Looking to buy a civic again soon just a decent DD beater commuter.I had a 96 ex for few months then resold for profit, and that was only one ive ever had liked it besides it being a lil too ricey. I dont care about looks or performance as long as it isnt slower then my 88 2.3 ford ranger id be happy lol. Dont want to spend more then $2000 for this, just needs to be bare bones stick shift and im after at least 35 mpg average. Seen a few decent ones for 1500 ish already but not certain on mpg on some of these.

I drive highway, country roads and towns mostly. Hatchback from i guess 88-95 would be my preference. Although i wouldnt mind a 2 or 4 door if it got decent enough mpgs. The 88-91 i know very little about but they seem nice, i was tempted to contact a 2 guys with 91 hatches but there were std models which are 70hp 4 speeds that ive heard are kinda turds, so im holding off till i learn more about them i suppose, i dont need it to be fast but id like it to get around ok without me having to feel like im running the **** out of it constantly to keep up with traffic.

Looking for input on which of these would fit the ticket which years and crap not to mess with if any.I know if i had it my way id find a VX or maybe even a CX but little more then i wanna spend. A crx is a no go also, way too small. Thanks for the help im going to be keeping an eye out. Sorry for novel.

 

VX. VTEC(-E), YO!!

My last 10-tank average is a hair over 48mpg. People do tend to ask ridiculous prices for them, but $2k might be possible. What part of the country are you in?

 

89 civic sedan

 

That being said, if you just want a beater daily, go for what ever the best deal is. Nothing is wrong with the std (cx) hatch of the 4th gen my civic is of that model but honda says base they MEAN base, it had one side mirror (oddly mine had AC) no tac on a stick no clock and any other widget/option you can think of. The 4speed stick is an HF trans with no 5th, some people swap them since HFs are pretty coveted for hyper miling and racing being stripped out.

Really any of them will beat or meet 35 mpg if upkept and driven right so just grab what ever the deal you can find is.

 

I recently bought a 94' Del Sol S for 2k. Has 243,xxx on it and runs like a top. Doesn't burn or leak a drop of oil and averages about 32. I feel like a girl driving it, but I laugh every time I pass a gas station.

I think Del Sol/hatch/Integra might be more likely to be stolen, so maybe shop for a 92-5 sedan? Nobody builds those so I'm sure you could find one for dirt

 

Ok, so those little base model hatches arent all that bad driving around? Figured 4 speed and 70 hp might make it a super slug. i found one for like 900 and one low miles for 1500 which i would try to drop price on. I saw a few of those older sedans too for decent prices i wouldnt mind one of those either. I definitely want a vx but i might have to work my way up to one later on if anything.

Just for comparison a buddy i work with has a 92 i think civic cx which is also a bare bone 8v 70 hp or something i think and his drives around fine for even that low hp are the older 4th gen cx hatches a similar feel in power? thanks for all the help. Im located in the tristate area so im close to wv,va,md.

 

I am going to list my 88 CRX HF next week for sale.
92k actual.
ah never mind you said too small no go in your first post.

 

That was going to be my actual suggestion too.

As for them being slugs, I wouldn't say so. My hatch (4 speed, 70 HP) was just as zippy as a lot of newer cars. Not that I did a whole lot of racing with it, but you could definitely get out in front of people at stop lights and you could merge fine on the high way. Never had an issue with the car being under powered for daily use.

 

Oh ok thanks that was a concern of mine, wonder why i kept reading about people whining and swapping trans and cams and crap on them then. Yea i cant do a crx i looked at the interior on one and its just too small i want a lil bit of room for hauling things around. even the little hatches feel like they got alot of room in them. that and i love the pop up rear glass and stuff on some.

 

Also are those base model hatches getting better mpg then the 5 speed dxs?

 

I cannot really confirm this portion. I think the 5 speed is still a better transmission for fuel economy and performance. You get more top end so your cruising RPM on the high way should be lower, thus better fuel economy.

I had a D15B2 in my car and the 4 speed factory trans. It's faster than a heck of a lot of slush box autos out there. It's still not 'fast' though. I don't know why people would whine about it. My family car is a 3-speed auto with a 80 HP engine. That thing is pretty slow.

If you are serious about picking up an economy car for daily driving, don't be off put by the people complaining about how slow they are. Performance wise, they are not quick. The DPFI is not great for performance and neither is the long gearing of the 4 speed transmission.

 

Alright i understand i figured the 5 speed would probably be better overall then the 4 speed. I could care less about performance but im just concerned with merging onto highways, pulling off from a light, passing someone, slight uphill grades and things like that. Long as its peppy enough to do those without me revving the crap outta it or flooring it everywhere im fine with that.

 

Question: For a commuter car, are you looking strictly at maximum MPG? Some people do, and it become a limiting factor. MPG is likely important so what is an acceptable number for you - 20mpg? 30mpg? 40mpg?

Do you need to ever put larger items in the car?

Do you plan to ever have passengers?

Would you like a trunk to keep items out of sight?

 

The 4 speeds are just fine. All of mine have averaged ~40 to 45mpg depending on road, speed, passengers, load, etc.

 

Another random tid bit that I will throw in there is that with the DPFI and 4 speed you will VERY quickly learn where the power curve is. Once you can use it to your advantage, you will have zero trouble manuvering through traffic. I have an aftermarket tach in my current one, but honestly I drove for so long without one in the base models, I really only use it when I am monitoring something specific.

 

I fit a 55" TV in my hatch. Also fit a pair of seats plus bumpers. I've fit $300 worth of groceries in there. I've had myself plus 4 people in the car. It's not bad, space wise. It's easier to fit large items in the hatch than a sedan, in my opinion. This is entirely based on the open layout of the interior. I'm sure you can fit longer things in the sedan due to the extra length of the trunk.

I also only got about 28 MPG in the city in my hatch with the original motor. I'm at about 25 or so with my B16. But my driver is probably not typical. I only commute 2 miles each way and the car barely warms up in that time, so fuel economy most likely suffers.

 

Thanks for help everyone i wont be scared to look at a 4 speed base model, other 88-91 civics or the 92-95 civics now most likely. An acceptable number is 30mpg imo. Im wanting to average 35 mpg honestly if i can get that im happy, hopefully not less then 30. I dont mind trunks but i like the hatches alot better for their high ceiling and just overall room and look. A del sol and crx is just too small for me.

 

wondering if i should maybe jump on this deal...

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/n...612650215.html

 

It's a good deal but the AC is no good most likely. Needs a charge is a $20 fix for AC, something no idiot would go without. In reality, it means there is a leak somewhere. I would go into this knowing that. You can bring leak detection if you want and a blacklight pen to look for the potential leak if you want to.

 

yea im not even too worried about the ac part, im really on the fence seems like it could be a good deal, not sure how great mpg would be being an SI hopefully i could get 35 mpg from it, im debating on contacting him as we speak. Its an affordable hatchback with low miles decent shape un molested and hopefully decent mpg.