1997 Honda Civic Input

[lancerplayer]

I am hoping to get some input on a 1997 Honda Civic. There is one for sale locally and appears to be in immaculate condition. The car only has 50K miles on it and was driven by an elderly lady since new. It is all original and has been babied all its life. Any problems with these cars or are they proven to be reliable? Anyone own/owned one?

I realize it is a economy gas saver, but does the 1.6L motor have enough power to get around the city and cruise on the highway quickly or is it a dog?

I am coming from a 2.5L 4 cylinder with a manual transmission in my Ranger. To me, it is a dog and no fun to drive. Is the Honda's 1.6L with an automatic transmission quick and peppy?

I'm just looking for overall thoughts/inputs on the 1997 Honda Civics. Thanks for your help.

 

[millerbl00]

I would change all fluids in it. The problem with low mileage older cars, moisture tends to build up.

 

[IndyIan]

I liked the 1.6 with a manual trans but you had to rev it to get going.
My feeling with little engines and autos is that you have to decide you want to accelerate from the beginning. If you don't rev it out a bit in 1st gear when you get into 2nd they aren't going to pull well for quite while until they build some rpms.
I'm sure it will keep up with traffic but you'll always have to force a downshift or two to get moving quickly.

 

[chrome]

It probably won't be classified as "quick and peppy"... but then again, it depends on who you ask. If you drive mainly by yourself and rarely carry passengers, an auto Civic will probably be decently adequate in getting efficiently from A to B.

Best way to find out is to take it out for a test drive.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Personally, I shy away from older low mileage cars. Too much sitting...I would prefer a newer high mileage car.

The '97 has 13 year old rubber, wiring, and seals regardless of mileage. Idle time is often harder on a vehicle than driving if it is properly maintained. JMHO.
Good luck with your decision.

 

[Mokanic]

No real problems with these cars. I would not describe them as slow but you won't run a 12 second quater mile with one. If it has been keep up even fairly well it will run way past 300K.

 

[Dave Hess]

We had a 1998 Civic and it was ultra reliable. In 260K miles the only problem was a cracked exhaust manifold and a dead Denso O2 sensor at 160K miles.... other than that it just had basic maintenance. I would buy that Civic ASAP before someone else buys it.

The Civic is a light car and the 1.6L engine is peppy and sips gas.
BTW, is this Civic a DX, EX, HX or LX ?

 

[dishdude]

Beware of the HX model with the CVT transmission that had a horrible reliabilty history. Any other model should be good!

 

[Dave Hess]

Yes

CVT trans = [censored]