By: David Bellm
Looking for sports-car kicks, but with the abundance of speed
parts and vast modification potential of a Civic? Look no
further than Honda's feisty little CRX.
These pocket-size coupes made their debut for 1984. Essentially
a two-seat version of the redesigned Civic also introduced that
year, the CRX was initially aimed at people who sought frugal
commuting (base 1.3-liter versions had EPA fuel economy ratings
of 51 mpg city, 67 highway).
But the real news for enthusiasts came the following year when
Honda gave the CRX its sporty Si version, which included
upgraded suspension, performance-oriented tires, and a hotter
91-hp version of its 1.5-liter engine -- good for
sub-nine-second 0-60 mph times in the featherweight car.
For 1988, an all-new CRX bowed, based again on a new Civic
platform. CRX's wheelbase increased, and this second-generation
design was somewhat heavier and bigger overall. Fortunately,
performance remained in the same league, with the Si's
horsepower rating increasing to 105, then 108 the following
year. For 1990, CRX got four-wheel-disc brakes.
As sweet of a car as it was, this generation of CRX was destined
to be the last -- Honda discontinued the line after 1991,
replacing it with the similar but open-roofed Del Sol several
years later.
Today, used CRXs are pretty easy to find, but it can sometimes
be hard to gauge their true value -- completely stock ones are
showing up less and less since these cars became immensely
popular with sport-compact fans. The price of a particular CRX
can often depend on the various upgrades it's received.
Popular mods include body kits, custom paint, aftermarket
wheels, and hotter VTEC engine swaps. As with any modified car,
look closely at how well upgrades are executed. In most cases,
the work will have been done by the car's owner, whose talent,
budget, and experience are unknowns.
Most CRXs now sell for less than $5000, with many of them below
$3000. Those sub-$3k CRXs tend to be unmodified. And unmodified
CRXs also tend to be unrestored.
That can be an important point, because all CRXs are at least 14
years old -- a lot them are pretty tired. You aren't likely to
find a CRX with less than 100,000 miles at this point. Therefore
buyers who want a completely stock example to start with will
need to carefully consider how much money and patience they're
willing to devote to basic mechanical repairs.
First-generation CRXs are getting kind of scarce, but if you
have your heart set on their lighter weight and trimmer
dimensions, those cars can be found with a little patience. And
one plus is that they tend to show up in the lower end of the
price range.
Regardless of what generation or level of modification, Honda's
little CRXs can offer big-time fun. They're good performers to
start with, there's plenty of aftermarket stuff available, and
prices are about as low as performance cars go. Check 'em out.
For more on affordable performance cars, along with drive-test
articles on today's hottest sports cars, sport compacts, and
muscle cars, go to http://www.autiv.com/
About the author:
David Bellm is a seasoned test driver and automotive writer. His
work has been featured in a wide variety of online and print
publications.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment