Valerie has been thinking of selling her MINI Cooper. After nearly five years of driving her convertible, she has grown quite accustomed to owning a small car...she even considers the latest version of her car too big. So when I saw an ad for this Honda N600, I knew we had to check it out. This car was clearly built around someone her size.

Valerie even fits in the back seat!

I think we found her MINI's replacement!

My dad owned one of these when I was growing up...it was the perfect solution for the 70's gasoline crisis. And he was very proud to drive the first automobile model that Honda ever sold in the United States.

I think he especially liked the simplicity of the N600's two cylinder air cooled engine. Even though getting parts proved more difficult over the years, he kept his running well into the 1990's. If vandals had not totalled his car by tumbling it down his driveway, he probably would have held on to her until he could no longer keep her running.

I was especially bummed that my dad's N600 was no longer around when I first brought home my NSX. These cars represent the legacy of Honda engineering from original to pinnacle.

One day I will get a picture of these cars side-by-side

600 as in cubic centimeters!

To provide a better sense of scale, I stand next to the N600

It's been decades since I last sat in the driver's seat of an N600. I never drove my dad's, but I did help him fire his up from time to time (I remember having to push in the clutch, step on the gas, and sometimes pull the choke). I certainly remember being a passenger (especially during one unexpectedly long journey to and from Apple Valley). I am much bigger now than I was then.

There's only one way to describe what it is like to sit in this car

The license plate pretty much sums it up. It's amazing how many people my dad could squeeze into his, but it was a tight fit.

This is the second time DentWorks has removed a door ding from my NSX's driver side door. She got her first during the first week I owned her...the last time I ever parked her at a Costco. I met John during my second year of ownership. He took care of that dent during one of our club gatherings. She got bumped again at NSXPO 2015 by a fellow NSXer. I still plan to drive to future NSX gatherings.

I try to convince John that I can take a selfie of the four of us, but, for some reason, we are going to have Shelby do the honors.

I think it has been 6 years since we last got together with Tina and John, Shelby even longer. Shelby is nearly driving age now! (Photo by Shelby Richards)

Thanks for your continued generosity and for taking care of my car, but I think we will pass on the N600. Good luck selling her! (Photo by Shelby Richards)