Honda Civics

[jmon0261]

My friend is looking to buy a Honda civic,

She has up to 5 k to spend.

What are the good years? What do you look out for with these cars?

At what mileage do these cars start to nickel and dime you?

Thanks for the input.

[scestes]

I've owned around 5 Hondas and had incredibly good luck with them. The two most recent were a 91 Civic and a 93 Accord EX. The Accord was in an accident in 2005/6 and totaled. All I ever had to do was routine maintenance. The Civic was the car I traded in to buy the Accord, and I still see it about once a year cruising around the bay area. My previous Hondas were all 70's era models and I can say that as a young teenage and into my 20's, I tortured those cars and the took it well. I've always thought that Hondas were good reliable cars.

[roadhog0]

If you can find a unmolested 95 or so they make good cars! And really, stock, they dont nickel and dime ya much! Thats all my brother works on and he loves em!

[jgerock]

Got to love the Hondas.

In my family, there has been:

75 Civic HB 1200 cc CVCC, 4speed, AM radio, White/tan (bought new - great little car!)

78 Accord HB, 1700 cc?, 5 speed, Silver/Burgundy velour (new - sold because engine had oil issues after 3 years.)

81 Civic 4 door, 1500cc, 5 speed, Silver/silver cloth (used - sold at 112K)

88 Accord 4 door, 5 speed, Metallic grey / grey cloth (used - sold at 140K)

92 Accord 4 door, 5 speed, Pearl wine / grey cloth (new - sold at 144K)

92 Accord 4 door, Auto, Pearl Green/tan cloth (wife bought new - sold at 182K)

2000 Accord Coupe, V6, Auto, Red/tan leather (new with 191K now)

You cannot go wrong with a Civic produced during the 90's or 2000's. The later the better-equipped and safer. They changed the rear suspension within the last few years - some say these don't ride as well as the older ones.

Edit - I must add there was an issue with the distributor in the early '90's cars. Honda issued a warranty extension. The ignitor would go bad and leave you stranded. My wife's 92 quit on the way to the airport - I pulled my hair out trying to figure out what was wrong. Had it towed to a dealership. After they unloaded it, it started right up! The bearing inside the distributor seized (along with the faulty ignitor). Tell-tale sign: remove the cap. If you see lots of red dust, change the distributor. I put a new distriibutor in my 92 after my wife's car died.

[skipsfcr]

'92-'00 are all excellent, The car was redesigned for '01 (and obviously, again since) and has more issues. Still a high quality little car just not "as" bulletproof.

[roadhog0]

My dad had a Honda 600 car while he was stationed on Hawaii, thing sounded like an interesting car!

[esty]

i'm not sure there ever was a 'bad' civic produced, i've owned them consistently since the late 70's, currently own 2, an 83 hatch and an 86 crx, in addition to an 86 prelude...

they...all hondas are perhaps the most trouble free cars i've ever owned...the only work i ever had to have done to any of them was front brakes and after a lot of miles, cv joints

as well, i've owned a 1/2 dozen accords which were exceptional commuter cars

[pureaudio]

I've owned many Hondas which were all fantastic. Currently own a 2003 Civic that my wife and I bought new and we have never had a single issue. Change the oil regularly, did spark plugs at like 80-90k, timing belt at 100k which included all the belts for preventative maintenance and changed the air filter plus cabin filter once. Up to 120k now and the thing is still like new except for all the lovely parking lot dings that a bright red car attract for some reason.

Just test out some from each generation and see which you like the best. You are getting a reliable car with little maintenance needed no matter what.

[jmon0261]

Thanks for all the advice! And nobody is telling us to buy an e30 !

This board is so great for so many reasons.

Looks like the pre 2000 are the ones to look for but will drive both to decide.

John - the Redding Craig's list has the non modified civics

so we will probably go up North to find one.

Thanks again everyone!

[Gordon]

You didn't ask about E30's. The civic is an appliance car, to get you cheaply from A to B. If you want an E30, I'll tell you to get a 91 E30 318i sedan. They are much cheaper than the 318is since enthusiasts drift toward the coupe model. The M42 motor is a blast to drive, it's a car that will always put a smile on your face when you drive it.

G-Man