1991 Honda Civic LX from North America - Comments

Everything imaginable. Struts went out twice in 40k miles, radiator shattered like glass, alternator, 2 sets of batteries, CV joints, air conditioning compressor, stereo, back speakers, distributor cap.

Honda is known for reliability. Mine was purchased late in its life with the expectation it would make it to 200k miles.

Mine has thousands in repair costs almost instantly at 119k that costs more than the worth of the vehicle. THe dealership lied to me and was dishonest about terms of the agreement when purchasing the vehicle.

I blew almost $4000 in repairs and after the distributor blew into a million pieces I sold it for $100 at 170k miles and never want to see it again.

I have seen American cars last longer than 170k miles with less maintance fees.

The car has trouble shifting gears when its cold out and has a terrible cheap plastic looking dashboard. Its not nearly as nice as the newer civics.

It seems you do not know enough about how much care an older vehicle needs. This is hardly Hondas fault. I own a 1991 Accord with 311k on the clock.

I am sorry to hear such a story about a '91, but I think you got a bad deal, that is all.

I had mine for 9 years. I was the 2nd owner that bought it from a dealer with 62,000 on it and drove it for 110,000 before doing a full swap with a jdm Si engine. The old engine went to a friend for his CRX and that is where the old engine remains with ~230,000 miles and still going strong. My entire interior was always in new condition and when I sold it this last fall, it had 260,000 miles on the body. Batteries, alternators, everything goes with time, but what happened to you does not sound normal.

Good luck with your next car. I bought an '03 Civic new and it has been just as reliable as the '91 was. I miss that car a lot!

Sounds like bad luck. I had a 91 and it racked up 300,000 miles and then everything went almost at once. I had the car as a teenager, beat it well and it almost never saw a mechanic other than routine stuff.

My '91 Honda Civic has been the most reliable car I've had. I've had it for 8 years. It has over 297,000 miles on it. And just 2 months ago, I went 120 mph on it. I wanted to see its top speed. It surprised me. While my brother took his '03 Cavalier to the shop on Thursday, my Civics still going strong. Not bad, not bad at all.

I have a 91 Honda Civic, and when I accelerate it takes a little while to get going. When it goes to shift into second, it jerks enough to skip my CD player. I was wondering if new spark plugs, an air filter and fuel filter would help it accelerate better? Also when I back up, I hear a squeaking/ rubbing noise, I wonder if that's the brakes? Other than that, my car runs like brand new, it is an extremely reliable car!

Eh, '91 Honda Civic is a great car, you either were scammed or did not know what you were doing with the old girl.

A simple engine swap would have saved you more money than you spent on mantaining that engine you bought it with. Upgrade to an engine from a Teggy, just do a full swap next time you have an older car, if you are that picky. Mine as of now is sitting with a 1999 B16 from an Integra, full swap. Runs great, great gas miles.

*dude above me*

Yeah just maintain it with new sparks, wires, intake, oil change, simple things, also to stop the jerking, throw in a short shifter and a catback exhaust. You gotta let the engine breath ha ha. As for the squeak that's breaks... easy way to find out... does it only squeek when braking?

Hello, I Have a 1991 CIVIC LX with 229,348 miles on it and it runs great...

There is no way, whatsoever, that all of those repairs should've cost $4K.

The battery has nothing to do with Honda. Honda doesn't make batteries. So two batteries failing is not something wrong with the car - it's someone not diagnosing a bad alternator in the first place (you replaced the alternator, so there's your culprit). If the car won't start due to a dead battery, go to AutoZone or Advance Auto Parts, or someone who does free charging system testing, and watch them do it.

Distributors go around 100,000 miles. On every car known to man. It's a fair amount of current they're switching, and it's a mechanical part, and if it fails, the car won't run. Just replace them. Everyone who buys a used car should be given a "Just Freaking Replace This" list of items. If you had bought the part yourself and taken it to the dealer and asked them to install it, it would've cost you maybe $3-400 total.

Radiators fail if you don't maintain the coolant in them - the coolant degrades over time. Even still, a new radiator is $100, and installation is easy.

And yeah, the poor starting problem is the main relay failing. It's simple to fix yourself, or it's what, $50 or so to replace. Congratulations - that's the one main flaw in early 90s Hondas (along with wheel well design - ah, rust).

Summary: all cars suck if you don't know how to maintain them or know of a competent mechanic, and no, not all car repair places charge the same amount and yes, some screw you over. Call around, find out if a price is fair.

 I own a civic hatchback 1991, and  I have no complaints. It has over 300,000 miles on it and is still running. Lack of maintenance will keep your car from great performance and durability.  Try to follow directions from your repair manual book and you should be just fine.  Change your gaskets and other parts every 24 months, all your fluids and it will last you for a long time. The way you take care of your car, is the way the car will take care of you!

These cars are great. Reliability, performance, style and even a modern day classic. Issues mentioned will happen with any vehicle. It doesn't matter who makes it, maintenance is part of motoring! Look at all the smiles in the column... Now look at Ford's reviews. Honda makes a great car.

Any one ever take out an alternator?? Mine has 310000 miles, wish I had 1 dollar for each!!! HONDA RULES???