotless. Nothing but regular services and MOTs were performed, with the occasional special treatments, such as new tires (this time I’ve gone for Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance:
The result of which was a much-needed wheel alignment:
And of course, just like the Civic, kept clean. Really clean:
Occasionally, I would park next to another Astra, which was is not a common sight in Israel, being that not many people bought the Astra K in the first place. Still, took a photo:
But in the end, personal changes dictated that we really didn’t need two cars in the family. My working hours are such that I can settle on bus rides, however unpleasant they are, because I start and finish early (and continue to work from home). Also, starting from the current academic year, the youngest son joined the public schooling network and so transferred to a preschool some 200 meters from the eldest’s primary school – both are around 500 meters from home. So, there really is no justification for driving the kids (their after-school activities are, again, within walking distances and this has been so for the past few years anyway). All this means you annually pay a hefty sum that consists of MOT tax, insurance and services even before you turned a wheel, after which find your money disappearing even more down the petrol pump. So, I was pushing to sell the Astra, whilst my wife wanted to hold on to it some more.
And then, there was the war; obviously I will not get political, but for those of you who don’t know- Israel is in a state of war since the 7th of October Hamas attack, which included firing armed rockets. That sent the kids to stay at home, and adults to start working from home, so now we’ve had two cars not going anywhere. Since then, the situation eased up and at the time of writing, the kids are back in school and my wife is back at her office, but this sealed the Astra’s fate for good; around mid-November, off it went into the classifieds.
Now, as this was not a popular car in Israel, I expected to have a rough time selling it, even more than with the Honda. Boy was I wrong; I published the Opel on Saturday evening, and literally could not hold back the torrent of phone calls. Apparently, the Astra has many followers on the used car market that appreciate it for having all those features mentioned above, that you simply don’t get for its price, not to mention they’re not present in same-era competitors (well, not in the Israeli market, at least). On the following Monday, a guy came over in the afternoon to see it (well, at 19:00 it was already dark so I don’t know what he saw) – didn’t even lift the bonnet (hood) up: “Let’s finish the deal, tomorrow morning I’ll be over and will do the money/ownership transfers, OK?” Well… OK. And so it was – published on Saturday (evening), sold on Tuesday (Morning) with even its original battery that was over seven years old! I managed to get both kids to say goodbye this time:
And there you have it, both cars were gone. They really were Cars Of A Lifetime, however short that lifetime was; each one carried each of my new-born sons from the maternity word to our home; they traveled with us everywhere and back, and the eldest even named them: the Astra was to be “milk car” and the Civic was dubbed “Kaspion” (Kessef translates to Silver in Hebrew).
But hold on – what of their replacement? Well, here it is parked next to the Astra, when that car was still with us:
Way taller than the Opel. In fact, somewhat dwarfing it in the next photo:
Yep, you guessed it – A Mazda CX-5. Here are a couple more photos from when we picked it up at the Mazda center, early in August:
Naturally, a dedicated COAL should follow, as this is a bit too early to review. What I can say is that it probably falls more within the European CX-5s specs rather than US Cx-5s, and that it is already dubbed “whale” by the youngest offspring (well, it’s his turn now), keeping in with the fishy naming system.
They build their hoses like Italians do, over there. Unlike the Italians though, Israelis seem to prefer northern European-styled cobble-stoned sidewalks and partial roadways
Thanks for the update. As you describe it, I can certainly see the case for owning just one vehicle. The CX-5 seems to have something of a following here on CC, I’m fascinated to hear how your version differs from the versions we get over here in the US.
A good update, I’m kind of in the same boat with our daily vehicles being 2 x 2015 and a 2013. Still in good shape, but getting a little long in the tooth.
I see lots of CX-5s around, it seems like a good combination of size and value that folks seem to like. Good luck with your new purchase!
No, I didn’t guess it. I do have to say that Honda is an ugly car.
They’re nice cars, those Astras, but it’s probably good fortune to let it go now. I can’t imagine PSA having enormous interest in providing much back-up for out-of-warranty 7+ y.o. GM products.
The CX-5 would be my choice too, especially for looks and interior (perceived) quality. They just have a classy feel to them. The previous model I drove was excellent dynamically, and I understand this one is better yet. The size – slightly squeezy for rear adults – is completely fine for your kids for years to come. I too am a bit over having to fall into the driver’s seat, and then not being able to see out of junctions because everything else is on stilts. It leaves me feeling like a kid in a crowd, trying to find my way by looking through the adult’s legs!
Parts availibility; good point! I drive a Youngtimer Opel (22Yrs old). About two years ago Stellantis cleared out much of their old (15 Yrs<) GM stock. It had me worried some. But everything is still widely available at even lower prices then before.
Almost everything around the engine is either Bosch or Magneti-Marelli.
All body parts, rubbers, lights etc. are all over the internet, either good imitations or the original stuff.
A relatively young car like this Astra can easily be maintained for another 20 years.
Since I generally dislike SUV's and like the shape of these Astra's, I would have hung on to it: underrated cars. But I wish Yohai many happy miles in his new shiny Mazda.
Good points all. I too drive a 22 y.o. Opel (badged as Holden here, of course), and yes, no parts problems thus far, though because of where I live, I drive it very little so it needs very little. My cousin drives yohai’s model of Astra from 2019, and it’s a very nice car, and I agree about the looks.
I suppose I just have an irrational fear of orphan brands – even though I drive one!
Wow – a complete turnover of the family fleet! It seems that a lot of families go from one car to two when their kids hit school age, rather than downsizing from two to one… but you’ve got good reasons for doing so. No reason to keep paying extra vehicle costs if you don’t have to.
I’m surprised that Astra was easier to sell than the Honda. Around here, it seems that the words “Buy a Honda” are etched into used-car buyers’ brains, and nothing seems easier to sell used. And since the Astra didn’t sell too well when new in Israel, I wonder how all these potential Astra buyers materialized? Good for you that they did.
The CX-5 seems like a good choice. A co-worker of mine drives one, and likes it a lot – very flexible and comfortable. Looking forward to a full review.
By the way, when did Israel begin issuing eight-digit license plates? I’ve read about that having been done recently, and I’m surprised that your new car has an 8-digit plate that begins with a 5 – assuming that they’re issued sequentially. License plates are just one of those things that notice, and plus, the current issue of Plates magazine (magazine for license plate collectors) has an article on Israeli plate history, so I recall the new 8-digit format was mentioned there.
Israel started using the 8-digit plates from July 2017, and by early 2018 all privately owned vehicles would be registered with them. They are not sequentially numbered, though, and have a numbering method I’m not too sure about- for example, I believe the first three numbers actually stand for the importer’s code, so all Mazdas should bear that prefix on their plates.
Glad to hear that you and family are doing OK. We too had a very recent change in our extended family fleet. Our son donated the 2008 Prius to the local public radio station (his local, he’s on the opposite coast from us). This was a car that we bought new when he was 16, he passed his driving test in, and had supported him reliably including several cross-country trips. Its replacement – a Mazda CX50. Yes, 50, not 5, a vehicle I was only vaguely aware of. The CX5 is everywhere here in the US, unlike the few remaining Saturn Astra’s and exactly zero Civic Tourer’s. I was a little surprised; it’s the first CUV in our family though our daughter is looking for a RAV4. But she wants a 5 speed AWD 1st Gen 4 door so it may be a while. So far our son loves his CX, and I hope your CX5 treats you well.
I have not seen a lot of CX-50s yet. You will have to let us know how he likes it.
The way Mazda has replaced the CX-3 with the 30 and the CX-9 with the 90 makes me think that the CX-5’s days are numbered – the pricing of the two models seems nearly identical. But maybe the 5 is popular enough that it may hang around for a bit yet.
Well I’m not sure the 90 is even sold in Israel but the 60 (which is, as well as here in the EU) is considerably bigger than the 5 and, to me, belongs to another CUV class altogether.
Adding: I checked and the CX 90 is sold in Israel – MRP is twice as much as the 5…
https://www.mazda.co.il/models
Thanks for the update, and it is good to hear that you are bearing up.
I am laughing because it is starting to appear that the CX-5 is becoming the new official car of CC. I will confess that I have been getting tempted by this model, though I have not actually gone to the effort to go and drive one. It has been a smash hit for Mazda in the US, as the one Mazda model that is almost certain to appear in every place where you are likely to see a bunch of cars together.
A one car family! I cannot comprehend.
With everything going on in your neck of the woods it’s good to know you and your family are safe.
“What I can say is that it probably falls more within the European CX-5s specs rather than US Cx-5s, and that it is already dubbed “whale” by the youngest offspring (well, it’s his turn now), keeping in with the fishy naming system.”
Perhaps Moby Dicks opening line “Call me Ishmael,” could be the name for your CX-5.
Sorry, the boy already called it.
🙂
Like I said, I’m super pleased with the 2022 CX-5 Carbon Edition I gifted my mother. It’s a great crossover. Congraulations!
Thank you for all your comments, I kind of missed the publishing of my own post… Shame.