1987 Honda Civic GL 1.5 from Netherlands

Summary:

Cheap fast little hatch!

Faults:

At 140,000 kilometers the starter engine failed, I bought another one for 30 dutch guilders (about 15 Euro)

20,000 kilometers further the clutch had to be renewed, a 150 Euro job.

The connections of the rear bumper were completely rusted and I had to make new ones, because of the terrible high prized official Honda parts.

In December 2003 the accumulator gave it's last Amps. I bought a new one (50 Euros)

Of course the rear breaks had to be replaced. The pins that connect the shoes to the anchor plates were completely rusted away.

At 180,000 kms the main braking cylinder refused it's work. I have received no bill yet, but the material costs were 70 Euro's.

After 170,000 kilometers the front left axle became noisy. Fortunately the was a second had one available. At 175,000 kms that one also seemed to be worn out. I replaced the axle by another from the scrap heap. This one is also making noise at the moment. Perhaps I should by a completely new axle...

General Comments:

With only 825 kilograms and 90 horsepower this car is quite fast.

The fuel consumption reaches 15,5 kilometers per liter on the long runs (>150 km.) at 120 km/hr.

Although my length is about 1.9 m. I can sit with lot's of room above and around me. My cousin, from whom I bought this car, replaced the seats with CRX-seats. He's 7 feet tall and can sit very well in it!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th June, 2004

20th Apr 2005, 09:56

UPDATE: ran 210.000 Km's at the moment. Nothing to care about. Smoke was coming from the engine, the valve cover ring leaked oil on the exhaust. Bought a new one: € 13,- and adjusted the valve clearance. It runs like a Honda again. Every single day at least 70 Km's even starting at -18 Celsius.

27th Oct 2007, 17:26

Is this the gl with the d17z in it?

1987 Honda Civic Wagovan 1.5L 3V SOHC with 3bbl Carb from North America

Summary:

Practical and cheap

Faults:

Alternator.

Rear defogger - half of the lines don't defog.

Horn stopped working.

Heater fan switch - 2 lower speeds don't work.

Seized brake caliper.

4 way flasher switch stopped working.

Slight pull to the left.

General Comments:

This is an old car.

It doesn't have things that are common in most cars today, like fuel injection or 3 point seat belts in the back.

Bought it for $800 off of someone I knew, because it was cheap and I was planning on getting some sort of wagon anyways (for putting baby strollers in).

The base of the seat also flips up so you can store things under it, and the seat back folds down so you end up with a completely flat cargo area. I carried a fully assembled barbecue and a dishwasher (not at the same time) with plenty of space left.

When the engine is cold, it has NO POWER. Not surprising since it's carburetted. It's not bad when warmed up, but I still won't be winning any races.

The seats aren't very comfortable, and in my opinion, the car looks ugly, both on the inside and outside.

Repairs are quite reasonable, but finding parts isn't that easy in some cases if the part is specific to the wagon/wagovan model.

I'm probably going to keep this car at least until the end of the year (when it's due for an emissions test), but possibly as long as 3-5 years.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th February, 2004

21st Jun 2004, 10:55

Just to update my review...

I didn't mention that the original dealer-installed junky radio/tape player had a broken display and the tape player doesn't work.

I just fixed that by replacing it with a very good Panasonic stereo (the cheapest model they have that can play MP3 and WMA files). That cost me about can$190 from www.futureshop.ca.

I teamed this up by replacing the garbage factory 4.5" speakers with Sony Xplode 260W 6x9 speakers for can$80, also from Future Shop. Needed to buy a rotary tool and cut out the doors, and add a 2" spacer and had to cut off a bit of the dashboard so that the speakers would fit when I close the door. The install looks good... if slightly ridiculous (who the hell puts 6x9 speakers in the FRONT DOORS? I do, because I need the space in the back for baby strollers, grocery shopping, etc.)

Now I've got a system that sounds very nice and can be turned up fairly loud, and the bass is very good, considering it's just a 2 speaker setup and no subwoofer. And if I add a 300W amp (which the speakers should easily handle), then I'll be able to turn it up REALLY loud.

I've also decided to try using the Amsoil 25,000 mile/1 year Synthetic motor oil. Just did the change in May 2004. Changed the air filter at the same time. With this oil, you just need to change the oil filter twice a year and the oil once a year, unless I drive more than 25000 miles - which I don't. I'll post a comment in the future, letting everyone know if this blows up my engine. Since I only do 20,000 Km (not miles) a year, I think it will be fine.

It seems to me that these Hondas are a little sensitive to have dirty oil and dirty air filters, because after changing both, there is a noticeable improvement in power at higher RPMs.

The car is now at 275,000 KM.