The Civic EG hatchback is one of the most important cars ever made by Honda. It cemented the Japanese automaker’s reputation for cheap, reliable FWD cars with fun engines. The very first EG hatchback made for the North American market has recently been discovered, and with only 7 miles on the odometer, it takes you right back to 1992.
The Honda Civic hatchback known as the EG was one of the most popular small cars in the world at the time, and as such was produced at various factories. While the one in Suzuka, Japan played a primary role, the EG hatchback for the North American market came from a manufacturing facility called Honda of Canada Manufacturing plant, or HCM.
This facility is located in Alliston (Ontario, Canada) and had been cranking out Hondas since 1986. The VIN 2HGEH2353NH000001 belongs to a 31-year-old car, namely a 1992 Honda Civic DX, which was the base model for Canada. It’s like the US-market CX, so no automatic option, air conditioning, or passenger mirror. But it does have power steering and a rear wiper.
According to its owner, VIN 001 only has 12 kilometers or 7 miles on the odometer. It was apparently in a training facility during its life, and because it’s the first one to roll off the production line, Honda mechanics dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s. Up until recently, it also had the original oil in it.
The EG Civic DX didn’t have VTEC
If we go deeper into the specs, we’ll find that engine is a 1.5-liter inline-four engine. It’s a member of the D-series, specifically the D15B7, which had about 102 horsepower and 98 lb-ft of torque. It comes with multi-point injection but lacks the famous VTEC system. It came with discs at the front, but not the back, and the tiny 13-inch wheels are wrapped in 165/70 R13 all-season tires. Feeling nostalgic yet?!
You had to step up to the Si to have discs at the back, and that also gave you 14-inch wheels, powered mirrors, and the famous D16Z6 VTEC engine with 125 hp. But all of them were pretty economical, and getting over 40 miles to the gallon must have been amazing.
So what’s this thing worth? The EG is the 5th generation of the Civic, built from 1992 to 1995. The average price of an EG Civic is about $13,000 right now, and the most expensive one ever sold at auction was a coupe at $27,250 in 2022. Because it has VIN 001, this one is a valuable piece of Honda history. But Honda has made so many of these affordable subcompacts that we can’t imagine a bidding war.
