This Might Be the Last Nice Bone-Stock 1996 Honda Civic Hatchback Left

Well, friends, if you want to have the experience of driving around in something from the 90s, you basically have two options. You can buy a modern Mitsubishi Mirage because that has parts on it that feel straight out of the 90s, or you can scour the web for one of these. A nearly perfectly preserved 1996 Civic CX base model with only 46,000 miles (74,000 km) on the odometer.

By old-school Honda Civic numbers, that's barely even out of the cradle. Let's take a closer look at not just this particular Civic but also the finer points of what might just be the most important car in Honda USA's history. Produced between September 1995 and August 2000 everywhere from Swindon, UK, Ohio, USA, and Suzuka, Japan, among others, the gen-six Civic made its way around the world like it was going out of style.

But then again, how could practicality and fuel economy that was to die forever go out of fashion? With the potential for 33 mpg in the city and 38 on the highway, that's still a very acceptable figure over 26 years later. Though the 1996 Civic HX coupe came with the option of a CVT transmission, this entry-model CX sports a manual transmission, although the option of a four-speed automatic was also an option.

In a modern era where even the most bare-bones, spartan as-can-be economy car still comes with cruise control, power steering, a hands-free BlueTooth telephone, and satellite navigation, this Civic CX shows the zoomer generation just how basic economy cars used to be. With standard 13-inch wheels, most people could fit in between the grip of their hands. This is the kind of car that didn't need to go very fast to break traction.

But then again, that's another big part of what makes old Civics so alluring. Old Civics exude a fun-loving spirit that nearly all of its competitors that Toyotas, GMs, Fords, and Chryslers, usually didn't. A great deal of this fun-loving mythos comes from this car's engine.

The 1.6-liter B16A four-banger was one of the first engines that taught North Americans to fall in love with VTEC. With a rev limit of 8,200 rpm, there were sports car engines from the period that couldn't rev that high. It's a remarkable achievement for Honda engineering. It'd set the trend for a bounty of success for the brand in North America by the time the generation was sunset in the year 2000.

And so, that brings us back to this particular Civic CX for sale via an eBay user out of Olivehurst, California. From the factory silver paint job to the OEM cloth seat covers and every inch of glorious 90s plastic and sheet metal, residing in the dry California sun for most of its life has done wonders for the complexion of this classic ride.

Though you could absolutely buy this Civic and drive it until it rusts back into the Earth from whence it came like the rest of its brethren. But hey, if ever there was a Honda you wouldn't mind putting in a museum, sticking this thing next to the first NSX and Ayrton Senna's Honda Formula One car doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'd show off the duality of Honda engineering better than we could blab on about it in article form.

The price for this little nugget of 90s magnificence? Well, as of writing, the current bid stands at $9,300.00. But come on, we know for sure this Honda's worth more than that.