The Honda Civic is one of those vehicles that has earned a bit of an unfair reputation amongst enthusiasts. Sure, there are countless examples of terribly modified Civics, but the compact also represents an affordable and accessible platform with plenty of potential for performance. While the second generation Civic isn’t usually subject to modification in the way other generations are, it is neat to see a survivor example from this era, such as this 1982 Civic Sedan that is available here on eBay.
This Civic is available in Clearlake, California with a clean and clear title. Though the details in the advertisement are scarce, the photos show a seriously promising and rust-free example from this generation. There are seat covers on the front seats that hide some wear, but everything else is tidy, including the crack-free dash. This example even has a manual transmission!
There’s a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine under the hood, which produced a whopping 67 horsepower from the factory. The seller claims the car “runs and drives like a dream,” though it could use tires soon.
The Buy-it-Now price for this clean Civic is $3,800. Could you see yourself paying that for this time capsule of a Civic, or would you rather have one of the later generations with more performance potential?
This car ushered in a new era of economy cars! I would never want it but it does have its place in history for gas mileage!!
I drove this exact car for several years in high school. I would give my left eyetooth to have one again.
If you can get $3,800 for your eyetooth, go for the car Bill !
My mother had one of these when they were new, an ’81. This was the top of the line Civic in its day. 4 of us took a trip from Ohio to Florida in it (fortunately only one of us was tall) and I drove it a lot locally as well. Its road manners were much more refined than any other Japanese car its size. Driving it back to back with an ’82 Escort drove home the point that Honda was going places.
That Civic had a brutal low-speed surge that the dealer couldn’t cure, but it was otherwise flawless. Gas mileage was often in the 30s, and if you buzzed that rev-happy 1.5l cvcc engine it could walk away from most traffic of the day. Not sure I loved it enough to want one today, but I bet Mom would get a kick out of it.
I like this little car.The body looks so straight and I can not think of the last time I have seen one on the road this old.
Only new car I ever owned was a 1984 Accord. What a great reliable and comfortable auto. I think my Accord was around 90 hp but with a 5 speed manual acceleration was pretty good. Never had the car back for any recall work of any kind.
Thank whoever it isn’t an automatic. Those were terrible transmissions.
Steelworkers around here drove tons of these to work, and later on to the unemployment office when foreign steel took their jobs.
Bought a plain Jane 83 Civic, 2 door-it had a 1300cc engine. It had great MPG but kind of slow! I still have my little Civic today and I still use it and it soon be my son’s when he gets his DL. I guess the price isn’t too bad.
My sister had one and would love to buy this one if it’s For Sale