Common ques about Civics

[Daishi]

I am thinking of the 1992-1995 Civic 4DR EX, DX, LX

DX: 1.5L
LX: 1.5L
EX: 1.6L (1993 1.6L VTEC)

And in 1995 All the engines went to 16V
Is that right?

Anyway my ques is, apart from moddin. What are some common things to fix on these cars. Like for example My Chevy has a Uni Body. So I needed Sub Frame Connectors to keep the body tight.

So my ques is:

#1: What kinda frame is on the Civic, Nice and tight is it?
#2: Cept STB and Swaybars, wonderbars. Anything good for suspension?
#3: What are common faults with them? Like leaks, wearing parts. Stuff like that.
#4: What are some of the annoying things about them, such as sqeaking panels, headroom, feet room. That sorta stuff.
#5: How common are parts for these vehicles?
#6: How well do the trannys hold up to you moddin' the car. How much can they handle?
#7: How much does insurance cost ya?
#8: After time what are some common things to go wrong with the engines, like knocks and little quirks.

Basicly Im looking for the avg owners run down of the pros and cons. I've heard a bunch of back and forth comments at car review sites. But Since you guys are around these cars all the time, you would know best.
Thanks fellas :)

[pdiggitydogg]

1) You dont have to worry about frame issues.
2) Sway bars do well on civics, the ones from integra type r's (rear) are used very often. The only issue w/ running large bars is the weak subframe. If you were to weld on an entire plate to both sides, tearing would most likely be eliminated.
3) The hatchback models tend to leak on the back sometimes. Rear trailing arm bushings are good for around 5-7yrs...so they will need to be replaced w/ either new honda or mugen mounts (NOT polyurethane). The 5th gens occasionally have a problem w/ sagging front bumpers. Synchros are crap and shifting fast constantly will kill them even quicker.
4) Annoying...the seats suck. Its loud inside. Things rattle and make noise. Hey, its a cheaper car...what do you want?
5) Parts are easily found in lots of junkyards and on ebay. Not as common as domestic parts, but thats obvious. Parts, now, arent as cheap as they really should be.
6) I already mentioned the synchros
7) Insurance is going to be a lot less than what youre paying on your current car. Civics are NOT sports cars (well, not most of them...type r models and del sol vtecs are concidered to be) I, being under 25, pay $2K/yr for full coverage w/ a shit company. Many, if not most w/ a similar record (0pts), pay less.
8) As long as you take care of the engine, keep up on maint., it will last a VERY long time. Ive seen 250k miles on several civics, w/o any rebuilds. Most important things are to change the fluids and filters and keep up on the valve adjustments...it will treat you right.

I honestly say there are few cons to owning a honda. It gets great mgp, relatively quick for its engine size, light weight, low insurance costs, and clean lines. I have not run into any problems w/ my car as long as I have owned it, where as with my past chevy, I had tons of problems.

(Japanese manufacturers aim for 0% flaw...American manufacturers strive for 6%. Thats something to keep in mind when trying to decide on a product.)

[Daishi]

Wow thanks, that pretty much summed it all up.

What, if anything, can u reccomend that I do to the tranny to get a little more outta her?

I dont wanna worry bout tranny issues once its on the road

[Honda_Tengoku]

well a stock tranny works fine. I would reccomend using honda MTF fluid in it. If your synchros start to go then use GM synchro mesh. Remember under normal driving synchros are not a problem at all. Its just when u start pushing more power, and abusing your car is when the synchros start to go. If your synchros start to go its not a big deal. I drove over a year on bad synchros (and prolly could have gone longer b4 I changed the tranny out). Its just an annoying grinding sound when u shift thats all. Ohh yeah and I think that it was in 96 was the first year all the Civic engines were all 16 valve. In the 92-95 versions the CX was the only 8 valve engine in the Civic line up.