Honda Civic Coupe (1996 - 1999) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

This car has one of the most comfortable seats ever. They never lost their shape and firmness in all these years. Engine power with the V-tech is pretty nice, I put a little wider tires than stock and Handling on corners improved a whole lot. I beats any other car I have had on cornering. Easy of maintenance is a plus not to mention the low cost.Feb 13, 2015

Most of you Honda owners probably know if you do your routine maintenance judiciously, they can last you 150k-250k miles. The build quality is great, the engine runs strong even after 100k miles and you barely notice that it's a >15yo car at times. It handles quite well for its price, and the V-Tech engine is fairly powerful for such a small displacement. With a 1.6 litre Inline-4 engine producing 127/6600 HP and 107/5500 TQ, howling it's 2513-lb curb weight isn't too much trouble. However the interior can wear out if you're under California sun, especially the sun visors and the roof panels; dirt can trickle down when you bump into them. Gas mileage is excellent (25-30mpg). With its great reliability, the Civic EX Coupe is one of the most fun econobox you can purchase used for <$5k; but then of course, careful screening (CarFax, autocheck, maintenance records etc) and bringing a mechanic friend when you do decide to shop for a used Civic is needed to prevent getting poorly maintained ones. Jun 26, 2014

this is my favorite car I love honda civics this car drove and looked really nice i had no problems with the car but what do you expect its a HONDA, the inside is nice , rode nice , but the only thing i wasn't happy about was the engine it an ex but sluggish in order to have the dohc i would have had to by the SI version i think the more recent ex models come stock with the dohc engines which i think makes a difference i would recommend any Honda love them Aug 29, 2010

Performance - Custom Intake, 5Zigen axle-back exhaust. Build Quality - Honda, you know how they are. Appearance - Very little rust, it's clean inside but average. Ownership - It's a great car for an auto, think about a manual. Fun Factor - Very fun car to begin with or build because it's cheap, parts are cheap, easy to fix, and it's also durable.Oct 21, 2009

My Si is a Daily Driver. Its mostly stock motor wise, just has intake, header, and exhuast. Its got good acceleration but lacks on the top speed. Most of my money has been spent on suspension. I got Koni yellow shocks with ground control coilovers, 22mm ITR sway bar in back with ASR subfram brace and i got a Spoon Rear tower bar. This car handles like a dream but i wish it was a little more powerful. As far as appearance goes im rock a 96-98 front end and JDM fog lights. Im rockin Falken Hanabi wheels with falken tiresAug 24, 2008

It was a fairly reliable student car -- manual locks/windows. It's the first model year of the 6th gen Civic, a lot of fans at the time hated the redesign with the "big" headlights. I grew to like it, and the better lighting it offered at night. My DX only had (an after market) power moonroof. I also had the A/C and ABS package. Build quality was not as good as the Japanese built Hondas. This Civic Coupe was from Ohio, USA. Fuel efficiency was (and still is) the best! It was a great little car, and kept her for 12 years. She's still running great for her new owner.Aug 01, 2008

Amazing car. There's nothing you can't do to it. From body kits to engine mods, this car can take anything. I've gone and had a cat back exhaust system slapped on along with performance tires and street rims. I've even changed the color of the back up lights! Great acceleration and handling, and with the new exhaust, it sounds pretty darn cool too. I'd recommend this car to everyone.Jul 08, 2008

35+ mpg says most of it. If you're looking for cheap, economical transport then look no further. Yes, there's body roll. Yes, you see them everywhere. Yes, it's somewhat lacking in the power department. But you forget most of this when you're passing people stopped at the pumps. Driving frugally I get about 35 mpg combined meaning a range of 350 miles on a tank. This competes with many modern hybrids. Maintenance costs for a car this old? Low since parts are everywhere and hardly anything will go wrong if you just keep up with recommended maintenance. A must have for a first car, a poor man's car, and everyone else not looking to look foolish in an SUV.Jun 10, 2008

I struggled w/ my cars -- American-made -- until I bought this very near Pre-Approved 37k mi used manual in 2002. It now has nearly 130k mi on it w/ a new clutch and radiator being the only major costs besides the usual brakes and tires and fluid replacements every 3k mi. I really love the reliability and dependability of this car. I'm hooked on Hondas ( I would buy a Lexus if it weren't a Honda for me) due to the reliability and dependability factors, ease of maintenance and the fact that they last and last, and hold their value over time.Jun 09, 2008

I have wanted a Honda Civic since 1999 when the Coupe Si came out. I would consider myself an import tuner hobbyist. I like to take little 4-cylinder cars and make them go fast and drive like slot cars, it is one of my many passions in life. I have had my 1996 Civic DX Coupe since August of 2008 and I still love driving it. That is saying a lot from a guys who has also owned a 1992 Prelude Si, a custom turbo-charged 2002 Mazda Protégé5, a 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX and a beefed up 2005 Subaru Legacy GT. It is a 4-cylinder, underpowered, 5-speed, “my soda bottle has more liters than that”, fun little tuner car. Before I start let me just point out that my Civic is not factory. I have invested heavily in the suspension, so much so that there are very few original suspension pieces left on the car (maybe a control arm here and there). I have KYB AGX Adjustable Shocks all around mated to Tien S-Tech springs and an Eibach Anti-Roll kit in front and back. Rear Skunk2 lower control arms, Skunk2 lower tie bar in the back and a rear disc swap from a 1997 Integra. I have power slot rotors all around with race spec brake pad and stainless steel braided brake lines. I have also added power door lock actuators for my Python alarm and Kenwood 5-way speakers in the rear deck with 3-way Kenwood’s up front. I have also added a factory CD player accessory that I got in my many trips to Alma Imports (Junkyard) here in Mesa, AZ. The interior is comfortable with plenty of room for my 6 foot 5 inch frame. I have plenty of leg and head room, and my knees are not constantly knocking against the dash. The radio is quaint, but still sounds good going through the Kenwood speakers. There is plenty of visibility all around and the mirrors cover the car very well. The seats are okay, they don’t hold me in as much as I would like but that will be remedied soon. Overall the interior is functional but bland. The exterior on my car is silver and a mess. There is a small impression in the roof, a dent in the passenger door and passenger rear quarter panel, the headlights have yellowed and are faded, the front passenger quarter panel is black, and there are various pits and dings all over. It needs a good once over from a body shop and some new paint and bumpers. The wheels are factory and bald as all get out. The engine is a D16Y7, maybe 115 HP when it was new, feels more like 90 – 95 now. It’s slow and can barely get out of its own way. The transmission is smooth and responsive. Overall driver feedback in the car is excellent. You can really get a feel for every aspect of the car when driving it. Overall it is everything that I thought it would be, I was expecting to get a very slow 2-door coupe with plenty of potential for improvements all around. Parts are really easy to get and the aftermarket selection is awesome. Probably not a car for everyone, good car for learning about car repairs and maintenance, and for getting into tuning. Oh yea, it has over 125000 miles and still runs strong.Mar 31, 2008

Drove this car for abotu two years in high school, and now my little sister is driving it. I loved the manual transmission, and i never had any real problems with it besides the fact that the manual crank windows sucked. There just wasn't enough acceleration in it. It would have been decent acceleration for a passenger car, but just not enough for a sport car.Feb 15, 2008

Overall impression, I'm pretty much impressed with the car. I'm a huge fan of Honda and this is one of my favorite model of all. Handling is not that great when the car is fully stock, but since I have upgraded the suspension (redo the whole thing), it handles nice and firm now. Acceleration, you might not want to expect a lot from the stock 1.6l SOHC engine. But again, this is a civic, there are tons of possibilities on this car, swap out the engine with Civic Si or Integra GSR and you'll be amazed how much powerful this car can be. Braking is just okay, make sure you replace the pads on rotors as it's probably worn out for the age. Appearance is not that bad at all, I never find my car looks outdated at all, Honda designed their cars to last pretty long. I'd recommend this car for people in the market for used car. Price is not so bad, expect to pay around 4-5k for decent condition ones. Don't forget to change the timing belts, perform all the recommended maintenance because most parts are toasted already. Also, I'd recommend adding security device on this car, this is the most stolen car in the US, park carefully!Feb 02, 2008