1989 Honda Civic Si 1.6 from North America

Summary:

Best car I've owned so far, quick, peppy and economical

Faults:

Nothing beyond normal wear.

The original timing belt wore out at about 225,000km.

Changed the axels every 100K or so.

The brakes needed more than regular repair or changing; about every 60K.

Easily broken into. I had at least 5 break ins.

General Comments:

Very quick and peppy.

Great handling with the double wishbone suspension.

I was on my way to well over 400,000km. She was burning a bit of oil, but otherwise the engine was fine.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th April, 2002

1989 Honda Civic DX 1.5 from North America

Summary:

Will not let you down mechanically. Just watch out for rust

Faults:

Infamous Honda drive shafts changed when I first bought it.

At 330 000 Km the clutch was replaced (god knows how old the one it had on it was).

Shocks were gone, but I just put up with it.

Replaced muffler near the end.

General Comments:

Driver's seat was ripped.

Rust was forming at the wheel wells.

Some squeaks and rattles and road noise... but no more than the average car of that age.

I bought this car for $300 with 310 000 km and put 64K on it in under 2 years with very little in repair expenses (especially relative to the mileage).

Great fuel economy.

Performance could be better, but reasonable nevertheless.

Excellent cars, I'm on my third civic, a 1993 Si and very satisfied.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th February, 2002

1989 Honda Civic 55x Super Shuttle 1.5 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A lemon that left me with a bitter taste in my mouth

Faults:

Unknown electrical problem that meant the ignition would randomly fail on some days.

One indicator didn't work some of the time.

Head gasket blew after 1000 km of use, at only 124,000 kilometres.

General Comments:

I bought the car cheaply, and it performed well and seemed to be a good deal.

However, the head gasket blew, leading me to suspect it had been treated badly by the previous owner.

The quoted cost of repair was well above the price I paid for it so I had to write it off.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 16th December, 2001

17th Dec 2001, 06:55

It was 12 years old!! These things happen.

17th Dec 2001, 08:30

Yeah, it had to be treated badly. You simply don't hear about unreliable Hondas.

13th Jul 2002, 13:25

"Yeah, it had to be treated badly. You simply don't hear about unreliable Hondas."

Oh yes you do. The wheel- yes the WHEEL- (from the HUB) fell off my 89 Civic. The engine would stall on days of its choice with NO explanation. even after the intake was cleaned, fuel filter, plugs, wires, cap & rotor were all replaced. the car would stall at the worst times and refuse to start after doing so. (in the MIDDLE of the road)

19th Aug 2002, 09:38

Well, I bought my car new based partly on a fabulous Consumer Reports reviews that year. I am the original owner with just over 100,000 miles on it now and I took incredibly good care of my car. That had no effect on the electrical problems... I have had FOUR alternators and countless batteries installed to correct the electrical problems. Turns out there was a problem with the igniter switch in this series of Civics that Honda failed to notify me about -- even after taking my car into three different Honda dealers repeatedly with the electrical problems. (A Porsche mechanic helping me on the roadside one night happened to mention the igniter switch to me and since then everything has been fine.)

I'm also told that Hondas exhaust systems are notorious for rusting out frequently (as mine has).

Sad to say, my luck hasn't been that great and I have been deeply disappointed by Honda's poor response.

1989 Honda Civic CX 1.5L from North America

Summary:

An economic small car

Faults:

The car doesn't start when it too hot, the engine turns but it seems that no fuel comes in, so I have to wait a couple of minutes before the car wants to start.

I bought the car in 1998 and I have changed the muffler three times.

The gas pedal stays jammed and I have to bring it back with my foot, so the car turns 2000-2500 RPM when I'm stop. I replaced the clutch six months ago and I don't want to replace it again.

It's a Civic Hatchback and the trunk cylinders don't work good when it's cold outside.

General Comments:

This car is not bad anyway, I never had to tow this car and it always start, at least after five minutes.

It costs me about 25 Canadian dollars of gas to go 550km, it's very cheap.

This car is also good in traffic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th August, 2001