Hey- It's my car! Thanks for the vid, Mark :) I gotta fix that creaking door! I had the passenger panel off so I could service the window regulator. Works great now but I have been lazy and haven't put the new plastic and door card back on. And yeah, those are 1st gen Accord 13" wheels. Hilarious that 13" wheels are an upgrade(!). Only 51 ponies, but it pulls fine around town. I stay in the right lane at all times on the highway and don't go over 60mph.
Mark Barrey I may have a buyer already, but I was asking $1,700 and it comes with a couple 5 speed transmissions, all associated linkage, 1st gen wagon knuckles (for 4x100 wheel conversion and brake upgrade), full deluxe gauges, original 12" wheels (also with brand new tires), and a bunch of other little stuff.
Thanks! This really brings me back. My first car was an orange 74 with Hondamatic I bought off the family mechanic. Nobody explained the Hondamatic to me; I figured it out. Nobody explained the choke to me; I never figured that one out, though. When all was well, it was a hoot to drive, and parking was easy even in Manhattan. With the BMW 2002-knock off interior, I could pretend I was in a fancy sport sedan. A downside was that it often didn’t start in the rain, a problem that was hard to figure out. And, like virtually all old Civics in the northeast, rust ate it from the ground up. A couple of comments on your example. I couldn’t tell whether it was a respray. The outside seems to match the inside, but one of the front fenders seem to have spray paint mark. Also, I’d never seen a ceiling console like that. A dealer-installed option, I guess. A fun fact: At the transportation exhibit at the Smithsonian, there’s one of these in red.
I had a Civic that looked like this in 1975. Drove it off the lot brand new for $1,200. Mine was a stick shift. I had jut gotten divorced with 3 kids to support and my Ford Mustang had electrical problems. This was the only car I could afford. Later I moved up to an Accord then Preludes. Now I'm driving a 1998 Civic. I've driven nothing but stick shift Honda since 1975.
Ah yes..... my first of 16 Honda’s I’ve owned was a brand new ‘75 Honda Civic 1200. Same “Highland Blue” color. Mine was a four speed stick, and mine was not a hatchback, but rather a trunk model..... the rear window was “fixed” and a small trunk lid beneath the rear window opened to a small trunk. I bought the car for $2,514.00. I worked in the body shop of what grew into a very large Honda dealership, so I’ve worked on thousands of Hondas over the years. I can tell you those 13” wheels came from a 1980 Accord. Also, the wood grain steering wheel came from a 1976 Honda CVCC 5 speed car. Those Civics were really revolutionary..... several of my co-workers became Honda fanatics. Good old days............
I want to add that mine also had the overhead console with the spotlight and “amazing” analog clock! Ha It was a dealer installed option that I bought at the parts counter and installed myself.
Amazing you remember how much you bought it for! I bought and 'refurbished' a 75 1000cc civic. Great little car, loved it. Sold it 13 years ago, to fund going overseas, for about the price you bought yours new, although in $NZD.
Mike Scudder The ‘75 Civic had an MSRP of $2,859.00.... base model....plain Jane, right out of the box... no A/C. I worked for the dealership and knew the sales manager well. He discounted it for me, but insisted that I finance through them. I bought the A/C unit through the parts dept and installed it myself. All the A/C s in Civics were dealer installed back then. I had done custom paint work on several new ‘74 and ‘75 Civics back then.... the owner of the Dealership saw the first one I did, and was quite excited to have me do several more.... any kind of layout I wanted. An interesting note: the dealership took a brand new ‘75 Civic and drained all the fluids...removed the battery.... the showroom floor had four heavy duty jack stands positioned so that we could get several guys together..... grabbing the front and rear bumpers... and turned the car upside down and let the rubber bumper guards on the bumpers rest on the jack stands. The roof was about 8” off the floor. Really bizarre to walk into the showroom and see the Civic upside down..... the point was to really let customers see the drivetrain, suspension components...etc. After it had been there for many months, they scooted a large thick piece of foam rubber under the car... several of us lifted the car... they removed the jack stands....we had to rest the car gently on the foam rubber before turning it right side up, but the center roof skin buckled.... we had to put a new roof skin on the car before they could sell it. I was fortunate to work for that dealership when they first started selling the little 600 cars. I remember the owner of the dealership coming around with little one page flyers of the “little Honda cars” they were going to sell. Most guys laughed..... but I was intrigued. Months later, when the first truckload arrived.... several of us each hopped into the cars and took them for drives!!! I hopped into a dark red sedan.... and I remember thinking, “I’m getting one of these!!”
@@donsailing1356 Woah, thats crazy!! I guess the front engine, front wheel drive setup was out of the ordinary back then. Do you have any photos on a blog or something? I hope you hung onto one of those Honda 600's! I take it you've seen the 'finding serial one' N360 documentary?? I don;t have any Honda's any more unfortunately. But i do have a 1981 2 cylinder 550cc Mitsubishi L100 (minicab) wide 55. I bought it in Chile and then drove all over Chile, Argentina, Bolvia and Brazil!! My first car was a 2nd gen 1982 civic 3 speed hondamatic i bought for $50 of my friends grandmother - it was in pristine condition! I didnt even have a license to drive yet! The gears were marked 1, 2 , and then a 'green star' as 3rd. So its nickname became 'green star'!!! hehehe... good times, fond memories!
Mike Scudder ....Yes... I’ve seen the story of serial #1. Very interesting..... I really loved those little 2 cylinder marvels. I have also owned a little used ‘72 AN600 sedan..... it was t-boned in the passenger side. I had to pull the rocker, quarter, roof..... it came out very nice! I bought it for $150.00 from the Ins Co. I had 600 bucks in it finished. Drove it for a year..... never took any photos!! I certainly wish I still had it. Presently, I own a pristine 2007 Honda Element SC. Absolutely love it! Owned it since new, and I’m NOT selling it! I’ve owned many Civics.... Crx... Prelude. Honda’s forever....
My older brother had 2 of these (30 years ago) and he once parked up on the curb while parallel parking. I asked if he wanted me to fix it so he didn't get a ticket. "Nope", he said. We literally picked the back end up and off the curb without straining. I wish had kept them.
I had a 77 that I beat to hell & back & neglected & misused it, this was in early 90s, still had some growing up to do, but just wanted to say......it still ran strong when I sold it.
According to Wikipedia the CVCC engine was a feature of 1975 Civics part way through the model year. In the early 80s we were going to go camping with some friends who had one of these, we had a 66 VW campmobile and they decided to follow us down the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. We lived close to it. As we started down the drive a rainstorm came up and I noticed the Civic had vanished from my rear view; after a bit we looped around and they were sitting by the road. This particular car had a habit of drowning out in heavy rain. They could let it sit and engine heat would dry it out but if the rain was still coming down it would soon stop again. Neither of them was very mechanically inclined so I always wondered if some new plug wires and distributor cap would help. Oh, and in the mountains the VW bus could easily outrun it - which was a rare experience for me. After a few more times of stalling we called the camping trip off and returned home and watched movies together, and it continued to rain all weekend.
This was my first car! a 75' Civic CVCC back in Mexicali, Baja back in 1990. It had a blown head gasket and I purchased it non-running for $200. $100 I made working part time at a Mexican supermarket back then while I attended high school. The other $100 a loan from my dad. My brother helped me fix it and I really enjoyed that car, eventually using it to deliver pizza. Back then everybody told me "those were disposable cars" and the carburators were a pain to work on. Many were retrofitted with a Ford Pinto carb. Anyway, I wish I had kept mine, it'd be a classic today!
I purchased new back in 1977' a Civic CVCC station wagon (5 door) with the 1500cc motor and Hondamatic semi automatic transmission. You had to bring it to 1 and then shift it to 2 between 15 and 22 MPH depending on the grade of the road. The wagon hatch opened flush to the bumper and the rear seat folded flat that you could load a love seat easily closing the hatch door completely. It was quick and very economic on fuel. Great memories!
I had two of these , both were 1978 models..... They did come with 12 inch wheels at the time.... One was a semi-automatic and the other was a standard.......... They were great tough little Car in their day
I had one of these..a 1973 hatchback with 4 speed manual transmission. It was like a 'teal blue' color. It was the pre-CVCC version which that version I believe came out the next model year which was 1974. Loved that little car it was my very first brand new car I purchased. Now many years later I have a Honda Fit, which is the closest I could come to that Civic I had. Has much of the same 'spirit' and feel of that Civic I had many years ago.
I bought a MINT 1978 Honda Civic same color blue Beautiful car went partying that night and Rolled it didn't own it 24 hours drove it 1.5 years rolled it 2 more times then sold it as a parts car to a guy that needed a good engine... Great little car on and off road
OMG I've been trying to find this car to show someone and coming up empty - thanks for posting! Me and 4 of my guy friends used to pile into this thing as teenagers and take the tightest, windiest roads we could find at the highest speed we dared. The tallest one would usually take the trunk but sometimes one of us would lay across the other 2 in the back. the 2 who always got to ride in front were the shortest of us but that was the owner and his best friend so no one else was gonna win out there. Man this brings me back. I thought though, that his model was a hand crank start. Maybe I'm conflating 2 different cars or something. My Dad rebuilds cars, my step brother has a restoration shop, and one of my step fathers drove tow truck and brought his hobby cars to rod runs so I've been around a LOT of unusual vehicles.
What a treat! My teacher had one just like that, same color. She gave me rides in it. I was 12. Remember the sounds well; engine, door, shifter, and annoying buzzer.
My first car was a blue 1975 hondamatic. It had no transmission and had been sitting on blocks baking in the southern calf sun. I was a two speed, no clutch. After puting aboout 500 in repairs, I was mobile. It had a rusted top and could not drive with the hatch back open because of the exhaust. It was ugly. I drove it from CA to Texas by myself. God was looking out for me. I put a hole in the oil pan, had speedometer break during the trip. I had to drive through the desert with the heat on to keep it from over heating. While I lived in Texas i had to fix a blown head gasket. After about 50,000 miles the compression in the pistons was so bad, I was getting harder and harder to start. It was getting where I had to rev the engine at lights just to keep it from stalling. Finally one night in stalled in a resturant and would never start again.
I used to have a car like that. It was either a 4 speed or 5 manual. Tightest car I ever had. You went over a bump, nothing shook. The dash reminded me of a BMW. Excellent car.
My Dad had a 79 Accord and around 81 he rented the second house on our property to a family whose 18 year old son had just gotten his first car and it was a mid 70's Civic the same color as this one.
The only car my mom bought new was a '78 CVCC with a Hondamatic. I drove the hell out of it in high school along with a '64 Ranchero (170 ci straight six) and later, my first car, a '74 Thing. You change gears around 30 mph. Those things handle like a slot car. I took out the transmission by doing neutral drops when I was 16 or 17. It took a lot of those before the transmission had to be replaced, but my dad thought it was natural because there was a ton of miles on it. Nope, just an idiot teenager. I had to check and 75 ci is 1229 cc.
I had a 74 in 1979 in Pleasanton, CA. A mechanic there realized Japanese cars were taking off, and became the areas first Japanese -only specialist & was very successful.
I have a 3 speed hondamatic civic from 1981 with the 1,3 liter engine. Very charming car - the unique half-automatic transmission(The speeds on mine are L, ★, OD) and the 80s interior is what I love the most about it.
really hope you get this, i got a similar car honday city 1985 with the same "3" speed hondamatic. are these cvt transmissions do you know? do i need to put special atf in or is dex III fine?
I am a Honda fan. I have had many cars, a lot of them German, but I have returned to Honda because they are so reliable and fun to drive and are generally well balanced cars..
This brings back memories of my childhood. I remember a neighbor of mine had a Hondamatic Civic and it was bright yellow. Great little car! Thanks for sharing!
I owned an orange 1974 Civic with Hondamatic. It's just like the old Chevy Powerglide. Put it in Drive and it goes. I wish I still had the car, it was a great errand-running car.
This brings back memories,my father purchase this car in the same color in 1976(here in the Netherlands)i was 10 years old,and I remembered that after one year it was very rotten,but it was always running he droves this car for six years.
my recollection (age 62, I was already a competent car geek when this car was new): the non-CVCC Civic was an all-brand-new thing in 1973. the 1500cc CVCC came out all across USA for 1975, and was mandatory in California only, to meet tighter emissions regs. the non-CVCC was 1200 and/or 1300cc and remained available in 49 states for a while longer. yes I agree all 2-speed Hondamatics were only semi-automatic and had to be manually shifted between 1 and 2. Honda did not introduce a fully automatic transmission until 1980 in Accord and 1981 in Civic if I recall. Their first fully automatic trans was a 3 speed, but Honda came up with a 4 speed automatic only a couple years later, an amazing amount of progress in a short time. No USA Hondas had catalytic converters until 1980. Taking a different approach, VW had to use catalysts for carbureted 1975-76 Rabbits Sciroccos and Dashers but K-Jetronic Bosch fuel injection allowed 1977-79 49-state VWs to skip catalysts and use leaded gas. But not California I believe. 1980 meant catalysts for all gasoline VWs, like Hondas.
@@carloscarpinteyro332 Mark is old skool, youngsters these days just buys new Hondas and say there better. We'll see how long those pieces of junk lasts
I sold Honda cars, Honda motorcycles & Yamaha motorcycles for 5 years starting June 1976. Back when gas first hit $1 a gallon. The Civic 1200 with Hondamatic sold for $2,699 plus dealer prep & freight. It was a model called "SBD". In fact SBD is the 1st 3 digits of the serial number. Honda also built a 2 speed automatic available on their 750cc 4-cyl motorcycle, model CB750A. It was also manually shifted from 1st to 2nd. In the car, you simply eased off the throttle, just slightly, & slide the lever forward to 2. Shift the same with the motorcycle. The Civic was available with the 1200cc or 1600cc CVCC engine. The 1200cc engine Civics serial # started with SB & the CVCC engine Civics serial # started SG. We had anywhere from 4 months to 1 year waiting list to buy a new Honda car. The CVCC engines were quite ingenious in design. It used a slightly richer mixture in the pre-combustion chamber to ignite a very lean mixture in the cylinder. The basic 1976 Civic 4-speed manual w/little trunk compartment sold for $2,295 plus prep & freight. The Civics w/1200cc engine all started with SB. The CVCC, 1588cc, all started with SG. I recall the Accords coming out in Aug of 1976 for $3,695 for the 5-speed. Accords with automatic became available the following year. Back then Honda's model year was same as calendar year. The new models weren't available until January, unlike American manufacturers who introduced their new model year cars every September. Back then, Honda cars were notorious for rusting through the fenders. The underside of front fenders has a ledge that held dirt and moisture to fuel the rusting. Add salt from the winter roads here in western Pa & many fenders had holes in them within 2 years. But, the Honda engine performed well, got great fuel mileage and held up good. The max speed across America was only 55mph. I recall getting over 40 MPG with the CVCC & 5-speed. The CVCC engine was a great design. But Honda used a cast iron block with an aluminum head, so they all blew head gaskets within the first 5,000 miles. Caused by the drastically different expansion/contraction rates of the 2 dissimilar metals as the engine heated & cooled. A CVCC would pull into the lot off the highway and we referred to them as crop dusters, due to the big cloud of steam they discharged out the exhaust. I don't think the Union Pacific Big Boy discharges that much steam.....LOL. The front wheel drive went great on snow covered roads.
Strange because many cars have had cast iron block and aluminum heads. I'm pretty sure you have better luck if you retorque the head very so often but a great many cast iron block aluminum head combo's did much better than that about head gasket life.
@@gregorytimmons4777 The blown head gasket problem was only on the CVCC engines in both Civics & Accords. Honda didn't experience head gasket problems on the 1200cc engine. The CVCC Owners Manual recommended valve adjustments every 15,000 miles which mechanics took the opportunity to tighten head bolts. But the vast majority of the head gaskets blew within first 5,000 miles. The replacement head gasket stood the test of time. Consumers often knew they were buying a car that notoriously developed head gasket problems, but Honda had such a great reputation and stood behind the products they built so well, that people still got in line to buy one.
Dad got a used 75 Civic with manual gearbox when he came to the US (Chicago) in 82. Of course being that it was in Chicago the thing was already rusted to bits and did not last much longer. Great to see these non-rust-belt survivors. Currently driving my 2003 Honda Odyssey and again the rust is killing it faster than the mechanicals.
My first car 74, turd brown, 1200 Vc, four speed manual. It was the first civic off tte boat for 1974 in Canada. Cvcc didn't show til 75 and was an optional engine with more displacement, 1487 cc and the cylinder head.
Honda was founded after WW2. People laughed at the little matchbox cars they exported! They were simple, low - emission reliable cars. Today they are now the world's largest engine manufacturer, producing stunning innovative vehicles and machines. What separated the early Civic from other cars at the time was that they always started on a cold morning! It's great to see an early classic model survive and still be in running order.
I had a little civic...was a 1973. Not much horsepower, but man that thing could handle curvy backroads. A guy with a Torino 351 laughed at my car, but he couldn't loose me on the backroads! Had a 4 speed and 12" wheels. I can remember buying new tires on sale at Firestone for $19.99 each! I miss that lttle car and those days of cheap prices!
I used to own a car like that one it was even the colour. My friends called it the smurfmobile. I swapped the hondamatic for a 4 speed. One time I had a flat at work and a co-worker, with a stocky build, was able to lift up the back corner of the car while I changed the tire.
The brake master cylinder is on the right because in Japan these were right hand drive. So it would have been right in front of the driver. Unfortunately for the US, they had to use a long linkage to reach over to the left. I drove a 1975 CVCC wagon in high school. It held quite a bit and got great traction in snow. But we blew the engine several times (rebuilt under warranty) and the clutches were fragile. The sheet metal was so thin that a heavy object on the roof would bow it in like a tin can. Needless to say, it didn't like the road salt in Chicago, and started to rot in a few years. But it was practical, held a lot for its size, was economical and fun to drive when it worked. It was light blue with a blue interior--almost the same as this car.
Most people did not know they were semi automatics and just drove them around in 2nd gear. They would come into the dealership with 2nd gear burned up. We would rebuild the second gear clutch pack and show them how to drive it.
Just like the stupid people buying suvs and egg sedans they think it's gonna last just by letting them running while parked. Also most do not check on maintenance & tune ups. I wonder how long these new pieces of junk will last. I drive a mid 80s Japanese Nissan with automatic very slow but never abuse and always maintenance from the current owner . Something lazy people can't do it hurts them.they watch tho
My first car was a '77 Civic CVCC coupe in that same color. I liked that car a lot although the previous owner hadn't maintained it well and by the time I sold it with 90K miles on it, it had an engine and transmission rebuild, carburetor replacement and clutch replacement... Fun car to drive!
Yes, the original Civic wheels were 12" diameter. My college GF had one. Her engine was non-CVCC (1.2L, 4-spd). Actually, it was the same color, with the same appointments - but no overhead console.
Ooh my god a 75 civic 👍👍👍👍 they don’t make them like that anymore!! And yes it’s a semi automatic start in first gear and then shift to second gear!! Cool sister had one too!! And i had two civic too 93 si and 98 sir!!! Make love them!!
I had one of these for a few years. You had to build momentum going up hills because the little transmission just wouldn't pull it. I swapped it to a 4 speed and it was fine after that. The non-cvcc civics were 1200cc with just a regular 8v sohc head.
Damn good cars! A friend had a '78 and it was very reliable. I own a 2003 Honda Civic Ex right now. It runs like new with 151,000 miles! It look nearly new as well.
My Mom bought a '78 Civic new, 2 door w/ a trunk (non-H/B), white, 4-speed stick. Fun little car to drive! It felt pretty zippy w/ only 55 horses, and was a nimble handler, esp. after I replaced the original bias-ply tires w/ Pirelli P-3s in '82. I had as many as four passengers in ours, and it was easy to fit it into spaces most folks left behind! Only complaints: that annoying buzzer, and it felt pretty buzzy, even in 4th gear at 55-60 MPH (the days of the ol' "double-nickle" speed limit!) Engine displacement was 1237cc, if I recall correctly, and it generally had better "driveability" than the earlier CVCCs. Finally sold it in '84, and bought a brand-new Accord H/B, 5-speed...
If I found a 5 spd version of that I’d drive it everywhere, I’ve had so many of those. All you need is a basic tool set and you take this thing completely apart. Love those little cars. Toyota Starlet too
This car is making me grin ear to ear it’s so stinkin cute I have a 99 Civic and thinking to get a new generation civic Hatchback! This one is too cute
Thanks. I’ve maintained it really well and always used original Honda parts. Timing belt changed and water pump too. After seeing all these classics, I’m not so sure I’m letting go of mine. Has too much character 😊🚗
@@JudaBuddha yeah id keep that one, as ill keep mine ive got 177,000 on the original clutch pack myself. Its not as good as your 6th gen but its still a honda with a d series motor and a 5spd manual trans.
My sister's 1975 Civic rusted out in two Maine winters. the parking brake pivot pulled out of the floor one day, shortly after the back leg of the driver's seat broke through the floor. It was a 4 speed, and the clutch cable failed repeatedly. It ran across the top of the exhaust manifold. Honda bought owners new front fenders after the first year, because those rusted through right away.
In Early Civics --you cannot lock the keys if left in the ignition . Driver had to insert the (One) key used for door,hatch,ignition into the DOOR key lock to lock from the outside .. A safety feature so you never lock the door without the key in your hand .
Ah, that brings back memories. I owned a 76 CVCC Civic with a 5-speed. It parked easily and had an amazing amount of room to be so small. I hated to get rid of it, but the engine didn't last that long in comparison to today's Hondas and Toyotas.
Pretty close to my first car, 1978 Honda Civic, 4 spd manual. MIne was not a CVCC either. NIce to see one still running and with minimal rust. Mine didn't survive the Canadian winters.
Learned to drive on a orange 73 Civic Hondamatic. I was 13 at the time (new car) there was an upshift mark in the speedometer at 36mph I believe. Great video!
4 speed version was zippier and able to get up to speed quicker. I bought a new 74 civic and made many trips from the midwest to Florida. Always cruised around 75mph with no problem. No air conditioning was something you could live without when you're young. Besides, I hadn't had an air conditioned car prior to the honda anyway.
In 1975 gasoline prices shot up and Honda dealerships countered. A new civic with A/C about $3500. With windows up and “A/C on” it had higher MPG than with windows down and no A/C.
I had one of these (station wagon model). 1st gear is good up to 50mph (yes, 50MPH), then nudge the shifter into 2nd. No clutch, semi-automatic, smooth as glass. Had mine up to 100+ and it still wanted to go faster! Loved that car, wish I still had it...
