Honda Del Sol: The Short Lived Civic Of The Sun
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- čas přidán 15. 07. 2024
- The Honda Civic Del Sol (or CRX Del Sol) was the follow up to the widely successful Honda CRX. But after disappointing sales the Del Sol was cancelled with just one generation. So what went wrong?
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• Honda CRX: The Sports ...
Chapters:
0:00 - The Civic Del Sol
1:39 - Del Sol S & Si Trims
4:43 - Competition
5:56 - Del Sol VTEC Trim
7:28 - 1995 Changes
8:01 - 1996 Changes
8:44 - The Del Sol Gets Cancelled - Auta a dopravní prostředky
'97 del Sol Si guy here. Love my car and the roof has never leaked. Honda fixed the roof leak issue for model year 1996-7 with the refresh. Unfortunately, the car had already become a lot less popular. Honda also issued a service bulletin to retrofit the older models with the hardware to fix the roof leak issue (93-004, Nov. 28 1994) and made it a warranty item but by then it was way too late, the damage had been done reputation wise and few had it done. Production numbers for US market were as follows:
1993 - 25,748
1994 - 21,075
1995 - 14,021
1996 - 8,489
1997 - 5,603
Total - 74,936
So yes, about 60,000 US model del Sols have potentially leaky roofs from the factory and about 14,000 do not.
All del Sols are somewhat rare but I don't think people realize just how rare the '96-'97 USDM models are and I don't think they've ever gotten the respect they deserve on the open market. 14,000 made, that's not a whole lot. I feel very lucky to have mine.
I love mine and will never sell it. Good video on a great car.
Glad i have a 96-97 Del Sol Si ECU on my B16A2 Eg6
Also have a 97 model and I am so glad with it. Nothing leaked and it’s in great condition in general and completely stock , only radio has changed and got the vti wheels on my d16y8 but anyhow it’s Honda original … today put new tyres on it :)
I had a 95 and the roof didn't leak. The floor was prettygone because Illinois tho. Also, the last time I was looking for one the 96-97 models were notably more expensive.
Prelude guy here. DelSol and Prelude people gotta stick together lol. And regardless of that, I've always liked the DelSol. I think it got a lot of hate as it was sort of the "replacement" for the insanely loved CRX. Would've been tough for anything to follow that. Wish I could find a 95 DS Vtec...I personally would take that over any EM1 Civic Si. Absolute top level Trans TOp model would be the flagship. Got to see one in person recently. Amazing.
I've unfortunately never owned either, but Preludes and Del Sols are my two fave cars ever!
@@noelleelizabeth9991 Yep. Never owned a DelSol. 2 Preludes. But I ALWAYS wanted a DelSol. Specifically, the 95 VTEC. I do wish they'd have just made them Mid Engine, like the MR2. But... Can't beat mid 90s Honda, when companies weren't afraid to try things.
@@J.Wick.i can get a 95 del sol up here in canada pretty cheap literally the only reason im on this vid to see if i should get a del sol
@@ShadowNoCap cool
True story: I once tried to date a girl because she owned a Del Sol and I wanted a chance to drive it. Sadly I had zero game so I never got to drive it.
Hahahaha
One of the best cars ever made!! Civic parts are everywhere available. Big trunk to start holiday adventures. Awesome look when lowered.
I bought mine new in 1997. I'm finally getting it repainted this week! The exterior will look sweet although it is a bit chewed up on the interior.
@@BrandonGolets Take good care of her bro. i bought mine from the 1st owner 10 years back for 500 bucks, now its worth 8k lol. The new classics are rising 👌
and for the interior, may i suggest S2000 seats👍
Absolutely love this car! I have a 1992 samba green transtop del sol I’m currently restoring. I fell in love with this car when I was 20 years old And bought my first one 2008. I’m at the moment I’m collecting any Mugen parts for the vehicle, been collecting parts for over 10 years. I’ve swapped out the b16 engine for a B18. There are so many different options between USA, UK, and Japanese model. Can’t wait to finish up my car and take it for a spin.
Don’t you mean 1993? That’s when Del sol debuted
@@justinmadera Not all markets had the same release year. Other markets had the Del Sol earlier like Japan where it was made.
The model referred (Transtop) and is likely a JDM hence the 1992 reference. Other markets had this Transtop model too but likely a JDM version.
@@crxdelsolsir yes sir it’s a 1992 jdm transtop.
Granted I'm not around a lot of car people, but I didn't realize people dislike the Del Sol. I've never owned one but absolutely love those lil guys 🥰
When you can then drive it :) it’s a fun little car
I had a 1993 SI version. A beautiful blue color. I wish I still had it.
Underrated and underappreciated. I've had my 1994 Si since 2000. I did a B16 swap in 2005. I'm currently tearing it down to restore it and swap in a K24.
Sales drop due to the natural sales cycle of having a mature product and the car being considered mature after the first 3 years of production.
Hence many examples of the 4th production year being a face lift/redesigned to boost sales one last time and extract the most from major production machines prior to totally being scrapped.
This redesign can be seen in many Honda vehicles especially in the 91 Prelude, 92 Accord, 91 Concerto, 96 Accord etc.
This is why cars tend to only have 4 years of production cycle which is common in the 80's, 90's, 00's and even today on most models.
Yet the Delsol had 8 years of production (double the norm) with little to no redesign.
The 3rd gen Integra lasted 8 yrs of production as well
I bought my first '97 DS in the spring of 2001. Such a great little car, practical but fun and never a problem. Had to sell it in the divorce, the first car I ever regretted selling.
In 2012 I got an S2000, then traded that up into an NSX in 2017. The first time I took the NSX's targa off was a revelation: it's the same latching mechanism as the DS. All the power, all the street cred but I can't just take it anywhere and not worry about it.
Fast forward to January 2024 and I've just bought my second '97 DS, another milano red Si. $6500. It's crazy to me that these cars are so cheap for how fun and practical they are.
Thanks for this video, it was a big help in seeing the changes over the years! I'm so happy to be back in a DS.
Glad you were able to get yourself back in a Del Sol!
I get that totally, like 6 years ago I sold my 97.. and that was very sad . I wanted that time more space ..now I got again a 97 as a summer drive car :)) next to my daily civic..
This was my dream car as an 8 year old living in Scarborough.
Really appreciate the longer form content.
Love my del sol. Here in Europe we got the B16 from the start. Mine is a 1992 VTi (b16 engine) samba green. Also has ABS but no airbags. With coilovers and other upgrades it's really fun to drive.
Which upgrades do you recommend? 😁
I loved this video, I've actually been excited every time an upload pops up in my notifications, keep up the good work! As for the failure of the del Sol,
I think it really is, as you alluded, the common misconceptions around front wheel drive. I'm sure you appreciate the value of front-wheel drive, but when it comes to the general perception, the del Sol and many other similar cars should have been far more successful than they were, and as an enthusiast that favors front-wheel drive, it's pretty frustrating how often people can be ignorant that it is an extremely sporty drivetrain. If you want to spin and slide your car, it's no more easier or difficult than a rear wheel drive car, you only need different technique. And if going fast through corners is your thing then I can't think of anything better and more accurate for entry and exiting of corners. Like a samurai sword is weighted in a way that straightens out its swing, a front-end pulling a rear-end straightens out the entire chassis if the wheels aren't turned, and that gives you better control over your car than all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive could ever offer you. I can rant all day about front-wheel drive but it's just because it's so underestimated. Really ironic, considering any car that says "Type R" on the back of it is probably a front-wheel drive. 🤷🏻♀️ And it's okay I'm ready to get some flack for my insane opinion😅🤷🏻♀️ be nice, everyone?😅
I agree FWD sports cars do have a place, an Integra Type R for example handles like its on rails, and even a regular Integra has pretty decent handling. My ideal dream garage would have a few RWD sports cars...Lexus SC300 anyone? and a few FWD sports cars....I'll take an Integra type R and a 3rd gen Prelude please! The only thing I don't think belongs in a sports car is AWD. Don't get me wrong, there's a time a place for AWD, but it ain't in a sports car! Call the AWD shade my controversial opinion I guess.
Sorry to hear about the traction (or lack thereof) on your Tinder profile. I loved my '93 CDS Si in that vivid Samba Green (my license plate was "KEYLIME"), and I learned a few things in here. I liked that the top install/removal was a one-person job, vs. the hardtop on my S2000 which came off once, never to be reinstalled again until a year and a half later when I sold the car. Nice vid!
Yeah I came across pictures of yours while I was gathering material for this video. I was like omg he's owned one of these too?! 😂 I like that green colour it looked good!
In Canada, 93 was the last yr of an si hatch. I picked one up as inventory was ending. Us went to 95. Currently w a 19 hatch 6sp sp touring, but looking for a delsol or Miata used. Delsols fate reminds me of the Toyota pasio- sheep in wolfs clothing. Congrats on the vid.
love your videos, you're gonna be famous one day.
Great work, as always.
Been driving my Del Sol for 29 years. To be honest, I kinda like it. It's my only car and I'll never sell it...ever.
Same for me, except only 27 years.
another awesome video keep it up
Underrated gem for sure ive had civic si,preludes,s2k,accord v6 manual and an acura tl and my del sol has been my favorite mine was also supercharged at jackson racing in 1996 at 32k miles and still runs that setup to this day even tho its in the middle of a motor build for more power
Sick video mate! 👌🏾
just got a 97 Si in cypress green pearl with 18k on a reman Y8. definitely need to freshen up the suspension before beating on it too hard, but i love how simple the platform is to work on. parts availibility, besides body panels, is quite good!
Good video! And such a pretty little car.
My 8th Del Sol is currently parked in the garage. My current 93 del sol si has a custom turbo setup and is on a fully built SOHC ZC engine. A while back I had the super rare 96 Del Sol SiR Transtop model and even took it on a racing show called PassTime. Love these cars, tho in Texas if you don't have AC in triple digit weather the car might as well be put in storage.
I absolutely adore my Del Sol! It's a great daily for someone who wants to have fun, but also needs the trunk space to carry home the family groceries. It 100% does leak water though, so if you get one, be prepared to chase down and fix leaks
Well probably some have leaking seals, but they updated the seals in the later years.. I have now my second 97 si and with both never had water issues with the seals
My '97 doesn't leak. I use silicone grease on the seals and make sure it is seated properly before I latch it down.
Really loved this video, I own a EU ESi '96 Del Sol with the D16Y8 SOHC VTEC engine and even I learned a lot from your video. ❤
Hey Sab :) got the same engine in my del sol 97.. I love the video and also the del sol in general:) just a fun driver.. your also on the Dutch fb group for del sols ?
@@hermanboerakker-ub2se yes indeed I am
Cool.. if you got time and want we have a meeting at 30 march with the crz/crz people in Cuijk. If weather is okay. C ya friend
@@hermanboerakker-ub2se ah, my car is still geschorst for the winter. I'm saving money to finish my S2000. Thanks for the invite, I was there last year for the meeting in de Meern.
Nice job bro 🔥 👍 💪 💯 😎 👌 🔥
I loved my si version…wish I still had it!
I miss driving my old one. Definitely a fun car. I had a 95si. Im surprised you didn't mention the TERRIBLE sun visors lol which i guess could be considered a little ironic 😂
For some context on why only North American sols got rid of the aux lights after 95, in every other market these lights were for the brights, not utilized as an essentially useless auxiliary light. So they couldn't get rid of it like we did here.
Interesting! Didnt know that!
Love my 93 del sol samba green 💚
4:10 My 95' Del Sol does not leak at all from the top.
Maybe a tiny bit at the side window but it's so little it's barely noticeable...
I LOVED my del sol. And all it had was the lowly d15
Despite its a different model then the first and second generation crx:) what I have owned also:) I just love the del sol:)) it’s a rare car and it’s fun to drive :) off course it’s not a real sports car but still it’s more fun then people think.
I had one for 12 years unfortunately did sell it , but I did get another one for those rare sunny days here and for meetings to enjoy it.
It’s a 97 d16y8 with now 120700km on it
This guy basically read aloud the Wikipedia entry. He obviously never drove a del Sol.
Yeah, this was way too critical. Lol I wonder if he was just engagement baiting by negging the car
People Love this car!
I Know I do! Don't know why they stopped building it so fast...
Wish they would bring it back with 4 sized engines from:
D16Z6 130 hp
B16A 170 hp
GSR 188 hp
B18C 222 hp
oh that choice of engines would be epic!
mind boggling how the b16 wasn't also put into the eg/ek civic in the US American market
The Del sol is the car ppl look at and think either its beautiful or ugly. I think stock their ugly lol. But something simple like lowering it and getting wheels completly changes the car. (My pfp is my 1994 vtec) the b16a3 is a very fun engine and i still cant believe i own it. Only 9% of them were made with the b series
I have a 94 si. I love it with the d16 but honestly anyone who likes these should think kswap awd. again the d16 has just enough pep to squak tires and is great on gas but there is a reason some of us call it "del slow"
He means Grindr profile
😂
FWD. thats all I’m saying. Thats one of the reasons the Miata sold like hotcakes.
What is the source for the video in the beginning?)
Its from a Volkswagon Atlas commercial 😂
I just hated the Del Sol for replacing the CRX. It's that simple.
fair!
Love the vids but why no tsx vids
Its on the list of cars to do
Hence the S2000!
I love my del sol
Rebuild them all
It's ugly tbh
Had mine about 10 years, its great car VTI B16 Transtop, Only thing that sucks is the crap UK weather ☁️☁️☁️ is all we see for last few summers
I prefer the red over the samba green