4th Gen Civics were awesome, and to be able to have purchased one with Realtime 4WD and a 6-speed manual is crazy talk in today's game. If you have one, swap it for big HP and smile all day.
Aspiring Aspie except honda crv awd is a joke. for years it didn't do a damn thing. not sure if they ironed it out now, but just due to that I would never buy a crv.
I picked up an 1989 Civic RT4WD for $500 a couple years ago. Did a head gasket and a tune up. Thing was soo fun. Put it in super low and pop the clutch, would leave 4 black marks for a couple feet haha. Was a drift missile in the snow! Best $500 ever
Had a customer trade one in back in mid 90s @ Buick/Pontiac Manual, kinda ratty ..we had fun beating the snot out of it and it wouldn't die. Crazy turning radius in that thing.
I think alot of us miss a Good ol greenhouse on a vehicle but the NTSB won't allow it. Too many idiots on the road who shouldn't be and we all pay the price when manufacturers make the car "safer" by surrounding the passengers with more and more high strength steel and safety nannies and taking away the breathing room inside the car. Thanks alot shitty drivers and a government who gives them all driver licenses
True but modern Subaru's have very very exceptional visibility. The A and B pillars in the 2017 Crosstrek are thinner than my 2002's and visibility is better. All that and the car's roof can support 5x the vehicle's weight and remains very safe. All of the high belt lines are merely stylistic and less a result of safety.
@@captainchaos0666 they are getting thinner. I still can't see. Would be nice if I could drive with my elbow on an door with an open window without throwing out my shoulder.
I remember back in the day thinking this vehicle was ugly as hell and I still think it looks like a cartoon vehicle, but as an adult I can appreciate that these were super dependable and very practical.
The Japanese had some real doozies back in the '80's. The Nissan Stanza Wagon/Multi and the Toyota Tercel SR5 (not quite as hideous) also come to mind.
As an adult I really wish the US had a wagon uprising. Wagons aren't those ugly wooden panelled cars anymore ! I want to see a 2019 Civic Wagon ! The Corolla Wag❤️on looks great. Mercedes and Subaru wagons look beautiful as well as Ford's Fusion wagon. No love in the USA :(
Miguel Angel Medina Rise I agree 100%. I guess the thing I don't understand is why the Europeans can offer wagons in North America when they sell barely any cars here but the big manufacturers can't offer them as options at least. Sure, they won't have a lot of sales, but aren't a few sales better than none? I can understand the argument of not wanting to stock parts for a rare model, but they would share most of the same components as their sedan counterparts, and the designs exist in other parts of the world. I think it's a way for them to channel people into their SUV's, which they make more money on anyway. I hate the look of SUV's so much, plus the high centre of gravity just blows.
This was the first new car I ever bought. Mine was an '88 and I drove it for a decade and 300,000+ miles. The only thing I ever had to was replace the CV joints and have the valves adjusted in a recall. It was a blast to drive and a joy to live with. So much glass, it felt like you wore it around your waist and the tall cabin meant lots of room for my Akita and Ridgeback. The interior was modest, but really comfortable. NVH was its only real letdown, as it droned and thrummed on long road trips. But, I was in my '20s and it was a perfect blend of sport and utility that I think was a bit ahead of its time. Mine was loaded at $13,000.
This must have been John's way of giving this 89 Civic a back-handed compliment. We all know how John felt about oil pressure and voltage gauges back in the 80s.
Honda 6 speed was really a 5speed 1/1/2/3/4/5 first low would only drive like 5mph but it was good to show off back in the day ..had a 90 4wd stick ... my favorite Honda's are 1987 and earlier just because THEY'RE RARER THAN A FERRARI...
I love bringing this car up at car meets and listing to Honda guys laugh and say I'm full of it, "there was never a awd civic" when I mention how Honda needs to go back to there roots with there newer Civics
that pretty much sums up why I dont go to those anymore. theyre generally ignorant assholes and all the burnouts and getting cops called on the scene... hard pass
I had a 1990 Civic Wagon front wheel drive. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I only got 228k out of the engine. I had to rebuild it. The video is spot on about the clutch. My father used to say that it was appropriate for a truck.
@@euc5957 I have an entire spare RT wagon! 😁Gotta have an extra as rare as they are. Best place to source parts is through the Facebook group or possibly the civic wagon forum. But feel free to message me if you have any questions!
I had the 1990 2WD version but it looked identical to the wagon shown in this video. I could pack it full of stuff despite it being a compact. On highway trips, I'd get 38-40 MPG. The engine was a bit underpowered but the 5-spd manual was a sweet tranny that made sure I got the most out of it. The only serious issue I had was with the brakes. I had to replace the brake system which wasn't cheap. I later found out that was one of the Achilles Heels of this generation of Civic. Otherwise, it was a reliable, economical, fun to drive car.
Other than acceleration figures the old cars are just so much more appealing than todays machines. They're more honest, simple, lighter, all the good stuff todays bloat-mobiles are not.
I would say acceleration AND safety -- I shudder to think how one of these would fold up in a medium speed crash, let alone a high speed impact. Otherwise I'm with you, and I look at the ergonomics of that interior and think it still looks like a well thought-out space.
Sure, those old land yachts were mostly hollow inside. There is a lot of safety equipment, insulation, and, particularly, wiring that wasn't in older cars.
The 1st gen cr-v with the spare tire on the back and a manual transmission are actually kind cool. Now they’re just lame crossovers with no sport or utility.
@@calebtaylor3835dont forget they had a picnic table in the back storage floor. Many owners still dont know that. I show them and they are amazed they had the car that long and never used it.
I own an 88' rt4WD wagon in gold. It's got 189k miles. Easy to work on, extremely reliable, and parts are very cheap . Handles like a go kart and zippy around town. Surprisingly fun to drive, and more interior room than many SUVs. Best view of the road than any car I've driven, big windows all around. At 6'1" I've got headroom for a 10 gallon hat. I absolutely love it and will never sell.
@MotorWeek Thank you for publishing this great car archive videos you have, you guys are the best!!!! ..... Here in Mexico we never get any of this Hondas, Honda arrived to Mexico until 1994 and only with the Accord... But here in los cabos I have seen a few of this, I always thought about this CIVIC why?? and what??? I have a Honda Fit 2016, wich I believe is the continuation of this civic
The Wagon, it did look like a small minivan. Honda actually had a manual 4WD vehicle. Subaru was getting threaten by Honda. After 29 years this vehicle faded away through weather and time and getting one of these is like looking for the holy grail!!!
My dad had this car..... as a kid of all the cars my sister and I remember this one is the ONE!!! now as an adult I want one!!!! very great memories!!! we nicknamed the car FIFI
Car reviews in general seem pretty arbitrary much of the time, MW was no exception. Hondas always seemed to have a desirability factor that low end Toyota's lacked in the late 80's though. Not to say Tercel wagons weren't common...they were, but I still remember seeing *way* more Hondas. I have to think that plays a role in how a car is reviewed/perceived by testers.
Today only a few vehicles have a 7-sp manual. Anything with 8 gears or more are automatics. I think that 6-sp. manual in that Civic is a low range gear.
I'm still rolling in a '91 civic wagon as my daily. I've bought it with 128k mi, it's at 211k now. I was lucky, one of the previous owners' removed the rear wheel arch rubber "guards", so it's not rusty. Solid quarters and still being driven in mid-west salty winters...
I have a Honda acty kei truck with this. Imported it from Japan and run snow tracks on it hunting when tires just won't float across the terrain. Best vehicle ever.
And the big brother of this these days is the crv and it’s total junk in the snow mud or whatever the electric clutch overheats and doesn’t work when you need it so how exactly are the new Honda’s better than the versions of the past simple they aren’t it’s sad but Honda and Hyundai are swapping hats the Hyundai’s are now better than Honda when it comes to longevity and Honda with its slap it together direct injection you get a year warranty tells you what to expect from the civics of now this leaves me to say this Honda what happened to you as a company none of your vehicles even fallow the true spirit of Honda the only car you sell today is the fit and I say this speaking of the fit in the manual transmission it gives you power to get around mileage you can live with and reliability this however cannot be said for its cvt variant nor for the turbo civics I do believe Honda has lost its way as a company and has forgotten how to be Honda they used to lead in innovation and design now they fallow and blend with the rest as a passable car with uncertain longevity it’s unfortunate but that is the measure of things
I had a '91, AT, same color as this. Got it with 83k on it, drove the heck out of it for five years, sold it to a friend, who then drove it for four more. If they still made it, I'd have one now, but they don't ,so I now drive a CR-V. The '91 wagon was the best Honda ever made, IMO.
that car would cost about 20k in america accounting for inflation in 2018, i think that would still be a good deal to have the chance at buying one of these brand new from a dealer now
Seem that the most closest Honda offering right now in north america is the HR-V . Would like to see here The Shuttle ( an extended Fit ) , the N-Box , the Freed and all the other brillant space efficient Honda automotive product only avalaible in japan .
Indeed even today these vehicles are still very practical and good to drive. They match modern vehicles in most ways! If Honda could sell them as brand new, they'd make another fortune on them.
@@krystalayame3870 its just sad that all of these little cars were everyday driven, but most people who shove a b series race them, then let them sit, work on them, and the cycle resets.
I bought mine in Idaho, 2017-ish. It had ONE previous owner and under 90k miles for $3500. I've just NOW had to replace the distributor cap. Admittedly, the body's a bit dinged but it still chugs along. Soon I'm hoping to get the body fixed, repainted, and a new sound system.
It's basically an early CR-V; in fact, I think it more resembles the current CR-V than the 97 version. But really it's more an Element/CR-V cross. Very cool retro car. For that era and class, the interior looks good.
My Granny had this car. Funny thing was the passenger side mirrors was optional. The rear speakers were a awesome design and good for the time. The car was truly solid.
It was the first car my wife and I got when we married. We were poor and it was 500$ with 70k miles. Loved that car. When we got it it was called the Civic Wag-o-van. And I believe we had the 86.
1:26 ... John seems impressed by the fuel economy but in the Motorweek review of the 1983 Subaru 4WD wagon similar MPG numbers were viewed as being unacceptable. Not very consistent reviewing but still more so than Motor Trend!
I drive a 2 w drive 1990 civic wagon. 145.000 original miles, I take my children to school in this and do all the running around. oil change every 3000 miles. I just replaced the brakes all away around for under 25 bucks. this car drives great... I think its funny when someone asks if I would like to sell it?? what!!!!! usually, it's someone wanting to make a project out of it... it still got some use getting the kids where they need to go.. sorry!!!
I know a guy that has one of these that motor swapped it with I think it was a K20 and still all wheel drive only like 160 or 70 whp but still a cool car
