The fourth-generation Honda Civic is considered by many to be the break-through generation for the gold standard of commuter cars. While Honda had long established itself as a dominant manufacturer of competent small cars that were actually fun to drive, cars like this 1990 Honda Civic EX showed you could build a fuel-sipping econobox that was also loaded with features, fun to drive, and incredibly durable. We don’t see Civics from this era show up in good condition, period, but we especially don’t see top-trim lines like an EX sedan come up for grabs all that often.
It seems many people knew someone back in the day that owned one of these Hondas when it was new or nearly new; for me, it was my aunt, who owned a gold sedan. Of course, this being the 1980s, you had to deal with automatic seat belts, which to this day seems like a great example of how to mess with a good thing (if someone doesn’t want to wear a seat belt, forcing them to be strangled by a mechanical arm isn’t going to help.) The seller notes he purchased this from a local Honda dealership employee who (wisely) snagged it from the long-time original owner when offered the opportunity to buy it. The only deviation from stock condition inside the car is the aftermarket head unit.
Now, here’ the big reason why Honda gained a major foothold in the U.S. market beyond just building a high-quality product: you could buy an entry level car but still get a very high level of engineering in even the most basic of trims. For instance, the fourth generation Civic offered car shoppers a standard double-wishbone suspension in the front with an independent setup in the rear, which helped cement the car’s favor with autocrossers and road racers. This being a rare EX trim model means Honda bumped the standard engine up to 16-valve D16A6 mill that generated a healthy 108 b.h.p.
The EX model is notable for having unique wheel covers and a dual-outlet muffler. The fact that this car retains those features speaks to the high level of preservation on display in its listing here on eBay. I suspect the automatic transmission is going to hold this one back a bit from being a true home run sale price-wise, but that’s OK – someone who is bidding on this simply wants to keep a survivor-grade Honda in the same condition it’s managed to survive in for all these years. The Honda community is a fiercely loyal one, and they like to keep their prize specimens out of the hands of kids and tuners. If you were a Honda enthusiast, would you add this one to your collection?
Dated a air traffic controller that bought exactly one of these at the suggestion of a pilot friend we knew, who had a similar one.
Called it her Kelvinator because it just ran and ran like any good appliance does.
It was a remarkable car in that it was an unremarkable car-she’d get in and it’d start every time taking her anywhere without fanfare or an sort of driving excitement.
We had both an ’89 DX three-door hatch and a ’90 base hatch (with the smaller 1.5l engine, IIRC). Loved both, but sold the DX after we learned we were expecting our first child (we had already planned wife to be a homekeeper, and couldn’t afford two nearly-new cars once she quit working).
Both vehicles were excellent – good fit and finish, ultra-smooth gearboxes (both were manuals), and phenomenal fuel economy. We kept the ’90 until our two boys (by that time) were having trouble squeezing into the back seat on road trips. Bought our first minivan as its successor (’98 Caravan).
But for the automatic in the subject car, it would be a really fun trip down memory lane to own.
These were great cars. I passed on one to get an 86 Tercel two door 5sp simply because the manual was so fun to drive. Also had a 1.6ltr that pushed that car into the fun zone and 35mpg city 40mpg hwy..And it was silver with maroon interior. Excellent visibility, dead reliable. Sorry to deviate from the subject but my little silver bullet meant the world to me, LOL!
While I don’t know what the heck I would do with it, but I would love to have this one. I agree that the manual transmission would be more fun, but I wouldn’t be driving it as my everyday car so I could live with it. I wanted one of these so badly when they were new but we had just built a house and money was tight. I drove my 1982 Toyota Tercel for another 6 years before the dreaded tinworm here in Wisconsin claimed another victim.
No sale with a high bid of $2,075.
Steve R
Always late to the party. =( I’ve been low-key looking for a ’90-’91 Civic EX 4-door 5-speed for years. I had a new ’91 Civic DX 3-door 5-speed when I was 16. I loved that car. I remember test driving a gray EX (same color as my DX) with 5-speed and another with automatic. The 5-speed didn’t feel any quicker than DX (difference in weight and possibly different gearing). But it sounded so much nicer when you revved it hard and the car had all the power features that mine lacked.
The automatic version was disappointing. Foot to the floor was the only way to get good acceleration and the automatic would downshift very harshly when you floored it. It felt no quicker than my grandma’s ’89 LX 4-door automatic. Those automatics didn’t like being pushed too hard either.
This one looks to be in great shape, but the automatic would take all the fun out of it! I’m not overly crazy about the White with Burgandy Cloth either.