Here’s the deal. I have had my Honda CRX for 19 years and I dearly love it, but it is getting to the age when it is difficult to get replacement parts. I am starting to look for a replacement, but I have a shipping list – it has to be manual shift, highly reliable, economical, and devoid of power locks, windows, etc.
If you have any suggestions, I would be glad to hear them.
Any Saturn & Chevrolet Cavalier.
Get one a couple years old so most of the depreciation is out of the way. Both cars lose a ton of value quickly but I think that’s due mostly to their being so common as opposed to them sucking. I see both giving over 200k miles with some frequency when people take care of them.
Subarus deliver over 300k miles if the driver can go that long without making a mistake (which is when I end up seeing the car), but you could probably buy a couple American cars for the price of one 'ru.
There’s nothing easier to get replacement parts for than an old Civic/CRX. Just go downtown and the auto parts stores will either have EVERYTHING in stock or will be able to get it. If you’ve got parts headaches now, they’ll be worse with anything else.
I’d avoid the Cavaliers like the plague. They may be the worst drivers’ cars built in the past decade, and while parts might be almost as easy to get as for a CRX you’ll need a LOT more of them.
-chaparralcpx
CRX owner and former Cavalier owner.
Inigo, the value loss has everything to do with the car sucking… unless you’ve driven one you won’t understand just how BAD these cars are on the road. 0-60 in 14 seconds with the automatic; the same quarter-mile time as a '37 Plymouth; losses to sprinters in the 50-yard dash; brakes that flat-out don’t stop the car even when in perfect condition; horrible suspension geometry; terrible tire wear; insufficient structural rigidity to stay in alignment for even a season; gas mileage that’s worse than some recent big Buicks; early failures of every single component in the entire car; oil, coolant, and transaxle fluid leaks; electrical bugs that can’t be fixed; terrible crash performance, and EXPENSIVE PARTS AND INSURANCE!
The members of the crx.org, sccaforums.com, grassrootsmotorsports.com, and caranddriver.com forums will be able to find any CRX part you can’t. I’d be surprised if there are any (aside from rear quarter panels) - I can find ANY component on Google either from the OEM supplier or a reputable aftermarket manufacturer.
Try just searching under “honda crx clutch” or similar. You’ll find it.
So…not a Cav fan? 
I swear by my ancient Toyota, personally. Dunno what came over me earlier, musta been getting close to lunchtime. 30 mpg, steers like a fish, durable and easier to work on than a new car.
So, let me append my earlier post: Find an ancient Toyota or Honda.
My family’s two Saturns fell apart and looked like crap after four years. Not a brand I’d recommend.
As for the OP, IMO, the best reliable car to replace a Honda with would be another Honda.
Hyundai Elantra. Good car. Good value. Not exciting but with a 10 year warranty, it sounds like the basic reliable transportation you’re looking for.
Also, consider a Golf Diesel (TDI). Much better driver but not as cheap and probably more expensive to maintain.
I drive a 1994 Saturn SL2, and I love it. It meets your list standards, and for a four banger, it has an impressive 0-60 time (I have never actually timed it, but I drive fast, and it lets me). It has an 8.5 gallon gas tank, and I get about 350 highway miles out of it. My engine is salvaged from one that got wrecked early in life, so I can’t really tell you about how it does oil comsumption or mileage, yet, but the original engine had about 120K miles on it, and the rest of the car (except the clutch, and you can expect to replace those every 10 years in any manual vehicle) had held up nicely. I recommend you check Saturns out.
BTW, my insurance is less than $450 for 6 months, and I am under 25 years old, with a couple of moving violations.
Saturns have to be taken care of, but they will last you a good long while if you do. Maybe I got lucky with a good car, but I am more than happy to have it.
If you really want to replace the CRX (MAKE SURE YOU SELL IT TO AN ENTHUSIAST! THESE CARS ARE BECOMING RARE AND ANY CLOSE-TO-RUST-FREE CAR THAT’S BROKEN UP FOR SCRAP OR SOLD TO SOME RICEBOY THAT HACKS THE HELL OUT OF IT AND WRECKS IT IS LOST FOREVER!), here’s the list.
Honda Civic, up to 2001. The older ones are great; reliable, fun-to-drive, energy-efficient, and quick on the road and course. The newer ones have been softened and cheapened. Honda promises a tightened-up, lightened-up Civic for next year; it might be worth it to stick it out till then.
BMW 325i, up to 1998. BMW lowers its parts prices significantly (generally to cheaper-than-Chevy levels) after the car gets to be a few years old. The 3ers are relatively simple, easy-to-work-on, reliable cars.
Mazda Protege, all years. The best Hondaternative has been better than the Civic since 2001.
The old Saturns didn’t weigh anything, and with the twincam they flat fly… Good cars. 0-60 in well under 8 seconds with a manual box. Reliability’s generally good but some parts are costly and GM’s boneheadedness, while largely left out, intrudes a little bit (Why are all GMs built around the heater core?).
You’re right, I can lift mine off the ground from the side, and I am a wuss.
Let me amend my statement to say that I recommend you check OLD Saturns out. Maybe 6-12 years old. The newer ones just don’t seem to have improved in any way, and they’re too bubble-shaped to my eyes.
This is my car (well, a pic of the same model). It’s from when they were still sporty and stuff.
Yeah, they’re not tops for safety, but then neither is a CRX. Mine handles well, though, and it corners like butta, baby. I haven’t had to do a lick of work on it save for oil changes and tires since I got it two years ago, other than taking the bulb out for the indicator light that tells me to shift up. Dang, that thing was annoying.
What can I say, I love my car, and if you shop around, you can get a lot of car for the money.
My OP hopefully said that I love my CRX, but need it daily. When I had to replace my radiator, it took the better part of a week to get it replaced. It was hard to get into work. If it dies, I seriously am considering buying another first gen CRX. Maybe an HF.
