1985 Honda Civic Wagon | Retro Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
- This Civic Wagon is an obvious early look at what would eventually become the CRV, pretty ahead of its time.
Show 420 | Originally Aired 4-23-1985
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Shouldn’t need it these videos are old your already making Adsense money and your a multinational company also you made 90 million in profit in 2020
The guy who was lifting that cargo tray at 2:26 said "Japanese" real loud while John Davis was narrating lol😂😂😂
Man, as much as this thing is ugly, I absolutely love how it looks. It just has that 80’s “I don’t give a shit about how it looks, it works” attitude.
It's nice to see something so tidy and purposeful these days, industrial design seems like a lost art lol
Back when you'd still see them around, they about set the standard for ugliest car in history.
These days, with bland blobs that look like shrunken minivans being the default choice of non truck buyers, it's almost like the look has matured into being much better than average.
Yep. Now they make sedans with rear doors you can't even get through and once you shoehorn yourself in, you may have good leg room, but you're not allowed to have a head.
>ugly
It’s not ugly if you like how it looks
This seems like the grandfather of the Fit in size, formula and functionality,.
It absolutely is
CR-V, actually.
@@A_Cowboy_called_JackRabbit no, it’s definitely the Fit. A small hatch with a high ceiling and a surprising amount of cargo space inside. Small, but practical. The optional 4wd isn’t enough to connect this small wagon to the CR-V… besides, the CR-V is the definitive compact SUV that was way after this Civic wagon’s time
The Fit-Jazz "AVANT LA LETTRE". The Fit before the Fit.
"seems" lol
1:01 Anyone who’s ever owned a Honda knows that sound from a mile away.
My Honda delSol had the same starter sound. And the same door chime too. That car was one of the best cars I have owned.
@@captainchaos0666 My 2013 still has that same door chime.
My pastor's 2015 Odyssey EX-L got the same engine start up noise and door ajar chime.
My 2020 Civic sounds pretty similar to that too
And you can't forget the signature K series idle sound, you know it's a Honda just by it's idle
It’s like watching a show on the parents of the CR-V and Fit that would come later.
Don't forget the HR-V as well.
I was thinking about how similar it is to my 2010 crv lol
At 2:08, I like that pop-up center dash vent on the Honda Civic Wagon!!!
The glory days of Honda Motor Corp. 3rd and 4 Gen Civics were game changing.
@Allen Tokyo Nope, not nearly as durable, or reliable as these 80s and 90s units.
My dad was looking to buy an 87 6speed 4WD wagon back in 94, but ended up with a 90 auto 2WD wagon instead. Neat cars!
6 speed in 1987?
@@jareknowak8712 it had a "super low" gear, plus 5 normal gears.
I had the 1990 2wd but a friend had AWD 1989-90
I bought one of the last US-spec manual Honda Fits just before the pandemic so, yeah, I like this. Wish mine had the red houndstooth interior...
The Fit is a very underrated car, in my opinion. The Fit has more usable space than the HR-V and would probably make sense for many two wheel drive CR-V buyers if they could get past the fact this is a car and not a high-riding SUV. Who needs a hybrid when this car gets excellent gas mileage without the earth-robbing battery needed in a Prius...performance may not be a strong suit but I bet it is a lot more fun with a standard. As with most Honda products, the steering is communicative and dare I say fun. My mom loves her three year old Fit (reliability has been perfect!) but I wish I could have changed the gears myself on the few times I have driven it.
@@RoadCone411 I'm still not sure why Honda lavished the Harvey with its' own expensive body stampings (that somehow look less "utility" and more overstyled than the Fit's) instead of just jacking the Fit up myself. I'd had some wheel time in a CVT Fit and the only annoyance was the *AGGRESSIVE* transmission creep, especially since there's no technical reason for a CVT to creep at all and it should have a mode that turns it off. But I insisted that what'll probably be my last ICE car have a manual!
My sister owned two. The first was wrecked when she was rear ended, and she bought a replacement. Thinking back, I was one of those skeptics at the time "it looks more like a refrigerator than a compact car" jibe. I was a big car, Cadillac-aspirational-type, but when I ended up with an '87 hatchback a few years later, the Civic probably ranks as my favorite car I owned. No frills except air conditioning, a veritible 33 miles to the gallon regardless of conditions, and built as solid as the Bank of England. I did treat it well, but even when it had 87,000 miles on it when I foolishly parted with it, the doors always closed with a solidness / seal I have yet to experience even on a new car.
Had an 86 in white as a secondary vehicle ,what a fantastic car it was!
This was actually the timeframe where Honda and the public started to understand what happened when your timing belt broke..
🤣🤣🤣
Even 35+ years ago, Honda still did packaging better than most car makes do today. A bumper-level cargo floor and fold-flat seats don't seem like much to ask for, but most compact and subcompact hatchbacks don't even have it today. It's a shame they pulled the Fit from the US market.
Most cars back then had much more room that modern cars. Its because modern cars have bulking interior panels for the side curtain air bags
I was really disappointed when they said the new Fit wouldn't come to the states. It wasn't anything amazing on the looks but it was better the the Fit we got stuck with and I liked the looks. Along with the new Fit having a way better interior. I was really hoping to get it with a manual.
Damn... why do I want all the cars I used to laugh at?
Because we were dumb kids trying to hide behind our supposed reputation. I'm right there with you. Lol
The parents of a childhood friend had this car. I always thought it was so ridiculously goofy... we'd call it the 'toaster'. It was stupidly reliable though.. I think they had it for nigh on 15 years or so before getting another Honda; he and his brother learnt drive on the toaster Civic, so it kept on going after that.
Lol my first car was a 83 civic wagon and don’t remember anyone laughing at it. It was reliable and could get 40 mpg without a hybrid system.
We are grown, matured, and old
so true
Joyce!
Amazing...at 1900 pounds this Honda only weighs 100 pound more than an air-cooled VW Beetle. That Civic must have really been a tin can.
Yeah but the beetle couldn't go over 65 mph lol 70mph downhill.
That little Honda Civic wagon will touch 110 mph. Believe it or not.
Those seats! That cloth! You will NEVER see that again, and that's too bad...
very distinctive
Well, even the 2022 Golf R has a plaid cloth seat design that harken back to the 1983 original GTI.
Today people are like waah Android Auto is glitchy and in 1985 they're like well you can't roll the windows up while the car is moving but it's no big.
I was coming down a backroad in mine with the driver window halfway down. In front of me came a giant tractor throwing up dust and dirt into the road ahead of me.... It wasn't easy but with both hands on the crank and a lot of elbow grease. I got that thing up before my car was filled with dirt
@@nickhernandez2899 It seems that you missed the sarcasm in my comment entirely but I'm pleased to know that you were able to roll your window up. It's the little things in life.
@@glanzera no no I got it, just wanted to share a funny story
@Andrew G
It might have been a preproduction model, I worked at a Honda store when we received these brand new off the trailer, and none of them had this problem.
My dad went and bought an 84 in this identical spec. I was 3 and I remember going and sitting at a stereo shop after the dealer bc it didn’t have a radio. We had it for about 10 years and I’ve Hondas my whole life now. Thanks Wagovan
My parents looked at one of these at Atamian Honda/Volkswagen in Tewksbury, MA back in the summer of 1984 when we were shopping for our 1985 Dodge Colt Vista. I sat in a fire-engine red Volkswagen Scirocco right next to them. I NEED to see the Vista 2WD test next. I know you've already done the 4WD model.
The Colt Vista is another one of my favorites!
We used this exact model as a delivery car for our business.. All day driving and constantly on the move.. could not beat this thing to death and we tried.
How simple and honest cars were, good ol'days.
...sighs...
Yes! Please bring back the Civic wagon with houndstooth upholstery but without unspeakable dealer markups. The Honda Fit Shuttle would also do the trick.
My relative had a 1987 Civic wagon 4WD. I loved that little wagon. 6 speed manual but the 1st gear is a crawler gear for off roading at low speeds.
There is no way that was a 6 speed since Honda only offered 5 speeds or 4 speeds on base models.
@@LearnAboutFlow it totally had 6 forward gears. One was "super low" for off road.
@@gasolinefumes Ah, you're right, my bad.
@@LearnAboutFlow It did have the extra low gear...I was there when these things were coming off the trailers brand new in 1985. Great little cars.!
I wish I could go back in time and buy a couple of these. Way ahead of its time.
After losing my 1982 AWD Subaru GL10 Wagon in an unfortunate accident, I replaced it with a 1985 silver/blue Civic Wagon with the push button AWD and the funky 6 speed stick (when in AWD it had an extra low 1st gear) LOVED THAT CAR! Supposedly, the AWD system was engineered by Steyr Puch. It was nearly unstoppable on all surfaces (save large rocks), roomy, quite comfortable but not very fast. You never see these vehicles on the road - apparently nobody thought to preserve them. What a shame!
There is one for sale in my country 4wd 1.5l for 700$ and it's running fine
1900 lbs!!
Interesting to hear of the quality issues back then with this Honda. Window track aside, some corrosion on the body stamping seam on the underside of the 4WD model is visible. IIRC this Honda predates Civic production at Marysville, OH and Alliston, ON.
The EF hatch was a marked improvement on this; still really interesting to see the progress!
And of course those 4WDs mostly spent their lives in places with lots of road salt.
@@nlpnt Quite. Drove an '07 GD Fit for years in southern Ontario salt-belt country and found the corrosion resistance to meet or exceed what I saw from competitors. Still on the road today. Incredible how far high-strength corrosion-inhibiting alloys have come.
Fun fact: the 4WD system on the initial model years of these included a crawler gear...technically making this one of the few front wheel drive cars ever made with a multi-speed transfer case (sold in North America anyway)
@ThePolandball
Preproduction unit, I worked at a Honda store when we received deliveries of the 1985 Civic wagons brand new off the trailers, none of them had this problem.
5:03 I never thought about the AMC Pacer comparison. It is kind of an 80's version of the Pacer.
2:26
JAPANESE
I’m so confused by this lol what happened there
"Japanese" - sounded like it was a mistake during editing, perhaps a piece of one video was accidentally overlayed on this one, ironically all done on a Japanese-made piece of technology, most likely.
This scared the hell outta me!
Aw this one is cool, I see one every once in a while inside a Honda dealer I pass by, at the front window in red.
Hey guys, the new satin jackets are in
This guys like a classy version of George Costanza.
My wallet's gone!! ☺️
With only rare years of misfires (e.g.2012-2013), Honda has consistently led the compact car pack with its excellent Civic. Very cool retro look at that heritage!
Yup .BIG dealer markup! I paid a $1,800 "market adjustment" in 87 for my Civic. First brand new car ever..but hey it was a real Honda from Japan!! 👍
Omg, I wouldn’t have paid it, I would have bought another make.
@@new2000car well it was a Japanese made Civic, new off the boat, custom to order,and I was 18yo, and dumb😁 But I'd still buy it today😋😋
Any recollection as to the markup? I once paid full sticker for a brand new accord, and had them remove all the b.s. paint sealant and safety locking wheel lug nuts fees that were typed onto the window sticker. Full list is as far as I’ll ever go. Of course my antics worked in the 2000s, they would have shown me the door in 1985. And $1,800 is so much more money in 1985 than today.
There was a mechanic who had one of these in my childhood hometown when I was growing up. I recall seeing it well into the mid-2010s - by then, it really stuck out in traffic. I still see a few of these kicking around here and there. Absolutely love the way they look.
Yeah!! My ol Aunt Jackie had a civic wagon!! In 85! only car she ever owned that didn't break down or wreck !! She was about 70 when she bought it and drive it almost 20 years . RIP. Thanks.
I own a first gen CR-V, and the lineage is accurate. And now I want a first gen Civic Wagovan.
Yesss I have a soft spot for these boxy all wheel drive wagons of the '80s. Growing up in Vermont these kind of things were EVERYWHERE
There is something I like about the cars from the 80's and 90's
This needs to be redesigned with modern high tensile steel and contemporary engine technology… it’s a perfect car
Honda needs a Civic Wagon in today's world!
They have one, but now it's a "sportback" lol.
My dad had one in 2009. I was blown away on how clean it was. It had 135k miles on it but a “collector” from Belmont paid $3000 for it when my dad got it for $500.
My dad had one of these when I was a kid...it was an '87 with RT 4WD and 6MT. I remember one of the "quirks" was the rear seatbelts were the opposite of most cars: you pulled the seatbelt from the center area and the latch was outside the seat, next to the door.
Loved this old wagon! Those seats are amazing!
My 2019 Honda Fit is basically almost an exact replacement in terms of interior & exterior dimensions.
Any day MotorWeek uploads a retro review is a good day 👍👍
This is absolutely the inspiration of the modern Honda Fit. My second gen Fit has the rear seat with adjustable recline and disappearing headrests. Cool car!
Hey, Motorweek, how about doing "retro auto news" once a week? In order.
This! This Autoweek!
that would be sick!!!
What a little beast. I have surprisingly never seen one of these wagons from this generation…. I just got a 91 Hatch 4 speed and I’m in love! Those were some sweet bomber jackets jaja. 😊
I use to bus tables In middle school/high school and I remember a waitress had one of these, it was 1999/00s and it was still in good shape and awd
Honda's answer to the Tercel wagon, Stanza wagon, and Colt Vista. I always loved these growing up and wished out family was rich enough to buy one new.
My current car is A white fwd 1987 civic wagon! Really glad to see this vid
Mines a silver '86!
Have you had engine or transmission problems or just regular maintenance?
@Naitrio have you had to replace the engine or transmission or just regular maintenance?
Awesome! Probably the first "crossover"!
@No One's Innocent The Eagle was in a class by itself IMO. Though point taken.
I had the next-generation edition of the Honda Civic wagon with the 1990 edition. Honda greatly improved the interior over the generation shown in the above clip. It got great gas mileage. The only problem I had with it was with the brake system. It rusted and the brake lines had to be replaced. It wasn't a cheap repair. Otherwise, it was a great little car.
My wife and I bought one of these brand new in Australia in 1986 and we drove it daily for 10 years without any problems at all. Ours was also white, and our brother in law called it the "Pope Mobile" ha ha ha! Such a versatile car!
Used to see these everywhere. Damn I'm old.
Find it interesting that it was a Civic Wagon. In Canada was called the Civic Wagovan. Remember liking these and that name.
The same pleasing Honda ignition chimes.
What a great car... I used to have a 1984 Civic. My first car. I almost cry when I sold it. So many years together. It had the same engine as the wagon version. So stable and comfy. I currently have a 9th Gen Civic and a 1st Gen CR-V, Full Extras, 4WD.
Back in the day, I had an '84 just like this one. 5spd manual n a 1.2L engine.
Fun car for around town sightseeing, n cruising the freeways at 70mph. The smoothest shifter ever but I wish I had had the 1.5L or better the 1.6L🙂
A look back at an original crossover.
That's what I was thinking too.🆗🆒✅
Still hoping and praying for a retro 2nd gen CRX review
There's probably some of those Civic wagons still on the road today.
I saw one on the road yesterday!
@@gooondie wow! 🆒
Probably where there's no salt on the roads. Most of the ones up this way rusted to pieces a long time ago. I honestly can't remember the last time I saw one.
I have one! It's white and has no passenger side mirror
*I WORKED AT A HONDA STORE IN WEST BURBS OF PHILLY....WE CALLED IT "THE TOASTER"*
When the TH-cam algorithm gods see you looking up current-gen Honda Passports and lines this up in your recos.
Buy one of these instead of a passport
Please upload your 2003 Lexus GX470 review. The overland community is hot right now and original reviews of the truck are pretty much non-existent. I think it’d be a relatively popular vid.
My dad had a 86 4wd wagon back in the day. I'd love to find one nowadays....
Practical. Reliable. Affordable.
All the things a car actually needs to be.
You forgot Safe, which this definitely is not.
@@stephenj4937 People need to be safe, not objects.
@@triple6758 I'm a very safe driver, but I also want to be in a safe car is someone who is unsafe decides to have an unavoidable encounter with me.
@@stephenj4937 Actually they were quite well designed for safety at the time, they were some of the safest cars on the road back in 1985 for smaller vehicles. Honda was at the forefront of unibody design for crash worthiness.
A time when most Americans were conservative, not purchasing a vehicle as a statice symbol or going into massive debt, economically transportation, form followed function.
not sure that's the case. your typical Buick, Olds, or Cadillac were sought after for prestige and got you a lot of junk in return for your money.
I don’t know about that people definitely bought cars for status back then
Watching these older segments brings back memories as a teenager wondering if I could afford a new car.
Love looking back at these. The automotive industry has come a long way. Cars are so packed with microprocessors and other computer crap, they practically drive themselves. Bought my 2017 CR-V brand new, and was shocked at how much computer software moves that vehicle. Then to go back and look at its 1985 ancestor makes me feel pretty fancy 😂
Yes but with computer on wheels, when they break they will cost you arm and a leg. Forget about reviving one of these computer on wheels from junk yard decades later!
I rembered in the high school parking lot in 86 these things were everywhere,
I'm constantly amazed at how radical Honda has been over all these decades with the design on the Civic (although the early 2000s they were boring). Most models are departures from the typical small car- which is good.
These things are a gold mine if found these days.
A throwaway car favored in rusty climates, with some replacement parts now being out of production, and honda body work being what you might call a losing battle, most have been thrown out for a reason.
If a clean one is found its quite a cool vintage keeper, no doubt about it.
Barely 11 seconds in and INSTANTLY I shouted "Joyce!" 😊
Ha. I thought why would anyone buy these in those days. Now they are keepers. Toyota Tercel had similar wagons too.
Back in the day a $7k was probably a budget car... and probably equates to about a $14k-$15k today, which still doesn't really even get you a base model strip-down Civic or Corolla for that matter. And the sad thing is the 80's and 90's is when Honda really made some great engines that were known to go 300k-350k miles without major service. In fact, Hondas of the 80's and 90's didn't need much of anything. I had a friend who would not really do oil changes, but rather just kept topping it off every month, as he would say, after about 4 months, all the old oil wouild have been burnt (it burned some oil) or leaked out so there wasn't a real need to do an "official" oil change. And so he ran it like this for about 3 years until selling it.
Of course, that has decreased these days and most people probably only get about 200-250k on their Hondas, but still better than most of the competition (Aside from Toyota, which is about the same as Honda in terms of reliability overall).
I had both a 1984 and 1991 Civic Wagon. I loved them. I actually still have the '91, but it's no longer roadworthy.
My mother traded in our 1981 Chevy Citation for a Civic "Wagovan" in 1986. Compared to the Citation, the Honda felt futuristic. It was a very unique vehicle. I am guessing like most Hondas of that era, rust got most of these.
Honda needs to make cars like this again. That and the delSol.
How I wish they made a wagon again with all of the coupes gone from the Honda lineup.
@No One's Innocent It's worded a little poorly I guess. What I was saying is that there are no more coupes in the Honda lineup, and while I would enjoy seeing another Honda coupe made, it would be more likely to see a Wagon before another coupe. Mainly because the sedans would be easier to make into a wagon versus making an entire coupe altogether. Kind of like how there is that new Fastback/"Hatchback" Civic. That being said, a 3-Door Hatchback Civic would be really cool too, or another CR-Z!
As an owner of an accord coupe, I definitely don't want all of the coupes gone, haha!
The lil' Space Shuttle
I had 2wd with bald tires and was able to get through snow drifts from snow plows while I watched a pathfinder stuck in the same drift beside me.. LOL.. the low bumper pushes snow..
Same bald tires when driving on a skidoo trail in winter and I was able to get through every snow drift, a week later with brand new top of the line tires and I got stuck in the first snow drift on the skidoo trail and had to shovel myself out... where are those shouldn't be driving with bald tires comments??? Very reliable and smooth driving car.. You could put a can of soda on the flat dash and drive around without it falling over... excellent car!
I miss my old Civic 2 door hatchback. When I first got it I had to spend a few hundred dollars for a new carburetor but after that it was awesome. Especially with the 5 speed manual transmission
I was young back then and lived in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California. Those were ridiculously popular with the 4WD in that area.
The CR-V’s noble ancestor.
My mom tought both me and my sister how to drive in one an 87 I think, it was a truly great car so simple.
Saw one of these the other day, silver. Rusty but unbelievably still on the road
Jonathan: Dis' Hooptie straight up rollin' on 13's, yo. Which in turn, reveals an almost sports car like performance in the slalom.
I wish I had one of these right now.
I drive a 2012 Fit Sport. Great little fun car with tons of space for people and things. Looking at this Civic Wagon and the space it has, it just occurred to this 30 year Honda driver/owner, my Fit is the successor to this Civic Wagon! Hell it's about the same size if not a touch bigger!(The Fit, not the wagon)
This wagon actually birthed the CR-V.
@@A_Cowboy_called_JackRabbit Yes, but compare the dimensions to a Fit and it's pretty close in size and utility.
I owned the 4wd variety. These are some awesome little cars.
Who could resist that hounds tooth orange and brown upholstery!
Such awesome design! The grandfather of the CR-V!
5:20 introducing the 1987 Honda HR-V
I love the styling of these super boxy 80s japanese cars they are the best looking
My aunt and uncle had one each when I was a kid, we thought they were crazy but she had 3 tall kids and they were tall too. Makes sense now
I saw one today on a used car lot... it had 410,000 miles on it and they wanted $16,500 for it.
$16,500!? 😳
Buy it
@@RoxiSmithbet its still there at that price😂
Still can't find a decent AWD/4WD Model here in Western Washington State...
Would make a great Winter Cruzer for the family!
It's a shame that this style of vehicle isn't really sold anymore in the US.
I had one of these with a proper manual every time I would go over a water puddle it would just stop because the distributor would get wet other than that it was excellent I sold it after a year for a good price too
Mine did that too!