The Honda Civic del Sol Si is one long name and if you break it down, at least the last part, it’s “of the sun yes” which makes no sense. I’m kidding, of course, the Si isn’t meant to be yes in Spanish. And, the Civic part of the name would disappear on later cars. This 1993 Honda Civic del Sol Si can be found here on AutoTrader in Baltimore, Maryland and they’re asking $12,500. Thanks to John L. for sending in this tip!
It’s almost impossible to mistake this Honda del Sol for anything but a 1990s car. The unmistakable jellybean and/or melted bar of soap design was all the rage back then. The del Sol was based on the ever-popular Honda Civic and it would be a welcome addition to the Honda family after the CRX went away in 1991. The seller includes a couple of underside photos which is always nice.
The company added quite a bit of weight in designing a targa-top style car in order to make it as solid as possible. Some purists (yes, there are Honda del Sol purists) actually prefer the non-Si cars as they came with basically nothing fancy at all other than standard power windows. They were lighter and easier to modify in order to make them a little livelier to drive.
The seller says that there are no leaks at all from the removable roof and that’s nice to hear. The interior is missing one very important fun-to-drive item, though. Yes, you spotted it, there are no heated and cooled cupholders! No, this one has an automatic transmission instead of a 5-speed manual. It’s not the end of the world but Honda makes some of the best shifting cars in the business. The seats are even sculpted in somewhat of a 1990s style and everything looks to be in fantastic condition. There isn’t much storage space available but it should be enough for most people to take a cross-country trip without too many worries.
The engine in the Si version is Honda’s 1.6L inline-four and the seller says that the timing belt and water pump were replaced in 2015. With fewer than 29,000 miles on this car the next owner should have many years of fun. Have any of you owned or driven a Honda del Sol?
Another stellar write-up, Scotty! An Si 5-speed would be a ton of fun in this little car, but not sure if my “large” frame would fit. Some people might say I’m an over-opinionated grandpa with a bad attitude, but if I would change anything in your article:
“The unmistakable jellybean and/or melted bar of soap design was a pathetic cop-out by stylists back then…”
Mr.BZ – you’re way too kind, thanks much. And, I literally could not agree more with your addition!
My aunt had a red one with a OEM trunk spoiler then traded it for the same only black. Both were 5 spds manuals. FUN cars these!
This car represents the end of a golden age of Japanese hot hatches. This appeared as the replacement for the beloved CRX Si for 1993. That same year, Toyota introduced the E100 Corolla, which spelled the end of the hot GT-S models. Then, in 1995, Nissan replaced the wonderful B13 Sentra SE-R with the heavier, uglier and slower 200SX SE-R.
Sure, there were a few great Japanese hot hatches after this, such as the Integra GS-R/Type-R and various Civic Si models, but the 1984-92 the true great era for that type of car.
Ah, the “Dull, slow” as it was fondly referred to in early miata circles! Looks like it could be fun.
As the original owner of a 1994 VTEC del Sol, I can attest that it was neither “dull,” nor “slow.” It certainly was fun to encounter Miatas of the period who were willing to “play,” as my del Sol never failed to leave them behind at any distance or any speed. The del Sol is still “fun” and “quick” 26 years later, and I continue to enjoy the occasional “interaction” with Miatas, SLK 230s, MR 2s, and other cars of a “sporting” nature.
I owned a 93 T-Top from 2011-2017 and the one & only reason I sold it was because it was struck by lightning, you heard me… lightning! This was evident by the pinpoint of a hole in the center of a black star shaped burn mark on the underside of the car’s computer’s covemechanic said it was only the second one he had ever seen & after being an industry mechanic for over 50yrs, he now hand picked the cars he worked on & mine fit his criteria. So the hunt for a new “brain” begins! Unfortunately; after 3months of searching he gave up the hunt & after reassuring me he would keep the car safe, told me to look outside the Tri-State Area because he’s looked everywhere there so ~after a 4month time warp~ I found one to be shipped from Oregon(!) being in NJ it was a long search and after the 7 months of searching then the expense of the repairs plus additional “life expenses” I couldn’t afford to keep her but I wasn’t gonna sell my gal to someone who’d ruin the car with “modifications” making it a racer totally ruining its potential historic standing in the “car world” & was so happy to find someone who wanted her just as she was that I even knocked $$ off the price, imagine my disappointment when a week later, his mother (the buyer was a 20yr old college student who wanted to restore her to her original glory but after his mother saw it she had other plans & while he was away at school she sent it to HER mechanic who did exactly what I & the buyer did not want… she had it modified and updated with a few “extras” her mechanic suggested that a young man would enjoy (reassuring her it was much safer than without the updates I believe is what sealed the deal so to speak) and I received two emails from her. One telling me what she was doing and before I could reply that it wasn’t what her son had wanted, I got her second email with a list of parts $ services attached in bill form and she actually said she expected me to pitch in on the additional expenses because the car was “unsafe” in the condition I sold it (which no, it wasn’t). I immediately contacted her son telling her what she did to HIS car & how she was expecting funds from me for the modifications she let her mechanic talk her into! Needless to say he was NOT happy with her & was totally embarrassed that she expected me to pay almost half of the total $1,400 it cost for the modifications that I didn’t recommend (if he wanted it to be a historical show car) & that he didn’t want (since, that’s what he was hoping to do). Seeing how I sold him the car for less than the amount of the updates, and after the extra $100 I knocked off my original asking price to replace a dead battery due to sitting, he knew that I didn’t have the extra money to “chip in” (as Mom put it) not that I would have(!). I made it perfectly clear that it was being sold “AS IS” besides the fact that never in the 45 years I’ve been driving had I heard of the seller of a car helping to pay for any additional work being done on a car, after the sale was final.
Needless to say I was severely disappointed in what the Mother had done to “my little stinger”, after the previous owner added some striping, (it had a stripe added to the part of the roof that didn’t come off & it being yellow w/black outlines + a white “halo fade” surrounding that, it made me think “bee” but that didn’t fit right & I couldn’t call her the hornet, that’s taken, lol so…my little stinger is what I called her), and since it didn’t diminish the value but did make it “different” enough to standout but, the bulk of the car was still in the original body color of red. This was the ONLY thing that had been changed in regards to the car’s original build (*necessary upkeep repairs aside ~sometimes you can’t find parts of a compatible year but that’s what kept it in the potentially “historic” class. The “powers that be”; when it comes to the classification of cars, can’t drop the status of the car when you’ve HAD to upgrade a part because it’s no longer available since it’s not manufactured anymore & I made sure it stayed that way. I know she was trying to surprise her son by doing this when he was away at school, thinking he’d be able to drive it when he was home however; aside from the fact that it was perfectly capable and legal as far as driving it was concerned, it just wasn’t something that her son (or me) wanted done to the car and after telling her that because, yeah… she really did expect me to pay for half of the “updates” she opted to have done, so it would’ve been like selling it for $400! I listed the car for the very generous price of $1100 ~I was told to start at $1850 and go no lower than $1500 after putting in a new computer + the fact that otherwise it was in perfect shape having the usual wear-N-tear a 27yr old car will have~ then the additional $100 I deducted for the expense of new battery… he got the car for $1000 CHEAP so to ask me for anything let alone $6-700 back insulted me to the point that I actually started looking into the possibility of taking the car back but then her son replied to my email telling me that he was VERY upset with his mother for doing anything with HIS car, was not going to be using the same mechanic because he doesn’t seem to listen to “the customer” but does what he feels should be done expecting you to just have the money, and he was starting legal proceedings against him for basically working on a stolen car since the car is in his name and not his Mother’s (turned out he would’ve had to file charges against his Mother and since she is his Mom + she did think she was doing a good thing… he dropped it but, not before making the mechanic sign off on the bill and eat the “update’s” expenses because not only were they bordering the “stolen property” issue but (after looking closer at the invoice his Mom sent me) he “updated” parts that I had recently replaced as well as any that might’ve been in need but not in dire need and at a price that far exceeded the market value of the part (& don’t even get me started on his labor expenses!?!).
All in all I wish I had held out & kept the car but I’m glad (Mother’s involvement aside) I’m glad it went to a good guy who’s going to show her exactly how a lady should be treated. I’m currently looking for another one, lol! Thanks for taking the time to read this and have a great holiday season! TTFN
it’s a daily. Surprised U say “Ok 4 a long trim” but we’re used to that in the lill ones. 1st I spied it I said, “Now there’s a Scotty car”…
Why would the timing belt and water pump need to be replaced with only 29,000 miles? Age?
I’m thinking something “one in a million chances” happened like my gal getting struck by lightning. Before that she was fine but afterwards, not so much. LoL! After the freak of lightning accident it seemed like things just started to need a little more attention & with the total$$ it was going to take I had to let her go and would love to have this one because what he’s offering is priced very well (worth it!) & if it wasn’t for the financial insecurity this pandemic is causing I’d be talking to the seller instead of writing in the comments how much I miss mine! LoL! It’s a car I highly recommend if it’s doable for you! Thanks for sharing & I hope you and yours are all having a wonderful Holiday Season! TTFN
Bought one brand new in 93. Was a super fun car to drive and the targa top storage in the trunk was just brilliant engineering. So easy to store and still have a full trunk, a much as a little car could have. Traded it in on a Subaru SVX. Still wish I had the Del Sol.
I feel your (proverbial) pain and am only on this website after being curious to know if any were for sale in my area, lol. It’s been 4+ years now since I’ve sold my little stinger and I haven’t been able to find anything that I feel like I’d want to drive it (well, not at some of the prices I’ve been seeing at least!). It’s unfortunate that I didn’t keep in touch with the guy who bought my 1993 Targa Top Del Sol S… I’d be sending him an email asking how he’s doing and… “wanna sell me my car back?!?”, LoL! I miss the fun, being able to not get stuck driving everyone due to only having 2seats (no wiggle room at all!) & the fact that I drove a total of 58 miles on a full tank of gas and only added more then because I got scared (I was testing the limits of the 13gal gas tank which according to Honda was 55miles). Before I got scared, she wasn’t sputtering, sluggish, or anything like that… I was afraid I’d go to start her & THAT would be when I had no choice but to get some gas, (STAT!) & then I’d be stuck but I’m sure she would’ve gone farther if I didn’t get spooked, lol. I’d get another one in a heartbeat if it wasn’t all blinged out & lowered for “cruizin” like so many are these days (at least within the 300 mile radius I’ve been searching starting from where I’m located of course). I’d find it funny that the police would always think whenever they’d pull me over for something only to end up checking out the car but, finding a 50+ year old woman behind the wheel and not some young “hot rodder” like they were expecting, LoL! the expressions I got were priceless especially after I started talking shop to those who knew what a “diamond in the ruff” I had but didn’t think I knew and to that I say, >XP”” raspberries on you for thinkin a woman can’t be a “big-block head”, lol. Thanks for sharing your memories and bringing a few of mine back! Happy Holidays to you and yours! TTFN
Ambitious pricing for a slushbox. Besides, you could likely procure the much more interesting JDM TransTop version which can now be imported stateside, for less than $12.5k.
As evidenced on BaT awhile back:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-honda-crx-del-sol-2/
Automatic (facepalm)