from melbourne australia
hey guys, especially those in vancouver.
i may be acting a little bit anal retentive, but i would really feel complete on my car if i had an original black coated ignition/ door key with the honda logo in the plastic. i cant seem to find one original, does anyone know if there are blanks floating around! help me vancouver, you're my only hope!

By Kyle Thomson (24.83.30.135) on Sunday, June 12, 2005 - 09:12 am:

If your in vancouver, you don't really have to worry about parts =) I think we may just have the highest concentration of first gens civics right here. It makes finding rare parts harder, as you have lots of competition, but there are a number of us that have a few spare motors/cars sitting around for parts. Not many of us are actually using the stock motors anymore and personally I'd be happy if you took some out of my garage =)

By David T (24.85.61.86) on Sunday, June 12, 2005 - 02:34 am:

From Vancouver canada. Don't see many of these around. A few.
Car seems to be in really good working order. Odo says 73,000, but theres no way to tell wether tahts rolled over once already.
It's not a cvcc it's just a straight up 1200. stock all the way. No accessories. no radio no nothing. Got little rust only in the trunk. But i'm skeptical. If there's rust in one spot theres likely more somewhere else where you might not see.

By void transit (4.159.177.119) on Sunday, June 12, 2005 - 01:08 am:

Just on my intuition I say that it really depends on WHERE you live. The VW Bettle had an over all fondness in most of the industrialized nations. It's conseption dates back to WWII, had a production run of almost 50 years (in north america they were still making them in Mexico untill the 90s, not sure about Canada or elsewhere) and sold millions and millions of models. But how many do you see on the road today?

The Civic while being introduced in the early-mid 70's didn't get much attention in the main stream of the US until the gas crunch hit (late 70s) so there are a fewer number of 1st gen examples out there to begin with. A plus on the "coolness" side of things, a down side if you're looking for parts, esp. if you're in mid US where these cars didn't really sell well as opposed to the coastal states, larger cities, or in Canada.

The up keep won't really cost you a kings ransom if you start off with a well maintained Civic or any nearly 30 year old vehicle thats going to be a daily driver. Runs smoothly, idles well, good brakes, good exhaust, good tyres etc... Most of the regular maintenance items can be purchased new from parts dealers, or on the internet, but expect to pay just a little bit extra than what you might pay for say a 1979 Camero.

There is a lot of literature out there and on ebay on how to keep these cars going, use the search function on this board to find the best manuals to have.

I'd say that the only real catcher on these other wise great little cars is the fuel management. If the car that you're looking at is a CVCC, and you don't have much of a mechanical aptitude, find yourself a GOOD Honda mechanic. The CVCC system is no doubt a genesis of engineeing, but after almost 30 years of wear and tear, it could be a major pain in the butt.

Tell us more about the car you're looking at and in what area of the world you're from.

Arthur

By H (24.70.95.204) on Saturday, June 11, 2005 - 05:32 pm:

I wouldn't say parts are any harder to find than other comparable jap imports.

By David T (24.85.61.86) on Saturday, June 11, 2005 - 03:59 pm:

I've been looking at a really good condition 1978 Honda CIvic. And was strongly considering buying it until i realized GOOD parts for this car are probably extemely hard to find as you don't see many of these cars around and many are probably sitting in some dump some where rotting.

I am a student looking for a cool little reliable car and am willing to pay money to buy the car, but unfortunately, the upkeep could end up costing me a small fortune.

In the case of other old cars liek a VW Beetle or an Austin Mini parts are a dime a dozen because those cars were still manufactured until late 90s.

Can anyone give me realistic practical advice on this matter?
Maybe a first generation isn't the car for me in my current situation???