Why You Should NOT Buy a 90’s Honda Civic - EK Hatch Breakdown
Вставка
- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- There are so many great aspects of 90's Honda Civic ownership and in light of the crazy, new appreciation of JDM vehicles, it seems like a car that could do no wrong. Nowadays, the negatives are now often overlooked. In this video, I address all the issues and problems surrounding my new 1996 EK4 Honda Civic VTIR Project Car!
Apologies for the audio and the poor choice of microphone placement..😭
0:00 - Important Things To Know
2:28 - Exterior Condition, Paint & Rust
6:30 - Mechanical Health, Faults & Issues
9:41 - Interior State, Shortages & Problems
14:31 - Suspension, Bushings, Wheels & Tyres
17:12 - Final Thoughts
🚘Subscribe to the channel🚘
Stay up to the date with me on the latest in cars, builds and projects:
Instagram ► / claywong
Other videos you must watch:
► First Drive In The Kanjo Racer EK Hatch.. GONE WRONG: • Why You Should NOT Buy...
► REVEALING My New Rare Honda Civic EK4 Project Car: • REVEALING MY NEW Rare ...
► How Much It Cost To K Swap My Civic: • How Much It Cost To K ...
► Why I LOVE Owning a MODIFIED K20 Honda Civic “EG”: • Why I LOVE Owning a MO...
► My New JDM Integra Type R: • REVEALING MY NEW JDM I...
► Why This Integra Type R Is The Next BIG THING: • Why This Integra Type ...
For all collaborations and business inquiries please DM or email me directly.
Song Credits:
Distant by Ghostrifter bit.ly/ghostrifter-sc
Creative Commons - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported - CC BY-SA 3.0
Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/3k6BzQL
Music promoted by Audio Library • Distant - Ghostrifter ... - Авто та транспорт
Doesn't worry me at all in these older cars, got to do what you got to do. By the time you fix everything up, you might as well say you have a new old car which is better in my books nothing beats 90s JDM. 😎👍
@@trackshun Nothing!!
And that’s why we all love these things!❤️ Well said brother👌🏻
@@ClayWong Cheers Clay, love your Honda's and your content. Keep it up brother!😎👍
...and that is why i bought an EK4 rolling shell.
Plan is - Fix rust, seam weld, fresh paint, built B series. :)
I got a 93 EJ1 one owner it is stock and still is I use the stock wheel caps that came with the car. I’m going to keep the old look because to me it’s just a 28 year old car/civic. 😆 but despite all that I put brand new everything and drives like a brand new car going 80 is smooth . 😆 Oldie but a Goldie indeed.
I got a 99 Honda Civic ek3 Sedan (facelift) 1.5 vtec and I'll never let it go - couldn't care less about newer cars nor do I care if they're faster. All I can say is that if you love your car there's no need to justify or understand why, you just do, that's how love works. Stay safe, take care ppl✌️🎌
I have had two EG hatchbacks before and three DC Integras. Even though I have a R32 GTR now, these little Hondas are so much fun.
It’s truly a car that punches above its weight!👊
Same I had two eg and I still have a integra. I bought a new ctr fk8, but I missed my old Hondas so I bought a crx. Now I'm going to restore both the integra and the crx. Long live 90 jdm cars
@@enriquealvarez4702 Congrats on the CRX. They are hard to come by these days. Good luck on the build.
Felt that I have an ek hatch and ef sedan BOTH are my weekend cars n I daily a charger 🤣🤣 about to sell my charger to b honest to fund a j swap for my ef
@@doelacevedo858 Go for it bro. J swap will be insane in the EF!
I had a 1994 for about 5 years, the biggest problem I had was rust, apart from that it was a solid car.
Would rather another of these than a newer motor any day of the week! Owned mine for 13yrs and never skipped a beat, asked for nothing apart from a couple of wear and tear parts nearer the end of her life. I drove her sensibly, like she was stolen and sent it a lot of the time but she never grumbled once! Good, regular maintenance, which doesn't cost much for these, and they'll last forever!
Keeping my EK for life ! Newer cars don't handle the same and feel cheap in the hands, like steering and shifting is crap plasic feeling like something is going to come apart lol. And also they are big heavy and ugly. 90's hondas for life !
Planned on this also but you cannot predict other peoples driving 😔
Doesn’t get any better than these 90s Honda’s👌🏻
i was driving my moms 5spd 2014 jetta and the whole shift knob broke off in my hand i looked at it, had plastic threads. POS.
@@Kanjo_Retired thought the exact same was going to keep my b15 sentra SE-R forever until one idiot hit me going 50mph completely totaled it a week ago :(
@@kamalot1520 that's shit man! I'm in UK and drive a vauxhall and although trying to make it how it shudda come from factory (styling and upgrades) I literally rag the shit outta it, I do like it but it ain't the Honda so it feels the brunt of my right foot a lot! :(
You deserve way more subscribers for these amazing quality videos
Thank you so much mate, really appreciate the kind words!!✌🏻
Video quality never stops suprising me, good job man - keeping me going in Vic lockdown !
We’re going to get through this mate!🙌
The black sticky stuff on the sides is from where side skirts were once fitted.
Sikaflex.
Maso sikaflex for the side skirts 😁
Thank you heaps mate!! Couldn’t believe it had side skirts fitted on once upon a time🤣
EKs look really good, even in base model form. Very attractive car
Awesome, content… finally a build closer to home as I’m in Melbourne as well, watching the vids from the US can be a bit disconnecting as their aftermarket is different from Aus.
Watching this closely as I’m hoping to find a decent 90s Honda soon as a project 🤙🏽
Thanks so much for tuning in mate! Hope you’re staying safe✌🏻
Great vid 👍🏼was wondering if you were going to mention the bushes. Hondas are famous for the rear trailing arm bushes and often overlooked.
Amazing video, Sucks to be in lockdown in australia, here in perth is fine but i do wish you guys good luck to getting out of lockdown and doing what you love to do best. Minutes in and im already enjoying the video. Liked and Subscribed. Keep up the good work!
Nice video my man, keep this up!
I just bought an EK4 2 months ago for 2300 usd with 340.000 km as a projekt and have used close to 50 hours on it and maybe 4500 usd restoring
it for now. And just got it on plates and its just a good drivers car, i am not a tuner at all and with its power it pulls from 80 percent of whats out there
and they are becoming more and more rare.
These cars are so beautiful man
Good to see you keeping your spirits up in spite of all the BS going on... B series engines are starting to increase in value here in the States & I’m sure they are going up there as well. I would sell that B16 to offset costs and build an AWD K24 turbo or SC. Full Respray it to match your EG, tuck all the wires in the bay, full upgraded suspension, bushing, sway bars and put every spoon part you can get your hands on it. Wheels , brakes, wing, mirrors, brakes, lip. That thing will soon increase in value greater that what you spend on it, plus it will make for excellent content for your channel!
any links to that? I am a rookie in terms of cars how do you make this AWD thats something so cool to me
I have an (almost) new condition 1991 Civic Si (EF generation) and I daily drive it. I do (almost) all my own work, so I'm meticulous about keeping on top of maintenance and repairs. She still runs like it's the early 90s, and promises to run indefinitely.
For context, I also own a 1992 Lexus SC400 (90s Supra platform, but branded as a Lexus) which is amazing in its own right, and a 1997 Celica. I am all about that 90s life.
And you know what? The Civic is my favourite among the 3. People who don't know 90s Civics just wonder WHY I pour so much love and attention into what is now a 33 year old, "economy car." They simply have no idea how incredible these cars are, and how in reality, they provide a SUPERIOR owner experience to anything new. Being able to own an EF in 2024 -- in spite of all the issues that come with owning such and, "old," car -- is fully WORTH IT.
I just bought a 1996 Honda as well… already fully built tho… running a fully forged 1.6 16D motor with a big Garrett GT28… it does about 220wkw on low boost and about 330wkw on high boost with afgas…looks like a sleeper tho! I love it! And when I saw yours I immediately subscribed! Love this video! Keep it up!
I agree with you 100%, it's the reason why I sold my em1. It was always issues especially with the suspension.
Your editing skills are unreal man!!
May I ask what software you use to get the cinematic feel as you did with the intro?
Subscribed!
Have my ek 4 civic for 21 years and still drives like a dream 😍 dont know what your talking about to be honest haha
Dent on the bonnet from shopping trolley ? lol.. great video though.. big Honda fan from my younger years... keep up the good work with these videos. Looking forward to see what you do with this EK4.
Great content bro, i would love to see you build this ek4 from this point to its greatest form 👍 👌 👍 👌 👍 👌
Amazing cars I've owned all types of cars and nothing compares to the experience of driving an ek hatch never selling mine planning on doing k24 swap but I'm enjoying the 102hp on my d16 for now
The 5th generation Honda Civic is the absolute best. Maybe the best car ever made.
Yep.
I have to agree with you. Looks are so ahead of it’s time too!😍
@@ClayWong Eg gang 😈😈
whiteline swaybar kits do wonders on the ek, would highly recommend
Black goop would be from aftermarket side skirts Clay.
Looks about the height from the old days of carmate 'mugen' sideskirts.
For me, the LACK of all the, "upgraded," creature comforts is exactly what I want. Nothing to break!
Love this, a true driver’s car
Nice video! What is the color code on EG?
I bought the same front lip for the ek and definitely it needs to be adjusted as it supposed to line up straight and you can see it’s going up at the end
That EG looks so cleannnnnn
I think you should rebuild and turbo the b16 or put a turbo k20/24 in there. i’ve seen you review those boosted honda’s and you love it! would be awesome to see you have your own.
Absolutely spot on vid, a few additions to anyone thinking of buying one of these based on my personal experience. Especially for the buyer that intends on fixing it themselves "for cheap".
(this assumes you already have a reasonable tool kit available)
So to begin I managed to find a dc4 (non-vtec) integra with 360ish thousand KMs on the chassis and unknown on the engine for around $3600 DollaryDoos (about $2600 FreedomEagles) these use almost identical suspension to the civics.
So hopping into one of these for the first time (especially if you drove newer cars to get your license) the biggest thing you'll notice is that you're constantly wrestling the steering wheel side to side to try and make it go straight and at high speeds (100kmh/60mph) it's a nerve-wracking experience to keep it in your own lane.
One of the biggest factors that contribute to this are the tie rods (the two ball joints that connect your steering rack to the steering knuckle).
Replacing these on your own at a minimum will set you back 200 DollaryDoos/145 FreedomEagles for the inner and outer tie rods if you go with an OE style replacement (I went with ones made by Hardrace)
But this is a job that requires a specialty tool for removing/reinstalling the inner tie rods (60 DollaryDoos/45 FreedomEagles).
(It should be noted that in some parts of the world parts stores may rent these but if you don't have one close by factor it in to the cost)
Also after this is done you will need a wheel alignment (80 DollaryDoos/60 FreedomEagles)
So the current work running tally is 340 Dollarydoos/250 FreedomEagles.
Driving out of the alignment shop you'll notice a huge difference but something still doesn't feel right, it's easier to maintain lane position but still drifts side to side at higher speeds and that's where the bushings, upper control arms and lower ball joints come in.
So for someone who hasn't done this job before it took me about 25 hours with a friend (over the course of a week) to replace all of them.
In order to do this job you're gonna need to buy a 20 Ton Hydraulic press (don't try to cheap out here as it will make life hell) for the price of 330 Dollarydoos/240 FreedomEagles.
An oe style complete bushing kit from Hardrace cost me 560 Dollarydoos/410 FreedomEagles
While you're doing this job you will have to dismantle your suspension entirely so it's a good time to throw in adjustable upper control arms and adjustable rear lateral arms (You don't have to but the old ones are a PITA to replace the bushings in) and some replacement brake lines as the 25yr old rubber ones are pretty shagged.
So here's the total for this job
20T Press 330 Dollarydoos/240 FreedomEagles
Bushing kit 560 Dollarydoos/410 FreedomEagles
Upper control arms 340 Dollarydoos/250 FreedomEagles
Lower Ball Joints 150 Dollarydoos/110 FreedomEagles* ($75 ea)
Braided steel brake lines(set) 175 Dollarydoos/130 FreedomEagles
Adjustable rear lateral arms 160Dollarydoos/115 FreedomEagles
Another Alignment 80 Dollarydoos/60 FreedomEagles
Yes I'm aware they can be gotten cheaper but don't imgur /a/418OquY (that added the cost of a tow truck and another alignment as well as having to rebuild my cv, not to mention the fact if it happened at high speed I'd probably be dead right now)
Now the car finally goes in a straight line here's a few tips for anyone considering pulling the trigger on something older like this.
Upgrade your sway bar, I went with a 22mm unit from whiteline for a cost of 400 Dollarydoos/ 300 FreedomEagles < do this before forking out for coils
Prioritise replacing your coolant hoses, I went up the local mountain turned the car off to get out and take some photos and had one burst on me
So without the additional costs I incurred from trying to cheap out here's what it's cost me so far to make the car driveable
20T Press 330 Dollarydoos/240 FreedomEagles
Inner T-rod tool 60 Dollarydoos/45 FreedomEagles
Tie rods 200 Dollarydoos/145 FreedomEagles
Bushing kit 560 Dollarydoos/410 FreedomEagles
Upper control arms 340 Dollarydoos/250 FreedomEagles
Lower Ball Joints 150 Dollarydoos/110 FreedomEagles* ($75 ea)
Braided steel brake lines(set) 175 Dollarydoos/130 FreedomEagles
Adjustable rear lateral arms 160 Dollarydoos/115 FreedomEagles
Alignment 80 Dollarydoos/60 FreedomEagles
Aside from what was mentioned above Mine also required
Brake Pads $200
Front Rotors $150
Accessory Belts $75
Brake and clutch fluid change $20
Valve clearance inspection+adjustment ($0 if done yourself)
Valve Cover Gasket $150
Boot Struts $140
Fuel Filter $60
Spark plugs $40
And still requires
throwout or possibly input shaft bearing(s)
water pump + timing belt(due but no cracking on the belt)
struts/coilovers
window seals (front windscreen leaks into footwells in heavy rain)
engine mounts
Camshaft oil seals
Camshaft Cover
Sump Gasket
Valve Stem Seals
muffler (current one is rusting out in places)
So I've still got work to do on mine, but I'm a student and don't have massive amounts of disposable funds so doing work in stages has been the only way to make owning an Integra a reality and I have a motorbike for transport when the car is up on jackstands
My current costs are
Car 3600
Parts/specialty tools 3370Dollarydoos/2500 FreedomEagles
Weeks of my time
My sanity
Probably 200ml of blood from all the times I've cut myself working on it
and the car still has peeling clearcoat, leaks in the rain, rattles like mad in neutral and blows massive blue plumes of smoke after going down a hill.
But I love it nothing else I've ever driven handles like it, don't let it dissuade you if you want a project but don't expect to find a cheap example on marketplace and just drive it.
Are you alright or what
@@deeppocketz5487 Thankfully yes, it happened at low speeds on a round about so it couldn't have happened at a better time. Lesson learned though, don't cheap out on suspension components.
👍🏻🌹
@@wazza9612 no I mean by the way you’re writing. Dollary doos tf
Super informative advice mate! Well summarised👌🏻
I cant believe I sold my EK1 with B18C1 swap for $3000 back in 2019, still miss that car..
EG may be a tuning haven with its shortness and lightness, but it’s a death trap. You won’t drive it past 40 once you see its crash test. EK is better in safety, and based on a number of Best Motoring videos I’ve seen, handles nicer out of the box as well.
The black markings on the side of the car seems to only be behind the front tires and before the rear tires... To me it looks like someone could have had side skirts on the car or maybe even a whole body kit at some point and that could be why it's also got that dodgy respray. But that ek is definitely a beautiful blank canvas to make it just as nice and well rounded just like your eg. Can't wait to see how awesome this one's comes out.
I've got a '97 ek1.
She's beat up but runs great!
My 97 Honda Civic ej8 (sohc) still has a/c and cruise control. The only thing bad is the mileage, rust, and paint
Plus we didn't have all the resources or readily available jdm or other countries parts back in the 90's or 2000's, so we are lucky to have such a variety of parts at our chose!!!! Luv old skool jdms!
the sticky rubber on the side is from previous side skirts that were removed
Spartan interior, no creature comforts, manual windwos, no AC...? All I hear are positives #driverscar 😂
My favourite kind of driver’s cars!🔥
Ek go for $3-4k here in California in ok condition. I got me a bare EK shell for $500 and i think im in for $3k so far in complete rebuild, Jdm engine, new bushings all around and also takin parts from my 2nd car ex coupe. Still need paint job. After 2 years of doing the work my self I'm totally satisfy of the work I put in and the results. My favorite civic is still the EG, but they are harder to find parts for.
I myself have a 96 civic coupe Ex 5 speed manual with 432k miles and still going. not the original D16Y8 engine but everything else is. in the process of hunting down original motor
Two of my favorite cars growing up first car was 93.civic eg then my dream car was an ek9 😂🥰😍🔥
The black rubber stuff could be remnants of the car having aftermarket side skirts in the past. It could be old glue used to hold them on.
The sticky grime on the side of the car are most likely from aftermarket side skirts which were probably glued on. I suspect it use to have mugen or mugen style aero side skirts.
Hope to see the line up at the next Sakura fest
Hey Clay,
i just bought an EG and my tail lights dont light up all the way like yours do. the driving lights are just the small outer ones and when i brake those lights just get brighter.
Can you help me out ?
Greetings from Germany
Hi Clay, I'm considering buying a EG (with kswap) from interstate. Can you recommend any mechanics here in Melbourne to get a RWC? Thanks PS. keep up the great work with the vids!
Did you find any mechanics to do that ?
just bought myself my dream project, ej9 hatch with a 1.4, needs a tiny bit of rust repair and a bit of new paint. the color is Milano Red
I really like that EG though.
Sorry if i missed it, the center console works? A/C and buttons? That swap is extremely involved 😨 the most practical is to install the levers in the lowest area of the center console and add a double din stereo. 👍👍 Very cool to see that swap.
Man.. I do miss my EK4 but was worth selling it to get a DC5R Kfrank 👌🏿
Nice ek hatch and nice eg hatch
Hey I'm just wondering if a preface lift ek civic's headlight will fit onto the facelift ek civic (2000)
When are you going to build Integra type r?
I brought my ej9 back in January paint is good everything is good few dents and minimal rust here and there but its true what he's saying you cant find a mint example for this age also i have the base model which is the 90hp ej9 all electric windows mirrors sunroof,dont know what there like in the Australian market but has (creature comforts)
90hp might not seem like much but it’s so fun to drive, almost like driving a go cart
@@nle_init2751 exactly that bro
Base models had no sunroof or electrics bud ;) only reason i liked mine!
@@Kanjo_Retired oh 😅 mine feels pretty basic compared to a lot of other cars iv had but wouldn’t sell the civic
If the "rubber material" question hasn't been answered in the past year or so I'll answer. It's adhesive used to glue a fancy side skirt on, this car was likely riced up a bit and had some hotboi body kit, and instead of riv'ing the kit into the body the owner at the time made a smart choice and used a strong adhesive to bond the shirts to the body.
Does the hatch handle better than the sedan? I have a 90s civic sedan and thinking of repainting it instead of getting a new car
I want an EG most, ek also
You didn't need to say you're in Australia. I picked it up as soon as you spoke.
Keep it stock vi-rs interior is very rare ,probably go 90's purist with it with old rays and stick with that body color take care of that interior man those go for a lot in the Philippines
What is the best price and right question to ask the owner when searching for a 90s civic?
I love Honda
Does anyone know where I can buy tires like the ones on the EK?
Yes clay, it COULD be leaking bucket loads of oil!
I have "wird" civic VI hh , MB9 - aerodeck D15Z8 ... missmatch betwen rover 45 and normal civic . Like it verry much but it's already 26yo and things starts to fail ... it's far from perfect but still love it , maybe not fast but still fun and agile car :D Mine is a bit better spec'd . It has leather seats , sunroof , full electric mirrors/doors ... but not A/C sadly .
Living with it as a daily for almost a year :D
The problem with owning old Honda vehicles is the mindset.
With the current upbringing of having always New or near New consumers products, the realisation of the level of repair and maintenance needed is very painful to new owners and in more cases than not takes too long (for our modern quick gratification upbringing) and too much money (modern economic reasoning focused on market value not useful value). Just a couple of mindsets that genuine enthusiasts do not operate on.
Best car to steal and gotta keep em safe
Oil change every 3k kilometers?? That's a bit excessive I think. Most people change it every 15-20k kilometers. I would understand 8k if you driving more aggressively, but every 3k?
3rd gear grind and throttle position sensors are hard to find. Otherwise perfect cars.
Thanks i will.
my family has a clean auto d16 ek sedan since 2000
superior low mileage （aroubd
10k
never crash
motor still healthy
no rust
less machine issues
and it's cheap to maitain
only issue is motor swapping or even auto to manual swap is illigal in taiwan
or it's a great chassis for budget track car
What color does the eg have?
My '97 Civic still runs strong! It has over about 600,000 km
What engine do you have?
@@TheLTcousins The one that came with the LX model sedan. I think it is the 1.6L
@@SJHFoto i think that was the SOHC engine, still impresive ! I have seen for sale a DOHC b16a2 with 550k km in hungary still on the original engine,awesome cars.
@@TheLTcousins Nice
king clay
ok bro this goes for almost all cars 😂
Need help in queensland finding honda parts, facebook marketplace isnt very consistent for replacement parts. anyone know any australian based part distributors or makers?
Did Australia get the EF civics?
The only problem of this 90s honda car is the roof they are prone to rust. You could see the paint of the roof chipping because of the rust
Hey Brother. Transform this Ek4 into Ek9 ?
First love this car
I'm not a fwd person, but I love the EKs
Personally I'm a Honda fan, and a car being front-wheel-drive does not worry me. Simple fact, doing doughnuts in a rear wheel drive car drifting or a better burnout. Has nothing to do with performance, which is why I don't understand when it comes to people's preference because that is the only difference there.
@@igvtec welcome to the internet where people have different opinions, I'm not here to disrespect anyone's preferences. I've owned FWD turbos before, it was fun at the time, I just prefer RWD any day of the week.
@@nauseous3925 yeah I know mate just people's preferences, a lot of the time you get people bagging on them for little reasons like that. Just saying it's got nothing to do with a performance stand point.
@@igvtec yeah all g mate, no dramas at all. I mean something about a screamer weapon like an NA EK i've always liked the idea of but never owned.
i bought my honda civic ek 3 hatch 1998 automatic trans for 300 euros and is was supposed my daily for a half a year and then scrappit but i will restore it also have the same paint problem
What do you mean by major service?
Try a caramel wheel on the black rubber “stuff” … maybe
Buying an older Honda is a bad idea? Huh? ALL of these issues are not issues that are uncommon to owning ANY older car. 90's hondas are simply the NEW muscle cars for those born in the 80's. These things just come with the territory.
I love my ej1👍🏁
I know this video is older now, but your mic and puffer jacket don't mix very well. I can hear every crinkle it makes.
Ek3 👌 ☺
Sikaflex on sides an to remove a knife or razor blade with tyre shine as lubricant.
Be careful.
I hate the fact that my EG3 hasn’t got cup holders!
Do a J Swap next
is your eg for sale?
So what you’re saying I should buy it 😈😈😈
how much you got that? new subs here! 🖐
Hi Clay, EK9 CTR replica please. Another awesome video keep up the great work. Also I think the black glue could be leftover residue from a body kit sideskirt.
EF chassis guys are smashing their keyboards hearing you call an EK old 😂