We’ve only seen three 1980 Honda Civics here on Barn Finds over the years: two red ones and one white one. This 1980 Civic 1500 GL is St. Moritz Silver over a red interior, and it can be found posted here on craigslist in Biggs, California. The seller is asking an eye-watering $13,000 or best offer (“Honey, I tried to sell it!”). Here is the original listing, and thanks to Mitchell G. for the tip!
If a buyer wanted silver, they got a red interior; that was the only choice for silver Civics in 1980. At least the two-door hatchback body style. Honda offered the second-generation Civic from 1979 for the 1980 model year until the end of 1983. There is one ding on this car that I noticed, on the top of the left front wheel arch.
The seller lists the mileage as 50,800, so that’s barely 18 months’ worth of driving for me and maybe 12 or fewer months of driving for a lot of you. They say it has been “garage-stored” for the last 20 years, but we don’t know if that means stored and not driven, or just parked in a garage when not in use. It belonged to a “pharmacist who bought it brand new and had it since.” I’m not sure if that means they still own it and the seller has been asked to sell it for them? It must be just me who can’t quite figure these things out.
They say it’s in excellent condition, but the driver’s seat has seen better days; it’s rougher’n a cobb, which no pharmacist has ever said. The rest of the interior looks nice, including the like-new back seat, and the rear cargo area looks like it’s never been used. Honda offered a two-door hatchback, a four-door sedan, and a four-door wagon. They never offered a convertible.
The engine is cleaner than a pharacist’s white smock, and it’s Honda’s 1.5-liter SOHC inline-four with 67 horsepower and 79 lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by a five-speed manual sending power to the front wheels, the seller says everything works other than the AC, since it’s had the belt removed. Now, about that $13,000 or best offer asking price…
To no one’s surprise the price of this car earned a nearly 82% No Dice on Jalopnik.
Unless someone got lucky their first time in one like this baby or nostalgic days of past then I can’t see the collectors desire personally.. The newer econo boxes are faster and safer. Its not the sporty model but who knows someone might want to rebuild items of an old car or chase down dash lights that appear from vintage days gone by 😎
Good luck with sale!
Hehehehe, worth maybe 5k!
Wow, super clean Honda, definitely not a 13k car. You’d think for that 13k they’d put a new A/C belt on and plug in the radio.
And fix the seats.
Cars from California can easily rack up 150k miles and look like this, especially if those miles were during its early life. The drivers seat doesn’t look like it’s 50k miles, regardless of its age. It’s up to the seller to prove their claim when asking for a low mileage premium, a picture of the speedometer doesn’t cut it. The way the ad is written it reads like the car is still titled in the original owners name, this opens a potential can of worms with the DMV, where any downside is placed on the next owner. For anywhere close to the asking price the seller needs to provide documentation verifying mileage and a title in his name.
Steve R
that odometer has rolled once you can see it on the condition of the driver’s seat and brake /clutch pedals $1,300 is more like what its worth
Maybe it’s overpriced , but I would rather have this (at a fair price) than the Frankenstang. $3,500-5,000 is what my gut tells me.
Cool convertible photoshop Scotty.
Pharmacist? That’s slang for drug dealer here on the left coast. Biggs is a tiny rural spot without a pharmacy but it does have a pizza place. Just sayin’.These old Hondas often have difficulties passing a smog test. This one looks pretty good for a 150,000 mile Honda. I paid $.25 (a quarter) for my last 1980 Honda. It was a great running and dependable car worth every cent.
My wife ( then college girlfriend) had a ‘75 Civic manual. She was a farmer’s daughter and me being from Chicago, her mom would not let her drive when we went out to meet my folks so she taught me how and the rest is history . Was a great little car. Also had a lot of fun in there if ya know what I mean.
yeah right. 13k i don’t know old man
that seat says 152,000 miles
and I don’t like dealing with LIARS.
Would I pay that? Hell no. Are the miles right? Probably not. But someone, and I’ll be nice, is going to bang their head and think this is a good deal.
My mother’s first new car after her divorce was an ’81 Civic 1300DX, poverty spec, radio delete; metallic brown with a tan interior. Five thousand bucks out the door of Sussman Honda in Jenkintown, PA.
She loved that car and so did I. Incredibly smooth, she was clocked at over 80 on Rt. 309 in the first month; not surprising, coming from a ’67 Beetle. She told the trooper she had no idea & he let her off with a warning (Mom was not a speed demon).
I kinda believe the mileage because a) that velour does fail in UV & even moderate use, and b) Mom’s made it to about 140K before the camshaft flattened out on #4 and it developed a miss. By then the Rusty Jones had left the building and it was rusting out pretty good.
The one thing that will always stick with me is that the factory Yuasa battery outlasted the starter, which died six years in – the battery hung in there another year & a half.
Tempting at half the price.
I bought my ‘81 Accord 5 speed for $1.500.
It was a good car but had its problems. I replaced the cam, rocker arm and added a Weber 2 barrel carb. The stock 3 barrel carb was garbage.
Had one of these trough university in metallic gold with beige interior, but with 1300cc engine.
Fantastically reliable cars, minus the rust. These rust super aggressively from sills, and rear shock towers and the tailgate.
As during university money was not there, I ended up taking mine totally apart & rebuilding from ground up. Twice. Sandblasting, new sills, new paint (twice), …