This is a first-generation Civic and it’s about as nice as they come, especially 38 years after being on the roads. This 1978 Honda CVCC Wagon is on eBay and will be shipped from British Columbia, Canada to your house when you win the auction. The bid is currently just above $3,500 with a little over a day left and there is a Buy It Now price of $6,500. Believe it or not, that’s not a crazy amount of money for a rust-free first-generation Civic wagon with a manual transmission, and optional hood vents! Ok, I’m pushing it there. And, it’s even better news if those are Canadian prices. The US dollar version would be $2,770 and $4,900, respectively!

Ain’t she sweet? I know that these vintage Japanese cars aren’t interesting to a portion of the car lovers out there, but there’s enough room here for everyone. Honda made this generation of Civic from 1972 through 1979 and this one looks like it’s been kept in someone’s living room for a couple of decades. The body is almost perfect, although the seller says that there are some small dings and “one tennis ball size dent above the LR quarter glass.”

This is where it all happens, or at least the driving part. From the photos it looks super nice, but again, the seller mentions that it’s missing a piece of the wood dash trim and there’s a crack in the passenger side jamb molding. Thankfully, this is a manual transmission car. One of my favorite vehicle types: a small wagon with a clutch pedal; utility and fun. Or, at least more fun than an automatic would be.

The seller says that this car was originally from California and spent 37 years there, but that only leaves about a year, which makes me wonder why they went to the trouble of buying it and importing it to Canada and are now selling it. Unless they got a heck of a deal on it. Who knows, but the thing sure looks nice. This a small car, but with the seats folded down you should be able to get the boxes hauled to the storage unit; you know, the ones that you were told to get out of the garage three weeks ago…

There is a badge missing on the right side, but that’s where your Visualize Whirled Peas bumper sticker would go anyway. That should say 5-Speed, but you should be able to get a new badge. I’m guessing that someone needed one for their car and popped it off; sort of a musical badges game. There are only so many to go around and they keep going around and around. The good thing is that this 1,500 pound car is a little lighter now because of that missing piece.

Here is Honda’s answer to the EPA: their famous CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion) engine. By using a pre-chamber like some diesel engines used, oddly enough, Honda was able to meet both Japan’s pollution standards and the EPA’s requirements without needing to add a catalytic converter. The genius of Honda engineering. Again, a little detailing under the hood would go a long way, but what a great looking car in great shape for being so old. I know that a lot of folks aren’t into vintage Japanese iron at all, but for those who are, this is a good find. How about you, would you drive this little Honda wagon?