The car's longevity has been helped by a thorough towelling-down after an outing in the rain and being kept under cover for the past 24 years.
An understanding service manager at her local Honda dealership has ensured the Civic has been serviced on an as-required basis only, which has kept costs within Jean's budget.
As the years have passed the Civic has spent more time in its own room than on the road, but it still provides the independence that is still important in Jean's life.
A once-a-week trip to the local shops or driving to a meeting point to join her mates on a day bus trip has been the main reason for outings of late.
The odometer has yet to reach 90,000km.
Sadly, it's a well-known fact that while the early model New Zealand-assembled Japanese cars took reliability to new levels they also suffered from bad body corrosion.
Jean's Civic has held on longer than most, thanks to a caring owner, but it was always going to be a matter of when, not if, the Civic was rejected at warrant of fitness time with the very tight regulations now in place concerning body structure.
The most recent inspection discovered rust bleed around the front windscreen aperture and in the roof seams, which was enough to reject the warrant.
The rear tyres were also knocked back, not because of tread depth but because they had simply perished and had developed cracks in the side-walls.
Jean's dilemma is what to do? She would shed a tear or two to see it taken away for scrap. In her eyes it's not the way to treat what has, over the years, become such a trusted and reliable member of the family.
Any corrosion repairs done using new metal and little body filler would cost more than the Civic's value and, with such a basic specification and safety level, not increase its desirability on the used-car market.
Does she sell, scrap, or repair and what Bill would do are all questions running through her head.
Well, Jean is my mum, and the decision on what to do doesn't become any easier because I am connected to the motor industry.
Like many of her generation, she holds her independence very dearly and does not like having to call on other people for help when she is still capable of doing daily tasks herself.
Upgrading to a more modern vehicle was considered but by her own omission the extra power, unfamiliar interior layout, automatic transmission and power steering would potentially put her and other road users at risk.
So, after a long discussion, the decision has been made to bite the bullet and get the Civic repaired, even if it means spending money that will never be recovered.
Yes, she will no doubt annoy some other road users with her cautious approach but what the heck - if we can't exercise a little bit of patience with other road users occasionally then it's a bit sad.
She is realistic about her driving future and the day the keys are finally handed over will come soon enough - but she wants to keep driving just a little longer.
So please, if you see an old but tidy white four-door Honda Civic on the roads of Mt Roskill in the near future please exercise some patience.
Oh, and don't pick an argument with her, those arm muscles can still pack a good old-fashioned punch if need be.
