It can be hard to get excited about an old Honda wagon, but this one may catch your interest. Most eighties’ Hondas have been driven into the ground by now, but somehow this 1983 Civic avoided the ravages of time. It is claimed to even be wearing its original paint. Find it here on eBay with a Buy It Now of $5,200.
Here is the little four cylinder that helped Honda gain its reputation for reliability. With only 1,487 cc it didn’t make much power (63hp), but it was enough to get around town. After some major engine bay detailing, this could be the cleanest this region has been since this little Civic left the factory.
There is nothing special about this wagon except for the amazing condition it is in. There is no obvious rust, which is a surprise given the car’s location (New York). The beige paint is bland, but it does seem fitting. We know this car isn’t that old compared to what we normally feature, but we dare you find a Honda of this vintage in better shape.
Tan continues on the inside too. Nothing fancy in here, but the five speed manual and the air conditioning are welcome features. These cars were nothing more than an economical way to get from point A to point B. Still, we would much rather drive this old Honda wagon than a new Prius any day.
I had an accord the same year, and it ran like a top. I would have no problem driving this at all.
I had an ’82 Civic 4-door. Loved loved loved that car! Got broadsided in ’93, totaling the car. I still miss it. This little wagon is really compelling.
Love it. Don’t let the elitists turn your trailer into a platform for a queen – if you get my drift (ahembat, ahem). The variety of cars you post is great and this one is no exception.
Something to THINK about……….before I would buy this car I would want from the seller a notarized letter that the car was in no way involved in any of the flooding from Hurricane Sandy. It is from Staten Island and that was the worst hit NYC burrough. Thousands of cars were flooded in the NYC area and you KNOW some of those will be cleaned up and put on the market as new as so many were after Katrina. Most of them will be shipped West to get them out of the suspect areas for an easier sale. Beware !!!
In 1988 we bought a 1980 (round headlight) wagon, 2 speed automatic with air. The tranny was designed so that it had to be shifted. When you stopped at a light you had to put it in low to take off. Along with being fun to drive, this tranny was able to be flat-towed behind our motorhome. This wagon also served as a trailer by folding down the back seat and tilting the front seats as far as possible. When we got to our destination, everything was unloaded and we had our runaround car! One time we were on Marathon Key, Florida so we drove the Honda to Key West with five seated adults in it and three kids in the wayback. Unloading when we got there looked like the clown car at the circus. Somwhere in the late 90s, the Honda was sold to a friend for his sons first car.
I love the cleanliness and straight lines! I would drive this in a hearbeat! Great to see, and price appears very reasonable…
Everybody seems to have a ‘I had a ‘ story on these ?
Where are those cars now ?
While in the Mercedes world a1983 would be a hardly-broken-in car it seems all the Hondas have made their way back to Asia in the form of a 3’by3’ cube.
Where have they all gone ???.
As for the flood car comment.
You buy a car, checking it out and looking it over.
If it was wet and cleaned up, engine under water but running again now,
WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL ?
i do feel sorry for people that spend enormous amounts of money on late model cars (or even new cars for that matter) but that’s not my world……
W H A T ??? Salt Water Flooding Damage to any car is a huge problem. Cars here are usually TOTALED !!
ANYTHING INVOLVED IN A SALT WATER FLOOD IS A BIG DEAL. THINK ABOUT IT. JUST BECAUSE IT IS CLEANED AND RUNNING NOW IT WON’T BE LONG YOU WILL SEE THE DAMAGE OCCUR BEFORE YOUR EYES. AFTER KATRINA 100’S OF COLLECTOR CARS WERE LISTED AND SOLD ON EBAY. I LOOKED AT WHAT APPEARED AS A NICE 67 PLYMOUTH GTX (THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE AN AMC STORY I BET) 440 4 SPD. THE BOTTOM OF THE DASH ALREADY STARTED RUSTING AWAY IN LESS THEN 3 MONTHS. YOU CAN POWERWASH ALL YOU WANT BUT YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO RID THE SALT. YOU MAY WANT TO STRIP IT DOWN TO NOTHING AND DO A NUT AND BOLT RESTORATION BUT WHO IS IN THE MOOD FOR THAT?
AMCFAN………..thanks so much for validating my Flooded Car Damage comments. I had forgotten to emphasize the salt water damage problems. I cant believe someone else here was so unconcerned with my warnings and discounted the problem. Katrina rust buckets became Very Well Known here in California just a few months after that hurricane. Law suits all over the place!!
In the UK, this was the last of the TRIUMPH line….the TRIUMPH ACCLAIM. Don’t know that there were any ACCLAIM ESTATES though!
In 1994 my stepfather found an 83 civic hatchback with only 70k on it while on a fishing trip in florida. He bought it with money I had saved and drove it back. It was gorgeous… in as fine a condition as this one with not one speck of rust. It was really fun to drive despite the low power, and dead reliable. With those skinny tires it could pull it’s way through some pretty deep snow with little trouble. But, she only made it through 2 philly winters before the salt literally ate half the driver side floor and pieces of the rear wheel arches started flaking off.
just noticed in the pics on ebay that the seller has “detailed” some areas of the wheelwells with black paint. Not a good sign. When mine started going bad the first things that fell off were those mudflaps (that held salt and sand nicely). And why no pics of underneath if it’s so nice ?
It looks really nice for 264,000 miles.This car is on Craigslist now for $3500. It may look nice, but I’m thinking it’s pretty whipped and drives awful.
1983 civic wagon 5speed 125k.bone color looks like one featured here.no dents or dings original paint 1 owner Has rust in wheel wells seats are frail but not ripped runs great fun to drive
Oddly enough it was found in a barn