If you are concerned about the "image" that Honda owners present as a whole... You may be mistaken a bit... It's a very small percentage of owners who are flashing the Battle look...
Here are some facts.
Only 3% of Honda Owners put body enhancements on their cars, this includes Type R badges to VTEC stickers.
Average Honda Civic owners are in their mid-30's
Less than 1% of owners replace their engines in their 1st through 4th ownership.
More than 50% Honda owners bought their cars per recommendation of
their family or friends who have owned them in the past.
Honda Civic sales financed approximately 50 million dollars per year during 1984-1991 Formula 1 program.
What is this about? It's about achievements...as a auto manufacturer to innovate and to sell products packed with features like no one else.
One says DOHC was equipped with Corolla GTS and not a Civic first. Well no, just that USA consumers did not "want" the ZC equipped 84 Civic and CRX. In fact, Honda had perfected 4 valve DOHC engines in the early 60's and had won F1 races with them. Their motorcycles places in top 5 places of 6 at the Isle of Man, the greatest motorcycle race on earth, on their second outing...
The CVCC technology in the Civic is more innovative than DOHC in the fact that it was the "ONLY" engine in the early 70's to pass the upcoming EPA emission requirements without a catalytic converter, making more efficient combustion of a given amount of fuel than any Toyota engine. Can you imagine? It was a carburated engine that ran more clean than any engine on earth powered by gasoline.
They continue to lead the industry with many of the first ULEV gasoline powered production engines in normal afforable vehicles. While Toyota and all other makes are still in desparate search of power while meeting LEV, a lesser smog standard.
And you know what? Majority of the people who buy Honda and advocate its merits buy them for these reasons. The kids on the streets first made use of them as hand-downs from intelligent parents who made their right car buying descisions. And guess what? the little innovative cars that their parants gave them after 5 years of ownership was still a very fun and enjoyable means of transportation with a hint of sportiness that Soichiro Honda have always strived to keep in it's cars. The AE86 was never good enough to create a culture so huge, and so diverse and such aftermarket economy of automotive accessories. The Civic definately was...
The Civic is a car, therefore, of much greater merit in automotive history, than any product Toyota had for sale in 1984 to present.
OK OK, I may have gotten off subject but just wanted to give credit to HONDA cars and it's owners. Club4AG is about a different passion, but it's members must be of the kind that cherishes and encompass all other things that are good in automotive history, past and present... I wanted to use this website to bring more knowlege for people who wanted it. Not single out 4AG and leave the rest in the dump.
