A period shot of the first-generation Civic. They were everywhere back in the day.
The first Honda Civic punched far above its weight—for consumers and the environment. The nicely preserved first-generation 1976 Civic now listed on eBay Motors was once ubiquitous on American roads, but is now surprisingly rare. It’s a one-owner car, painted a vivid shade of orange, with a four-speed manual and front disc brakes. It’s priced at $16,995.
“The gaps are still tight, the paint is shiny, and all the unusual little bits and pieces are still intact,” the seller said. The car features “nice chrome bumpers, a jaunty roof rack, and those familiar taillights out back.” It will “trigger memories for everyone who sees it.” The newer CD player is the only non-stock addition. Total mileage is unknown, though the odometer registers 2,196 miles.
This is as nice a 1976 Honda Civic as you’re likely to find.
The first-generation Civic isn’t considered a classic—at least not yet. As they continue to rust away, scarcity should increase their value. And the car’s importance is likely to be recognized. Along with the Toyota Corolla, it was the first big mass-market success for a Japanese car in the U.S.
Before the Civic, Honda was mostly known for its motorcycles and other devices with small gas engines. The Honda Museum in Motegi, Japan, for instance, showcases a lot of lawn mowers. The Honda S500 of 1963 was a tiny engineering marvel, sporting a 500-cc twin-overhead-cam engine that could be revved to 9,500 rpm. But it (and the successors S600 and N600) were too small to be anything more than a curiosity in the U.S. Enter the Civic.
The early Civic came in 3- and 5-door hatchback versions.
“When the Honda Civic splashed down on our shores for the 1973 model year, it might as well have been an alien transport pod,” Car and Driver wrote. “Sporting a transversely mounted engine, front-wheel drive, a fully independent suspension, quirky-cute styling, and room for four, the Honda Civic was everything the current domestic small cars weren’t.” At a time when cars like the Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega were mechanically mundane under their new skins, the Civic was innovative.
Luggage space was modest.
Aside from a high level of standard equipment, 40 miles per gallon when the fuel crisis was still fresh, and a low price ($2,200 base in 1973), the Civic featured (as an option beginning in 1975) the company’s new 1,488-cc Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion (CVCC) four-cylinder engine. The transversely mounted, water-cooled motor had the benefit of meeting early Environmental Protection Agency emissions standards without the need of a catalytic converter. The car for sale on eBay has the CVCC option.
The Civic was still small (just 139.8 inches long, riding on 12-inch wheels), but it seated four adults, with decent rear legroom, in either three- or five-door hatchback form, and there was even a wagon (introduced in 1975). This example uses a carburetor, which sits in an engine bay “in need of a deep clean,” the seller says.
These cars were easy to drive, if somewhat susceptible to being buffeted by crosswinds. The four-speed (a five-speed was also offered) was easy to shift and came with a light clutch. Visibility was excellent all around, and dependability was excellent.
The Civic’s original interior is beautifully detailed.
The Civic wasn’t a luxury car, but it was what many Americans wanted then—and now. Through early 2015, 18.5 million were sold (7.3 million of them in the U.S.). U.S. sales in 1976 were 132,286, and they’ve never been that low again. In 2017, sales were 377,286.
The huge sales make parts for the early Civics easy to find on eBay, even if the cars themselves are somewhat scarce. \
The humble 1976 Civic on eBay Motors doesn’t look much like the current model, but the core values of low price, fuel economy, and stellar build quality are common to both cars. The first-gen tagline “It’ll get you where you’re going” is still true.
