Del Sol, what say you?

[iLEktron]

Thinking about buying this car to save gas and just over all to drive around till end of summer.
Have you ever had one? are they reliable? what are some of the common problems that appear. I know its old but what are your opinions? feedback ?


I will commute to work 20 miles everyday. I don't drive a lot, Im in chicago.
Thanks you will be much help !

 

[Arkaign]

Thinking about buying this car to save gas and just over all to drive around till end of summer.
Have you ever had one? are they reliable? what are some of the common problems that appear. I know its old but what are your opinions? feedback ?


I will commute to work 20 miles everyday. I don't drive a lot, Im in chicago.
Thanks you will be much help !

Pros :

Fun (good handling for a FF, fairly light, not too slow for an i4)
Cheap to operate with stock tires/brakes/etc
Reliable, not complicated to work on, easy to replace stereo head unit
Not super common, and a non-riced example is fairly rare
Cheap to insure
Probably doesn't have much more depreciation left to worry about (take good care of it and maybe fix up any blemishes, may even gain in value)

Negatives :

Not all that safe (just a fact with small cars, and this predates side airbags/etc)
Tiny, so more than one passenger is literally impossible unless you stuff them in the "trunk"
Could have been abused ?? that's any used car though
Gearing, even with the 5spd, isn't really set for amazing fuel economy, runs high rpm at ~70
Easy and popular target for theft, there's a big market out there for Honda parts of all types, and these things can be stripped to the bone in a flash. If you care about it research some kind of anti-theft solutions.
Also with the size/height. You will have a hard time seeing around even regular sedans in it, and will be totally unable to see around SUVs/vans/trucks/tall hedges/etc. Likewise those vehicles will have a harder time seeing you.

all in all I think it's worth a look. if you have any mechanic friends to check it out as well, all the better. I think there was some consideration that the chassis is prone to cracks/bends, but I'm not sure how severe or relevant that is.

 

[dawp]

Del Sols have a history of body flex when the roof is removed. might want to see if the one(s) you are interested in have been reinforced.

 

[boomhower]

I had one in college and absolutely loved the damned thing. It was essentially perfect for the purpose. Enough room for me and my girl. When it came bar time I was never the one stuck carting everyone around. Dead nuts reliable, good gas mileage. Only issue I had was it started rusting around the rear wheel wells. Stock clutch went out at 130k when a dumb test drove it when I was trying to sell it.

One good point is it dries out quickly if it gets rained in. It happened quite frequently with me. 30 minutes in the sun and it's good to go. Also they don't have a dinger for when you leave your lights one. I would suggest keeping a jump box in the trunk.

 

[cr2250]

Pros :

Fun (good handling for a FF, fairly light, not too slow for an i4)
Cheap to operate with stock tires/brakes/etc
Reliable, not complicated to work on, easy to replace stereo head unit
Not super common, and a non-riced example is fairly rare
Cheap to insure
Probably doesn't have much more depreciation left to worry about (take good care of it and maybe fix up any blemishes, may even gain in value)

Negatives :

Not all that safe (just a fact with small cars, and this predates side airbags/etc)
Tiny, so more than one passenger is literally impossible unless you stuff them in the "trunk"
Could have been abused ?? that's any used car though
Gearing, even with the 5spd, isn't really set for amazing fuel economy, runs high rpm at ~70
Easy and popular target for theft, there's a big market out there for Honda parts of all types, and these things can be stripped to the bone in a flash. If you care about it research some kind of anti-theft solutions.
Also with the size/height. You will have a hard time seeing around even regular sedans in it, and will be totally unable to see around SUVs/vans/trucks/tall hedges/etc. Likewise those vehicles will have a harder time seeing you.

all in all I think it's worth a look. if you have any mechanic friends to check it out as well, all the better. I think there was some consideration that the chassis is prone to cracks/bends, but I'm not sure how severe or relevant that is.

I just sold mine last week, I agree completely of everything you said. The car was fun, A LOT of fun. It was a very revvy car. I had the exclusive obnoxious green one with only 86xxx miles. Definitely a garage queen.

The trunk leaked A LOT and there were some cracks forming near the rear quarter panel, I'm guessing due to body flex. And the ride is not comfortable at all, its like a mini-go cart. Maybe if it was summer I wouldn't have been so eager to get rid of it.

I sold it for 4500 cash...yes a 1993 Honda civic del sol for 4500. Insane right? I paid 4000 though so it's just part of the "Honda tax."

I gave it up mostly due to safety reasons. The more I thought about it, I figured it wasn't worth it, especially being my daily driver. If I got into an accident in that car, no doubt would it be in my parents minds if I will even be able to walk out alive, unlike say if I bought a bigger newer compact sedan (which I did, 2004 elantra).

if I'm going to die in a car accident due to it being tiny, it better not be a del sol but something more like a z06

I made sure the new owners were going to take care of it (it really was a clean and rare car in the condition it was in). They're going to garage it for the life of the car and only drive it in summers.

 

[m0r1san]

1995 Del Sol Si (125hp 5MT) was my first car back in high school!

Pros:
- Great mileage. I was hitting 35mpg+ hwy. As a broke high school student who had to drive 50 miles to the closest movie theater, this was worth it alone.
- Great handling. This was made back when Honda made proper cars with double wishbone suspension all around. Not as a good as a Miata due to FWD, but pretty damn good.
- Targa top is fun.
- I could fit 2 golf bags and a cooler in the trunk.
- Extremely easy car to work on - it got me into cars, engine bay is huge, interior is simple for wiring whatever you want, etc, etc. Changing the head unit takes 5 minutes (slide-out, slide-in).

Cons:
- If you get in a head-on collision over 40mph, you are basically dead. If you are a not a defensive driver, I can't recommend this car.
- 2 seater.
- Targa top seals squeak (fixable).
- It's gonna be hard to find one in good condition now. I wouldn't worry about the rice-factor as much as finding one in IL without heavy rust.

Good luck man!

 

[m0r1san]

Also they don't have a dinger for when you leave your lights one. I would suggest keeping a jump box in the trunk.

This.

 

[Harrod]

I had a co-worker who claimed that she got about 40 mpg out of her's, it wasn't the si model though, those are geared incredibly low and get low 30's.

 

[Arkaign]

I had a co-worker who claimed that she got about 40 mpg out of her's, it wasn't the si model though, those are geared incredibly low and get low 30's.

Maybe that's the deal. I drove a 95 Si for a while, and it was great, but the gearing was super aggressive. I'd be up close to or beyond 4k rpm on the freeway in 5th gear, and getting about 25mpg combined (some of that due to my heavy foot and that motor is fun to rev). But even when I tried for fuel economy, I never saw much more than 30 highway, 25 city.

Going slow and keeping speeds at or under 60, the usual hypermiler stuff, I could see getting up there though. But that totally defeats the fun

 

[Harrod]

Maybe that's the deal. I drove a 95 Si for a while, and it was great, but the gearing was super aggressive. I'd be up close to or beyond 4k rpm on the freeway in 5th gear, and getting about 25mpg combined (some of that due to my heavy foot and that motor is fun to rev). But even when I tried for fuel economy, I never saw much more than 30 highway, 25 city.

Going slow and keeping speeds at or under 60, the usual hypermiler stuff, I could see getting up there though. But that totally defeats the fun

I know for a fact that it is, I had another co-worker who did a b16 swap and was running between 4-5k at 70 on the interstate, and complained about his mileage.

I asked him one day why he didn't just do a regular non-vtec swap with a bigger engine(b18b or b20), and save money on the v-tec tax. Because the power would be about the same with better torque, he never really answered the question though.

If my integra ever gets hit, and totaled, I will probably buy a del sol and move all of my type-r parts over to it.

 

[Arkaign]

Interesting! I always wanted to do a B18C5 swap + turbo, but decided against it in the end, swapped to a Prelude 5g and did a jackson SC, what a mistake, a fun mistake, but I had all the fuel economy of a V8, and had to disable ATTS.

 

[cr2250]

Shot at 2011-08-23

Just sold this car, excellent condition.


If you do buy the Del Sol, I bought the targa top seals for $$$ and would be interested in getting rid of them for a lower price.

 

[iLEktron]

Thanks for all the responses, I'm sold. I mean for the money I will drive the car till the end of summer and buy something newer. With that being said anyone got one for sale in the midwest area
CS scouting.

 

[Harrod]

You would probably end up getting something that has rust on it if you buy one that has been in the northern winters, there is one on ebay that has been in florida that I would think about if it's not too far.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1994...4526295?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item41614108d7

 

[hanoverphist]

my brothers best friend had one of those back in the 90s, he got broadsided by a ford pick up and killed. but if you can get past the safety part of it, they are great little fun cars. easy to work on and fairly reliable.

 

[dud]

Wasn't the Del Sol rated to be one of the most feminine cars of all time?

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

my brothers best friend had one of those back in the 90s, he got broadsided by a ford pick up and killed. but if you can get past the safety part of it, they are great little fun cars. easy to work on and fairly reliable.

if a ford pick up broadsided another ford pickup there probably would still be someone dead. Yes the car is small, and you will need to learn to drive defensively because of that, but dont let that discourage you from driving what you want.

Wasn't the Del Sol rated to be one of the most feminine cars of all time?

This is a more legit reason to be discouraged from buying the car

 

[hanoverphist]

if a ford pick up broadsided another ford pickup there probably would still be someone dead. Yes the car is small, and you will need to learn to drive defensively because of that, but dont let that discourage you from driving what you want.

hehe it doesnt discourage me, i ride motorcycles and also DD a civic hatchback. i was just putting some perspective on what he was looking at possibly driving is all, defensive driving with a bit of offensive to keep yourself alive is a given.

 

[Ben90]

My first car was a Del Sol. Absolutely loved it. Airbag only took a few seconds to deploy after this:

 

[manimal]

^ A few seconds? Tell us a story granpa!!

 

[Ben90]

I was driving on the Interstate during a pretty beefy monsoon. Some guy hydroplaned into the guard rail, and I slid under the lifted jeep that hit him. It was a very gentle impact (for me at least) since most of the kenetic energy went into pushing my car down and the jeep into the air.

While sitting in the drivers seat, letting everything sink in, the anemic airbag coughed out upwards of 25% of a full bag. Not bad I say.

 

[hanoverphist]

i like those rims.

 

[manimal]

I was driving on the Interstate during a pretty beefy monsoon. Some guy hydroplaned into the guard rail, and I slid under the lifted jeep that hit him. It was a very gentle impact (for me at least) since most of the kenetic energy went into pushing my car down and the jeep into the air.

While sitting in the drivers seat, letting everything sink in, the anemic airbag coughed out upwards of 25% of a full bag. Not bad I say.

Wow glad you walked away easy. Not bad at all. I had a horrible feeling you got into an accident and while trying to get out of the car the bags blew on you.