Faults:

Clutch started slipping about 5000km ago due to towing a heavy trailer around, and it still slips a bit as I have not fixed it (so it was my own fault).

General Comments:

I bought this car for a cheap price for a economical runabout, and indeed it is. It's basic and plain e.g: no power steering, wind up windows, manual choke, no air conditioning and fuel fed by carburetor.

I have done oil and filter changes myself every 10000km, and it has never been to a mechanic or workshop while I have had it, so reliability has been great, and it obviously was maintained by the previous owners.

It is a great city run about, and is adequate on the highway, but I definitely would not want to be in a accident in one. I do prefer my GT Legacy on the highway, but not it's fuel consumption compared to the Civic.

Faults:

Nothing serious, just wear and tear after 14 years on the road.

AC didn't work.

Brakes replaced (they were pretty thin on purchase)

Exhaust was on the way out.

Key didn't work in drivers side door.

General Comments:

This was my first car and I rolled it a week ago. I love the car so much I'm considering just cutting the roof off and calling it a convertible. I don't want to part with it.

Fuel economy was above average and consistent regardless of how hard the engine was pushed.

Handling was great and the interior was well maintained (last owner was a female).

For a 1.6 lt engine this car could scream out some impressive sounds.

Started first time every time, Extraordinarily reliable.

Faults:

Head gasket blew twice. Appears to have been a poor repair from before I had the car.

Power steering rack is leaking, which has caused further problems by oil leaking into the distributor.

Problem with the rotor arm left me stranded once.

Burning oil and blowing smoke above 5000rpm. Probably needs new rings.

General Comments:

The civic is a very well balanced front wheel drive with plenty of power. It's the most agile car of it's size that I've ever driven.

The engine doesn't produce much torque below 3000rpm, but it gets up to speed very quickly and goes like a rocket at 4500rpm. It doesn't go very well with a heavy load.

The interior is very well designed. The bucket seats are very comfortable. Not as deep as the Honda Prelude's and, in my opinion, just right. The rear seats are easy to get into for a 2 door, and quite comfortable. With the back seats folded down flat, it can carry a very large load.

The suspension is just right, and keeps your passengers happy without sacrificing any handling, but the back end gets a bit light at high speed.

The power steering is very nice in the city, but much too soft on the highway.

It might just be because of the age of the car, but it's not an easy car to drive. The clutch and accelerator are very temperamental. If you lift off the accelerator while the engine's loaded the car will hop. Once you get the hang of it it's a lot of fun and lets you squeeze the most power out of it.

Being a Honda, it's expensive to service and stupidly expensive to do any panel work.

I've been very demanding on my car, and despite the various mechanical problems, it just keeps going.