Faults:
Oxygen sensor went bad at 153,000 miles.
Distributor went bad at 150,000 miles.
Coil went bad at 149,000 miles.
Main relay went bad at 120,000 miles.
Radiator cracked at top at 90,000 miles.
Distributor shaft seal leaking at 80,000 mils.
Valve cover seals leaking at 80,000 miles.
Oil pan seal leaking at 80,000 miles.
CV joints went bad 2 times on both sides since I've owned the car.
I have gone through 4 mufflers since owning this car, finally bought a stainless steel muffler.
Seats get stiff after a few years.
Red paint faded really fast, about 4-5 years.
Headlights retained water when it rained, but bulbs never blew.
Tail lights retained water when it rained and started molding up after about 3 years old.
Seat belts didn't like to retract in high humidity and would get caught between the door and car causing a little damage if you were not careful.
The manual stick shifter can be little temperamental at times. Sometimes you have to cycle through 1st and 2nd gear to get it to pop into reverse. You civic owners know what I mean.
General Comments:
This car has the best handling out of a stock suspension for a compact car.
Very reliable car, it has never left me stranded on the side of the road.
I average 32-35 miles per gallon driving a combination of city and highway.
It's 1.5 liter, 92 Horse power engine loves to be raced and pounded hard on the road.
With a few aftermarket modifications you can easily get about 115-125 HP out of it, like I did.
Roomy interior for a compact hatchback car.
This car just keeps on going, as long as you give it some tender loving care.
10th Mar 2005, 12:23
I agreed completely with your Honda Civic review. I did have the SI and had been stranded MANY times, the engine light came on, the car overheated and didn't get to 100,000km.