Faults:

Sensor had to be replaced by 30,000 km; not too expensive.

At 260,000 bearings on distributor - had to replace whole unit; cost over $500.00 in parts and labor.

General Comments:

When I bought this car, I thought it was over priced, but my wife worked for Honda and assured me it was a great deal, and the mileage would be excellent as I drive from Mission BC to Vancouver daily... that's 150 km per day.

This car was like no other as far as gas mileage. Unbelievable!!! The first trip we took with it was from Mission to Strathmore Alberta... 960km. In 1993 the trip cost us under $25.00 for fuel. That was with me, my wife and 2 kids, plus all our luggage in the car.

The hatchback area was "FANTASTIC". With the hatch window flipped up and the hatch gate down, seats folded down, I was hauling lumber, fencing, bricks, furniture, and pretty much anything with this remarkable car.

Friends could not believe some of the things I could get into the car.

Plus I was a "BIG" person of 275 lbs. When I got as big as 330 lbs, I did have some difficulty getting out of the car as it is low to the ground. This was my only reason to sell it. I sold it to a very good friend in May 2009 with it having over 285,000 km, and he drove it till it had 350,000 km and would still be driving it, but he was involved in an accident. He hit a lamp pole at 60 km head-on. He's still driving the car, but ICBC has written it off because of the high mileage and age of the vehicle.

Honda was way ahead of their time when they came out with the Civic VX. It would be a number one seller in the market today with gas prices the way they are now.

Faults:

Engine started eating through the oil at 200000.

Cold start problems.

High idle on cold starts.

Rocky seats.

Seats foam wore out on drivers seat bolsters.

Rocky head rests.

General Comments:

This car was great. I owned it for a year and did not give me any major problems. The problems listed above (except for the oil one) were fixed by my mechanic as the GL was a carby and needed adjustments done to it.

The engine started eating oil I believe due to myself stupidly using an engine flush, thinking it would do good for my aging engine. Instead my engine was never the same again.

The car was very spacious for its size, however it had a tiny boot. You could seat people in the back comfortably. I replaced the front seats with Delsol seats, which fixed all the seat problems.

I recommend buying an EG Civic, however I do think if I was to buy another one, I would try to find a fuel injected one (less maintenance).

Strangely, the car never seemed to use any more petrol regardless as to if I drove it hard or like a grandma. I consistently got 500km+ per 35L.

The shape of the car has aged extremely well, so prices have stayed high for its age.

Faults:

Nothing so far.

General Comments:

Since I've had this car for about a month now, I think I've had enough experience to compare this with my '92 Cavalier.

Overall, I do think the fit and finish of the Civic is much better than the Cavalier. I can also say the gas mileage is better (30.2 MPG compared to 21.6 MPG), which is expected because the Cavalier has 600cc (0.6L) larger displacement engine mated to an automatic transmission.

I also want to mention that since this is an Si, it is a top of the line trim level vs the Cavalier, which is a VL or "base" model.

The Civic is much more lively than the Cavalier, due to the lower weight and the 5 speed stick. Since the Cavalier has a ton more torque, I suspect with a stick both cars would be somewhat similar. I will say the Civic is not absolutely torqueless, but don't expect for it to accelerate in 5th gear at anything lower than 80km/h (50mph). The shifts are very slick, and it has a relatively short throw for stock. I can also say the engine is very smooth (not perfect), and very quiet.

The extra "toys" on the Si are very nice coming from a base model Cavalier, I like the layout of the Civic, and I had no complaints about the Cavalier in this respect. It kind of sucks that the Civic doesn't come with an armrest, but nothing a little trip to the junk yard won't fix. I will say interior space is about the same for both cars.

As far as comfort is concerned, I must say the Civic loses this category for sure; the seats on the Civic are very supportive, but after a while they bother my lower back, whereas I could drive the Cavalier all day long. The suspension tuning is very different for both cars, so I can't compare them fairly. The Civic though isn't bad, but it's a tad on the harsh side, but livable.

All in all, I like both cars, they each have their own pro's and con's. The comparison isn't 100% apples to apples, but I hope this helps if anyone is considering either car.