1986 Honda Civic Wagon 1.5 gasoline from North America

Summary:

Little car with a big heart

Faults:

Seatbelt buckles started to fail. Quick fix done on manufacturer's recall, but not really satisfactory.

Seat covers wore out after about 11 years.

Some rust, but not serious. I could have dealt with the small spots as soon as I noticed them, but didn't. Now they are large and unsightly.

General Comments:

This is an amazingly reliable car.

The only serious repair it has required is a replacement oil pan that I punctured by driving where I shouldn't have.

Otherwise, only routine maintenance.

LOTS of leg room, front and back.

Lots of visibility.

Very nimble, tight turning circle, parks in places you wouldn't believe.

Headrests on four seats make this a safer small car than most vehicles of this vintage.

Back seats fold down flat giving an incredible amount of luggage/cargo space.

I will drive this car into the ground!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th January, 2003

19th Sep 2003, 06:35

I agree fully with your comments. The black door rimming paint also started to fade away, CV joints noisy (150 000km

). Steering is slightly heavy (Pre-power steering). Dash cracks in 2003 too.

10th Jan 2004, 16:27

I love my 1986 Honda Civic Wagon. Asked my mechanic what the most reliable car was for the money -$10,000US- at the time and he said after working on our Volvos; BUY A HONDA. He was right.

Please bear with me. I am looking for advice as that same Honda is now with me here in Yucatan, Mexico. Is overheating and am hearing different reasons for cause. Is fine as long as one drives evenly-no stop and go. No high revs. There is a Honda dealer in city closest to me, Merida, Yucatan, but they only deal with post "97 models and really don't want to work on my car. Have a local mechanic who has been good, but I need guidance. I can get parts FEDxED to me.

If someone out there has any ideas and has a little time, please send me an email: sherriljordan@prodigy.net.mx.

Only have 135,000 miles.

Thanks, Sherrill.

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1986 Honda Civic 1.3 from North America

Summary:

A relatively reliable car

Faults:

The driver side drive axle was bad.

The seats were worn out.

The rear brakes were dangerously worn.

The door panels were torn up.

The headliner had holes throughout it.

The radiator cooling fan switch broke.

General Comments:

This car is relatively safe, but at 20 miles per hour the front end crushes relatively easily.

However the interior stays intact during the crash.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th December, 2002

16th May 2011, 12:57

It's an old Civic, so what do you expect? LoL. I wish I had my old Civic 1.3 ltr today!! When it was still around, it got 45mpg (back in 2003.) It died about then too, and I wish I had rebuilt the engine instead of donating the car! Dumb! Gas at $4+ today!

1986 Honda Civic from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A high performance bargain

General Comments:

This is one little quick car.

Purchase in 1990 I was lucky I got the SI japanese version which had the ZC motor, the same as the CRX.

Pound for pound this can beat any car in its class. Power to weight ratio was remarkble.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th June, 2002

1986 Honda Civic VTi 1.6 DOHC from UK and Ireland

Summary:

The most underrated hot hatch in the UK

Faults:

Rear exhaust started blowing where the pipe goes into the box recently at 37000 miles.

No other faults at all in 2.5 years.

General Comments:

Power from 1.6 litres is very impressive, goes well above 5500, but still has good torque below that (remember it is only a 1.6).

Seats could be more supportive when you start pushing high speeds on windy roads.

Brakes don't instill confidence when braking hard from three figure speeds.

Handling very good.

MPG averages 30 regardless of how hard or easy it is driven.

I have de-badged mine for that Q-car look, it is fun watching the faces on 2.0 litre drivers as you pull away effortlessly.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th June, 2001

1986 Honda Civic Sedan 1.5 liter from North America

Faults:

Timing belt, hood latch, starting motor, vacuum hoses, turn signal relay, A/C compressor, heater core, wheel bearings, brake cylinders... plus the normal perishable items like brake pads, rotors, brake shoes, brake drums that you would expect to wear out after an extended period.

General Comments:

For a vehicle that has traveled 189,000 miles (and still going) and had four different drivers to date (two of them teenage boys)... it has performed well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd April, 2001

3rd May 2001, 21:14

Thanks for the informative review. We are looking at an 86 Honda Civic with a previous one owner and good maintenance record. Nice to see that someone has gotten close to 200K miles. Your repair history doesn't look too bad.

26th May 2001, 23:01

My '86 5-speed sedan is still going after 250,000 miles!!! YEE HA! Honda civics never die, they just fade away...

8th Mar 2010, 21:44

Heck, I used to work at a quick lube. This guy came in, he was the original owner and had all the annual maintenance done to it, and his read at over 302 thousand miles. They're awesome cars.

1986 Honda Civic Unsure - a 4dr sedan 1.5 gas from North America

Faults:

C.V. boots, plugs, oil consumption, leaky tailights.

General Comments:

Is a great car w/ only 89K miles. Oil problem sucks, and car is somewhat underpowered, but a great runner, very reliable, and great gas milage.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th June, 1998

1986 Honda Civic DX Auto 1.3 12v petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Given the age of the car, very little!

Since new this car has only really needed maintenance items such as a couple of exhaust sections, brake pads etc. Only recently (at C70,000M) even starting to need more extensive renewals, ie a radiator re-core due to damage.

General Comments:

An excellent car, extremely reliable!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th July, 1998