1976 Honda Civic Is Both the Cheapest and the Stingiest New Car in America

In 1984, the Honda Civic base 2-door hatchback was the sixth-cheapest new car available in the United States. Go back eight more years, however, and you'd have found that the 1976 Civic two-door sedan with four-speed manual transmission was the most affordable new car you could get ($2,729, or about $15,421 in 2024 dollars). At the same time, the 1976 Civic hatchback with five-speed got the best fuel economy of any new car sold here (44 mpg highway, 31 mpg city). Here's a centerfold magazine brag from the American Honda Motor Company pointing out those numbers.