I'm fixing to end a 14 year career and go back to college full time.(I'm on the 15 year plan...) The little lady and I are going to be pinching pennies for a while, so I don't think I'll be able to feed my Bronco til I graduate (about 3 years).

I'm looking at picking up an early 90's honda, one of the small 2-door models that don't suck a lot of gas. Is there anything specific I should look out for on these cars? Any known issues that affect these model years? Did any of Honda's small car models from that era really suck ***?

BTW, I'm 6'6" tall. Is there any hope of me fitting into a civic?

thanks...

 

If your looking to keep it stock, and just to get from point A to Point b, it's a great era. Hondas aren't fast (unless boosted). Don't be TOO worried about fitting into it, worry about the guy in the back when you got your seat all the way back. Should be snug though. it's personal Preferance.

 

6th gens were rated by consumer reports as one of the most reliable & economical cars on the market

can find a decent DX hatch for around $5k these days...
96-00 year range

 

the earlier gen civics tend to get rust worst, (especially being like 15 years old anyway). My bro's 92 accord has an oil gasket leak with a little over 132,000 miles, but he didn't take the best care of his car so...... I'll have a fun time trying to fix that beater. If I were you I would go with a 5th or 6th gen civic 92-95, 96-99.

 

Thanks, I'll make sure to stick to the later 90's if I can...

No worries about back seat space or speed, I'll mostly be driving alone, and I don't race. I just want the thing to not go **** up, and not drink $80/week in fuel...

One thing I'm really looking forward to is working on that engine. I really miss doing tuneups on an inline 4, having all the plugs right up in front where you can reach them easy.

 

make sure that the timing belt has been changed on it if it's at or near a 100,000 marker. If you don't know how to do this belt change yourself, you're going to be in for some expense. last I chacked, they were running about $6-700 bucks. when you're pinching pennies like me, that matters quite a bit.

my suggestion, which I tell to anyone looking for a car, is to make a checklist on a piece of paper of the things you want to ask the seller about the car, and things you want to look for while you're looking at the car. this will make certain that you look into everything you can think of. most people kind of loose thier heads a bit when they're looking at a cool new-to-them car and they most ALWAYS miss something they wished they hadn't. take it from me, you don't want to buy a car and then be kicking yourself for months afterwards about the things you didn't notice when you were first buying it and had to repair.

hey, don't forget to look into accords as well. look, I know this is the civic forum and I know I and most everybody else on here owns a civic, but you need to look at the accords too. especially if you're a taller fella.

my old accord, which my older brother now drives, is still running strong at 200,000+ miles. my civic has 130,000 and will probably still run strong until I'm buried in it. you're on the right track

 

Good advice about the timing belt, thanks...

 

My parents used to have a '91 EX. That was an amazing car. My dad put 225K miles on it before we donated it as a tax write-off. He is not kind to cars and it would not stop.He could not break that car. I wish we stillhad it b/c I am spending$80/week ongas with my Xterra. Oh well, I do see anotherCivic in my future soon! I'll be looking for a '95EX.

Whenmy ex and I had the timingbelt changed on the '96 EX, it was only $130.

 

i was gunna buy a 98 civic lx, and it needed the timing belt changed. so we negotiated with the seller, and agreed toget it fixed and lower the price. so when we took it in, the service manager asked the seller, is this an Si? and he said "no not that i know, why?" and he said "Si were the only model to come with a factory sunroof" (which i know isnt true cuz ex's come with sunroofs) and so he got a little worried and ran the VIN, and found out it was a total write off. its dealers like the one here that go to show excellent customer service. if it wasnt for him, i woulda bought a totalled civic, that could have busted the second i drove it out of the driveway. i was very thankful that he did this for me.

 

Carfax is your friend... ;-)