The Garfield enthusiast's father built cars in the Dominican Republic.
"That was pretty cool to me I guess and I did my own thing now," Marmolejos told Daily Voice.
Marmolejos, 24, works in a body shop in Hackensack and started fixing up cars in high school.
The auto fanatic entered his car into a competition in Englishtown in March and placed in the top 50. His 2015 Honda Civic was nominated and the judges liked it, he said.
"I've always been into Hondas," he said. "I just wanted to get a new car for once. I was going to buy a new car regardless so I said, 'You know what, let it be my first Honda Civic.'"
Marmolejos knows that no one car can be seen as the best. It all depends on what the driver is looking for, and for him, his Honda does the job just fine.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Garfield-Lodi and receive free news updates.