Honda Civic Part II: Frugal Road

[@andredamasio5186]

Always a pleasure to watch your chatters, nice story telling, interesting facts, pleasant voice, pleasant vibes

[@autochatter]

@andredamasio5186 Thank you for the continued support and praises!

[@IgoZoom1]

I bought a '91 Civic DX Hatchback with 40k miles in early 1992. It had been a courier vehicle for almost one year, but it looked and drove like brand new. It had the dealer-installed A/C and AM/FM cassette. I added the optional passenger side door mirror, clock and center armrest (hilarous that these were dealer options). It had no power steering, a thin two-spoke steering wheel and not even a tachometer. But it was fun to drive, comfortable and great on gas. I drove it for a little over one year, added another 28k miles and traded it in for $800 less than I paid for it. I traded it on a new '93 Civic LX 4-door. I really wanted a Civic Si Hatchback or the new Civic EX Coupe, but my budget wouldn't stretch that far. I settled on a Harvard Blue LX 5-speed. I was only 18, going to college and working two jobs. One job was delivering pizza five nights per week. I racked up 188k miles in three years and three months! Two timing belts, one clutch and many synthetic oil changes are all it ever needed. I sold it to a friend's boyfriend in 1996. In 2002, we crossed paths and he was still driving it with over 300k on the clock. I always regretted letting that car go. I thought I wanted something bigger and nicer, so I bought a new '96 Accord LX 4-door. I never liked that car nearly as much as the '93 Civic. I wrecked the '96 Accord in 2000 and it was a total loss. I replaced it with a '95 Civic LX 4-door. The '92-'95 was peak Civic, IMO!

[@autochatter]

@IgoZoom1 Excellent comment! Yeah it was funny how Honda (and Toyota) could really Nickel and Dime you on options. Nissans gave a bit more then, which was one of the things that drew me to them more at the time. I would have rather had a 91-94 Sentra SER than a comparable Si then.

[@IgoZoom1]

@@autochatter You were constantly reminded of the options you didn't get by the blanks everywhere!

[@autochatter]

@IgoZoom1 LOL..Oh yeah. Plus when you were walking up to your wheels without even hubcaps, maybe one mirror, and black bumpers....It was like a walk of shame.

[@IgoZoom1]

@@autochatter Black bumpers were the ultimate shame on a Honda! My sister had a white ‘91 Accord DX and those black bumpers were all you noticed!

[@autochatter]

@IgoZoom1 Its alot different now. I'll see a base vehicle and a loaded one. From the outside...Ok the rim size is bigger...Oh it's got leather and a roof....Why is this trim 10k more again?

[@nolarobert]

I had the 1990 Civic Wagon with a 5-speed manual. It was a radio delete car but did have A/C. It didn't have a lot of horsepower but the stick made it fun to drive. It would get up to 40 MPG on the highway and around 30 in city driving. I disliked the automatic seatbelts. It didn't fit where it was comfortable but you lived with it. I could haul a bunch of stuff in the back with the seats down. The only complaint was with the brake lines. They rusted and had to be replaced. I was living in East TN at the time and the roads weren't salted that often so I'm not sure why the brake lines did that at 5 years. Otherwise, it was a great little wagon.

[@autochatter]

Yeah...the motorized seatbelts were not height adjustable and that was annoying. Little scary about the brake lines after only 5 years!

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

15:04 that 6th gen was real popular back in the day with The Fast And The Furious crowd. Euro taillamps, clear turn signal bulbs, annoyingly obnoxious exhaust, bolt-on 15 hp aluminum drag spoiler and all! Everyone wanted to be a racer.

[@autochatter]

Oh definately! Even today, try to find one of these that doesn't have "mods".

[@donaldwilson2620]

I had a 1989 white Honda Civic LX with a 5 speed manual. It was good reliable transportation and was fiun to drive. I actually miss it.

[@autochatter]

Honda did a great job making a small affordable car fun then!

[@donaldwilson2620]

​ @autochatter My sister also had a 1995 black Civic EX coupe. It was her college and young adult car. I'm still with the Honda family, but this time, I have a 2020 CR-V for driving my family around.

[@autochatter]

@donaldwilson2620 I've never owned one myself.im sure if I worked at a Honda Dealer at some point, I would have had one.

[@Truckngirl]

I loved my '97 EX. But I learned the hard way that they're VERY easy to steal. Here in Hawaii, criminals have shaved "blank" keys that they stick into the ignition and shake around until it starts. Then they use the car to commit crimes. Mine got crashed because the meth addict that stole it fell asleep at the wheel and hit a parked car. The damage wasn't horrible, but the airbags deployed, the windshield was broken and that right there = totaled. Nope, I didn't have theft coverage! And this happened because I didn't set the alarm.

[@autochatter]

@Truckngirl I was stationed in Hawaii in the 90s. Civics have unfortunately been high on theft radar for some time. Especially since they are popular with younger people who wanted to make them race cars.

[@ramon20041986]

I hope you do a part 3 and do similar videos for the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Camry.

[@autochatter]

@ramon20041986 Corolla is coming..I did the Camry recently already.kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGmlmIuNiL6WfqMsi=G6rBC1blZiedyJJF

[@ramon20041986]

@@autochatter that’s right, I forgot about that lol

[@autochatter]

@ramon20041986 I've done alot, so sometimes I have to think for a second LOL.

[@IgoZoom1]

GREAT video as ALWAYS, my friend! Your research and attention to detail never fails to impress me. The litmus test for this video was the '90 EX Sedan, which you included! =) Some minutiae to add: The '92 CX had the same 70hp as the '88-'91 Base Hatchback, but oddly it reverted to a 8-valve design. The 5-speed/8-valve combination was actually slower than the previous 4-speed/16-valve setup. The base '88 Civic was about as bare bones as you could get. It had vinyl seats, an exposed rubber shift boot sticking up from the carpet and no rear wiper. The DX Hatchback was luxurious in comparison with tilt steering, slightly larger wheels/tires, rear wiper, cloth seats and a console surrounding the shifter and parking brake. DX models with automatic added power steering. The '88 Civic LX marks the first time power windows or locks were ever offered on a Civic in North America. The '90 EX Sedan is also the first time an automatic transmission was offered with the 1.6L engine. In 1986, all automatics were upgraded from a 3-speed to 4-speed. At the time, almost all competitors had only 3-speeds. You mentioned the '91 Civic DX had body color bumpers. For some odd reason, only the '91 DX Hatchback got the body color bumpers and full wheels covers (from the LX). It might have been due to the lack of a "LX" Hatchback. I only know this because I had a grey '91 DX Hatchback. When other kids were drinking and doing drugs, I was too busy cramming my brain with Honda information. Sadly, postings like this are the result... My far-too-detailed knowledge of the Civic ends with the fifth generation. I was 21 years old when the '96 Civic was introduced and had a life beyond reading car brochures and magazines. =)

[@autochatter]

@@IgoZoom1 Thank you! I was gonna say if their is a Honda museum that needs staff, you should get a resume together!

[@IgoZoom1]

@@autochatter The ironic thing is that I'm a hardcore Mazda fan/owner now! They're all I've owned since 2005 and I have three of them. But the 80s and 90s Hondas will always be my first love! BTW, there is a Honda Museum at the Marysville, Ohio factory. I've been a few times and highly recommend it. Sadly, I'm not cut out for life in rural Ohio. The winters would kill me!

[@autochatter]

@@IgoZoom1 Two Mazdas in my driveway, counting my kids 5 speed Mazda 6.

[@christopherconard2831]

No AC was a Honda thing for a long time. They did this knowing that dealerships would add it on for additional profits. Honda dealers got in a bit of trouble for adding (And charging for) extras that customers didn't ask for. You might order AC and an upgraded stereo. But when you went to pick it up, find they also added pin striping and different rims. Either pay or they sell your car to someone else. There was enough of a demand for Hondas at the time that they could usually get away with it. After looking at a few potential class action lawsuits and getting lots of bad press they finally put pressure on dealerships to stop being so obvious when robbing their customers.

[@autochatter]

@christopherconard2831 You nailed it Thats pretty much why I was griping about the lack of cool breeze in some of these otherwise well appointed models. When I was selling Nissans in the 90s, I would often be surprised what a comparable Honda or Toyota would be lacking.

[@kwaza8574]

Another great video!love the thoroughness in your descriptions. Another great video!.

[@autochatter]

@@kwaza8574 Thank you! Mustang II is next!

[@petestaint8312]

Fantastic video! One of my favorite cars. 👍

[@autochatter]

@@petestaint8312 Thank you again!

[@GeeEm1313]

My brother had a 97 DX sedan, and it was really nice. It had much more content than my dad's 96 base Corolla.

[@autochatter]

@GeeEm1313 A base 96 Corolla was 4 wheels and a engine!

[@Mic-yq1rw]

I'm chattering in with some popcorn 🍿 getting ready to watch this bad boy!

[@autochatter]

@Mic-yq1rw With such intense actions scenes in it, you may need two bags of popcorn!

[@Mic-yq1rw]

@@autochatter ha! Versa had me on the edge of my seat Milk Duds and all !!

[@autochatter]

@Mic-yq1rw Yeah...I should put a disclaimer on that one. I mean 109 hp AND a six speed? 😀

[@ericbritton9346]

Back in 2003, I bought a 1989 Civic LX sedan in grey exterior with grey interior. It was a fun car l. Had it for three months and sold it because it was an automatic transmission, that I wanted a manual at the time but it was hard to find. 17 years later, pandemic hit, turning 40 years old and found a 1990 Civic LX sedan red exterior and red interior and cam with a manual transmission. I bought it on leap year for $1500. It had 235,000 miles, and had to have it and it'll be hard to find another sedan like it. I put some work into her and my daughters name it Athena. Gained car enthusiasts attention while driving on the road and offered to buy it from me. In 2021 during the February Texas freeze, the Civic held up good. When the freeze was over and in month of March, the last task was to convert the A/C, but ended up buying a white 2006 Acura TL with working A/C. That I still took Athena on weekend driving the country back roads and highways. That was fun time to get away from reality and stress. On June, it was time for me and Athena to part ways. Took my last drive. And sold her for $2500. I hated to let her go. The EF Civics were my favorite body styles, especially the sedans. Will l buy another one, yes. But a white exterior, red interior, and still a manual transmission.

[@autochatter]

@ericbritton9346 The Honda manuals are just so good, and automatics could be trouble areas then....Just a no brainer to me!

[@P_RO_]

I can't add much to the other comments. This was definitely the car which brought Honda to the top-level game, going from totally minimal to middle-class winner with upgrades going up to near-top level for average buyers. And still, Honda kept offering a minimal version too- I respect that. You know how good a car is (was) when the comments are full of "wish I still had it". The problem here is that the 'boy racers' got into these so not many will be left worth buying now. To those who are willing to do the work, you can occasionally find older cars with low(er) mileages in the hands of the elderly, or in their estates when they pass. You've gotta 'network' into that scene well enough to be the first or only one that is called when the time comes for a new owner. Not my preferred car, but I'm watching a Chrysler "K" car like that which is in astonishingly good shape save for cosmetics. She doesn't drive it anymore and I've been nice to the lady so maybe it will come my way someday...

[@autochatter]

@P_RO_ Yes there has been generations now of young adults that have scooped most of these up. I can't recall the last 90s Civic I've seen that doesn't have somthing from Pep Boys on it. Good luck with your K car acquisition. Talk about a car you just don't see anymore!

[@P_RO_]

@@autochatter Oddly enough, I once got a beautiful garage-kept "K" car this way in near-perfect condition. It belonged to the elderly mother of a guy I knew and he'd finally convinced her to stop driving. She drove it so little that the full-tread tires had to be replaced because of dry rot- twice! IIRC just 32K miles on it with brand new tires, it was mine for $500. I never got a chance to register it as my niece who lived out-of-state badly needed a car so I let her have it for what I'd paid. Somehow the rear axle broke on a RR crossing and she junked it before I knew what had happened. Dayum, my normal luck...

[@autochatter]

@@P_RO_ That could have been your K Car moment!

[@robl7532]

Love this so much, another staple vehicle for the world to grow with. Sadly Ive never owned one until my FL5 Type R. Love it. Always wished I could find Civics of the past.

[@autochatter]

@robl7532 Yeah it was a real interesting time for the model. Other than the Type R today, they don't really do much for me.

[@robl7532]

@@autochattertrue, but the fact that a attainable car a family can “afford” with a usable interior at these price points is pretty impressive. I was originally shooting for just a manual hatch but the salesman never called me back that day. I didn’t think I would ever see let alone drive a CTR out here in the “heartland” (read boring). Edit: great vid once again!

[@autochatter]

@robl7532 Sounds like you are in the same boat I was with my old car. I had a 15 WRX I bought new. It was practical enough, but still fun.Im...not a fan of FWD, even though I know the Type R could be possibly fool ya! Now that the kid is grown and she has her own car, I downsized a bit LOL....and Thank you!

[@robl7532]

@@autochatter yeah I wanted to get back into some autocross or track time and have a car that doesn’t piss away fuel on our 1.5hr grocery runs. I wanted a GR Corolla but the Toyota dealers were very “D___ish”. After read about their diff issues and now being in the CTR with extra space…..I’m so glad those dealers are the way they were. Sometimes failure ends up working out for the best.

[@autochatter]

@robl7532 The GR Corolla I thought was kinda cool, since Subaru seems to be phoning in the WRX now. But I agree the dealers seem a little too proud of the GR LOL. I'll stick with the MX5. Feels like a extention of me when driving it.

[@ischul]

Wagons and wagovans were two completely different variations of the wagon body. Wagovans add an all vinyl interior on upright backseat that’s slid Forwards or backwards To increase the cargo area and metal bars across the rear side windows to secure loads. Wagons had cloth interiors 50-50 split hold reclining rear seat backrests. The Civic CRX Si came in 1985, The Civic Si came in 1986

[@autochatter]

@ischul Thank you for the correction. I didn't realize the Wagovan was basically a trim package. I thought I got the years right on the SI trims launch years.

[@raymond_sycamore]

Apparently the Civic is the fastest selling vehicle in America right now. I can't bring myself to buy one.

[@autochatter]

It is? Passed up the RAV4 I guess.

[@Project_Low_Expectations]

Had an 86 civic Si in the mid 90’s. Was a great car, fun to drive, and even though I beat on it like it owed me money, it was fairly reliable. The clutch and then trans was the 2 weakest points… I burned up a clutch every 6 months, and usually the trans went at about 12 months. But like I said, I was “a little rough” on it.

[@autochatter]

@@Project_Low_Expectations Sounds like you left "a little rough" a few exits back!

[@Project_Low_Expectations]

@@autochatter Well, I did get to where I could drop the trans in about 40 min without a lift. I ended up breaking the clutch pedal too. It didn’t actually fall off, but if I had driven it for another week…

[@autochatter]

​@Project_Low_Expectations Thats pretty good! Only thing quicker than that would be a air cooled Beetle. Had a trip for Memorial Day weekend years back and had a Manx buggy with engine trouble. Friend had a loaner engine, and we swapped it out in about a half an hour. Engine was already fully dressed.

[@Project_Low_Expectations]

@@autochatter I’ve always found rentals to be the fastest cars on the streets. 😂🤷‍♂️

[@autochatter]

@@Project_Low_Expectations Drive it like you stole....errr... rented it.

[@ChrisHsuCars]

I feel like late 80s to early 90s were the best years for Honda in general. After that, they were still great cars but started losing a bit of their special flavour. But that was more market driven as people paid for the more expensive options and so Honda just built those cars. Shame. The fourth and fifth gens are my faves, all of them were a hoot to drive, got great gas mileage and were easy to work on but still dead nuts reliable.

[@autochatter]

@@ChrisHsuCars Excellent post!

[@domjohnson8723]

I had a 1994 Honda Civic Si from 2018-2020. I still kick myself for selling it, even though I needed money at the time.

[@autochatter]

@@domjohnson8723 I love the tailgate hatch those had!

[@domjohnson8723]

@@autochatter I do too. It was the 5 speed manual and a sunroof that sold me. Plus the price was really good for a running and driving car.

[@autochatter]

@domjohnson8723 Yeah...Its unfortunate you needed money then. 😞

[@robl7532]

Its amazing how the “economy” cars always end up the most sought after for people of a certain generation. Honda and Toyota made such wonderful cars from the 80s and 90s. Ones you could actually own and enjoy.

[@doug6191]

7:26 - Cursed yellow

[@autochatter]

Yeah but the yellow wagon at 7:55 matched the Grey Poupon jar perfectly!

[@OLDS98]

That comment about Maine and air conditioning was funny so was the Prince comment too.. They sold a lot of this car. So many buy them.They still do. That is true about the Civic versus the Corolla. The Camry is an appliance too, but the Lexus ES although on the same platform has more to it. I do not know how Toyota does it. I was warching a Toyota video last night trying to under the culture in that industry. It is sad the American car makers never had anything that competed with this. The close we got was the Corolla based GEO Prism at your local Chevrolet dealers. I had to put that GM plug in there. I recall in Canada they had the Acura version of the Civic that we did not get in the United States.

[@autochatter]

@OLDS98 Toyota knows their market, and the Corolla is currently the best seller of all time....But historically they have been known to offer "appliances" lol. Not everyone is a car enthusiast. They want somthing that is cheap to maintain and affordable enough to buy.

[@OLDS98]

@@autochatter Yes, I obsered that in the Toyota videos about understanding the market. They do. Corolla is still rolling and still thriving. I know the Pontiac Vibe based on another Toyota outsold the Toyota. I believe it is the Matrix. This is indeed true about everyone not being an enthusiast. Most are looking for A to B transportation and nothing more. The enthusiasts are important group. They keep some of the car brands alive. Toyota and Honda understand the market. I cannot say the same for Stellantis right now in 2024.

[@autochatter]

@OLDS98 Well Stelantis is one of the great automotive mysteries at the momemt!

[@OLDS98]

@@autochatter It is one of the biggest "messes" at the moment. I suspect you will be doing a video on some the brands from them soon enough.

[@autochatter]

@OLDS98 Yeah..The subs tend to prefer older stuff, but I will get there.

[@Jfleshman1209]

Why does the 84 wagon remind me of an elongated Dodge Omni?

[@autochatter]

I can see that if I squint a bit. The Honda wagon then and Mitubishi one (Colt Vista Wagon), looked alot alike to me.

[@doug6191]

3:37 - High 'Ficiency? 🤔😆

[@autochatter]

That actually makes more sense doesn't it? 😂

[@autochatter]

@@doug6191 No comment on the title? I almost called it Civic II Electric Boogaloo

[@doug6191]

@@autochatter That would have been good, too

[@doug6191]

15:05 - Ew. 6th gen was blaaaannnnnd.

[@autochatter]

@doug6191 Yeah but Si was back later at least.

[@blue_lancer_es]

7th gen took that title

[@autochatter]

@blue_lancer_es Gimped suspension on the 7th gen too.

[@upbeattvraw-hiphop8242]

@@autochatterDoug6191 is really Doug DeMuro.. 😉 😂😂

[@doug6191]

I'll take a '95 Civic EX coupe, green with gray interior, with the 5-speed. I'll add some aftermarket wheels in place of the wheel covers. 🤌👌

[@autochatter]

Not a bad choice. Except the color.

[@doug6191]

​@@autochatter It was '95. Green was the obligatory color.

[@autochatter]

@@doug6191 Touché....Also purple for some reason.

[@IgoZoom1]

@@autochatter It's truly sad that I know the names of both colors by heart- Aztec Green Pearl and Camellia Red Pearl.

[@autochatter]

@IgoZoom1 That is both impressive...and disturbing LOL. The only colors for my past and current cars I can recal,l was Daytona Blue Pearl for my 350z, World Rally Blue for the WRX, and Soul Red on my MX5.