1996 Honda Civic CX Hatchback 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

A totally reliable car for a minimum of 5 years

Faults:

Driver's window got stuck; left horn button is dead; and the check engine light has been on for 2 years; otherwise, it happily starts every morning.

General Comments:

This car was painless until year 5 (when the warranty wore out). After that, the car started to need the big ticket repairs. I spent >nothing< on repairs for the first 5 years. Not bad.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th August, 2002

1996 Honda Civic LSi 1.6 from Italy

Summary:

An honest car

Faults:

Nothing, untill now.

General Comments:

The car is good and confortable and the engine is brilliant.

The only problem to me is the few centimeters highness from ground level.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th August, 2002

1996 Honda Civic 1.5 VTEC-E 1.5 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Very reliable and cheap to run, but not at all sexy.

Faults:

No unexpected failures, actually no, a rear passenger door courtesy light switch failed.

I ran a '93 Civic Coupe before this and that was totally reliable as well.

It's even still on the original Battery at six years old.

Exhaust replaced at 5 years old for £160.

Front tyre life seems low at a likely 12,000 miles, however this is a second car that is used entirely on winding country roads.

General Comments:

Bought as a cheap to run, reliable commuter car and has not disapointed. It came from a Honda dealer in York (who I found very good) when it was 4years old and had covered 70K. It was being sold at a bargain price having sat on the forecourt for 6 months.

Using the "Econo" light system I get an average 45MPG, which is just 7p/mile for fuel.

It's also in the low (£105) VED band, and insurance costs me £260 fully comp.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd July, 2002

6th Apr 2006, 06:54

I am adding further comments as I still own the car, but there is very little to say. At 10 years old and 135,000 miles it is still on the original battery and the only component to be replaced apart from tyres/exhaust/brake-pads is the resistor pack for the heater fan (25 quid, took 20 mins)a common fault on UK built Civics. In truth I'm sick of the sight of this car, I've never owned one for as long this, but while it continues to sail through every MOT test, what's the point in selling it?

1996 Honda Civic LX 1.6 16v 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Very reliable and comfortable compact car.

Faults:

I actively followed the maintenence schedule, sometimes early. The clutch lasted until 70k miles. Around the time I sold it, the emissions control system needed repair (exhaust sensors) causing "check engine" to appear.

General Comments:

For a compact 4-door, this car was fun to drive, nice performance. Engine revved like a race car.

Car handled quite well on corners.

Great gas mileage and easy to work on.

Took many road trips with this car and was very comfortable for long trips.

Two significant things I was disappointed with. Cruise control was a bit choppy (though I'm anal about detail), and the power windows were slow and sounded cheap. Road noise was a bit high.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th May, 2002

1996 Honda Civic DX Sedan 1.6L from North America

Summary:

Worth every penny!

Faults:

The lower oxygen sensor failed. The dealer replaced it under a warranty that Honda extended to 80k.

General Comments:

Great fuel economy.

Great overall design.

Comfortable.

Inexpensive to maintain.

Roomy Interior with good acoustics.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st January, 2002

1996 Honda Civic Hatchback CX from Poland

Summary:

Good car, but overhyped

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This is an excellent car, low maintenance cost; reliable etc. However it a bit overhyped. It gets really noisy on the highway, especially past 120km/h. I had a Corolla before and it was way better.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th November, 2001

27th May 2004, 13:33

I have 96 hatchback and do have to agree that they do get really noisy on the highway, but I wouldn't trade my Civic for any other auto.

1996 Honda Civic VTi 1.6 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Brilliant engine and handling, but otherwise somewhat flawed

Faults:

Brake discs replaced at 60,000 miles.

Exhaust replaced at 4 years old.

Tyres last approximately 25,000 miles.

Interior beginning to rattle a bit.

Clutch in need of attention shortly (gear selection sometimes difficult).

General Comments:

Great performance (0-60 in 7 seconds according to some road-tests) though you need to use the gearbox to make it fly. Sounds superb between 5-8000rpm.

Surprising civilized around town considering the engine's state of tune. Handling/cornering excellent, although the steering is very light and lacks feel.

Luggage space limited due to intrusive rear suspension.

Rear visibility poor.

General build quality good, but the interior is starting to rattle a bit now.

Interior rather dull for a hot hatch.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th June, 2001

18th Jan 2002, 14:57

7 seconds to 60? Mine's modified to 189bhp and I can only manage it in 7.5 seconds. I agree with you on the rest of it though. Honda seem to have spent all their time and money on the engine, and ignored the interior. Mine rattles and squeeks on the inside like an old Lada now (45000 miles).

19th Apr 2007, 04:33

I have a 96 VTI and with basic modifictions, mine will do 0-60 in 7secs. Tested using a GPS speed reader and timer. Fantastic car.