Last Wednesday I discovered my first substantive complaint about my new Civic SI. I was on the way to the range, with my Glock 19 in a OWB Comp-tec holster on my hip at about 4 o’clock, when I climbed into the racing-inspired seats with their aggressive side bolstering, only to find the bolstering does not interact well with a holstered weapon. The bolstering pressed the holster firmly into my side and made for a most uncomfortable ride. A cross-country trip would be impossible with that particular holster.

This is, in the grand scheme of things, a minor complaint, as I’d need a cross-draw or more comfortable IWB holster for prolonged driving anyway, but it’s worth considering if you carry in a strong-side holster every day and find yourself doing alot of driving.

Two days ago I finally pulled the trigger on my first new car. I’ve been driving my parents old 1992 Accord LX for nearly ten years now, so I kind of have it coming.

Photos

The photos are up at here. Here’s a preview:

Experience

As expected, the car buying experience was not pleasant. I started looking a couple of weeks ago, and contacted at least half a dozen area dealerships for quotes. The responses (and dollar amounts) varied wildly. Some quotes, and some comments, follow:

Richard Pham, Landmark Honda, Alexandria VA

Best price: $22,000 out the door.

This is the first dealership I heard back from, and also by far the most pushy and unpleasant. I’ve received roughly ten emails from Mr. Pham, most of them frenetic and pushy.