Something I might have been interested in, at a more reasonable price......EXCEPT: I think in this case the automatic transmission is a detriment on this one. From what I remember, these early Civic engines didn't have a lot of power, and the automatic just bogged them down so much there was no power to them. So for this wagon, I'd want a manual.
I would have to agree with that. We had an '81 version of this with a 5 speed that my mom primarily drove. I remember coming home one time from a fishing trip with my dad. I think top speed was around 80mph. It was not a fast car.
Absolutely. My mom, who is not much of a car person, likes to tell the story of some friend of hers and dads that bought a brand new Honda Civic in 1979 but he chose the automatic (he may have chosen AC too, but the automatic was a definite). They made fun of him for how slow it was and how the fuel economy actually suffered pretty heavily. A 45-50HP motor slugging along the car AND that Hondamatic would have been a road hazard, especially today now that 75-80MPH is the standard speed on the freeway.