For the third time in my life, I have attempted to buy a car made by Honda.

The first time, I tried to buy an Accord, and it turned out I was not alone in possessing that idea. I was informed that I could have my name placed on a waiting list (for a fee) and then I would pay some $300 over the invoice price when my dream car arrived (presold to me). I walked away and bought the far less expensive Subaru GL Hatchback. (Dan Reese, I hope you are still enoying that car.)

The second time, I thought about buying a CR-V SUV. I aborted soon after hearing that the manual transmission model wasn't sold in the US, only abroad. I bought my beloved RAV-4 and it's been a great car.

With my family growing (in size, not in number), the back seat of said RAV-4 is starting to be a bit confining. So I again went to look at the CR-V after first verifying that they do sell a stick transmission in the US.

Yes, they sell one alright, but you can't find one anywhere. The salesman told me that they're really hard to get because nobody wants them anymore. He said he had one that sat for a long time and finally sold it recently. He thought it might have been green.

OK, so I asked if one could be found in the neighboring 48 states, and was told that they would have to have money up front just to look. I inquired online about buying one, and was told I could indeed order one (from Japan?) but it would cost me $1200 over the invoice.

Some things never change.