1989 Honda Civic GL 1.4 16v SOHC
Summary:
High performance, cheap insurance, cheap to run
Faults:
Since I have had the car the problems with it are that:-
The CV joints or the drive shaft has gone.
The glove compartment shakes.
The back shelf shakes.
The driver's seat seems to have a mind of its own, it might just fall back when you are driving at 70mph.
General Comments:
Apart from the above, this car is fantastic.
It's only a 1.4, but I have left Golf GTi's standing, Toyota Corrola GTi's are slight competition, considering they are 1.6 injected. A car not to mess with is the Nissan Sunny GTiR as I found out standing at the lights. But I wasn't far behind.
It is a quick car for a 1.4, it's extremely nippy and 0-60 around 9.7 seconds with top end at around 115mph.
It looks mean with 15" 5 spoke alloys, with tinted rear windows, and a nice exhaust. The car is already quite low, but lowering it makes it look that much better and the 15" alloys just grip the arches.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 29th May, 2001
15th Jun 2001, 07:16
After years of buying British, I bought a Rover 213, a badge engineered Honda Civic. After a few months it suddenly dawned on me that the car had not gone wrong. From then on I've only bought Hondas. I currently own a 1989 Civic GL. Bought for £170 without an MOT. A small amount of welding and a pair of rear suspension arm bushes and it was back on the road. With power assisted steering and a superb gearchange the car is a delight to drive. It is smooth, quiet and the performance is exceptional. It also looks pretty cool with the standard roof spoiler. Nothing rattles or vibrates, it doesn't burn or leak any oil and is very comfortable. The front wings are a tad rusty as is one wheel arch, but it is 12 years old with 160,000 miles on the clock.
How on earth people still buy Fords and Vauxhalls is beyond me.