Faults:

Northern winters have necessitated a new muffler every 3 to 5 years.

Combination of FWD and 13 inch tires has resulted in front set lasting less than 40,000 miles.

Honda Tune-Up Recommends water pump/time belt change every 80-100,000 miles.

General Comments:

My 1993 Honda Civic DX is my first car, I have owned it for 12 years this April.

It has 150,000 miles on it and is running strong.

Averaged over 30 mpg over this time. Can reach 40 mpg when not overburdened with passengers and luggage on long journeys.

Rarely returns less than 30 mpg on 87 octane during city and mixed driving.

A very light car that still fared very well in the crash tests when new.

Despite frugal engine is quite capable of keeping up with traffic and cruising at 100 mph. (Top Speed is 115).

Large trunk, well shaped 12+ cubic foot trunk. Comparable in trunk size to current mid-sized imports. (Acura TL, BMW 530, etc.)

A 5th generation "Sports Civic" with a sophisticated and excellent suspension. Docile in the city and hunkers down at highway speeds.

Incredible reliability and low-cost of ownership. Withstood my teenage automotive abuse. Cross-country floggings, Ninja style city driving.

Meticulously maintained Blue 4-Door Civic with no added nonsense!

As a 'DX' arrived sans hubcaps, A/C, Passenger mirror, Radio. Current Civic 'VP' price performer has these frivolous options!!! (just kidding).

I see a lot of 1993-1995 Civic's in very condition. An outstanding and classy car--still competitive with commuter subcompacts.

One common problem is that moisture collects on a bolt that connects part of the rear bumper. A couple square inches of corrosion by rear bumper and wheel well is common on Civic four-doors from 1993-1995. I did not discover this online, but witness it all the time. An easily remedied "problem".

Faults:

The clutch had to be replaced shortly after I bought the car. One of the tail lights went out. The rad started falling off, but this was easily corrected. It started leaking coolant, aslo easily corrected. The car also uses a lot of oil, but I wouldn't consider this a problem, as VTEC engines are known to do this.

General Comments:

Let me start off by saying that Honda never actually made a car called the "hybrid". This is simply a term used to describe a vehicle that carries an engine that is not the original one that it came with. However, the Honda tuning thing is huge right now, so I figured that this would be an appropriate review.

My car is a CX hatchback sporting a GSR motor & transmission swap. I bought the car hoping to have some fun without going into major debt, and I feel that I have achieved that, and well beyond. This car is extremely fast, as the GSR engine produces 180 HP, along with the basic bolt-ons that are on there as well. It will do high 13s in the quarter mile. The 8000 redline is SWEET! The car also handles very well, with only the addition of lowering springs, and a sway bar. However, my hatch works just as well in rush-hour traffic as it does ripping through the twisties of Northern Ontario. I even get great gas mileage!

BUT, this is by no means a winter car, and god help you should you ever smash one. And don't expect comfort or luxury when buying one of these either. You are not going to find such in an economy sports car.

In any event, while I have had a few problems, the clutch is the only one that has costed me any $$$, and I consider this to be normal wear and tear. And considering that the body has almost 220K on it, I am absolutely amazed at how well it drives.

So if you are looking to buy a performance car for less than 10 thousand Canadian, I would definitely recommend a Honda hybrid. SIR, GSR, and even Type R swapped cars are plentiful, so take your time and find a good one. I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed. Make sure you know of a good mechanic though, because you will confuse the regular Joe when you bring in a car that contains parts from completely different cars altogether.