At $7,500, Will This 1984 Honda CRX Save Gas and the Bank Balance?
According to the seller, today’s Nice Price or No Dice Civic CRX is a car they have owned since high school. Let’s see if we’re getting schooled on its asking price.
As I noted in our conversation about last Friday’s 1994 Volvo 940 wagon, the 700/900 series of longroof does have a lot of fans. Those fans seemingly came out in droves to praise both the car and its appearance, as well as its $9,900 asking price. Ultimately, that praise translated into a solid 60 percent Nice Price win.
Honda has its fans too, mostly because it makes fuel-sipping economy cars that typically are also a lot of fun. Somewhat ironically for a carmaker steeped in fun, as well as racing, Honda hasn’t built all that many true sports cars. In fact, even counting its Acura sub-brand, the Japanese company has offered so few sports cars that you can pretty much count them on one hand. Let’s see if I can get them all. There’s the S600/800 of the 1960s, the homage to that model, the S2000 of our present century, the diminutive mid-engined Beat Kei Car, and Acura’s NSX in both original and new improved flavor.
And then there’s the CRX. That’s the one we’re interested in today. Specifically, we will be looking at this 1984 Honda Civic CRX in white over silver and sporting a set of steel wheels, marking it as the standard model and not the hotter Si.
G/O Media may get a commission
According to the ad, this 143,000-mile CRX has been in the same family since it rolled off the dealer lot, having first been registered to the present title holder’s father while they used it as their daily whip during high school.
The car sports its original paint, which is showing dulling and wear on almost all the trim. This is pretty common on Civics of this era, as is as fading on the plastic bumper covers and rockers that this CRX also exhibits. On top of all that, there’s a light pinstripe that is barely discernible making a big C around the beltline.
The ad claims the car to have never been in an accident. Despite that assertion, there’s an alarming difference in color between the hood and the bodywork on the nose which might imply a minor shunt at some time in the car’s past. Or it might just be a trick of the light. It’s hard to say. Also, it should be noted that the classic blue and gold California license plates are faded beyond recognition. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that happen before.
Another thing to note is that the front fenders on this generation of CRX are plastic to reduce weight. Replacements are pretty pricey should they get cracked or fall apart after having been baking in the sun for a few decades.
This car’s interior has certainly faired better that the exterior, with an uncracked dashboard and seats that have been reupholstered in what looks like factory material. This CRX does not come with A/C, but it does have some boss louvers on the back glass to help keep the sun at bay and the cabin temperatures down.
According to the seller, the car gets “insane mpg,” so much so that they used to joke it actually ran on air. That’s owed to the remarkably low 1,819-pound curb weight and 1488 cc CVCC-II SOHC four-cylinder engine that makes a modest 76 horsepower and 84 lb-ft of torque. As a sports car, that’s not much, but outside of the hot Si edition, the CRX has always been one of those slow cars that’s a joy to drive fast (relatively speaking).
This one hasn’t been doing much driving of late at all. According to the ad, it has been registered as PNO (Planned Nonoperation) since 2014. That keeps it in the DMV computer but means that it can’t set tire to tarmac in the state until its registration is updated. To do that, the CRX will need to pass a smog test and that could present a problem for the car at this age. A new battery has been installed and hopefully, the car isn’t full of skunky gas from the Obama era varnishing up all the lines and the three-barrel carb. Fingers crossed on that one.
To take the leap of faith needed to buy this CRX and get it back into service will require the outlay of $7,500 as that’s what the present owner asks in return for its clean title.
What’s your take on this CRX and that $7,500 asking? Does that seem like a fair price for so cute a sports car? Or, at that price, is this non-operational Honda destined to stay that way?
You decide!
San Diego, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Jason McDowell for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at rob@jalopnik.com and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.
