There’s something fun about driving what looks to be an ordinary car, but with right-hand-drive, in North America. People will expect it to be an ordinary car, so unlike having a right-hand-drive version of something unusual, they won’t look too closely and probably get pretty confused when you get into what they think is the passenger seat. Once you’re past that, though, the older Honda Civics hold up as pretty cool compact cars, more so if you consider one that’s got none of the nasty North American emissions compromises, in addition to sweet 1980s lower-door decals and Mugen wheels. If you want a reliable daily driver that will also throw people for a loop, have a look at this 1984 Honda Civic 1500S for sale for $4500 in Boise, ID.
With 124,000 miles, you’ll probably want to check for symptoms of oil consumption, and it’s said to have minor rust on the rockers and side moldings. Other non-North American features include flush headlights, rear fog lights, and the S version accounts for the mud guards and front lip spoiler. The car also comes with a rare factory spoiler, presumably to be mounted above the rear window.
The car is said to be working well, with everything functional. The interior looks to be in great shape, and this is where (northern) European market cars have an advantage since they don’t get the sun damage you see in Western US survivors. The car has also been upgraded with what looks to be a period Nardi steering wheel. Remember when Hondas had low cowls and tall greenhouses, and styling that didn’t try too hard?
You might think this engine already has plenty of hoses around the intake, but if you do, you haven’t seen this North American 1500 (seen in a CRX in this case), which could give a Jaguar V12 a run for its money in terms of difficulty finding vacuum leaks. Being a 1500S, this EW1 engine hopefully ended up on the higher end of the power options, meaning horsepower in the mid-70s and torque in the mid-80s, and that’s not terrible for a sub-2000 lb. car. So which of the two target markets are you? Rural mail carrier, or Japanese classic car enthusiast?
Rusty But Trusty 
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