So a week or so ago I was searching around epinions for fun. I figured I'd see what people said about my car. After a few variations of a search for Honda Civic 1998 and no results I was in shock. My car not in the epinions database?! It was an outrage. So I sent an email to Vara and he added my car to the database (Thanks!).
When I was 18 I was on my own, taking 18 credit hours, working 50 hours a week and feeling like I was coolest kid (oh no wait, take that back, adult!) around. I was doing so well, in fact, that I could afford to buy a new car to replace my 1988 Toyota Corolla.
I convinced my dad to come to San Francisco, where I was going to school, to cosign on a car for me, with the understanding that I would be paying for it on my own, and that I had already decided on the car I wanted before he traveled out to sign for it. Well I knew what I wanted. I'd known what car I wanted from before I could drive. I wanted a Honda Civic. I didn't even test drive any other cars! When I bought my car in July 1998, it had 7 miles, 3 of which were from my test drive.
I suppose you could say I was dumb for not even test driving other cars. Another car company even was having the 'test drive and don't buy we'll give you $100' deal. But I knew I loved the way civics looked (oh naive me) and that's all I really cared about.
Yes the look of the car isn't the only thing that matters. In fact I had never been in a civic before the test drive so I didn't know the interior or how it handled, but I loved the exterior. Of all the civic year models I'd say 1999 is my favorite exterior, with 1998 being a close second. And 1999 wasn't available yet, so you can't fault me there. My friend bought a Infiniti g20 which had a very similar body style for $6k more than my car. And even the BMW 3 series have a similar body style and they are almost twice as expensive.
I lived in San Francisco, without boyfriend, and definitely without kids, so I got a two door coupe, rather than the four door or hatchback which were also available. I also was sure as heck not going to learn to drive a stick shift on the hills of SF, so I got an automatic transmission. There is a good amount of trunk space. I do a lot of grocery shopping using this car. The two door body style does make it a little difficult to get into the backseat. My dad, who is 6'2", in particular dislikes getting in the back. But the front chairs move forward easily and still leave a fair amount of space for all the passengers when moved around.
I have been extremely satisfied with my car since my purchase. Yesterday I broke 89,000 miles and I have had no real mechanical problems at all. It handles really well. It brakes well. I've never noticed any transmission problems. The sound system is still great.
In general I take good care of my car, oil changes every 3750 miles, per manual, change spark plugs, transmission flushes. I basically follow the manual scheduled maintenance to the word. I 'try' not to drive over 80 ever. And my Civic has never failed me.
There are just a few gripes I have about this car. I bought the DX, which is the coupe without power anything. Unfortunately this also meant no A/C. This was added! Also the warranty was only 3 year/36,000 miles. I had out-driven my warranty in less than two years. (I drove between LA and SF at least once a month the first year, which with about 35 mpg average is pretty cost effective gas-wise). And my A/C needed a tube/pipe replaced at 38,000 miles which was right at two years of ownership but not covered under warranty.
Currently my only problem is that it makes a weird humming/whining noise occasionally, which sounds a bit like a loose belt. I've taken it to several car places to have it looked at and they say there is nothing wrong. I figure if they could charge me to fix it they'd take my money, but no one has an answer, so I live with it.
I did add some aftermarket things to my car. It didn't come with a cd changer so I bought a 6-disk changer for the trunk. I also bought an alarm, tinted the windows, and bought a performance air filter. I also bought the blue headlights, but those are illegal in Missouri, so once they burned out I didn't replace them. There are SOOOO many other items that can be purchased for my model year. There are stores in Southern California where basically all they do is trick out Civics. Rims, exhaust systems, lights, you name it, it can be done.
My year came in 5 or 6 exterior colors and 2 or 3 interior colors, I believe. The dials for heating/cooling along with how the windshield wipers and lights work are very easy to use. The dials in the dash are easy to read. The odd thing is that there is no rotations per minute meter (I think that's what it is called). Most other cars have it, where you can see when it's idling that it's under 1, but my Honda is lacking one. Not that I have ever really missed having one.
Safety features include driver and passenger side airbags. Anti-lock brakes were an option.
My speakers work well, the upholstery is still in great shape. The driver seatbelt has lost a little of its spring though and I keep meaning to find out how to fix it. However in general there is not much to complain about on this car. I love this car and plan to keep it at least another 5 years. 100,000 miles here I come, and maybe one day 200,000!
Well that's my first ever car review. I probably won't write many in this category. But I hope you found it helpful if you are in the market for a 1998 Honda Civic.
This review is part of the Write Your Butt Off w/o hosted by Maggsmom. 
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