1986 Honda Civic Wagovan 1.5 gas from North America

Summary:

Fun, cheap, reliable as the sun

Faults:

Timing belt broke twice, 100,000 km intervals, you'd think I would learn.

Otherwise normal stuff.

General Comments:

I love this car! I will drive it into the ground and then restore it. My only hesitation to recommend it this highly is that it will drive up the price of other Wagovans that I would like to buy. The drivers seat is worn out, but what do you expect after 340,000 km? I use it as a truck on the weekends with the back seat down, but it is still fun to drive. The suspension is still tight, brakes and performance seem almost new to me and I get 43 miles per (Canadian) gallon. I have nothing to complain about other than the fact that Honda stopped building them.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th July, 2004

1986 Honda Civic Wagovan 1.5 liter Inline 4 from North America

Summary:

A tough little Civic that truly earned the right to carry the Honda Insignia

Faults:

Engine emits taping noises with firing of cylinders.

Suspension squeaks on large speed bumps.

Rusting has caused many problems. Rust has developed over the top of nearly every door frame, and is causing seals to fail, creating a leaking problem in wet weather. Rust appears to be eating away at the metal support beams which reinforce the roof. I fear that this may weaken the cars frame strength. Carpets get soaked during driving in heavy rain, the cause is unknown; however, it is likely a seal has failed in the tire wells by rust and/or corrosion. Nearly every door has rust around the lower corners. Plastic protection decals have rusted, allowing holes to develop inside the door frame. Area around fuel tank cover is beginning to rust, which in my opinion is a major safety hazard. Headlights are rusting from the inside. In summary, the body of the car is in shambles.

Seat belt buckles are beginning to jam, and forgive me if I'm wrong, was there not a recall for this particular problem? Front seat belts no longer have the "quick lock" affect when you pull quickly on the top portion of the belt, which is another safety factor.

Radiator erodes like sand on a beach, but still provides the engine with cool fluid.

Windshield wiper assembly, located in steering column, has failed and needs replacing.

Rear seat has no head rests, and appear to only have the ability to recline to a ninety degree angle. The brace, which holds the rear seat to the ground, has cracked and I can almost completely remove the rear seat from its mount.

General Comments:

Despite it's age and cosmetic problems, it still has the heart of a tiger.

Still gets good fuel economy.

Potent 1.5 liter engine can still give Toyota cars a run for the money, even though they are 2003 models.

Handling is unmatched, as well as its turning radius.

Good car for fitting through tight situations.

Great deal of cargo room with back seat down.

Did I mention its reliable?

Overall value is unmatched.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th May, 2003

14th Feb 2005, 20:40

There was a recall on the seatbelts buckles. The belts on my brothers 86 Civic SI started jamming a number of years ago (93?), so he took it in and got it fixed. They have worked fine since.

25th Aug 2009, 18:32

After briefly owning a much used 85 Civic that rusted out, I took a chance on a 5-speed 86 DX for $200. It had been sitting at the back of a dealer's lot for years and had only 86,000 miles. It ended up needing tires, headlights, a battery and carb (the original could not be freed up.)

That was five years and 60,000 miles ago. Basic transportation, but really fun to drive and still does 42+ mpg on trips. Ongoing concern about lack of air bags and small size, but always drive defensively and look forward to having my grandaughter learn in it... in only 11 years!