1999 Honda Civic Si review from North America

Absolutely nothing has gone wrong. Perfect reliability.

Let's get one thing straight. I'm an 18 year old from Arizona who couldn't care less about tricking out my car, like those street racing so-called rice rockets with the ridiculously ugly body kits and fart-pipe mufflers. They're the ones giving teen auto enthusiasts a bad rap. I'm interested in building a high performance road car, and I think the 1999 Honda Civic Si is an excellent start.

In terms of performance, I couldn't be happier for the money I paid. This 1.6L VTEC engine has a split personality. When driven like a normal car, it behaves like a normal car. However, once you put it in full throttle above 5600 RPM, it becomes a beast. The VTEC kicks in at that point, creating a sound reminiscent of a Formula 1 car, and carries it all the way to the red line at 8000 RPM. That's right, 8000. When stock, this car churns out times like 0-60 in 7 seconds, and the 1/4 mile in slightly less than 16 seconds. The Si does all of this while getting 26 MPG city and 31 MPG highway. It idles so quietly, sometimes I forget its on!

The fit and finish of the Si is excellent. It has gone 64000 plus miles with almost no wear whatsoever, thanks in part to that famous Honda reliability. I'll have this car for many years to come. The exterior paint is an incredible blue, and the interior sports firm, supportive seats, as well as a great 6 speaker CD system.

I have only one minor complaint about this car. It really, really needs a 6 speed transmission (not that there's anything wrong with the 5 speed, its nice and smooth).

What a great car. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a high performance machine with a limited budget. Best bang-to-buck factor in the industry, and I've test driven a lot of cars.