Faults:

Suspension is worn out.

Brakes seem spongy.

Rust is ruining this lovely wee car.

Cam seals leaking oil all over cam belt.

Lots of wind noise at Motorway Speeds.

General Comments:

This was the Highest Spec model Civic in 1984 which was only available for Japanese customers, however this was purchased from Japan and imported into New Zealand at some stage.

This car for its time was very quick, it still does 0-60mph in 7.5 seconds and 1/4 mile in 16.2 @87mph.

This performance is astounding considering it has 200,000k on the clock, the car is also 22 years old, i'd love to know how quick it was brand new.

The only let down with the car is rust, unfortunately the rust is taking over the car, for the last 3 weeks I have been doing major rust repairs, I still keep finding more.

I have this as my work car, my Subaru WRX costs too much to run for daily use, I actually find this car more fun to drive even though the Subaru is a lot quicker.

This civic also came with Colour Coded Bumpers, Wing Mirrors, Door Handles, which was unusual for 1984 model cars.

This cars engine has 135ps/6500rpm, (133hp) 910kg + Driver and fuel etc.

I will look for a mint example of one of these as they go so well.

Faults:

Ball joint that hold the left front wheel gave way during the tight U-turn. next 500km later, the right ball joint started to squeak, forcing me to replace it before it give way.

Piston ring worn out so fast, at only 50000km.

Small center console, unable to fit the 2-DIN size stereo.

Low quality plastics fitted on the dashboard, and these were easily broken into pieces.

Rear axle produce metal-being-hit sound when being driven on undulating roads.

Consume engine oil at the rate of 1 liter per 3000KM!

Engine temperature may rise dramatically, especially when stuck in the gridlock, with the air condition is on.

Confusing twist-to-activate front wiper switch.

General Comments:

In general, it is not a gas guzzler. With the air condition being set at off, a 24mpg seems realistic. Still economic, considering its age.

Engine power is adequate for daily motoring.

Plenty of headroom both front and rear.

Faults:

Seats have worn quite badly.

Rusts very easily around sills, 2 needed to be welded. More rust around wheel arches and bubbling on some panels.

The bonnet is very thin,and therefore many dents have been inflicted.

General Comments:

Other than usual wear and tear parts, the car has been extremely reliable, no serious engine problems whatsoever.

The engine is as simple as possible, but that means there is less to go wrong with it, and D-I-Y maintenance is very easy.

Despite being an old car, the ride feels extremely smooth. The seats, although worn, are very comfortable. The car is quite low profile, so it is very easy to get in and out of, and there is plenty of legroom up front.

Steering is direct and effortless thanks to power steering, which is impressive for a car of this age. Suspension is quite soft, but does not cause too much body roll.

Two design flaws however: some areas of the interior arches (especially at the rear) are curved in such a way that they collect a lot of dirt and mud, which leads to rusting in those areas. Also, there is a removable panel directly underneath the radio cassette, meaning one can simply take this off to gain direct access to the back of the unit therefore making it easy for thieves.

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.