The recently released2016 Honda Civic may be a nice car, but it doesn’t offer a wagon like today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe ’78. Let’s see if this Vancouver-located Honda is priced to bring home the Canadian bacon.
One of the things I used to enjoy about multiple choice tests was the occasional ‘all of the above’ answers which I thought really narrowed your chances of getting the question right to the level of true or false.
Yesterday’s 1979 BMW R65 was an all of the above bike, as it was built from that model, as well as a 1972 R75/5’s frame and forks. There was no question about its price though, as it came away with a solid 75% Nice Price win and a smiley face from the teacher.
Honda really taught the American auto manufacturers a lesson with the original Civic. Back at a time when the average American car weighed enough to affect the tides, the Civic proved a small, sane, and efficient alternative. It was also pretty damn cute too.
This 1978 Civic isn’t just all of the above, it’s also the more rare wagon body style too, which was introduced that year and only produced for one more before the Civic line was refreshed by the short-lived second generation model.
Under the hood her is a relatively complex 3-valve SOHC four cylinder CVCC engine, sitting transversely and making a factory-claimed 63-bhp. Those ponies are routed through a standard four-speed manual.
An interesting bit of economizing on this model of Civic is related to the transmission choice and the use of a single body-piece stamping regardless of that choice. If you sprung for either the up-scale five-speed stick, or the lugubrious 2-cog Hondamatic you got a nifty badge indicating your Trump-like spending. If however you cheapened out with the four-speed, like this car’s original owner did, you were then faced with two black rubber plugs in place of a badge, and they would stare at you from the car’s hatch like the world’s saddest, and darkest, tiny nipples.
The rest of this car’s exterior looks to be in tip-top shape, an amazing feat as these cars had a reputation for rust like Robin Williams had a rep for manic behavior and snorting coke. It was so bad that the Feds had to force Honda to recall a number of cars because of issues with suspension mounts rusting through turning the cars into impromptu low-riders.
This one is thankfully a California car, even carrying its era-correct blue and yellow plates. Hell, I’ll be there’s even a Hotel California cassette in the glovebox! The rest of the interior is, like the exterior, in surprisingly good shape, with only a missing bit of trim to mar the experience. It’s also very blue in there, a nice compliment to the English white paint.
One neat design feature you might notice upon getting in is how the doors have a little lip above the kick panel at the bottom. This is where the door card slots in and is held in place ensuring a solid fit. Clever girl, Honda!
Mechanically, the car seems laudable too. The ad notes a newer carb (a very good thing), tires, clutch, alternator and other replacement parts as well as a top end rebuild. Not only that, but the car has only seen 80,000 miles in total. It now sits with a stack of receipts and a clean title for its trouble.
Rare, clever, cute, and classic, this old Civic seems to have it all. The question is; should someone pay $6,500 Canadian (about $4,900 American) for it?
That’s the multiple choice for today, and you can pencil in your vote below. What will it be, is $6,500 Canuck bucks a deal for this Honda, or is that going to be none of the above?
You decide!
Vancouver Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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