The Nicest People Make It Simple: 1988 Honda Civic vs 2003 Honda Accord

Good morning! We’re doing same-make days this week, and today it’s Honda’s turn in the spotlight. Cheap used Hondas tend to either be well-kept but have a bazillion miles on them, or have been messed with by some kid… and have half a bazillion miles. Today we’ve got one of each.

Yesterday, we looked at two crusty old Fords, and it looks like the gaping rust holes in that F-150 put just enough of you off to give the Focus wagon a win. Not that most of you actually wanted the Focus, but a win is a win, so you’ll be seeing that little wagon again on Friday.

I have to agree. If I’m looking for a car this cheap, I’m probably looking to save money on gas as well, and a big V8 hauling around four or five thousand pounds of rusty sheetmetal isn’t the way to do that. And I know I like the Focus; I commuted in one for a year and a half when I lived in LA, and it was fine. Nothing special, but fine.

Now then: In case the headline has you scratching your head in confusion, let me explain: The first part comes from a famous ad campaign for Honda’s motorcycles back in the 1960s. Honda didn’t carry that slogan over to its cars, but Honda car ads were once pretty friendly, too, hence the second part. I can’t even remember the last time an automaker used the words “nice” or “simple” in an advertising slogan, but I sure do miss it. So today, we’re looking at two used Hondas: one is fancy but well-used, and the other is nice and simple, but has a bit of a history. Let’s check them out.

1988 Honda Civic DX Hatchback – $2,000

Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter overhead cam inline 4, four-speed manual, FWD

Location: Orchards, WA

Odometer reading: 180,000 miles

Operational status: “Runs and drives” is all we get

Honda Civic enthusiasts sometimes sound like they have their own language. This isn’t a Honda Civic DX to them; it’s an EF with a D15B2, but the seller wanted to swap that for a K20Z1. It’s like technical jargon, or thieves’ cant. To the rest of us, however, it’s just a Civic hatchback, like the one your friend’s sister used to drive. (Remember how she used to keep a hair scrunchie on the shift knob? Why was that so sexy?)

The engine that the seller wanted to swap out of this one is a perfectly acceptable and very reliable 1.5 liter four-cylinder, driving the front wheels through a four-speed manual, which had pretty widely-spaced ratios for economy, if I recall. This was never meant to be a race car, but the tuners and street racers loved them, because they were as light and simple as a Civic got. Far too many of these met horrific fates simply because they were cheap and easy to modify. Thank goodness the seller ran out of gumption before ruining this one. It runs and drives, and I would hope someone would want to keep it that way and just enjoy it as is – but I imagine I’m in the minority on that one.

You can probably guess what the interior looks like, and you’d be mostly right. It’s partially disassembled, because the driver’s side window is off-track, and the driver’s seat has been replaced by some sort of racing seat. At least the seller has been keeping it in a garage, since the window won’t close. Since this is a DX, it’s devoid of options: no power anything, no air conditioning, not even a tachometer. Less stuff to break, I suppose.

It’s faded and sun-bleached outside, but thankfully not rusty. The aftermarket Enkei wheels look good on it; the aftermarket sunroof less so. It has been sealed shut, it looks like. I confess I have been guilty of cutting holes in roofs to install these things in the past, but I grew out of it, and I apologize. One last thing I should tell you about this car: it came from an auction, and the seller never applied for a title in their name, so make sure all the paperwork checks out before handing over any money.

2003 Honda Accord EX – $2,475

Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD

Location: Camas, WA

Odometer reading: 219,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

The Civic, and the little N and Z hatchbacks that preceded it, were big sellers, but it is arguably the Accord that turned Honda into the powerhouse it is in the US market today. A little bigger, a little nicer, and geared towards family transportation, the Accord has found a home in American garages for forty-nine years now. This one, now twenty-two years old, is the Accord at its best: the fancy trim, with a manual transmission.

Although a V6 was available for quite a few years, the classic Accord engine is a four-cylinder, in this case Honda’s well-regarded K series, with dual overhead camshafts and the i-VTEC variable valve timing system. It’s a fairly tame version, making 160 horsepower, but this is a family sedan, not a race car. In fact, this is a one-family sedan. Its daily-use days are behind it, and it’s now just sitting around, so they have decided to sell. It runs well, and has new brakes, as well as a new battery and catalytic converter.

It’s the fancy EX model, with leather seats, power everything, cruise control, and all that good stuff.It has an aftermarket touch-screen stereo, but it sounds like the seller has removed the amp and maybe some speakers as well. It’s a little confusing. But hey, car audio is easy. It looks good for the mileage, too, with just a little wear on the seats.

The paint is pretty hammered; I don’t think this car has ever even known what a garage is. But I don’t see any signs of the typical Honda rust, and it has never been wrecked. This is a nice shade of green when it’s in good shape; it’s too bad it’s so faded.

I won’t say Honda has lost its way, but it has lost the simple and effortless feel that its cars from the 1980s through the 2000s were famous for. Cars like these are just a delight to drive – not powerful, but light and lively, at least with manual transmissions as these have. One has seen some rough treatment, and the other is getting up there in mileage, but they’re both still game, if you are. Which one appeals to you?