Just now started to get some surface rust on my fenders because of all the salt that has been sprayed on roads all winter.
This car is overall so simple that most of the work can be done on the weekend by yourself if you want.
Ratings
Prices
Tuning/modding
Here is a nice video tour of the car. Found the video on youtube and gives a decent briefing of the major features of the 96 civic. Should be uploading my video of the car soon.
General info of Honda civic from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Civic can be found here
Below are some of the major features on which i have rated this car.
RATINGS
1.Performance: (6/10) Not exactly built for the power. Has less guts than probably all other cars in your driveway which it makes up in other qualities. Good car to get you around in the city.
2.Comfort: (7/10) The seats are ok. I am 6 feet tall and sometimes the 96 civic seems a bit small but still it is quite satisfying.
3.Design: (8/10) I found the overall design of the car quite good with the exteriors designed nicely and the interiors are also satisfying.
4.Fuel Economy: (10/10) There are very few cars which would be able to beat this one in this aspect. A true fuel sipper without any pretension of being anything else. It should be commended that the designers and engineers did not sway away from this aspect in order to beef up other things. Gives me 37 mpg in city and mid 40's on the highway. A true legend in this department.
5.Fun-to-drive: (10/10) This is a really great car with which i have had a lot of great memories driving my 96 civic around. During my bachelor years I along with my friends would take it on long trips and this would be a true non-headache car. Just start and drive without worrying. Took it on many camping trips and allows a lot of room for experimentation during driving.
6.Build quality: (10/10) This has got a great build quality. Few repairs required in the past 13 years. Just keep the regular maintenance schedule with this car and it will never die on you.
7.Reliability: (10/10) With regards to reliability it is really one of the best. no matter what season, which place, what time it will almost always start. If you are looking for a reliable car which takes you from point A to point B than this would be the one.
Great things about the car: Great MPG, easy parts availability and lots of options for tuning/modding the car, good interiors, storage room in the car, overall simplicity.
Improvements required: a bit noisy at highway speeds, tachometer would be great.
PRICES
The prices of the 96 civic vary from $2300 for a cx coupe to $3200 for a ex coupe.
As for the 96 civic sedan the prices vary from $2700 for a dx to $3600 for a ex sedan.
Although it is best to get the car checked again by a third party mechanic to see if the major parts are ok as one of my friends lately got a very bad deal having to go for major repairs within a month of purchase costing him enormously.
TUNING/MODDING
For those who are interested in tuning/modding their 96 civic or want to purchase to do it a lit bit of advice from my end:
As far as modding the exteriors goes do not do anything other than the wheels in the first stage. If it is a dx,lx,ex version you can go for a engine swap with b16 or a b18. Ideally in the beginning go only for suspension. Initially going for shocks,springs and strut bars is ideal. This gives great handling to the car.
ALL in ALL 9/10 stars by me for this car.
For enthusiast a nice place to visit http://www.hondacivicforum.com/.
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