I've always had a soft spot for these cars and they seem to sell for around a grand. If I parked my 11mpg truck for all but towing it shouldn't take too long to pay for one. Could a person have any fun in one of these? I think if it could turn and stop well it could be a fun enough driver and maybe do the occasional autox. Are there any CHEAP mods to improve one? Is there a better four door car for similar money?
EF (88-91) Civic is a KILLER handler w/ good suspension mods.
Ditto for the EG CIvic (92-95). IIRC, the 4-door EG's were naturally prone to oversteer at the limit.
Koni yellows plus some good springs of your choice and you've got an awesomely tossable car. Throw some 15" wheels w/ 195/50-15 or 205/50-15 tires into that equation as well.
These are the mainstay of the NASA Honda Challenge series.
They are awesome cars that came from the factory weighing about 2100 lbs and less! Great platform that begs for cheap and readily available suspension and motor/transmission upgrades with incredible interchangeability with the Acura Integra's of the same era making all sorts of DOHC upgrades available. You can often find a complete turbo kit on Craigslist for around $500 too.
Drive nice on the street as well.
I love that generation of Civic sedan. One of my best friends has a minty '88 sedan that was owned by an old lady and driven on the weekends, blah, blah. In stock form with the wrong transmission, its still an amusing drive and very economical.
For alternatives, I'd recommend taking a look at the 90-94 Mazda Protege. I realllllly like mine.
i had an '88 DX sedan with 5-speed and AC. IIRC it knocked down upper-30's highway and was a fun car, even on cheap all-seasons. reliable like gravity.
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