What is it about the civic

[saz468]

I’ve noticed since I’ve been on the civicx forum there’s a lot of older people that own civics I’m not talking about a base model LX ( which is pretty nice for a base model) I’m talking about 1.5 turbos and SI’s and TYPE Rs and tuning them most of the older members have 10 to 20 years over me I’m 51 going on 52.
Is it that we all remembered the civic as a small econo box from the 70s and 80s and it’s now a cool looking machine ( all body models) ?
Is it that you can tune them ?
Or is it that it’s still is a affordable economy car that’s practical and fun to drive?
For me as I posted before in 2018 as I was turning 50 years old I wanted a turbocharged coupe and Honda had one as the civic. Some people said it’s a ricer car and tuner car maybe so. I’ll have a K-tuner in the near future and the only music coming out of the stereo in my civic is Rush and joe satriani

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[gtman]

I started out like most people of my age with Detroit iron. But in 1983 I bought a Honda CRX, then an Acura Integra and followed that with a Civic. They were great little cars with fantastic manual transmissions. Then I switched to other brands and went Honda-less for almost 20 years. When I decided to buy another new car back in 2017, it was down to an Elantra Sport Turbo or the 10th gen Civic. In all honestly, if I could've found the Elantra Sport in the color and option package I wanted, I would have bought that. But, I'm very happy I wound up back with Honda and in a Civic Turbo. It's a great car other than some rattles and soft paint. As far as tuning and modding, I've been customizing my cars since I first started driving in 1971. It's what I do. To me, factory is just a starting point. Who wants their car to be like everyone else's, right?

 

[Rich19Si]

Inexpensive and reliable for me. The Si is not what I consider "fast", even with a tune and bolt-ons, but has enough pep with just a tune plus the great handling makes it fun.

 

[BriteBlue]

I think it ticks the right boxes for people in different age groups. Young people might buy a Civic because it's an affordable starter car. Older people might buy one because it's easy to drive & park.

I don't think of a 1.5 turbo as being a performance car, other than the Type R. Older guys might want a CTR because they grew up with performance cars.

I've read many times that a lot of younger people don't even care about cars, so they won't even know what a turbo is. You buy an EX-L model because you want power or leather seats & you get a turbo. No choice on the engine, or the moonroof, etc.

 

[Axatax]

I started out with Hondas, and I have a lot of "muscle-memory" and know-how with these cars. I maintain my cars myself, invested in the specialized tools and documentation, so there's tremendous added value to owning another Honda.

 

[Erin Tyres]

Or is it that it’s still is a affordable economy car that’s practical and fun to drive?

I bought a Civic because I was looking for great fuel economy, but did not want to buy a hybrid. It happens to be the fastest car that I have ever owned, but that was not my main reason for choosing it. I find that the 1.5 Turbo is fun to drive without any tuning. I plan to keep the car until is is totally worn out.
I would have preferred to have more modest styling, like the Accord.

 

[saz468]

I bought a Civic because I was looking for great fuel economy, but did not want to buy a hybrid. It happens to be the fastest car that I have ever owned, but that was not my main reason for choosing it. I find that the 1.5 Turbo is fun to drive without any tuning. I plan to keep the car until is is totally worn out.
I would have preferred to have more modest styling, like the Accord.

Yes this is also the fastest car I’ve owned too I had a 1983 V8 mustang non GT I thought my 04 tiburon was fast with the V6 but the 1.5 turbo in the civic is faster also believe it or not the Tiburon was a heavy car

 

[NonyaBisness]

I've noticed in general cars that are targeted at the younger generation (like those that are just starting to drive) and as a result are cheap and get good gas mileage tend to be popular with the older crowd (I'm in the middle in my mid 30's), it's not limited to just civics, when I was in my early 20's and working at a grocery store as a bag boy I noticed the large majority of the Scion brand (except the tC) and the Toyota Matrix cars and same thing again years later when the Honda Fit launched, they where largely being driven by older people, like old enough to be on Social Security, I always suspected this was because these cars are the perfect fit for old people on limited budgets, they where cheap enough to be bought new, reliable enough and got good gas mileage. Never saw to much in the way of modifications being done by these folks though. Most of the older folks with money to spend on mods are building classic or semi classic cars, like I know one guy I was introduced to through my dad is building some 3rd gen camaro's, one he is kitting out to be a full on track car, he's got all the Sphon Tubular Suspension parts and is planning to get one of their tubular K-members so he can change out the old steering box setup they used back then and replace it with a rack and pinion. Another guy I met has a tire shop in town (if he is around, he was gone for a while), he was building a full on race car out of like an old Nova or something (it's been a few years since I seen it last so I've forgotten pretty much everything about it).

 

[Lifesabeach]

The roads are so congested here in the UK the civic is one of those cars with reasonable performance and economy for our roads, I'm 53 and have had a couple of Honda previously. Would I like a Type R, of course but I would still be stuck in the same traffic on the same roads so I would sooner save the cash and spend it on other things such as Holidays.

 

[Siiick]

While I am not a part of the age group that you are referring to, I will still chime in with my own 2 cents.

I went with the Civic based on several key factors -

Reliability
Fuel efficiency
Handling
Looks

I used to own an '89 Civic DX Hatchback about 15 years ago. At that time I was a young pup working for peanuts and could barely afford a nice meal letalone an entire car. The girl I was dating at the time said her parents wanted to sell it and I ended up buying it for $1000. It had 180k on the odometer and was in dire need of maintenance yet all I ever did was change the oil - and I bet even if I hadn't, it would still have survived. This was my first taste of Honda reliability and I've been sold ever since. Oddly enough thiugh, my '20 Civic is the only other Honda I have ever bought since the first one. I wanted an S2000 back when those first came out but again I was a poor boy and could never have afforded one of those at the time. The rest of the Honda lineup though...meh. It wasn't until a few months ago when I was in a position to purchase a new car and was dead set on a new Civic. I can tell you it's been everything I thought it would be. Great gas mileage with a great driving experience that doesn't ever seem to get old. I have done a couple of mods to make it my own which helps make it feel even more special. All in all, if Honda keeps making them like this, I'll keep buying them

 

[Mae22]

I'm about to turn 48, and it's this one: "Or is it that it’s still is a affordable economy car that’s practical and fun to drive?" I drive over 100 miles round trip every day, so I have to love what I drive. I had an FR-S - loved it, but too small to be a practical daily driver. Then a BMW 428i - loved it, but cost a fortune to maintain/fix. The Civic (2019 ST Hatch) is now my "practical long term plan", but one I thoroughly enjoy owning and driving. It's absolutely everything I want with regards to features and tech, and it's comfortable and fun to drive, with the added bonus of hopefully being simple and inexpensive to maintain long term. It's the perfect balance for me, right now.

 

[Rickmeister 48]

I have always preferred Japanese cars for some reason, ever since having my 85 Supra, and I've always wanted a coupe. Hell, even my first new car ever, a Nissan Sentra was a two door hatch and it looked cool to me. I've never cared about turbo be and how fast it went etc.
So what it came down to was Honda was the only coupe that wasn't an American car I could afford. I think Ford may have had one in 17.

 

[Drake]

I have always preferred Japanese cars for some reason, ever since having my 85 Supra, and I've always wanted a coupe. Hell, even my first new car ever, a Nissan Sentra was a two door hatch and it looked cool to me. I've never cared about turbo be and how fast it went etc.
So what it came down to was Honda was the only coupe that wasn't an American car I could afford. I think Ford may have had one in 17.

This truly has been a sad decade where the coupes/sedans are slowly disappearing and being replaced by the land yacht suvs and mini-land yacht crossovers. So much more sexiness available back in the 90s

 

[saz468]

I have always preferred Japanese cars for some reason, ever since having my 85 Supra, and I've always wanted a coupe. Hell, even my first new car ever, a Nissan Sentra was a two door hatch and it looked cool to me. I've never cared about turbo be and how fast it went etc.
So what it came down to was Honda was the only coupe that wasn't an American car I could afford. I think Ford may have had one in 17.

True the mustang and Camaro are coupes with turbo fours but the civic turbo coupe is more affordable plus I think the civic has more interior room

 

[shoegazer]

53 years here.

After cutting my teeth on GM cars in the 1980s ( and regretting it); I wanted Japanese reliability. I bought a first gen Eclipse without knowing about the Chrysler part. In '95, I bought a Del Sol. That was also the first time I'd started following a car bulletin board. Learning so much about Honda versus the rest; I was sold on the brand. And I still am.

I did own a 'status symbol' car once. The constant issues and high priced repairs helped me to get over that.

If Toyota built a sweet looking coupe that was actually a Toyota; I'd be tempted. And I was ready to replace my RSX 5 years ago. But the 9th Gen Civic just wasn't doing it for me. I waited for the 10th, waited for the refresh, and here we are.

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