2006 Honda Civic 5 Speed Manual No Reserve Nr Gas Saver Chick Magnet on 2040-cars

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Honda Walking Assist Device begins US testing at Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

For years, we've been wondering what implications Honda's Asimo robot could have in the real world, and now we're starting to get a sense of that. Honda announced that it will begin its first US clinical studies of the Walking Assist Device at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in an effort to provided improved mobility for people who have suffered a stroke. While the automotive tie-in here is pretty weak, this is the first time we've heard about this device since it was unveiled back in 2008.
Weighing in at six pounds, Honda's device is fitted to the waist and legs of patients to make it easier to walk, and the 22.2-volt lithium-ion battery provides enough electricity for more than an hour of operation. According to Honda's press release, which is posted below, up to 80 percent of the almost 800,000 stroke victims each year (in the US alone) are afflicted with limited mobility, so a medical aid like this could have a big impact in the real world.

Alonso wants an NSX, but did Honda block him from Le Mans?

One of the biggest changes in store for the 2015 Formula One World Championship will see Fernando Alonso moving back to McLaren. That means he'll be driving under Honda power for the first time, after spending the bulk of his career driving for Renault and Ferrari. And being Honda's new poster child, as the two-time World Champion is fast discovering, has its advantages and its drawbacks. According to the latest reports, Alonso had been negotiating a clause in his contract with McLaren that could have seen him driving a Porsche 919 Hybrid at Le Mans this year, but Honda reportedly stepped in at the last minute and scuttled the plan. The drive would have been Alonso's first in the famous 24-hour race, after having had the honor of waving the flag at La Sarthe last summer. In one of the wilder rumors that emerged during the prolonged silence over his move for this season, the Spaniard was also linked to a potential return for Ferrari to Le Mans. That prospect came to naught, and now the Porsche deal has been wheeled into the garage, as well. The upcoming F1 season is expected to be one of transition, adjustment and development for McLaren and Honda, but the Japanese automaker's involvement in his hiring may not be all bad news for Alonso. Following the reveal of the new Acura NSX, Alonso tweeted "You still don't know, but one day we will be together..." followed by a series of heart-eyed smiley-face emoticons and accompanies by images of Honda's new supercar. The implication is that the two-time World Champion is expecting to get his talented hands on an NSX of his own, and we can certainly see how Honda would appreciate the imagery of Fernando driving around in its flagship. Even if it doesn't, though, we're sure McLaren would be glad to hook him up with a company car of its own – though Lewis Hamilton encountered some trouble securing (a very specific) one for himself. Even discounting the front-running F1 machinery he's been tasked with piloting on track to an impressive 32 career wins, Alonso has had some lustworthy company cars at his disposal over the years. At Renault, he had a Megane RS to drive, and during his last stint at McLaren, he had an SLR 722. But since signing with Ferrari, he's been given the keys to FCA models as varied as a Ferrari FF, a special 599 GTO, a Maserati GranCabrio, a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT and an Abarth 695... and those are just the ones we know about.

Junkyard Gem: 1992 Acura Vigor

Honda was the first of the Japanese car manufacturers to bring a separate luxury brand to the United States, with the (Civic-derived) Integra and (Rover-related) Legend appearing as 1986 models. By the early 1990s, Infiniti and Lexus had muscled in with their own gadget-laden luxury machines, with even Mitsubishi and Mazda offering legitimate competition for the two Acura models. Something had to be done, in the viewpoint of Soichiro Honda, and so the NSX sports car was introduced as a 1991 model, followed by the Vigor luxury sedan the following year. Here's one of those rare first-year Vigors, found in a Denver self-service boneyard recently. The idea behind the Vigor (which, like the Integra, Legend and NSX, was badged as a Honda in its homeland) was that it would squeeze in between the Integra and the Legend and steal some sales from the Lexus ES 250 as well as European machinery. The Vigor was a front-wheel-drive car, but its engine was mounted longitudinally and angled to clear the hood. The differential sat directly beneath the engine and received power via a tortured maze of shafts. The reason for all this powertrain complexity was the fact that the Vigor's engine was a SOHC straight-five that wouldn't fit the engine compartment using Honda's usual transverse mounting (though both Daewoo and Volvo managed the feat with straight-six engines later on). The U.S.-market Vigor's 2.5-liter five-banger was rated at 176 horsepower and 170 pound-feet. The base transmission was a five-speed manual, but this car has the optional $750 four-speed automatic ($1,696 in 2024 dollars). This car is the cheaper Vigor LS model, so its MSRP was $24,999 ($56,539 after inflation). You could get a slightly smaller but still feature-laden '92 Honda Accord EX for just $20,175 ($45,629 now), though, and the cushier (though less nimble) Lexus ES 250 started at just $21,300 ($48,173 in today's money). American car shoppers just couldn't figure out the Vigor, and sales were weak. 1994 was the final year for the Vigor, and the TL replaced it beginning as a 1996 model. This one drove just over 160,000 miles during its life. Don't think of it as a drive to work. Think of it as a 30-minute vacation. If you get a German luxury sedan instead of a Vigor, you'll be sorry! I miss you… S. As was nearly always the case during the 1980s and 1990s, the JDM commercials were more fun.