I have always driven really bad cars. When I passed my test I drove my mother's Rover 200 which was slow, ugly, uncomfortable and seriously uncool. Then an old polo and then an old Citroen AX. Both of these cars are unsafe, slow, can't turn and look awful. Then I bought a Honda Civic 1.4 16v GL. This has restored my faith in driving, as it is fast (remember what I've been used too!) has power steering, anti-lock brakes, big wheels, a spoiler and it is red, not white which shows up all the rust).

Engine
A 1.4 14v flat 4-cylinder, giving 90bhp. This engine is not too bad at all, as it doesn't redline untill 6750 and the majority of the power is after 4000 revs giving quite reasonable acceleration. Top speed for motorway is also good - you can cruise between 80 and 90mph (you can get quite a lot more out of it if you push the accelerator a bit harder!!) without feeling any rattling or anything which is amazing for a car that is 12 years old. 0 - 60mph is 10 secs dead, which is very competitive, probably one of the fastest 1.4 I have driven - it beats the 205 XS, AX 1.4GT and a whole lot of others. It is also very very reliable. Economy is about 35mpg wihch is good for a car of this size. Still costs about £30 to fill up a tank.

Handling
This car is a beast round corners. My mate has a saxo VTR and we decided to test this theory. We are both pretty similar in a straight line, but the civic bombs it round corners compared to the saxo as the saxo has to break so much earlier and has less turning ability as it is a higher car - more body roll, higher centre of gravity, therefore low grip. The civic is very low to the ground which gives it a low centre of gravity - therefore good grip. Honda certainly had their thinking caps on. Other than that the handling is smooth and so is the ride, greatfully assisted by the power steering. The anti-lock brakes are superb as well. The gear change is very decent too, although it can be hard to push it into 1st if going faster than 10mph and when it is very cold. It is beautiful to drive when the oil has warmed the car up and the choke is in, resting at 750rpm in neutral.
Inside
Very comfortable half racing seats for the front two people with bags of leg room for all passengers. Driving position is really good, although if you are tall like me the steering wheel can get caught on your legs when going round particularly hairy corners but you can raise the height of the steering wheel for this. Other than that its quite nice and spacious. Loads of electrics, e/w, electric mirrors, in fact, everything is electric and completely reliable.
The heating and everything else is bliss, London gets very cold this time of year.
Outside
This car looks very sexy indeed. Although don't get a white one - white cars are worth approx. 10% less than better colored counterparts. Apart from the exhaust which i blew a small hole in when i did 80mph in 3rd gear (quite a bit a pressure i'm told) the car is sweet. Standard wheels are 13inch with Honda hubcaps. Replace these with 14 or 15 inch wheels and get some alloys or for the cheaper option some better looking hubs. Paintwork is good, no rust even on a few chips

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 1850 (£1200)
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1991
Model and Options: 1.4GL 16valve