1986 Honda CRX Si review from North America

Routine stuff for a car with like age and mileage: Brakes, rotors, master break cylinder, head gasket, wiper motor, shocks.

This car was a blast to drive, just point and shoot. By far the most fun driving car I have ever owned. Except when traffic on the expressway comes to a sudden halt. The CRX stops on a dime. But sitting there feeling nearly naked parked on the pavement with uncontrollable 6000 pound SUVs bearing down on you is a scary affair. Mechanically the car seemed to be well engineered or rather "value engineered" It seemed like every crease or fold in the body metal, or molding was calculated and resulted in the use of a thinner gauge metal. The paint finish did not hold up well, especially on the plastic fenders and nose which developed stress cracks. Rust was also a problem. A large rust hole developed behind the front edge of the sunroof. Even though the lower body panels looked to be in good shape and did not have visible rust, underneath the skin the car was plagued with rust. Not at all what I would expect from any car in Southern California. The interior was a puzzle of overlapping cheap plastic parts that interlock with non-reusable fasteners that break on removal.

On a few long highway trips we took with this car, we actually got 45 miles per gallon! Although around town, because it so much fun to drive hard, we go closer to 25 mpg.

I found Honda dealership to be generally dishonest. Insisting that the $180 alignment included all four wheels, when the factory authorized service manual that I just happened to access to, clearly stated that there is no adjustment what so ever on the rear wheels. A service manager was unable to explain to me why when the timing belt breaks on a Honda, it results in bent valve stems. I know now that this is common in many cars as the engine design does not allow the valve to raise up one last time after the cam stops turning. The service manager said he didn't know why the valve stems bent and that he had never seen that happen before. Although he knew exactly what to charge to repair it!

An interesting note: I keep a very accurate automotive cost records database, recording every repair, every tank of gas, as well as insurance premiums, etc. Despite the 40 miles per gallon (highway) and the ILLUSION that Hondas are low-maintenance, trouble free, inexpensive to drive cars to drive, The SAAB 900 Turbo that we owned during the same time period, same model year, same mileage, was actually about 2 cents cheaper per mile to drive over that 6 year period than the CRX was!