1988 Honda Civic DX review from North America

Distributer pin broke twice, leaving rotor spinning freely, and the cap and coil links were corroded to nothingness, at about 19500.

Back wheel hubs nearly impossible to get off, for easy replacement of rear brake shoes.

Drivers door is starting to sag (something to do with me sitting on the door when shut and window down?)

Drivers seat is badly worn, and side support bars have come out of the padding.

Hatch struts have gone, meaning a suitably sized stick is needed.

CV (drivers side) joint is gone, and has been since I bought the car.

Burns oil at full throttle, and leaks water somewhere.

Starter died at 180,000miles.

In general, this is a very nice, reliable little car.

There are some niggles, such as the oil and water, which might put people off, but this is the middle of Georgia, its hot here all the time, I don't think I've had a cold start since April. it moves well, handles well, and carries more than its size would suggest.

Power delivery is pretty good, considering it's an automatic, I'm still hesitant taking it into corners though, even after 18 months of driving it, because of unexpected gearshifts. it has more than enough power, even fully loaded, 100mph is possible, WITH the air conditioning turned on.

For $800, this is a very nice little car, and has more than repaid its cost, with low fuel consumption, comfort, and ride handling.

Ride is very good, although being a small low car, big curbs, and steep driveways can sometimes lead to a nasty grounding/grating sound. it smooths out railway tracks, and speed bumps better than trucks or minivans do. The instrumentation is basic, but functional, its easy to work on.

About the only things I have to gripe about are that it's an automatic with erratic gear changes and that the seats don't give me enough lower back support for long journeys (which was adjustable on my Volvo).

The basic chassis is strong too. Te wife hit a BIG deer on one of the local back-roads, in December. there a little damage to the bonnet (hood) the headlight unit is a little loose, and the plastic cover on the lights next to the headlight is broken, but all the lights still work. considering she hit it at about 60, that's not bad at all.