I bought my 96 Explorer in 2003. It had electrical problems, burned a quart of oil with every tank of gas, overheated, and rusted out. It was ugly, too - the 94s were much nicer to look at.

On the bright side, it was very capable off road. But then, who wants to be able to go 100s of kms off road only to have their ride break down and be stranded.

I had my 4 cylinder 95 Accord from 2001 until 2007. It had almost 400,000kms on it when I sold it and was still running great. This car was not well cared for either. It was in a major accident before I bought it, was in another fairly big accident after I bought it, it was stollen by some youths who took it for a joyride and left in a field, and after all this it still developed no significant mechanical problems.

The 94-97 models were smaller Accords but still more spacious than late model Civics. It was great in the snow too. The biggest downside was the body. Like so many Hondas, the back wheel wells rusted out early and repeatedly.

Overall a great, reliable car.

The 94-97 models were smaller Accords but still more spacious than late model Civics. It was great in the snow too. The biggest downside was the body. Like so many Hondas, the back wheel wells rusted out early and repeatedly.

Overall a great, reliable car.

This was my first car, bought it for $1200 in 1997. It was the carburated 302. Spacious inside and spacious under the hood, it was a cinch to fix. And boy, did I ever get a lot of practice fixing it. By the time I sold it (for $750 in 2001), it had 380,000kms and was still solid enough to make a great demo derby car!

Unbeatable reliability. The Civic is the best car in the world. You simply will not find another car that is cheaper to own and operate once you consider the initial cost, maintenance and repairs, fuel consumption, and insurance over the lifetime of the car. The only reason *not* to own a Civic is if you need something bigger.