1998 Honda Civic EX 1.6 VTEC from North America
Summary:
Economical, dependable, great car all around
Faults:
Wife broke drivers side door handle off in well below 0 temps 2 years ago, speedometer works 1/4 of the time, then it's stuck on 20 mph. No matter what speed you're going, that's it!
Seats are a bit uncomfortable after 500 miles, but I have back problems.
General Comments:
Extremely good gas mileage for the power you get, 127hp/ 40 mpg on a road trip to Seattle going 80-85.
Very clean running engine. I put in only synthetic oil, and 4000 miles later it's insanely clean and has used maybe 1/10 of a quart.
I am not a fan of auto transmissions, but this one shifts excellent for the application.
Maintenance on this car is simple as pie. It takes less time to change the tranny fluid than the engine oil, and the superior design of the Honda transmission makes this possible.
Can't go wrong with this purchase, this thing is as reliable as my Chevy K1500; dependability and beyond.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 15th April, 2009
18th Dec 2008, 22:11
You are lucky to have gotten a rare good one. My experience with the Civic was a nightmare from day one. It started totally falling apart at 40,000 miles and was sold to a junk car dealer at 100,000. Probably the worst vehicle I've ever been cursed with. I now drive reliable domestics.