mk2 Honda CRX - anyone driven one?

[Station]

I've been offered a CRX by someone in work for a grand. He knows I do old cars up in my spare time, but I think I can somehow haggle him further down, even though 1k is cheap for one of these (according to ebay). I've always wanted a mk1, but have missed on a couple, but this is a VTEC 1.6 (150bhp), and after driving a Volvo for 6 months, and then a "jesus-christ-this-is-slow" diesel for three, I definitely know I prefer high revs over bottom end torque.

It's on the road with mot/tax and passed first time last year.

[Noel Tidybeard]

far too reliable for an autoshitter- ignore it completely!

[saucedoctor]

I had a 1990 model, in 1994, shortly before I bought the disastrous Rover R8. Went like shit off a shovel and was very well made. Great interior, half-leather seats, very of-its-time "Japanese." Had a tendency to grip right up to the limit, and then just let go. Um, that's all I really remember, as I didn't have it for long.

Like dis, but with OE wheels (same as contemporaneous Civic 1.6i-16)

 

 

 

[retrogeezer]

small,low,fast,awesome.

[J-T]

They're great and it's cheap at a grand if it's not totally mullered. Expect the back of the sills/rear arches to need fairly extensive repair. The (lovely) leather seats fall to bits, rear calipers fail. And they very often have intergalactic mileages on them, 180k+. But most of the time they run like a swiss watch like a proper Honda should.

[dollywobbler]

I'd love to try one of these. I've also owned an equivalent Civic and there was a lot to like. Felt properly Honda. Light, low, revvy, responsive.

[trigger]

I've drove a few of these when I used to do a lot of work for a Honda dealers in the late 90's, from what I remember they are bloody excellent little cars, great engines and brilliant handling. Provided it's now ragged to fuck and that it's still got its rear arches I'd be all over that little a fat man in a doughnut shop.

[Guest bangerfan101]

dont have a crash in it .

 

high death rate from accidents and they bend worryingly under the back seats

 

this was hit at less than 30mph

[Barry Cade]

I used to look after a mates VTEc one- 190,000 miles on it, and it was an absolute hoot. Only thing outside servicing was a new clutch and an ignitor chip in the dizzy. Brilliant wee things.

[pompei]

I had one for seven years and sold it seven years ago. Mine was the 1.6 16v non VTEC but it was still fast enough. It was one of the best cars I ever had, never gave any trouble, economical if not thrashed, comfy (drove it to the south of France in 2 days without a hernia) handled well and dead cool!  Only got rid (at 175k) as I needed a bigger car when the infant came along.

 

Rust around rear arches is a problemn with all of them plus rust around the sunroof. The non VTEC has cloth seats which were as new when I sold it.

 

Buy it! 

[Billy SR]

i've been passenger in one. they go like shit off a shovel

 

please buy

[Negative Creep]

Many years ago, but bloody good fun and so light the relative lack of torque isn't really an issue. Rear space is comically small though

[forddeliveryboy]

I've just woken up in the middle of the night to tell you my experience. Bought a non-vtec '88 car years ago for £1500 and loved it. Designed originally as a super-efficient shopping trolley, the CRX goes bloody fast with an engine almost three times larger than the one originally intended. The chassis coped, but was quite inert. The ride was ok, neither supple nor overly-restricted. The steering was good. The acceleration was spectacular. It braked fairly well. It was properly reliable, like all Hondas. Except for the misfire, which was sorted by bending something in/around the distributor (can't remember what).

 

130mph was about the limit, I remember. But after 3 days, I was utterly bored by it. Yes, it was as nicely made as a Swiss watch. Yes, I loved the aerostability and efficiency. Even the interior was half-interesting. The engine was Honda-nice. The economy was great. Everything worked perfectly. But I found it quite uninvolving. Not because it didn't go wrong - it did. And easily put right. It just left me cold. If only Citroen had prostituted itself to Honda instead of being 'rescued' by Peugoet, in 1974.

 

I sold the car on the third day. My Jaguar mate loved it. For tens of thousands of miles. Odd really, except he did like cheap thrills, and hated cars which went wrong. Which the CRX never did, for him - until the HG went. No garage could ever make it work right after that. And it had rusted in a very private, difficult-to-reach place.

 

Time to go back to sleep. Or is this a dream?

[warren t claim]

I thought the mk2 CRX was the two seater with the electric targa roof and the mk1 was the Blista Compact Vice City shape?

[face]

The early MK1 cars were fitted with a 1.5 engine IIRC.

 

The MK2 had a couple of different 1.6 lumps.

 

The MK3 was the two-seater jobbie.

 

I think.

[Station]

mk1 CRX

 

 

mk2 CRX

 

 

The CRX Del Sol wasn't meant to be a follow up, but was marketed as a CR-X in some markets. It is also called a Civic Del Sol.

 

[Essex V6]

I had a 1992 non V-TEC 1500 which I shifted a couple of years ago. Great fun little car with superb handling - would love a non barried V-TEC one day!

[RichardMoss]

A friend of mine had one in 1988 and she loved it. She knew nothing about cars, though, so the fact that it was reliable was the chief appeal.

 

Her chief appeal was a great set of norks

[cms206]

A colleague of mine is rebuilding one of the DelSol shape CRXs...

[laser wheels]

I was a passenger once in a Del Sol 1.6 in a late night blast through Manchester city centre and was very impressed by the handling and speed. Definite 'big go-kart' feel and not at all what I was expecting. Now, when you consider that the MK1/MK2 is supposed to be much superior than the Del Sol then I can only imagine they are superb!

[Station]

I'm very likely going to offer him a possibly insulting amount of money and then take it from there.

Was in the scrap yard yesterday in Wrexham and saw a CRX in there (you never see many Hondas in scrappies?!), and then another CRX cruised past about two minutes later further down the road. A possible sign! (or possibly not).

[Guest bangerfan101]

A colleague of mine is rebuilding one of the DelSol shape CRXs...

 

 

 

not just civics that suffer from terrible wob round the back arches then

[Wilko220]

Having read the title, I clicked on the thread with a picture of a Honda CRV posh mummy wagon in my head. Thoroughly ashamed of myself.

[willswitchengage]

The mk1 looks the best but you won't get a quick engine in one.

 

The mk2s were common with the 1.6 VTEC carried from the Civic VTI. 160hp naturally aspirated and sub tonne weight means they are probably the most fun and nimble vehicles outside of a superbike. Buy it, you won't regret it. They are unbelievably fast, reliable and surprisingly simple when it does go wrong. Downsides are rust (usual), insane insurance groups and they are popular in the scene/virginity community and therefore are difficult to find in a good condition.

[TimothyClaypole]

I found travelling in the one my cousin had very tiresome, trundling along normally or screaming it's knackers off and nothing in between - he had it a few years back when a 2nd hand one was around £7500 but said he'd never have another.

[Billy SR]

the one i rode in my friend had paid 550 quid. took him 10 retests to get its through its mot. he put a lot of work into it, only to spray it matt black and sell it not long after haha

[forddeliveryboy]

 and they are popular in the scene/virginity community and therefore are difficult to find in a good condition.

 

 

wtf is the virginity community?

[Wilko220]

Teenage lads, I assume.

Or maybe that was just me...

[Station]

I had nothing to do yesterday so trundled over to Allerton in the Nippa and bought this:

 

 

 

Handling and speed are really unbelievable. If you have ever lay flat on your stomach on a skateboard and gone down a hill, I feel it is similar to this. I was messing with a Subaru Impreza at 5am this morning on the A41 which shows how potent they are. The car has been very well looked after, I can't see any rust apart from a two or three untreated paint chips.

[Largactil]

A friend had one of identical age and colour back in 1997/8 - Had quite a funky black leather interior too.

 

He ragged it mercilessly, and it didn't miss a beat - Back arches were getting scabby even at 6/7 years old, though!

 

I also took a Del Sol SiR (the import VTi) as a p/x once - 167bhp from the B16A engine, and all of it between 6000 -> 8000rpm, like a two-stroke bike.

 

I remember getting some sort of VTEC controller (Spoon racing?) which could adjust the changeover point, but I never wired it in.

 

Lovely, timewarp stuff.