Flashback: 1973 Honda Civic | A little civility

Cars have come so very far in recent decades, but maybe they've lost a little character and charm along way. Here, Mandy takes a spin in a pristine example of the first-generation Honda Civic hatch.
FULL STORY: www.caradvice....
-------------------------------------------------------------
CarAdvice.com is where Australians turn to for the most comprehensive independent reviews of new cars.
Our videos are created by expert and unbiased journalists who are passionate about their work. We have fun making these videos and we hope you enjoy them too.
We welcome the opportunity to answer your questions and encourage discussion. Don’t hesitate to ask us a question in the comments section.
Subscribe to CarAdvice for your regular fix of automotive news, reviews and entertainment.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR KZbin CHANNEL HERE
kzbin.info...
CONNECT WITH US
- / caradvice
- / car_advice
- plus.google.co...
- / caradvice
JOIN OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER
Get the latest news, reviews and videos fast-tracked to your inbox by registering for 'The Shortcut' here: www.caradvice.c...
www.caradvice.... - Read the article here.

[@FMHammyJ]

I bought a second generation Honda Civic new in 1980. | traded up to a 1981 Civic 1500 GL.....best car I ever owned. In ten years of hard driving, it died on me exactly twice....once a computer chip blew, and second I had worn out the ignition switch.....I still think the first generation Civic was the best looking of them all....and if the company brought back a retro version(along with more safety equipment, thicker sheetmetal, and better rust proofing,) I imagine they would sell a million of them.....

[@jacobthompson8507]

5:39 "But it will probably slip around" Because I'm sure in 1973 Honda was worrying about where you would put your latest iPhone 😂😂😂

[@MohammadKhan-nb5xl]

Amazing condition classic.... Love it

[@23ofSeptember]

The female Doug Demuro. Awesome!

[@vinhha3861]

Is that car for sale? I’m so regretting selling 4 of my civic’s

[@OmegaSwitch]

I am in so much Love with my orange '76 (manual transmission)!!! I'm having to choose whether to keep my 8th gen Civic (manual transmission, of coarse) or the '76... and while I love my 8th gen Civic so much- it is pretty much the ideal car for my needs-, the '76 is just soooo freaking cool! Most definitely a head-turner, so ahead of its time, and overall just so cool!!!

[@bosse641]

Would MUCH rather have a mint 1st Gen.

[@johannesswillery7855]

Love this car! I had two of them. Both got 35+ mpg. Easy to find a parking place because of the short length. Maybe my favorite aspect was the ease in which repairs could be made. Replacing the front brake pads was literally five minutes including removing and replacing the tire.

[@hondatrix]

Owned one...the only thing I changed, other than tyres and servicing, was the carburetor...200,000km no problems..

[@Vfh........y]

I had to do the same on my 79. It was a great little car and the choke was in the right spot. Right where you can control it

[@quentintubb]

ive got a 76 and an 80 in my yard, i chucked a 1600 and 5 speed box from an 84 in it and 13 inch wheels from a 79 accord on it

[@Kinna39]

Such a good looking car

[@saggo1712]

We had three of the first gen. Fantastic little cars that looked stunning in 1973 and still are cute.

[@seven3eight]

I had a 78 Civic. There's something about driving an old car that brings a smile to your face.

[@poppyneese1811]

My grandpa and I were in BlacksburgVirginia and saw our first Honda CIVIC, he said they make motorcycles, they’ll never make it,,,,,,,,wow was he wrong, we had a neighbor with a Mini and people thought that was weird too, I wish the real Mini would have made it.

[@unknowntraveller8633]

I remember seeing these little Hondas in the Bathurst race when they had classes. Now that was a proper Bathurst.

[@johnsergei]

Apart from rotaries, only the Mazda 1300 was faster (but not a great handler without mod's). Datsun & Mazda 1200, Fiat 128 & 1300cc Mk 1 Escorts, slightly slower, but Dasun went to 120Y, (same engine, slighly heavier, larger car) & weight stopped the still slighly bigger Carolla from keeping up That's off the shelf, not trimmed & tuned for racing. Mini was smaller and slightly lighter than the Civic but it's old engines made it uncompeditive. You'd need a Cooper or Cooper S to keep up with these early 70s cars. Meanwhile Peter Wherret was really getting stuck into the overpriced and slow HJ V8 Holden on Torque, I don't blame him. I thought he was going to kick the car.

[@FernandoSchulman]

Fantastic piece! I love the old Civic. Brings me back to when I was a child in the Netherlands 🇳🇱. Cheers and greetings from Brazil 🇧🇷

[@poppyneese1811]

It was a beautiful car, 1st. gen, the latest car is just ugly, might be a great car, but not pretty in anyway, looks like a transformer.

[@prabhakarrao4922]

Used to own a secondhand one back in 1981. Loved it so much. Very economical and extremely reliable. Those were the days....

[@LucasVWGolfR]

My brothers girlfriend had one of these in the same colour back in the mid-late 90’s. It was a great little car and super reliable.

[@pierredaher9590]

Fluffy review of my mom's car, great review thank you .

[@Grant0610]

What a beauty. My brothers friend used to have a yellow 3-dr. I loved it!

[@wyndts4]

What an outstanding classic collection.... Amazing review

[@navinramchurran968]

what a lovely car pure n honest. not a fan of new hideous looking hondas

[@luckdingwong2196]

So true. There are not 1 new Honda I would spend my money on.

[@icemachine79]

My first car was a '75 Civic. Great little car, although that all-black plastic interior would get REALLY hot in the summer.

[@ayo0o0o0o0]

My dad had the ‘78 Civic CVCC which I grew up with, so have been a Honda fan since birth. I later got a ‘72 N600 and a ‘72 Z600 which were even smaller and had a choke since they were 599CC motors.

[@bayukristiadi70]

1973 original Civic is adorable...😊😊👍👍

[@barbadolid5170]

It is amazing how future oriented Japanese car manufacturers were back in the 70s, I would expect them to think about storage places for a clap phone, but caring about tablets... you can tell they built for the future!

[@troynov1965]

I was a auto body man for many years, I started out in early 80s and these cars were often in the shop for rust repairs. The early Hondas had to be the worse cars to rust. The Subarus were a very close second. I once saw a early Honda Civic ( about a 73 or 74) being jacked up from the front end and it literally snapped in two at the firewall from rust. Someone had even pop riveted old stop signs in the floor boards because the floors were gone. They were lucky not to have gotten killed in that thing.

[@kaz3d]

Always adored the 70s Civic. thank you for that, would love to see more 'flashback' videos. great change of pace from standard reviews...

[@richardstone1393]

Very nice car, however with 15376 on the clock, I would say its clocked over 100,000kms. My mint 1976 Honda Civic 4 door sedan has original 45,000kms from new and is also in mint original condition. Has also never had a radio fitted. Still has the blank cover that covers the radio spot and an cover where the roof aerial goes. Good if I could post pictures.

[@bernlin2000]

I think most people would mistake it for an odd Pontiac in the US, judging by that front grille design 😂 amazing piece of history!

[@jay_watch]

What a beautiful little gem. And then they show that atrocious new civic next to it...Honda what happened to you??

[@97warlock]

iF YOU NOTICE Windows........ Old cars had BIG Glass, all bout clear visibilty. - Now, No one wants to be seen lmao as if hiding, Privacy, dont want anyone to see you in a car, Hide, Tint the small windows, Dark. Make sure the windows are small as possible, even design the body so that as little glass as possible allows onlookers to see in ..... While old school 1st/2nd gen Hondas were about I dont give a ____ if you see in & you can clearly see me driving & I can clearly see all around me,safely. I love 2nd & 3rd gen Hondas!!!

[@1stinlastout165]

I had this one in the 80s in the UK now I have the a gen 10 turbo, it was old and the pop out window rattled to the point one day it fell off lol

[@akimalu]

My 1st car 1976 honda civic..

[@mohsinabbas7440]

Sir plz tell me what's was the average of that car

[@1hjehje]

I had a 1978 Honda Civic (dark blue metallic) and I absolutely loved the car. It was a fun vehicle to drive.

[@suisenwang1427]

Love this car ... unfortunately this car not available in my country

[@MyLife-so1jl]

the new Civic is UGLY af.....it blows my mind how huge the new one is😣😣😣

[@idontknowanythingaboutcars896]

Not even a compact anymore. I think the fit took it's thunder which it kinda goes back to the original civics roots

[@Patchuchan]

Honda needs to make a good basic car like this again but I guess the Fit is as close as we're going to get.

[@RoadCone411]

Pretty sure if you left your iPhone in the ashtray hole, it would disappear 'under' the dashboard somewhere. Only chance to get that back would be to take some sharp corners and be ready with your fingers to fish it out! Great cars, in many ways an evolution of the smaller Mini ideology but the Civic was innovative, well-made and comfortable in its own right. Like the Mini, it was a blast to drive! My first car, in the late 1980s/early 90s, was a '78 Civic "sedan" nee hatchback, great little car with a small boot/trunk! On longer drives, the suspension would loosen up and it would be a very relaxed highway cruiser as long as you kept the speed down (it was crying for a 5th gear!) Some great memories of that car!

[@Ish35]

More of these please...and more of her!

[@97warlock]

I like 2nd Generation & 3rd generation Hondas. All of them are awesome to me.

[@chapeudebico2520]

Thre are one like this car on the movie "police academy 1"

[@crazysteve9390]

It’s like a pet.. I don’t want to drive it, I want to adopt it

Kilograms? Yuck. That's why yall didnt go to the moon

[@mdpetrick03]

My first car was a '74 Civic; turd brown, noisy, gutless, prone to rust...but I absolutely loved it and I'd give just about anything to still have it. You never forget your first.

[@anastasiosdimtsis1]

Me too!!!! Wonder what it would be worth now. 1973 Honda civic

[@KennyRider137]

A car like this could be mass produced today at a minimal cost and retail for ten grand. They would sell a million of them.

[@luckdingwong2196]

I learnt how to drive in that .... I would love to own one in that condition

[@artSFCA]

I had the 1978 version.

[@mohdfaizalfikri9413]

This car very cute n economic car

[@anastasiosdimtsis1]

My first car!! If only I had it!!

[@thomasmoje5926]

My first new car that I purchased was a 1973 Honda Civic hatchback coupe. Also blue but a darker 'medium' almost teal blue and I added white racing stripes with the 'Honda' logo along each side between the wheels (dealer supplied me the self-adhesive striping kit as a perk). I had looked at 'compact' cars from the American carmakers plus Datsun, Toyota, and Volkswagen but after reading reviews of the Honda Civic in the automotive magazines I decided to take a look and test drive and I was sold. Absolutely loved that car it was a ball to drive: handled very well, plenty of pep with the four-speed stick, and had a surprising amount of interior room especially with the rear seat folded down. It was all I needed at the time and not loaded down with a bunch of fancy unnecessary options..just a basic economical car that happened to be fun to drive. As a matter of fact a couple of local Civic owners used to run theirs in a monthly 'autocross' event held by a local car club..the Honda Civics would do quite well on the course and held their own against Austin Mini-Coopers. Sold my Civic to help finance purchase of a larger car when our first child came along. Miss that fun little car wish Honda would bring the Civic back to it's original version.

[@singlesideman]

It's a great car. So much to say. My BFF had a first Gen and I had an 8th gen, and they are all adorable, and they all perform incredibly well. These are dark, under the radar, high performance and tweakable machines of distinction, goddammit! Just fantastic, glorious machines...

[@briansmith8361]

Such a cute and charming car! I was born in 1979, so these were starting to disappear when I was a kid, but I do remember them. I think I even had a little Hot Wheels or Matchbox version back then. I think it was white. So nice to see a female enthusiast for a change, and I would proudly drive that car today.

[@paulhofstee1175]

I had same car in 2 speed auto. Mum had a manual which was zippy to drive. Never broke down the 4 years we had them.

[@97warlock]

I had a 78 civic & I will never forget just how simple & yet how fun it was to drive, it actually was fun to drive, somehow. I just beat on it & ran it , never checked oil, never put air inthe tires, never put wiper blades, never did anything but ran the living hell out of it. Still ran years later when I sold it.

[@Auronkatamail]

Cars of the Seventies are so beautiful!

[@petercarlsson6606]

1st gen was beautiful and fun with great personality. Amazing how each generation made the car uglier and uglier.

[@franzchong5889]

I drove the model that existed 2000-2006 as a test drive hatch and it was pleasant enough.the only thing was where the transmission was for an automatic and that was rather high up similar to a van which I was not a fan of.Peugeot with the 307 of the day and Toyota with the Corolla had theirs in a more sensible location.

[@96g20t]

Pristine and beautiful. I have a 1986 and a 2013 Civic, both four doors. The older ones just have a fun element to them.

[@Vfh........y]

I had a 79 with the non cvcc engine. The choke was up on the dash area. Best thing ever invented was a manual choke.

[@missano3856]

My 6th grade hockey coach had a Civic of this era that had the gas tank from a boat on the roof.

[@Mikjcal]

This was my sisters first car back in 1992. Was such an awesome little car and looked so cute!

[@JoeFeser]

I have owned a 4th, 7th, 8th and 10th gen civic. Loved them all

[@MrEdsTheRef]

I bought orange civic for £999 Aug 1973 NJF 355M....still remember reg as it was my first car. Ken Ives garage in Leicester actually part ex'd the car for a 1960 Lambretta scooter which they valued at £150. It had cost me £30, 2 years earlier. No wonder they went bust. The Civic was a great car and i sold it 3 yrs later for £660 to a guy who loved all the gold coach work lines id covered the car with. Happy days

[@bernlin2000]

5:35 Okay...as a 9th Gen Civic LX Sedan owner this is just embarassing lol. This car CLEARLY has more storage spots than my car, sometimes things DON'T get better 🤣 they're hiding a lot more wires in these cars today than back then, so I guess that's why my ash tray doesn't turn into a phone holder 😛...I don't even have an ash tray lol

[@vivavipin]

Looks better than the current gen civic

[@AnthonNoviantoTV]

I Love this Civic !!

[@97warlock]

i want a 79-83 Prelude thats been in a garage most its life and has under 80,000 miles on it & ZERO rust.

[@RandomDuude]

It's so cute! I want one 😍🥺

[@bobdillaber1195]

I bought one in 1973! Demonstrator at dealership. Paid $2,000. Drove 100,000 miles and sold 5 years later for $1,000. LOVED that car!!!

[@axvarela]

My dad had one in red.

[@alexnaranjo3299]

I LOVE THAT CAR. Oh man I love Honda’s. That civic is beautiful

[@keepower]

Love this. Korean cars have done the same. Chinese cars could be the next.

[@Kinghavs]

Smh.. civics are using cvts.. say good bye to the invincible cars

[@jinhak_lee]

Oldies, but goodies. How did you get it? Did you steal it from the museum?

[@JaysGarageZero]

Lovely video, I own a 74' which i have restored

[@josephineoliver9499]

I had a semi-automatic and I loved it!

[@SheetFiber]

I love the dashboard design

[@barbadolid5170]

Now that's heavy for a colour

[@scottfurtney412]

This was my first new car in 1973 It cost $2500 w automatic transmission hatchback and cloth interior..It cost $3500 in repairs over 3 years, two engines transmission and when the front wheel fell.off in winter on icy road it was time for a new car... Worst car I ever owned......

[@andgate2000]

Had a 74 manual....gee it was quick for the time....10 sec to 60 and about 96mph...4speed.

[@AbdulRahimAbdulJalil-o9t]

I like the car......

[@Grant0610]

Was the first Civic a 2-door? It did not have a rear hatch.

[@kingalex29339]

Thank you Civic for saving Honda ❤️

[@Girtthquake]

Anyone know what the color code for this car is?

[@RoadCone411]

I forgot about that indicator noise...

[@paulblackman8159]

The big success for this car was in the USA. During the oil crisis, they cracked down on leaded petrol and emissions standards. However the Civic already met the standards and could run on unleaded patrol straight out of the factory. So while Detroit was scrambling producing underpowered cars to meet the standards, Honda was ready.

[@paulblackman8159]

Also the mid 70s were when the USA tightened emissions. Detroit’s big 3 needed to use a catalytic converter to clean the exhaust. The Civic didn’t need to.

[@michalmgd]

2:46 you are too close to the steering wheel

[@WulfricTheBlack]

I want one in matte black please.

[@alwinbenjamin]

❤️

[@97warlock]

WHY is she driving this?

[@ericlefebvre1696]

very nice

[@benpark1712]

That's now a death trap. Best keep it in the garage as a collectable.

[@morbin7744]

Wdym

[@IsadoreWoW]

lol, everything's a deathtrap depending on your perspective, feel free to live in bubble wrap and do nothing with your life.

[@BobbyDazzler888]

The new civic looks worse than any kia, hyandai.

[@Xyb3rTeCh]

"hyandai" that's such an aussie saying.

[@homoerotic85]

That's super cute!

[@so_many_women_so_little_ti2833]

You reminded me of an old days my brother used to have Honda civic I think 1972 or 74 silver color and it was his 1st car. Then he passed it to me in 1978 when he went to the states to study University. Then I don't know what did I do with it (I probably sold it). Then in 1978 I took my oldest brother BMW 2002. I brought back a wonderful memories I remember Honda 1972, 1974 became a popular cars in Kuwait for females and males. Then men stopped buying it only females because we call it a "Female's car". :):) hehehehe