That’s the equivalent of 1.7 trips to the moon and back
We are currently gathering more information from the owner and will update this post as it comes in!
90s Hondas are known as Golden Era Hondas for a reason, with a conservative yet sporty timeless look baked into its design language backed by spared no expense engineering, it’s a formula that works. So, color me not surprised to learn there’s a 1994 Honda Civic Del Sol motoring along in the Show Me State of Missouri with over 831,000 miles.
According to the Muffler Shoppe Auto Service and Sales Technician Jeremy Lile (originally posted on Facebook’s Unappreciated Survivors,) who services this Honda Del Sol exclusively, the current owner bought this Del Sol from its original owner when it was only a year old. She’s since driven the majority of the miles.
Check out the only photo of the Del Sol we have including a shot of the odometer.
A little about this Del Sol we can glean from the original post, the only major exterior repair to note is it’s been repainted once in the original vogue silver metallic. It’s a base S model with a five-speed manual. The S came with a D15 SOHC four cylinder with barely over 100 HP. Si’s came with the coveted D16Z6 with a VTEC head and 25 percent more power and the top of the line VTEC model had the coveted B16 with all 160 HP for ’94.
There really is no secret to this Del Sol’s longevity, it’s been meticulously kept, had oil changes done at regular intervals, and probably most importantly, worked on by one local garage who, as this car is a testament to, does stellar work.
According to Lile,
“The owner is so particular about the car…when we do an Oil change, changed around 4,000 miles, she demands that we pull the plug with the engine hot and let it drain overnight.We have always done all the maintenance/work to it. Always used Napa sae5w30 (Valvoline) and Napa filter (wix).”
When questioned if the head’s been off as, according to some owners, this Del Sol is prone to at least one head gasket leak in its lifetime, Lile replied,
“Timing belt has been changed a few times.. but that’s maintenance.. not “rebuilding”. Owner is a good loyal customer and trusts us to work on it. I’m about 99% sure we’ve never even had the head off. Almost positive it’s the original head gasket..I could dig through the 100’s of receipts on the computer to prove it.. but no need. I mean, what would I gain by lying about a car I don’t even own??”
These Hondas require new timing belts (and often water pumps) around 105,000 miles per the manual.
Lile goes on to say,
Also, there’s no rear main leak. We probably replaced the seal when putting a clutch in it. I’d have to look in the computer to see.But it averages about a half qt between oil changes. (4,000). The owner absolutely babies this car 24/7 so I bet with a normal driver it might burn a little more oil.
Honda’s not-so-obvious formula to get this kind of mileage
Let me let you in on a little secret, if you own a car that’s known for its reliability, if you follow this formula, like this Del Sol owner, they’ll run practically forever. It’s called Honda’s recommended maintenance intervals, and it’s at the back of every owner’s manual.
Here’s what it looks like for this ’94 Del Sol.
These Hondas can take a lot of abuse, but if you want for them to return the favor for years to come, you need to start doing regular maintenance.
