My uncle bought one brand new in '88 and it finally went out on him after almost 335,000 miles last year.

What a great car this was. And still, Honda makes among the best cars in their classes.

Honda needs to see this video and build cars like this again.

Just sold my 1990 LX sedan. I called her Old Faithful because she never broke down and left stranded, always got me where I was going. 278,000 miles and still running strong for my neighbor. Sold it because I bought a 1988 RT4WD Civic Wagon. One of the best daily drivers ever made.

Sitting in my 91 dx sedan 5 speed. The quality of this car impresses me everyday. Drives smooth shifts smooth, engine uses no oil, tires cost 30 bucks. Purchased it for 1300$.

I love I just love the low low hoods of the 80s honda s bring them back Honda!

These old Hondas were like beautifully crafted, little jewels compared to the garbage slapped together by the domestics in their small cars. A Cavalier or Escort or K-car versus this? What a joke!

"A whopping 92 horsepower." Wow have the times changed.

very good acceleration for a small econobox, I've always liked the Honda Civic's of this era.

These were great little cars. Bought a well used hatchback 89 back in the day. Smooth and willing engine, nice (manual) tranny, sporty yet comfortable ride, and the best visibility ever! It treated me well for many years too!

I had a 1989 Civic hatchback. It was the base loss-leader - 4-speed, vinyl seats, 20 less HP than the DX, and absolutely no options. But it's still the best driving car I've ever owned, and I wish I still had it today. I put 140,000 miles on it in 8 years of ownership. I regret getting rid of it almost every day.

Loved Civics when they first came out in 1973. Went with my mom to but the Civic new, never saw one before. My mom traded her VW for the Civic and remarked, "This car will put an end to the VW", how prophetic!

My first Honda. Brand new 1988 LX in Montreal Blue Metallic. Automatic. Paid full price at Keenan Honda (that was good back then, paying ADM was the norm because of quotas). It was worth every penny. My Civic was a fun little car. Dash and hood were crazy low, and it felt like your feet were at the front bumper. Like a little Lola race car. Fast? Not really, but it was quick enough and it handled great for a little sedan. It was decked out like a luxury car. One weakness: it ate mufflers (stupid sideways mounted placement that kept all moisture trapped inside). In all, the best Civic ever, compared to it's competition (think Escort/Cavalier/Shadow/Mirage/Corolla/323/I-Mark/Excel, etc). No contest. When I graduated college in 1989, I bought another new 2nd car after landing my first ”real ” big job. Can't wait for it's Retro Review. I was a fantastic sport sedan. That would be the 1989 Nissan Maxima. Hint Hint, MW staff! 👍

Best shape Civic of all time.

my first brand new car was a 1988 Civic DX hatchback and it was AWESOME! it was stolen out of a body shop when it was 6 years old with 140,000 miles on it. broke my heart. bought a 95 Si hatchback to replace it, but even with the added goodies and power I still liked the first one better

Damn...I would LOVE to be able to buy this brand new now. That slalom performance was awesome

I had the base 88 sedan DX. No ac, no passenger mirror, 5 speed and manual steering and windows and locks. Probably the most fun I’ve ever had driving ever! Thing made commuting feel like I was racing.

I have been an INCURABLE Honda addict all my life, & it all stems back to my father's 1980 Civic 1500DX 5-speed Hatchback.

In terms of reliability and value, you can’t beat the Civic. Great review. Long live the 80’s.

My favorite generation of Civic! the lightest EF was the 88 hatch!

It's not a true MotorWeek review without "this cluster no readouts for volts or oil pressure"

My father bought one in 1992 in London . Finally my father gifted me . This year.and its still running just like the old days. Old is Gold. I love Honda Civic 1985 production. Its the best.

I had a ‘90 Civic Si that I drove for nearly 11 years before I was involved in an accident. The car was low slung, sporty, and all-day comfortable for road trips. I still miss that car.

Just bought mine for $2000 with 160,000 miles love the little go kart

I'd love to take a spin in one of these. An affordable, superb quality car that's fun to drive, with a superbly engineered engine, I can't think of a 2016 equivalent. Also in terms of styling I think this is at the best of what came out of Japan: a clear, timeless shape, definitely Japanese but at the same time very original.

2:50 - I've been driving an '89 Civic since 2015, and I'm JUST LEARNING NOW THAT THE BACK SEAT CAN FOLD DOWN!?

Bout to go buy one tomorrow. 137k miles, full drive train rebuilt, 2 owners, minty condition, holy grail. I'll make a video if I get it.

A great car! I drove this car, and never drove a Honda before, a 4 door 88 Dx, and I was hooked!

such a great car. the ef civic is truly one of the best cars Honda has ever built.

My mother had 1991 lx . That was the most enjoyable car I’ve ever driven. Honda needs to have a come back with a car with that same fun car feel.

I felt connected when I was driving this car. My base model had manual steering. People were complaining no steering assist is hard to park, maybe for a 87y old grandma but not for a young person. The good part was the steering felt very direct but I did had a small size steering wheel installed. You would feel connected to the car in a way it no longer exists today. The engine was attached directly to the car body without subframe, which made you 'feel' the engine working. Difficult to describe. Also cable throttle body and the mother of all sweet manual shifter feelings with those two rigid bars between the shifter and the transmission. The shifter would 'click' into gear. Brilliant front and rear suspension. Brilliant car body flexibility - modern cars got so rigid, you don't feel the body anymore. And of course that little 1.5 engine had its own feeling, like a little pet alive. It had its problems, head gasket was quite thin, engine cover gasket leak, brake, fuel lines and even the gas tank would rust and leak, wipers would seize, distributor problems, throttle body would jam, cabin blower resistor failure, suspension bushings, ball joints, suspension bolts would rust and jam.

If they sold this exact vehicle today, it would sell like crazy.

"no rattles" definitely can't say the same for my 2020 civic lol.

Had an 87 Civic that I bought in 1996 and drove it for 3 years until I bought a 97 Accord. What a cool little car.

The car that made me fall in love with Hondas

Motorweek's instrument panel design excellence criteria: oil pressure and volt meter :)

1988: LX = Luxury 2020: LX = Least Wish there were still more of these on the road these days.

So much window! My cousin drove her 1988 Civic sedan for something like 12 years...and then gave it to her brother, who gave it to a co-worker. Just a great car!

My neighbor had a blue one growing up. I used to get so excited when they would leave it in the driveway and not garage so I could look at it haha When the 01-05 civic came out it looks so similar to this body style. Just updated up for the times

The '88 Civic platform was truly an excellent one; the suspension was really space saving and had great geometry, and handling was great despite tiny tires. The 16-valve D-series did a good job up until it was retired in '05. Ride was not so good, but the basic design lasted 'til the last Integra of '01 and handled well even then. Fun, fun cars.

Is that ‘88 Honda Civic a beauty or what? Very cool body lines, stick shift, low dash, nice seats, etc. This car was a home run for the Honda Corporation.

These were the best years for both Honda and Toyota.

I remember that lil sedan well. It was a truly ground breaking car for Honda. With the new suspension, and added PFI, it was called the mini Accord, back when having an Accord was something special. Buyers in the know didn't mind paying a couple bucks more for a car that would last them well over 15 yrs nearly trouble free. I don't care for the new Civic I saw at the Chicago Auto Show this yr. It was much bigger outside, had tons of gadgets, and seemed just geared to the 'boy racer' crowd, not the reasonably priced, bullet proof transportation that they used to be... And the new 1's have a price tag too long to list.

My first Honda. Called Ballade in South Africa, it was and still is immensely popular. My Ballade had 270 000 km on the clock when I bought it, ran to over 300 000 before the body was too rusted to fix, I traded it for a Civic which has been a delight since then. I have put 200 000km on that one (approaching 300 000km now) and it has been my standby car for 5 years now. Not one single problem ever, and it starts first time every time, even after standing untouched for up to 5 weeks. Best. Car. Ever.? Yes.

I'm a Toyota guy but during the eighthies n early nineties Honda was The manufacturer of fantastic groundbreaking engines.

It probably still runs to this day

I'm about to get a 2016 Civic coupe Touring trim this month. Its amazing how we continue to improve our engineering, technology, and sense of style. Imagine if you could teleport the 2016 civic to the year 1988, people would have proclaimed it to be using alien technology lol.

My favorite civic of all time!

I had the previews 1984 model... It was a great car for its time... It was my first car and I must say it was way more stable on road than the Toyota Echo that was new and popular, back in 2003. It was a really loyal road companion... I sold it, and it is still running for its current owner... That car made me love Honda.. Now I have a 2015 Civic and a 2000 CR-V EX 4WD.

100 % agree on Honda's manual transmissions. Smooth as butter whether cable or hydraulic

I had the 1987 Civic HB. The base model. Only had A/C as an extra. My first NEW car/ and car payments in my life at 18yo! Cost $9,999 out the door. I wish I still had it. It would probably still be running, and rust free in south Fla. An actual Japanese car,built in Japan! Couldn't beat THAT quality, then or now. Poor Civic, now built everywhere BUT Japan:( Those were the days. A simple car that ran forever, didnt have 50 computers running it, made of REAL metal, didn't dent if hit a fly as you drove. And didnt cost as much as a small apt.

Probably the best car all time. 1988 Civic

I used to own a 1990 Honda Civic LX Sedan, and I got fantastic gas mileage. Never complained. My 2013 Honda Civic doesn't even come close to what the 1990 LX got.

We had a 1990 Civic LX. I picked it out when I was little because it was my favorite color, red. Kept it for over 10 years. My dad loved it because it had manual. The only problem we had was the automatic shoulder belt tending to get caught in the visor.

2022 Honda Civic reminds me so much of this model, that's why I'm here.

I loved my 90 civic! Like a go cart

a "Whopping 92 horsepower!"

best gauge font ever

Omg with the "glaring omission of a volt and oil pressure gauge" on every video! John must be going insane today as most new cars do not have those gauges any longer.

It reminds me a lot to my 1989 Accord

Ironically, the new Civic LX is now the base model. Boy times have changed.

I had an 88 Corolla as my first car and a family friend got this 88 Civic. The Civic was more peppy than the Corolla and the hoodline was low! It felt like you were looking directly at the pavement in front of you. Good cars

I would 100% daily a good condition one and be genuinely happy with it

I had that exact car. I bought it used with 180k for $475. I loved that car and the way it drove and shifted. It was my first Japanese car. I remember feeling like the highway was 2" away from my butt. I often think about picking another one up on FB market.

This car handled like it was on rails, a go kart!. Drop a Integra engine in it like a B18A1 or B18B1 or B18C5 and add whoops ass! power versus weight ratio.

Was my first car, still miss it to this day

i used to have a 1991 civic like this as the 1990 and 1991 models have the passive restraint front seat belts as the upper buckle races to the latched position when the car is on and returns when the car is off or when a door is opened. as 1990 is when the Civic sedan got a mid cycle refresh the exterior lighting redesigned, a new 4 spoke steering wheel and the dash slightly different. the engines are still the same a 1.5 L dual point throttle body fuel injection system which is Honda's D series SOHC engine while the EX models have a 1.6 L SOHC multi port fuel injection system and a dual outlet exhaust system. while the Civic SI coupe models have a 1.6L Honda B series DOHC engine. in which these engines are popular to be swapped in the sedans and DX and LX coupes. Common problems with this generation is alot of condensation in the trunk as water does collect in that area. problems with the fuel injectors in the throttle body systems as well as the fuel injection system and the ignitor assembly the body tends to have rust spots and commonly rusts out under the moulding and the lower rocker panels and depending on usage the exhaust system mainly the muffler rusts out prematurarly. but the build quality of the car seemed to be excellent when the 1992 and later Civic came out it did introduce a SRS system a driver's side airbag and the 1.5 l D series SOHC engines now have multiport fuel injection. since the early 2000s Honda really went downhill in all of its vehicle lines being the wiper control is strange to use and the headlight dimmer and the electronics package being used in them. and the 2006 models the wipers are very strange and the windshield is excessively raked on them for more airflow and its fuel efficiency. as basically now not much of these 1988-1991 Civics are not on the road anymore the one i had was assembled in USA in East Liberty Ohio.

Wish Honda would do a modern interpretation of this steering wheel

$9935 in 1998 is $20K today about equal to the current one.

These really did last a long time my dad bought one in the late 80's and it went on to live passed 2005.

Man, this makes me miss my 99 Civic hatchback. It was a CX model so had zero options except for AC. It was THE most fun car I've owned. It was light and everything felt raw. No power steering plus double wishbone setup and so it was easily the best feeling and handling car. Feel goes a long way in a car.

"Detroit should take it apart and figure out what makes it tick." Haha! Yep, still true today.

John: "As you'd expect, a split-folding rear seat is standard." (Tester folds down single piece bench)

I owned an 89 DX, one very well built car, but being the base trim it lacked quite a bit. There was only a driver's door mirror, no power steering because it had a manual transmission, and no other powered accessories. When I got it, it didn't have a radio or speakers, but I did splurge for the Honda-branded floor mats. With a/c it came to $9,000. Being in the military, I wasn't charged sales tax by Tennessee, a nice deal so the money saved bought a good stereo and speakers. I put nearly 130,000 miles on it until some dimwit t-boned it. Oddly, or maybe not because of the skinny tires, the car could be provoked into oversteer at very high speeds on corners.

This was the second car I've owned. The first was a 1985 Ford Tempo-this was a HUGE upgrade!

We love u Motor Week

This brings back memories because my very first car was a 1989 Honda Civic LX that was similar to this one except mines was white. That was a great car.

Even in 2021 this car still shines , especially the horsepower in this 1.5 litre , nothing can compare

This looked like a perfect getaway car for bank robbers or pizza shop robbers.

I purchased my blue 1988 Civic LX sedan in August of that year. I loved that little car and it was so much fun to drive. Since then, I've owned two other Civic sedans and they just don't compare to the 1988 model.

There's one that's always parked outside my local Target from this generation, not my favorite color it's like a powder blue. It's not only one of the only ones I see here still in the northeast but also in amazingly great condition, no rust and interior looks immaculate. Has to be someone that works there it's always parked there I'm always tempted to try to find out who owns it and what they would sell it for. I'm on my fourth Civic 83 87 99 and now 09 but I loved my older ones.

This little engine loves to run on the hwy, quick and smooth.

92bhp from a 1.5L 4 cyl is very impressive for 29 years ago.

'No oil pressure or voltage gauge.' I think he owns an accessory shop sells these.

This Civic, in LX version, was a great car! Well-engineered, a pleasure to drive, and economical, this version of the Civic was sublime in its execution and punched above its weight. The Corollas and Sentras of the day were not as good, and nothing domestic could touch it.

This era and the 1992-95 Honda Civic's are IMO the best era of the Honda Civic's, Honda really seemed to be on a roll from the mid 80's to the mid 90's.

My high school graduating year. These old civics were amazing. Would trade my 2013 for a new 1988 in a heartbeat.

my father bought this car around this time LOL car lasted a while up until 2009.

beautiful car

Whoa 😲 Lookout 😳 92 Horsepower!! That’s some serious Power right there!!

These were so good and so fun to drive even if slow. Honda should go back to its roots

I just bought this gem yesterday.... Lucky me

Buying a 88 DX hatch tomorrow in white. It’s from Arizona and needs a starter solenoid & a new clutch. I’m buying it for 800$ I’ll flip it for 2500. I have a 4 speed manual 91 in red I’ll keep that.

And I guarantee some of these civics are still on the road running.

1988, 1.5, 0 to 60 in 10 sec. RESPECT.

These old civics were nice ooking even the square looking ones similar to one in the opening credits of the TV show Charles in Charge. ( those ones though are now rare to see haven't seen one of those in ages)

I’ve got a 1991 (same body style) with 280k miles. 5 speed, cranky boi windows. No power steering. MPFI conversion is a must on the base model. I recently bought a 1994 Civic so I could have a car with air bags 😂

I like power steering and a smooth ride, thank you. I'm usually driving to work not spinning the tires or squealing around a corner. It's these automotive journalists that pushed car makers to make cars that ride so stiff.

I have the wagon version of this car and love it from owning to older hondas from the early to mid 90's and owning one that was made in 2008 I see that honda has kind of lost its way in the build quality

One amazing car, I had one I miss it so much.