Buying first Honda... Pros and Cons??

[Mr.Clean]

So im 17. About to buy a Civic. Everyone shuns these cars, but there is something about them i like.

Im looking into getting a 92-95 Hatchback, or coupe. Leaning more towards hatchback. But what are the pros and cons of these cars? What should i look for in these cars? I dont want to be ripped off and stuck with a POS. I want to make a VERY CLEAN civic. No ricey stuff.. Any info is much appreciated. Thank you

 

[Hendo]

So im 17. About to buy a Civic. Everyone shuns these cars, but there is something about them i like.

Im looking into getting a 92-95 Hatchback, or coupe. Leaning more towards hatchback. But what are the pros and cons of these cars? What should i look for in these cars? I dont want to be ripped off and stuck with a POS. I want to make a VERY CLEAN civic. No ricey stuff.. Any info is much appreciated. Thank you

Everybody shuns these cars? Huh. Do you roll with a crowd where everybody's daddy buys them a Mercedes for their 16th birthday? It's one of the best selling economy cars worldwide. I don't get how "everybody" shuns them unless you're some sort of rich dbag. Seriously.

Pros: Parts are cheap and available everywhere, they're easy to work on, most s**t makes sense, the whole car can come apart with two screwdrivers, 8,10,11,12 14 and 17 mm sockets, and lots of parts share between 90-00 civics. And of course, hatchbacks are awesome <-- personal opinion lol

Cons: They aren't that fast (without work), they're kinda loud since there's minimal sound deadening, they're kinda small.

 

[Turbo_Freak]

Look for frame damage if the car has been in a wreck. Don't forget to look for rust. I wouldn't buy any car if these issues ever were a factor.

 

[Mr.Clean]

Everybody shuns these cars? Huh. Do you roll with a crowd where everybody's daddy buys them a Mercedes for their 16th birthday? It's one of the best selling economy cars worldwide. I don't get how "everybody" shuns them unless you're some sort of rich dbag. Seriously.

Pros: Parts are cheap and available everywhere, they're easy to work on, most s*** makes sense, the whole car can come apart with two screwdrivers, 8,10,11,12 14 and 17 mm sockets, and lots of parts share between 90-00 civics. And of course, hatchbacks are awesome <-- personal opinion lol

Cons: They aren't that fast (without work), they're kinda loud since there's minimal sound deadening, they're kinda small.

I should have worded that better... You know the entire " Ricer... blah blah blah " crap. by everybody i mean younger people. I dont really care what people say, i like the car and that's that. AND no im not rich at all! I actually have to earn money for a car, from a job. I work hard for what i want. But others at my school that have cars that their parents bought them, are the one's that shuns them. Thats what i was meaning... Im definatly not one of those people.

And i know about the frame, and rust, and bring a magnet for body damage. etc... But anything that is like known to Hondas? Something specific i should look for?

 

[L3IX]

id say biggest thing "known" is honda cancer...

 

[crash!]

Don't get a car with a dirty title, no matter how cool it is, you'll regret it later.

And what's your budget and plans for it? That'll help you guide your decision.

So pros: Cheap, easy to work on, good fuel economy, very versatile and light
Cons: Slow as Hendo said, one of the most common cars to get broken into/stolen, and EVERYWHERE.

But all in all, everyone has a small spot in their heart for them

 

[treeafodo]

Don't get a car with a dirty title, no matter how cool it is, you'll regret it later.

I couldn't agree more.

 

[chromal]

Yeah, avoid the salvage titles. You may want to do a VIN search on any prospectives to be sure. My vote would be for one with a 5-spd manual transmission, even if you have to wait a few months for the right one! Do keep an eye out for serious corrosion.

Pro: Reliable car. Reasonable efficient. Lots and lots of cheap parts OEM NOS, and even cheaper when pulls.
Con: So reliable, you'll probably have to replace factory parts (seals, gaskets, bushings, ball joints) that simply have a shelf life on a 90s civic.
Ugly: probably few un-molested hatchbacks out there. If you can find one that hasn't been riced, grab it.

 

[Mr.Clean]

What is " honda cancer " ??

And yeah i want to find a stock Civic. I REALLY want a hatch EG 92-95. but i MAY go for a coupe 96-00. Just because its hard to find a stock hatch and when i do, they usually cost more than the rice'd out ones.

 

[obracer12]

"honda cancer" I believe is the rust on the rear quater-panels.. they all get it.

you will very rarely find a clean EG/EH hatch, they all have something wrong with them in some capacity... it's a 16 yer old car... the rules to live by: Clean title, not someone else's project, run the vin, make sure the frame is straight... just because it's a clean title only means the accident wasn't reported.

The pros: they come apart and together with a basic set of metric wrenches, some screw drivers and common sense. Good gas mileage, and the aftermarket is tailored to them. Deceptively large capacity (I was able to move my dresser and desk in my 92 SI by folding down the seats.) low cost of ownership vs. other makes/models.

The cons: not the safest car in the world... it was the 90's.. think about it... small for people, the back seat is kind of useless. High RPM performers, which blows in the snow (you may not have to deal with that). Lack torque. Loud at times.

Just check out the car thoroughly and if you have any questions, take pics(lots) and post them here and we can spot the red flags if you have a question.

 

[speedygonzales]

for the 96-00 coupe
pros: plenty of room up front and decent room in back (I'm 6'3 and having seat all the way back is just a bit to far for me, and I have a friend who is 6'4 who fit ok in the back seat with me slid a bit closer to the wheel than normal. He was actually surprised lol). as per the norm parts are cheap and easy to find. if you find an ex coupe jump on it cause the d16y8 engine is a surprisingly quick engine for its size. granted its not fast but drop a gear and you'll have no problems merging with traffic.

as far as cons go: I have yet to meet one with mine lol

 

[Mr.Clean]

Okay thanks alot! And yeah i knew about the rear quarter panel thing... Just didnt know it had a name lol. And i will and ill post pics when i go to look at a car

 

[Hendo]

I should have worded that better... You know the entire " Ricer... blah blah blah " crap. by everybody i mean younger people. I dont really care what people say, i like the car and that's that. AND no im not rich at all! I actually have to earn money for a car, from a job. I work hard for what i want. But others at my school that have cars that their parents bought them, are the one's that shuns them. Thats what i was meaning... Im definatly not one of those people.

And i know about the frame, and rust, and bring a magnet for body damage. etc... But anything that is like known to Hondas? Something specific i should look for?

Ahhh, you meant the rice. Gotcha. Yeah the fart can stuff is obnoxious. You slap a raspy-ass hunk of s**t muffler and a giant wing on the back and suddenly it's a race car XD

 

[Hendo]

Okay thanks alot! And yeah i knew about the rear quarter panel thing... Just didnt know it had a name lol. And i will and ill post pics when i go to look at a car

Yeah the metal is thin, it makes the car nice and light, but once it starts rusting, you've gotta cut it out and replace it with new metal or it'll just keep coming back. I've got a 91 si and a 92 dx, and the difference in economy is pretty huge. The si turns 3200 rpm at 70mph, and the dx turns 27-2800rpms at the same speed. The si runs like a raped ape through first though. 40mpg freeway with the si, 45-47 with the dx. And I agree with obracer, the interior is deceptively huge with the seats folded down. Could probably jam 30 cases of beer back there lol

 

[Themegajosh09]

I'm 18 and I own a 97 coupe
When I bought the car it had a d16y8
Later I swapped a b18c1 in

Pro- great gas milage
Engine goes forever! My d had 220k and nothing ever broke
Parts are cheap
Easy to find parts for
Easy to work on
Very programable (ecu and such)
Easy to do engine swaps
Fast for a 4 cyl.
If you swap in a b18c you can beat alot of v8
Cars are light
Good handling
Roomy up front
Look good when there clean.
Rebuild kits are cheap
Cars are cheap
Get vtec !

Cons- seems like people just give them a bad rep.
Small back seats
Sohc are pretty touqueless
Hard to find with low miles
Hard to find them clean
Rust like everyone said
The early 90 si was sohc
buy one and swap in a b series like I done. It's worth it (:

 

[CrackingVTEC]

Welcome..