Faults:

The car was actually very reliable, considering how rough I was on it.

The clutch needed replacement at 100,000.

A bent rim was replaced (does NOT handle well in the snow!)

AM radio stopped working in '88.

General Comments:

My parents bought this car new in 1984. My dad drove the thing to work everyday, with no problems.

Then he gave it to me, when I was 18 in 1994. I had the Civic only four months, but I put 36,000 miles on it during that time. I drove from my home in Portland to Tijuana, twice to Vancouver, B.C., Salt Lake City, all over Oregon and Washington, and every night at least driving around Portland.

The car began looking rather shabby after about a month of my careless ownership. I invited people to kick the fenders and litter all over the cabin. I took it on my own suburban version of rally racing and I did almost no scheduled maintenance. In fact, it was 10,000 miles overdue for an oil change when I totalled it.

It wasn't a pretty end either. I rear-ended a Bronco in stalled traffic on I-84 was rearended by a GTI and thrown into a Cadillac. Ouch.

But it was a nimble little car that handled like a go-cart. It took an incredible amount of abuse, was great on gas, and comfortable enough for a young man.

Faults:

Head gasket blew once after about thirty thousand miles of REALLY hard driving.

Blew again two years later, also after REALLY hard driving.

Had to replace most components in cooling system.

Have problems with front suspension every few years.

Had one incident where the alternator went bad (probably due to heavy power consumption from 600-watt amplifier).

WAY too many vacuum lines, so keep hose clamps handy.

General Comments:

This car is generally reliable, as long as you take care of it (much as I didn't). Faults lie in cooling system, vacuum system, and front suspension.

It lacks a great deal in performance. The five-speed gives reasonable pep around town, while the three speed is utterly useless in that regard. Highway travel is surprisingly easy on the engine and the car feels like it comes out of its shell here.

Hard suspension without the performance that usually comes with that. Bumps and alignment problems are transmitted strongly through the thin steering wheel (at least with the non-power steering versions).

The car will comfortably accomodate four people with very little ammenities. It has been a challenge for me to add some of these ammenities (such as drink holders). Good size trunk space as well.

I have seen many of the faults in the cars design and have begun to improve my car with the following additions:

-Added 6x9 spacers to accomodate 6x9 speakers.

-Replaced stock stereo and front speakers.

-Built custom center console (empty space between dash and floor!).

-Added drinkholders and armrest for this console.

-Added thicker steering wheel (I think it was from a newer Integra, anywhere from 86-93).

-Added shift boot, cut the shifter down, and added new shift knob to hide the disgusting automatic shifter.

-Added newer Civic floormats (the ones that say Civic).

-Added drink holders to rear extension of center console.

-Added 16" QT wheels + 40 series tires.

-Lowered car 3" front (adjusted torsion bars), 2.5" rear (cut springs).

-Added front lip to bumper (from 86 Integra).

-Added sideskirts (from older Grand Am).

-Tinted the windows to 20%.

-Gutted air conditioning system, including air conditioning radiator which blocks main radiator.