I bought my Civic when I was 17... I had been saving money since I was 12 years old. I have to say it was the best choice I could have made. I still have the car... its taken me all over the state, visiting family and friends, and blasting though Orlando on my way to school or work. I was unlucky enough to get hit by three different inept drivers in 3 days (none of the accidents my fault), and the damn thing still didnt rattle, even before it went to the body shop. I wish Honda was making the DOHC VTEC Civic back in 96 so I could have one too, but my little D16Y8 SOHC VTEC isn't too much of a slowpoke either. My car always starts, except when I leave my stereo on when im cleaning or waxing it, but give it a push and drop the clutch and it came right back to life. It's fun to drive, but get rid of the stock tires. My car was an oddity in the way that it came with Dunlop tires from the factory. They howl and scream like a little girl in anything but the slowest of turns, and are easy to slide when braking on wet pavement. Find yourself a good set of Michelin XGT's, or, if you're like me, go get Yokohama A520's on 16 inch rims.... the improvement you'll notice is astounding. I recommend this car for anyone that needs a car that is reliable, fun, and safe.