Yahoo Autos 1991 Honda CRX Si Is Our Bring a Trailer Pick of the Day
Simple, direct, fun, and honest, the CRX Si was one of Honda's greatest hits.
This is one of those “they don't make cars like this anymore” cars, so don't miss out.
This example is about as good as it gets, with just 24,000 miles on the odometer, and stunning condition.
At the changeover from the late 1980s into the early 1990s, Honda had the automotive Midas touch. Nearly everything the company built was elevated above the ordinary, whether it was the near-exotic perfection of the NSX or the everyman delight of driving a mid-grade Accord. The Civic, particularly the sportier Si model, was one of the best-driving compacts out there, and when Honda decided to sharpen things up by taking just shy of eight inches out of the wheelbase, it created something exceptional: the CRX.
Speaking of exceptional, here's your chance to get your hands on a nearly flawless example of the breed, a 1991 CRX Si that's currently up for auction at Bring a Trailer (part of Hearst Autos, as is Car and Driver). It's appropriately painted red—Honda's official corporate color—and has just 23,000 miles on the odometer. Just look at it in all its dock-tailed impish splendor. There are faster cars out there, but not many that are more fun.
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Like the original Volkswagen GTI or maybe a first-generation Toyota MR2, the CRX is one of those cars where modest pricing was no barrier to driving joy. So many people have great memories of these little pocket-rocket Hondas, and making them desirable as a modern collectible, arguably more than some museum-quality exotic you can't actually drive anywhere.
Whereas the first generation of CRX was initially more of a fuel miser, the second-generation car was Honda feeling its oats a little. The suspension is double-wishbone at all four corners (just like that first-gen NSX), and the weight is only a little over 2000 pounds. This Si model came with a 1.6-liter engine that made just 108 horsepower out of the factory, but that just means you have to wind it out to redline and keep momentum up in the corners. Which is the whole fun of driving a CRX.
With such small size and excellent visibility, a CRX of this generation is immensely rewarding from behind the wheel. Manual steering, a cabin free from touchscreen distraction, excellent seats, and a satisfying five-speed manual gearbox all add up to a car that is much missed. 1991 was the last year for the CRX, and while Honda followed up with the Del Sol and CRZ, it couldn't recapture the magic.
If you, however, were hoping to travel back in time, this example of golden-age Honda is about as perfect as you could find. A one-owner, low-mileage car, it is only a few minuscule rock chips away from being essentially in showroom new condition. It comes with all its paperwork since purchased new and is ready to be driven.
Times have changed, and Honda probably couldn't build something as simple and purposeful as this CRX even if it wanted to. Even sadder, while these cars were once plentiful on the roads, they've since mostly disappeared. Finding one in this kind of condition is like seeing a unicorn-leprechaun hybrid.
So don't miss out. You'll likely need a Midas touch yourself for the kind of price this quality of CRX will fetch, so head on over to Bring a Trailer and make your bid.
The auction ends August 28.
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