Honda Civic (coupe/hatchback)

only1harry

has 92K mi. and so far so good. Just changed the timing belt (and the water pump). Did a tune-up at 80K (plugs, wires, distr.cap&rotor + air filter).
150K is really not much for a Civic. My friend's '91 Civic LX (Civics are all the same with the same drive train, exhaust & suspension, except that has a bigger motor) blew the head gastket at 210K mi. and my friend drove that car like a race car driver, really abused it and redlined it every day. He gave the car to his neighbor's son who paid $550 to have it fixed and he is still driving the car a year later.
If you can get a Civic with 150K mi. for about $2K it's worth it if you figure you can get another 50K mi. out of it before a major repair.
Or figure if the car lasts 2 more years then it only cost you $1K/yr. That's only $82/mo! That's how I look at it.

02blueyes

I have a 1988 Honda Civic HB and it has been very dependable. I do routine maintenance with Honda. I've put nothing more into it. I have the same engine and transmission and replace the clutch at 150,000.

I have a friend with a 1983 Honda and it has 230,000 miles on it.

Honda is very reliable. I don't think you can go wrong with one.

igloomaster

I bought a 1999 CX with an Automatic Transmission and Air Conditioning and Floor Mats for $12,484.

You should NOT pay more than $1000 for A/C. It costs the dealership $800, and you will not get out of paying them $200 to install it.

Best of luck.

pgee900282

Hey thanks for the input. 12,484 looks like a good price for a Cx with ac and mats. I had a Crx back in 95 and i just want a car like that one. I am going to drive both the Cx and Dx. Thanks again for the information

igloomaster

additionally: i probably would've gone with a DX, except that i didn't think the large price difference from the CX to the DX was worth it.
DX - you get a rear wiper (whoopee) and an FM/AM radio [no cassette, no CD], and a 'cover' for the back cargo area.
Didn't seem like alot.
More important things to me were AC and Automatic. Add those "options" to a new DX and you're paying way too much.

rex12

Actually, the CX to DX difference involoves a little more:

Map pouch in the back of the passenger seat

Wheel covers

Body colored spoiler

Power steering

Rear wiper

Radio & Speakers

Rear cargo cover

Option of black paint

While the additional items aren't major to some I found them quite appealing. (Especially if you want the fuel economy and performance of a manual and power steering.) While I don't really think the car needs power steering, it's nice for my wife. I also liked the way the car looked with the body colored roof spoiler.

Wheel covers aren't exactly the most beautiful option but, I think they're the lesser of two ugly options.

Believe it or not, the cargo cover cuts down on interior noise ALOT! Plus, it gives me some protection from would be thieves.

The wiper is nice to have when it's really cold and snowing.

rex12

I paid $12,400 (out the door tax title & dest.)for my 2000 DX with AC. (no floor mats, I had to buy them later for $62.00)

tooyoung

At the beginning of the topic there was a couple of references to head gaskets. My wife's car is a 93 Civic. It has been a pretty good car. Yet with only 59,000 miles on it how many problems can you have? Last week I had to replace the head gasket. It was leaking coolant into the exhaust port. What a joke. Only 59,000 miles and the head gasket goes. Has any one out there had a similar problem? I had just met with the sales manager of my local dealer on ordering a Oddessy EX. Do you think I'm buying?

only1harry

That really sucks. I hadn't even done a tune up at 59K miles! I would 've called up Honda and screamed at them.
Sometimes if the radiator is low in coolant (slow leak from a loose hose clamp) or if your thermostat doesn't work well and the car overheats regularly the head gasket will certainly go. I would tell the dealer to check out the cause of the head gasket failure. I believe something else caused it to break. This may happen again in another 50K mi. Look for temp. fluctuations on your temp. gauge or for small spots on your driveway or garage and check the coolant fluid often.
The failure could have been due to a slightly warped head from mis-alligned valves. Have a valve clearance adjustment done. This should be done every 30K mi. or so.

rex12

I think it would be a HUGE mistake to judge Honda on one head gasket. It's obviously not the norm.

O1H is right on, check your cooling system. Did you replace all of your upper end gaskets or just the head? (Just my curiosity.)

59,000 miles is soooo low (especially on a car 7 years old)! Your Civic should run forever with light use like that!

only1harry

I think I 'm getting jinksed Last night my passenger side headlight went out while I was driving. I got out, tapped it a few times and it came back on. This morning same thing. Came on but not after I tapped it harder and more times than last night. It 's safe to assume it's on its way out. My Civic has 93K mi. now so I guess a headlight is not that bad. These suckers are expensive though!
Going for a valve clearance adjustment Tuesday.
Only $64 at a local Honda/Acura specialist and it includes a valve cover gasket. The dealer (thief) wanted $107 + tax. BTW, a valve adjustment should be done every 30K miles. If you drive like an old lady and do mostly highway driving you can do it every 40-50K mi. Small price to pay to keep your valves healthy with proper clearance. You will also notice the engine will sound a little smoother and a small power increase when you get it done (especially going up those hills!)

tooyoung

While I am not a mechanic I do know the basics. I have rebuilt a couple of engines though it was some 24 years ago. An H.O. 289 for my old 66 Mustang, and later a 383 for my 70 Charger.

The blown head gasket I described earlier was just that. My wife called me on her cell phone while driving it. She said that the heater had "stopped heating" while driving to work. It was working then the air just got cooler and cooler. I asked her to look at the temp guage and she noted it was higher near the top of the guage. I had her pull over and shut off the car. I drove out with a couple of towels and opened the radiator cap. No water in the reserve jug and it took almost 3/4 a gallon of water to top it off. I then drove it to a shop to have the coolant system preasure tested. I wasn't the thermostat I was sure, (I had replaced it only 10,000 miles ago.) and there where never any tell tale leaks in the garage. The mechanic thought a leaking head gasket and he was right. It was a leak in the gasket to the exhaust. The coolant was disappearing out the tail pipe.

The tech then printed me off a Technical Service Bulletin from ALLDATA #97-047. HEAD GASKET LEAKS 1988-95 Civics, all except VTEC. Noting the problem and how the are to install a new type of head gasket and new design of head bolts. He took an oil sample and sent it out to a lab to look for any extrodinary bearing wear(Luckily none.) My question is has any one else had such a problem?

judas

My parents have a 95 Civic EX with over 150K miles on it and in 150K miles the only thing that's broken on it is the cupholder, and I think I did that. Other than that no repairs except scheduled maintenance.

igloomaster

rex12 - when i listed the differences between CX and DX - i was listing the ones that were possibly 'significant'. the hatchback in general is supposed to be cheap, bare-bones - reliable transportation. if i waa going to cough up the extra cash for those nifty lil 'options' for a DX, i'd probably just have opted for the sedan.

a body colored spoiler is certainly not something that would change most people's minds either way -as well as the wheel covers. how many DX's have I seen with cracked or warped wheel covers from the driver rubbing them against the curb while trying to parallel park in the city? option of black paint? why would I pay that much more just to by a black car?
radio and speakers? the DX comes with a standard FM/AM radio - no tape deck, no single disc player. that would be fine if this was 1970, but not now!! jeez- at least throw a tape deck in there for that cash - especially if it's only a factory radio!!!!

Power Steering? My CX came with Power Steering because I bought the automatic. The last CX I had was a manual, and I didn't long for the power steering; I was driving a sportier car with the manual tranny, and preferred the tightness of handling without power steering.
a map pouch in the back of the passenger seat. those tend to tear at the edges after a few years, even when not over-stuffed. happened on my last base-model civic, before they came up with the CX title. they were standard before, now you have to pay for them. sorry honda, you can have your map pouches. i'll stick my map under the seat or in the back hatch!
sorry rex12 - i just couldn't see the light - the CX was fine to me, and the extra bells and whistles for the DX didn't seem worth what they were charging.

rex12

What about the low fuel indiactor light? That's gotta be worth atleast $200! : ) (Kidding of course)

Just goes to show ya why they make different models!

Personally, I think the additional $870 is well spent. (I really like the body colored spoiler, I think it makes the car.)

The only 2 things I wanted and they didn't offer were cruise control & a tach. (I know how you feel about a tach.)

igloomaster

i would've dug cruise control! i'd like that on my highway trips up to Maine.

i'm so incredibly disappointed in the folks at Honda. i really think it's a mistake not to offer a hatchback in some format for the 2001 year. really bums me out. it's like the end of an era; i liken it to when volkswagon stopped american production of the beetle in 1975.

fjw2

My neice loaned her Honda Civic to a friend and crashed it. It was '85 and it was running good before the accident. He couldn't afford to get it fix, and now sits in my parents' driveway. They asked me to find someone to buy/get rid of it.

Today, I spent hours calling all the wrecking yards and even Volunteers of America for tax deduction. My last resort was calling a school that used cars for their automotive department.

Everyone but one offered to buy it from me for $25 and they come and tow it away. They gave me a reason that there are too many Hondas out there, they couldn't use the parts, or have room to store them.

Does anyone have any ideas what else to do?

If it's to stick it where .... don't want to hear it.

rex12

If you've got the time, you can part it out. If not, find out what your insurance laws are. Here in Michigan we have no fault (It doesn't matter who is at fault, each persons own insurance company covers their car.) Under Michigan no fault, if you do not have collision you can get up to $500 back. (Check with your insurance co.) The car MUST be TOTALED to get the $500 and I think you have to be less than 50% at fault.

If you can get the $500 and then donate the car to a local charity (They generally give you blue book regardless of the car's condition.) You'll get a nice write off next year and have the $500.

Otherwise, i'd make the punk pay for the car.

tooyoung

In talking with Honda the covered all the parts and half of the labor to repair my 93. While I am quick to complain, I thought I would also be as quick to say thanks to Honda on this site since I aired my story here. Happy motoring..............

greentrees77

I just donated (Volunteers of America) our 90 STD HB, 233,000 miles. It had a bad head gasket. I wonder if I could have got Honda to pay for most of the repair on mine? Unfortunately, it did have a few other problems . . .

We were going to replace it with the equivalent, which would be a CX HB, 5-speed. However, I called every dealer in the Houston area, and there was not one to be found (several automatics, though). Apparently, there was only one in the entire state of Texas. Decided to go with the DX. I don't think myself that the DX is worth the additional cost, but it does have some nice features, and it was available.

rex12

I know what ya mean. There were no DX manuals in Michigan when I bought mine it had to be driven up from Cincinnati.

Ya gotta wonder if there'd be a 2001 hatch had Honda marketed it a little and made them visible on their dealers lots.

only1harry

Honda has never advertised the hatchback. I 've never seen it on a TV commercial, always the 2dr EX or 4dr LX.
When I was ready for a new car I went to 3 dealers in Nov. '96 to get a '97 htbk. Two dealer had a couple of CX autos and the other had a CX 5sp. I called back a month later and they finally had 1 DX 5-sp. but I think it was red or something and they only came down $100. Finally at the end of January '97 they had 2 black DX's!! So it took almost 3 mos for them to get some black ones that I wanted but it seemed like the dealers were only getting about 2-3 hbks a month! They actually found a black one like in the beginning of Jan. but they wanted to drive it in from 120 mi. away and I said "no, flatbed it or no deal" and they didn't want to do that.. The car also had another 20mi. or so on it and I 'd never buy a new car with 140mi. on it unless they gave it to me at like invoice..
Anyway the dealer kept calling me to see when I can come in to put a deposit down on one of the black DXs. I figured noone was showing interest in them and it was the slowest time for car dealers, so I delayed it another week and didn't go to the dealer until 1st week of February. He was so anxious to sell them that I got it for $12.5K with A/C. That was about $850 below sticker but they still made about $500 which is ok.
One HB for a whole state is pretty messed up though. They definitely don't import enough HBs in the US, that's for sure. I 've only seen maybe 5 or 6 '96-00 hatchbacks in the 3 yrs I 've had mine!

greentrees77

My DX hatchback was driven in from Beaumont, approx 100 miles away. I didn't mind having the 100 miles on the odometer, and they didn't charge me extra for bringing it over. When I was trying to get a CX, which was several hundreds of miles away, it was going to cost me three hundred dollars.

These Honda CX/DX HB's are great basic transportation. I can only figure that Honda doesn't want to be in that business, because the margins are just too low; this way they'll force people to buy more expensive hondas.

The HB is actually for my wife. We had a 90 Civic HB with 230,000 miles and a Maxima with 140,000 miles. Bought an Odyssey several months ago, but kept the others. The 90 Civic was in bad shape, so I figured I'd sell the Maxima, buy my wife a new HB, and I'd use the old HB for commuting. My wife does home health, and drives alot of miles. This week, in the middle of selling the Maxima, the old HB dies, and there goes my ride. I sold the Maxima tonight, so Monday I'll be commuting in the Odyssey. Rather be in the Civic.

igloomaster

I share your enthusiasm for the HB.

I also had a 1990 Civic HB - Red, the base model (back then there was no cute "CX" designation).

You know - I am one of those weirdos out there that LOVED the fact that my 90 Hatch had the 1.5 liter engine, and a 4 speed manual. Gas mileage was phenomenal, and I didn't miss the 5th gear.
Why is that? Heck if I know...It never felt like it needed that 5th gear, the way they were set up.

Now I'm a boring old fart driving a 99 CX Automatic. I still love it .... !

greentrees77

Our 90 HB was the same, a red base model four speed. I am interested in why you went with the automatic. I don't mind the manual transmission at all, and I was afraid that both the gas mileage and acceleration would be worse with the automatic (though this was without a test drive or looking up any hard numbers).
How does the '99 automatic's gas mileage and the git-up-and-go compare to the '90 4 speed?

igloomaster

green:

in most circumstances, the manual has more pep but only marginably better fuel economy....
i found the manual to be 'sportier', so i drove a bit more aggressively with it, and thus, my gas mileage was not always optimum due to my youth and driving habits. if i had driven the manual like a calm normal person, then yes the fuel ecomomy is a bit better - about 3 gallons better.

the automatic is a pleasure for me to drive at this point due to all of the Boston driving I do. with the manual, the clutch is a drag in the city, and i wound up hating the car when i had to be in Boston.

i average 30 to 35 mpg in my automatic. not to shabby. it has enough pep to satisfy the passing lane urge on the highway. that's all i now need. i drive it normally [most of the time]. i just kind of let the car do it's thing now, where before i used to have fun testing limits.

i HATE most american automatic transmissions; they seem to take to much of a hold of the vehicle. the honda automatic is smooth and responsive. i switch from D3 to D4 quite abit, depending on where i am. i'll also pop it into neutral at long stop lights. the automatic is kind of like a nice vacation in a way. you get all of the benefits of the civic, without all of the clutch work. i kind of wish i could afford to have 2 civics - one manual - for when i get the urge.

courtney89

I just bought a '98 CRV and am in the process of cleaning up my '89 DX HB. Has 100,090 mi. Absolutely no rust, perfect condition outside and the only sign of wear inside is the driver seat is worn to nothing, so have new seat covers. Car has been a jewel. I haven't treated it very well, oil change has been sporadic. Have only replaced the brakes. Hate to see it go. I bought it brand new and probably will be able to sell it in a day. I can't believe Honda is getting rid of the HB's. Anyway it is a great car.

rfruth

Sounds like no HBs for 2001 ? I got one just in time ! I need more than
two doors but less than four to carry me, friends and a bicycle or two.
Mine is a 5 speed DX, if I had a tach and cruse control I'd be in hog heaven !

Rob Fruth - Houston, Tx
http://freeweb.pdq.net/rfruth

1981 Raleigh for commuting, errands & fun ____ __o
1997 Trek 2300 for real fun ! ____ _ \ | _)
2000 Civic hatchback when I have to (_)/ (_)

firstcar1

I'm considering buying a 88 Honda civic hatchback. It has 270 000 miles on it, and the price that is being asked for is $1000. I know the person selling it and he has taken fairly good care of it and has said it has not had any major problems. I'm wondering if this price is reasonable for a car that is 12 years old and if anybody thinks the car will probably break down soon because of age and or mileage.

only1harry

Well you are not going to own it too long before you start putting money into it but if you can go a year with it without any repairs, you got your money's worth.
Just FYI, I had asked my dealer what the highest mileage was that he had ever seen on a Civic and he said 360K mi but he admitted the guy kept up with the maintenance and had some major repairs.
The first major thing that could go any time on a Civic with 270K mi., is the Head Gasket and that's a $400+ job. He may have replaced it already (they usually go around 200k mi), ask.
Then the front main and rear main seals go on Civics around 250-300k mi. ($275-500 depending where you get it done, dealer or your mechanic and where you live..) The seller may have done a lot of these repairs already, ask them!
You 're always taking a gamble when you 're buying a used car especially with very high mileage. There are no guarantees how long the car will last. You may have real good luck with it or have to junk it a month later. That's the way it goes but the important thing is to find out what he has replaced on the car already so that way you have an idea of what to expect..

igloomaster

to $600

dbond1

I agree with igloomaster, greentrees77, et al: Honda has lost me as a customer by dropping first the CRX, then the Si Hatch, and soon the Hatchback altogether. I've owned 3 generations of Si's (thanks in part to their popularity among car thieves), beginning with a 1984 red and silver model--that design with the vertical rear glass is a modern classic in my book.

No one who knows me can believe it, but my next car will be a Focus ZX3. I'm worried about reliability, having been spoiled rotten by Honda, but this Ford is a handler and a steal (hopefully not in the same way Civics are!).

I've seen the spy pics of the new Civics. Now that I have a family, my dream car would be a 5-dr hatchback Si. Anyone listening, Honda?

igloomaster

I realize my friend Eli's aspiration to situate the proper body material into the appropriate cloth passenger seats of my new Civic. You see, I am a self-made man. As a self-taught "systems-guru" for a leading Fortune 500 company in this unparalleled land of ours - I must report to you that not all Civic owners have access to and/or the requisite erudition of the multitude of supplementary "cleaning materials" offered commercially. I extol my fine friend Edmund for assembling this dignified electronic lattice for automotive doggerel; and I'm sure that countless others concur that Edumund has done a first-class job. However, when a gracious individual like Eli lets go [thus forcing me to beseech Edmund for aid], isn't it Edumund's responsibility to attend to this state of affairs - above and beyond the cosmetic impetus? Shan't Edmund assist me, lest he confuse this horrible incident further? Please be responsive to the natural order. Can't we mend the crisis to start with, prior to heaving me off into an alternative thread, and possibly an alternative board?

What do I use to REALLY clean a cloth car seat in a Civic?

daniell

I have a 98 CX. When I bought it, all I could afford was the AM-FM radio. As far as I know, the AM-FM unit also includes the eleectronics for the security system and a controller for the optional Honda casette player. I want to install now the Honda casette player but the dealer wants $200 for the unit and another $120 for work. I think this is a rip-off, since the car is supposed to be prewired for stereo upgrades. Does anybody know where can I purchase the Honda casette at a reasonable price? Is it any good? If not and I install a non-Honda casette, is this going to screw up my alarm?

rae52

The best source for genuine Honda parts & accesories is...www.hparts.com.Period!

rae52

Danielle, I meant to post www.hparts.com

weasle

From the April 24 Autoweek: "Japan's No. 2 automaker plans to sell the five-door hatchback edition of its new Civic in North America... The Civic hatch enters the North American market in the 2002 model year..."

only1harry

Alright! I hope we get the hatchback here. But what if North America only means Canada? Don't forget Cananda has special edition Civic HBs as well as the Civic Type-R. The US doesn't get either one!
A 5-dr is welcome though. I don't think I need a 3dr anymore. A 5dr Civic is a lot better than buying a Golf or a Focus though. I 'll take it!

igloomaster

AS SOON AS A 5 DOOR HATCH BECOMES AVAILABLE IN THE USA, I'LL TAKE ONE!!!!!!!

rex12

Try Manchester Honda at: http://www.manhonda.com/

They have EVERYTHING for Honda's and generally at the best price.

ultra

If anyone lives in the Denver area and are looking to buy any sort of Honda, stay away from Planet Honda. My story: My wife and I test drove a CRV from Planet Honda. This was the first time we drove one. We made it very clear to the salesperson that we were not interested in buying that day, but were looking to do something in about 3 weeks. Everything went fine until we were almost back to the dealership. The salesperson asked us why we wouldn't buy that day. We said we were waiting for our tax refund so that we could put down a larger downpayment. He said we should lease instead of purchase. I informed him that we keep our vehicles more than a few years. This pressure from him kept up even after we returned to the dealership. He even asked us after we told him "no" several times if he should get the CRV all cleaned up for us to take delivery that day! We just walked away. That night we emailed the dealership our experience with this salesperson b/c we had talked to someone different several months before and had a totally opposite experience. The dealer's response was to have the internet salespeople contact us, who never addressed the problem we encountered, but were very eager to sell us a vehicle. We were contacted 3 different times by the internet salespeople.

There are several other dealers in the Denver area who do not use high pressure sales tactics. We purchased our CRV from Fisher Honda in Boulder. Ask for Suzi Smith or Craig Sweeney.

auroraowner

I accidentally came across this method for cleaning my cloth seats on my 89 Honda Civic Wagon. (186,000 mi, only have replaced u-joint, NO other troubles at all). I spilled very rusty water from volleyball net supports all over the back seats. NOTHING got the rust out, I tried everything on the market specified for upholstry, rust, etc. You know what got it all out? Windex! My seats look brand new with a little touch up now and then.

only1harry

Wait a minute. You mean you 're on the original alternator after 186K mi? what about the starter? blown fuses? headlights? headlight bulbs? a headlight (or the bulb) will always go on a Civic by the time it gets up to around 150K mi. What about brake caliper? thermostat?

derrickwong

only1harrry: where'd you hear that we get the Type R in Canada? There's a Special edition hatch, but it has the ugliest rear spoiler I've ever seen (and it's rather pricey for a hatch). I wish there was a Type-R hatch, I've always found the current one to be under-powered.

only1harry

A guy from Toronto told me a while ago that he saw one (white of course) at a dealership so I assumed Honda exported them to Canada. Can you find out since you live over there? Maybe call a Honda dealer and ask?

igloomaster

so what the heck IS a type R honda anyway?

derrickwong

I just traded-in my civic hatchback for a prelude, and I was at the Honda dealer a lot and I'm 99% sure they're not available in Canada.

igloomaster

Attention all CX hatchback owners:

If you long for the Cargo Cover [rear shelf] that is standard equipment on the DX but "not available" for the CX, you can order one from www.hparts.com

I checked with a dealership, and the parts department wanted to charge me $130 for it.

I bought it on-line for $97 with shipping.

It comes with the mounting brackets which install in less than 10 minutes.

only1harry

There are 2 Type-Rs from Honda: The Civic Type-R which don't get here in the US and the Integra Type-R which we get in limit numbers (about 1200 for '00)
The CTR (Civic Type-R) has a 1.6L with 185hp and heavy duty suspension & brakes.
The ITR (Integra Type-R) has a 1.8L with 195hp (Japanese version has 200hp) and heavy duty suspension, brakes, etc.

rex12

I keep telling you, go to www.manhonda.com


Civic 94 - 95 3DR $72.75 EA + shipping

Civic 96 - 99 3DR,CX $84.52 EA + shipping