Vehicle Description
1983 Honda Civic 1300 Hatchback
The model that still sells in excess of 200,000 units in the U.S.
was the "it" car in the early 1980's. Very few compact cars could
compete with its space, handling, gas mileage, reliability, and
rather attractive design and proportions. As a result, they were
everywhere, or at least they seemed to be. Records show that
137,469 were sold in the U.S. in 1983 and by then, almost a million
from previous years were already on the road.
For consignment, a 1983 Honda Civic 1300 hatchback with at title
verified 14,711 actual miles. Not only might this be the only one
for sale in the country as we write this, (according to
Classic.com), but it may be the one of the lowest mileage examples
around. We can't substantiate that, but how many people preserved a
1983 Honda Civic by keeping it in the garage and not driving it?
Not many, to be sure.
Exterior
Single stage Oslo Ivory paint is a fancy name for beige, a color
not uncommon in the 80's for commuter cars. 1983 saw a facelift
which created a more integrated front fascia with square headlights
between a more refined grille and a slightly beefier wrap around
bumper. But the "cute" shape remained and is adorned with a
pinstripe that follows the contours of the rear window to climb the
C-pillar. The simple square tri-colored tail lights come at the end
of a hatch that waterfalls to the rear panel, clean here,
unobstructed by body lines and chrome. Honda's slogan for the '83
Civic was "We Make it Simple" and looking at the efficient use of
metal and glass in this practical design says it all. 12-inch steel
wheels are in great shape and every piece of plastic, metal, and
paint on the car is showroom fresh. We could not find glaring
imperfections.
Interior
A beige exterior lends itself to a tan interior, which begins with
simple vinyl door panels and fitting the scale of the car, the
hardware is diminutive. It may have been an economy car, but Honda
went above and beyond designing the seats which are tan vinyl
buckets with black piping and a perforated tuck and roll patterned
insert looking very smart and clean. The rear seats where we
routinely piled in a few more high school friends, are 2+2 style
and mirror the pattern and level of tidiness. Honda's simplicity
mantra is exhibited in the control center with an uncomplicated
steering wheel, a molded brown plastic dashboard housing a simple
gauge cluster with only essential information that includes speed,
fuel level, and engine temp. All other systems are monitored with
idiot lights. A storage bin is built into the dash pad which hovers
over the vent controls and an AM/FM radio while vents are up high
on the dash flanking a Honda plastic nameplate. It's all spotless,
practically museum quality preservation here. A floor mounted stick
shift rises straight up and is topped with a black knob while the
low pile tan carpet is fresh with just a few spots indicating a
human has been in this car at some point. The headliner is tight
and unmarred.
Drivetrain
A 1.3 liter SOHC inline 4 cylinder engine is spotless under the
hood, as expected. The engine is rated at 62 horsepower and
depending on the source, gas mileage was rated anywhere between
high 30's and mid 40's per gallon. Sipping the gas for the engine
is a 1-barrel carburetor and setting the car in motion is a 4-speed
manual transmission keeping power to front wheels with 4.066
gearing. Power disc brakes occupy the front and power drums in the
rear.
Undercarriage
Surface rust happens, even on well preserved cars with low low
miles. It rears its ugly head on the exhaust and suspension
components in particular, but also on the edges of the frame. The
belly pans are clean and there's no sign of oil leaks. A single
exhaust pipe travels through a stock style muffler. MacPherson
struts are employed on the independent suspension found on both
front and rear axles.
Drive-Ability
Flashes of my 1983 Tercel come to mind as it shared exterior and
interior colors with the Honda and that rather sparse interior. But
that was in the early days of economy compact cars. The little
engine fires up and we shift through the gears to get it going. It
wasn't built for speed, rather to get you from point A to point B
and it does so here in fine fashion and with no malfunctions. Every
bit of operational equipment worked as intended. While Classic Auto
Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of
our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working
at the time of your purchase.
Sure, it's Radwood fodder, but you could take this to any car show
and be an instant hit. It's one of those once ubiquitous cars that
all but disappeared from the roadway landscape yet seeing one
brings back memories and elicits emotions from everyone because
it's a car that played a part in most Americans lives at one time
or another, (at least, those of us 50 or older). Get your hands on
this rare example in near flawless condition!
JHMSL4311DS031634
J-Japan
H-Honda Motor Company
M-Multi Purpose Passenger Car
SL-Civic 1.3 Liter I4
4-4 Speed Manual
3-2 Door Hatchback
1-Base Model
1-Check Digit
D-1983
S-Suzuka, Japan Assy Plant
031634-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in
person.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
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