Not really connecting with the Civic

Just venting here.

I've tried to fall for it. I've driven it a lot recently in an effort to connect with it, but it's just not happening. I really wanted to like this car. I was super stoked about it when I got it. I can't really place exactly what the problem is. I think it's a combination of things.

It's slowest car I've ever owned. The E21's weren't much faster but they had a character that made up for the lack of speed. I compare this and the E21's a lot because they are close in weight and power. But out in the real world they are not very comparable at all. It's sorely lacking in character and not inspiring at all to drive.

It has the slowest steering ratio this side of an F550 dump truck. I hate the steering in this car.

It's not a very pleasant driving experience due to the many, many rattles and rough jarring ride. The door panels and dash are cracked badly and it looks like someone picked at them and peeled layers of vinyl off. The tach bounces around and is completely unreliable. The factory temp gauge is possessed and whomever installed the aftermarket one installed it in the return from the heater core so it only works when you have the heat on. The passenger window regulator is broken and no one makes a replacement for it.

All of those are little things and they can all be fixed given enough time. I'm just not sure that the car is worth going through all that trouble. To me the car is lacking something at it's core. I'm having trouble finding the desire to even work on it, to get it in good enough shape to play with it like I intended.

I thought I could just over look all the little inconsequential things that are wrong with it. I wanted to get it mechanically right and just go beat on it, fix things when I broke them and have fun. But I'm not the type of person that can let those little things go. I know it needs a full interior rebuild, full suspension rebuild, bodywork and paint and I won't be happy until all that is done. But I just don't think I like the car enough to do all that work.

I just don't think I like it.

Lots of other cars out there. Don't feel bad.

You can always do work to make it better, but life's short.

Good news! It's a Honda Civic. That means you can dump it onto a high school kid in a heartbeat and go buy something with more turbo and rwd.

I feel you. Never been a fan of Hondas at all, they leave me feeling underwhelmed.

mndsm wrote: I feel you. Never been a fan of Hondas at all, they leave me feeling underwhelmed.

My thoughts exactly. I've argued with Logdog about this many, many times. They are good cars, but mind numbingly boring. I'll take my chances with a 20-year old German or Italian car.

I remember shopping for cheaper new cars in 1991 and a Civic was the first thing I looked at and drove. There was nothing that made me want to buy it. It was not fun to drive in the way my Mom;s '86 Prelude was or first gen CRXs were. I was really disappointed, but have suspected I just had my expectations set too high.

I never connected with our 2009 Impreza. Nice looking car but so boring.

Honda's do take a bit of work to make them lively. However, I totally get that you're just not that into it. In that case, ditch it and find something that suits your tastes more.

I know exactly what you need! You need a Forte SX sedan manual. I know a guy!

If you aren't into it and don't think you will be, don't waste time and money trying to convince yourself otherwise. Write it off as a learning experience and move on. Fortunately, this is a car that will be very easy to unload and possibly turn a profit on.

Despite the fact that we will argue for hours of the relative merits of one car over another and make long lists comparing the quantifiable differences between the different options we're considering when car shopping, project cars are, at their core, emotional purchases. If you're not looking forward to the next drive, taking a last, happy glance over your shoulder when you're walking away from it or even occasionally patting a fender fondly as you walk by it you're working on the wrong car.

Sell that thing to someone who's into it and buy something that you like.

+1 on it will be an easy sell. Good luck with the search.

I'm not looking forward to this conversation with the wife...

Nick (Bo) Comstock wrote: The factory temp gauge is possessed and whomever installed the aftermarket one installed it in the return from the heater core so it only works when you have the heat on.

I feel for you but this just made me chuckle.

Dump it and move on. My affinity for Civics came from learning to race in one, but they are boring. First gen CRX and Integras have a lot more charm.

An earlier thread mentioned first gen Mazda 3s and Saturn twin cam SWs for cheap thrills, and I have to agree.

In reply to Nick (Bo) Comstock:

ouch, hope she's understanding

Ive tryed 3 diffrent hondas and have the same feelings. They do nothing for me. I originally blamed it on them being fwd but i managed to enjoy my bp powered escort. The complete lack of torque is what i attribute it too.

I had the same lack of connection with the Swift and the Vette. No lack on the Truck though.

In reply to TurboFocus:

I see you're fairly new here. Until this car I was in a five year ban from buying any vehicles. If it had wheels and an engine it was off limits. I kinda broke it when I traded the Sportster in on the Yamaha. And really broke it with the Civic. She does not like my vehicular antics. It took​ a very long time to win her over for the Civic purchase. Now a couple months later I want to move on from it, she will not understand.

glueguy wrote:

Nick (Bo) Comstock wrote: The factory temp gauge is possessed and whomever installed the aftermarket one installed it in the return from the heater core so it only works when you have the heat on.

I feel for you but this just made me chuckle.

Sometimes all you can do is laugh.

Nick (Bo) Comstock wrote: In reply to TurboFocus: I see you're fairly new here. Until this car I was in a five year ban from buying any vehicles. If it had wheels and an engine it was off limits. I kinda broke it when I traded the Sportster in on the Yamaha. And really broke it with the Civic. She does not like my vehicular antics. It took​ a very long time to win her over for the Civic purchase. Now a couple months later I want to move on from it, she will not understand.

I remember this original saga. Although it's not at all my place to say so, the prognosis doesn't look good from this side of the Internet.

I don't know, tough spot with SWMBO, there, but, the moratorium was five years, and after that you're free and clear to pursue!

That said, if you can't find the love before you undertake work, I wouldn't attempt to fix that with trying to make it so.

Before I started in earnest on the e21, I was about to sell it because it was just that slow, but dang if it wasn't fun to drive all said and done. Kept it, did stuff to it, made it not run, need to make it run again, but I digress....

My buddy had a '93, and with the suspension bits and JDM motor it was cool, but it did lack the character of the e21 even with all that. I wouldn't spend a lot of money to find out you still don't like it that much.

Now, based on my current view with this and other things you've said, id say you're pressing the ire of swmbo fairly hard right now. Far from me saying what to do, but at this point...the phrase it is better to ask forgiveness than permission comes to mind. I'm happy to discuss whatever at length if need be, but I'm not dragging anyone's name but my own through the mud in public.

I never clicked with my Civic either. I loved it on track, but I sort of hated it as a car.
I don't like broken cars. Mine was quite clean but there were a few plastic bits that needed to be replaced at pretty significant expense (relatively) and it always annoyed me to know that I didn't like the car enough to want to make it right.
I think we've all bought cars that were much better as abstract thoughts than they ended up being in the driveway. I'm not sure how you communicate that realization to your wife without her getting all bent up like a pretzel, but realizing it yourself is a good first step.

In reply to mndsm:

I'm leaning that way. I mean I have a clear title in my name and feel as though I can do with it as I please. It makes zero difference to her life in any shape or form which beater I have parked in front of the house. But, the rules of marriage don't necessarily line up with my way of thinking.