Which civic is best civic?

Here's the thing: it sounds like your first car is going to be your learner car. Why blow a load of cash making mistakes? Buy the first running sub 1,000$ 88-91 civic. (Four doors for more whores!) and start putting money into it. It'll teach you to drive, teach you to repair, teach you to tune. By the end, your little civic will be a work of art, worth far more than you out into it. Sell it? Nah, it's your machine. Your sleigh. Your experience. Your love. Your memory. Your legacy.

Or you sell it after three weeks ownership and move on...

Chassis codes get confusing. Seeing you live in Alabama, I take it rust is less an issue than in the north east. I would also consider an Accord. Less likely to be clapped out than a civic. They also kept the DWB until 2012. I find the 6th gen, 98-02, to be the best. Old Honda build quality, not too big.

Trackmouse wrote: Here's the thing: it sounds like your first car is going to be your learner car. Why blow a load of cash making mistakes? Buy the first running sub 1,000$ 88-91 civic. (Four doors for more whores!) and start putting money into it. It'll teach you to drive, teach you to repair, teach you to tune. By the end, your little civic will be a work of art, worth far more than you out into it. Sell it? Nah, it's your machine. Your sleigh. Your experience. Your love. Your memory. Your legacy. Or you sell it after three weeks ownership and move on...

This is so poetic, especially "four doors for more whores"...

In all seriousness this is very true. As much as I would love to buy a beater like that I don't think my mom is gonna let me whip around in a POS.

One thing to keep in mind with the 90s era cars, they are stupid easy to break into. I had a 96 integra gsr and a 98 civic ex, no external mods on either, and they were both broken into in Huntsville AL. Not sure if the later ones were better. I have been looking at integras again, but here in Seattle, I just don't want to take the chance I think.

LifeIsStout wrote: One thing to keep in mind with the 90s era cars, they are stupid easy to break into. I had a 96 integra gsr and a 98 civic ex, no external mods on either, and they were both broken into in Huntsville AL. Not sure if the later ones were better. I have been looking at integras again, but here in Seattle, I just don't want to take the chance I think.

At least yours were only broken into. I had a CRX broken into and two Civics stolen. Years apart, totally different areas and circumstances each time.

EDIT: In the Chicagoland area. Other areas are probably different.

Yep, I sold the civic soon after, but I was contemplating a fuel cut off switch under the shift boot.

I will forever be an advocate of the 6th gen Accord. New enough to generally be pretty clean, old enough to be very DIYable and forgiving of newbie mistakes. Plus DWB, 5 speeds, a reliable f23, and the h22 swaps in pretty readily ( .

You really can't go wrong with the best Civic you can afford. I am partial to the EF, and the EM1/EK chassis, but the EP hatch Si /RSX is hard to deny as well. I have been a fan of every one I have had, also consider the Fit as it is actually a fun car and it shouldn't carry the insurance problems Si Civics do.

Mine!!