NY neighbors turn out to mark passing of 30-year-old Honda Civic

Few cars get the eulogy they deserve after a life of serving us. But one 1982 Honda Civic was put to rest last week in Inwood, NY, and got a junkyard sendoff worthy of a lifelong friend.

Riddled with rust, the battered and buckled Honda made its way in a New Orleans-style funeral under its own power along Seaman Avenue near 207th Street, where the car had called home for 30 years. Known as "Bluey" for its once sky blue exterior, the car's owner, Harry Ettling, said he was scrapping Bluey out of fear his feet would push through the floor. Of course, from the looks of it, you could push a finger through any of its quarter panels as well.

Through the years, Bluey survived a three-car accident in the '80s and then was flipped by rioters in Washington Heights in 1992. But Ettling always got his Civic up and running again and kept on driving her. In the end, the hatchback had 170,000 miles (273,588 kilometres) on its odometer – which may not impress some, but nearly 300,000 in New York City kilometres is like 800,000 country kilometres.

As the Civic was towed off, Ettling must have thought about all of the good times Bluey had delivered. When asked about getting a new car, Ettling thought it over. "I'm not getting a new car," Ettling told the New York Daily News. "I need time to heal."

Click here to check out the funeral procession (complete with a live band!) and see a second video interview with Bluey's owner.