civic
 

Anyone here had a civic hatchback ever? Thats what i'm considering if my SVX sells. I just cant afford repairs on my car, its running great now but if the windsheild ever breaks or something i'll be screwed. Anyway any constructive impressions would be appreciated, sans the ones involving the word "ricey."

-Alex

ask Kurt_W, he knows :p I have nothing against Hondas now, I guess hiding to like them grows on you :)

What year are you looking at getting? I've had 3 Honda CRXs (88 HF, 89 Si, 91 Si) and my GF has an 88 Si. I've also had an 83 Civic 1500, but I doubt you're looking that far back.

They're great cars... fun to drive, very reliable, and lots of aftermarket support. Also fairly cheap to repair. I had to replace the windshield on my 89 Si earlier this year, and it only cost me $160 installed.

The biggest thing to watch for is the timing belt... make sure it gets changed every 60k miles. If it breaks, you're looking at rebuilding the head at the very least, and possible a new engine. That's the reason mine's running with a B16 now :D

The 92+ models have even more options and are easier to modify, but I've never owned one so I can't really say much more.

Re: civic
 

Insurance?

Mike

I have never owned one but have family and coworkers that have. They are fantastic little cars. They run like tops, parts are inexpensive and plentiful. Just get one that has been well maintained and has as little rust as possible. If it clears your mechanic's inspection you'd be hard put to be making a mistake in buying it.

Like Shoden, I've had my fair share of Hondas at this point. 86, 89, 90, 91 CRXs, 92 Prelude, 2x 93 Civic hatchbacks...one was a Si (which I prefer) and the other was a CX (I still have this one, its modifed a bit...) They have all been great cars..some better then others but anyway...lean toward EX and Si trim levels as they have the most powerful engines. If you plan on doing an engine swap or something like that and can live with fewer goodies, the DX's and others are ok. I don't know what year your looking for, but if its 88-91 (4th gen), then you have 3 level options: STD (~70hp - barebones w/ 4 speed manual tranny), DX (92hp - still pretty bare), Si (108hp - sunroof, etc). With the 92-95 (5th gen) hatch, then you have 4 level options: CX (70hp - barebones), VX (92hp - some little goodies like alloy wheels), DX (102hp - seems to be the most common level), Si (125hp - sunroof, power mirrors, rear speakers, etc.) I'm not real knowledgeble of the 96-00 (6th gen) hatch, but I think it came in CX and DX forms, with no more then 108hp in the DX.

Primary issues to be aware of is rust, timing belt replacement (as Shoden said), rust, CV joints, rust, accidents and finally rust. Did I mention rust, its a major problem.

Parts are cheap and plentiful. 90-95 civics are becoming prevalent in junkyards. Many parts are interchangeble within the same generation, while some parts are also transferable between generations (particularly 5th and 6th gens.)

Expect to pay under $3000 for a decent 4th gen Si in original condition...you might also be able to find decent modifed ones for under $4000. 5th gen Si's go for $3500-5500 in good original condition while modified ones go for as much as $10,000. 6th gen hatchs are more expensive, but again, I'm not particularly aware of the details on them.

Good luck with whichever you pick, as they are all great cars. Cheap to own, easy and cheap to maintain, handle well even if they don't floor you with high power (though that can easily be fixed with $$.)

Re: Re: civic
 

Inwhatance?

I thought most (all?) states require you to have full glass coverage. Maybe that's my mistake. Regardless, I have that on my policy. At the cost of a SVX windshield, it would be foolish to not have it insured.

Mike

I can barely afford insurance to begin with. I'm not sure about glass in CO but every conversation i've had with someone about their windshield has included something along the lines of "buying a new windshield" which would lead me to believe that may not be the case here...I think I may have given a bad example with the glass though...its just in general repairs are a lot more than they would be for another car. Something that isn't exactly a news flash to anyone here.
ex. alternator for svx=around $200 for a refurbished one
alternator for a civic=around $70 for a refurbished one
I hope to get an SVX later in life when its more practical and affordable, but right now it just doesnt seem like the best fit for a struggling/broke college student:)

-Alex

So why have you had so many of them??

We've only needed ONE Justy since 1988! :p :)

You wouldn't be the first college student to come to that conclusion, Alex. I hope you find something which fits your life a little better and serves you well.

Lol, Actually, I had the 89 CRX Si as my daily driver for about 3 years before I parked it. (Wrecked)

I get bored with cars pretty quick, or I run across good deals on cars that I can't pass up. I rescued 2 of the CRXs and the Prelude from early deathes. One CRX was a repo, the other a theif recovery and the Prelude was a deep sea diver (i.e. flood victim.)
The Civic Si was a winter car that I picked up while my old Impreza was in the body shop and had the SVX apart. Generally one car would get sold to pay for another. *shrug*

Help me find a honda then, lol, I kinda almost wrecked the Volare on Rt. 31 Out past Williamstown going near Waverly there where it meets with Rt.2 Woo hoo RWD+Ice=bad:(

Blah, Civics. Cheap and reliable, I hate them.:p

You can't go wrong with a Civic. But like you've been told, if you're not sure change the T-belt. It's the only ticking bomb on a Honda. That and the tranny might let go around 250K.:rolleyes:

glass coverage is not required in colorado and not even available from some insurance companies. i used to have farmers and i had a glass deductible of $100. currently, i use american family and my agent told me glass coverage was not available. i carry a $1000 comprehensive deductible on all my cars. my claret has a cracked windshield that i won't replace until i absolutley have to. it's a good thing for my pocketbook that colorado doesn't have a safety inspection.