By most accounts, Honda is considered a safe-bet automaker, one that makes great all-round cars for just about any type of consumer. But the enthusiasts tell a different story. Both nowadays and decades ago, Honda made some truly awesome cars.
RELATED: These Are The Greatest Motorcycles And Cars Honda Produced
While some of those are totally out of the question now, such as the NSX, there have been numerous cool Hondas throughout history that can be bought for a surprisingly small amount of money nowadays. Some are more expensive than others, but they are all worth considering if the need to own a badass Honda arises.
10 First Generation Civic
The first generation Honda Civic was a kickstart to a total hatchback revolution when it debuted back in 1972. It was also one of the first Hondas to be sold in the UK and US, and it ended up being a massive success everywhere, cementing Honda's reputation.
The SG Civic, as it's known, featured some really cool innovations, including independent suspension all around, power brakes, and options like air conditioning and a rear wiper. Back in the early 1970s, that was unheard of on a compact car. Not to mention, there was also the cool sporty variant called the RS.
9 Accord Aerodeck
Before the Honda Accord became the mid-size sedan that we all know and love today, it was a compact family car with a three-door hatchback version available as well. It slowly evolved into the aforementioned mid-size sedan, but the third generation was also offered in three-door shooting brake form.
RELATED: 2020 Honda Accord Wins Edmunds Top Rated Sedan Award...Again
Unfortunately, these were only sold in Japan and Europe, and were never available in the United States. But in the countries where they were sold, they can be found for some pretty good prices, and that includes well-kept examples. Plus, they are now all old enough to be imported.
8 Civic Si (EF)
When the Honda Civic was first starting out, there was no Type R, so buyers had to make do with the Civic Si. However, this was no bad thing, as the Civic Si was a brilliant little car.
The first Civic Si was based on the EF generation Civic, and used a 1.6 liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder with 120 hp, allowing the car to reach 60 mph in 8.9 seconds and go on to reach 122 mph. US market versions weren't as powerful, but just like the Accord Aerodeck, the desirable JDM examples can now be imported.
7 Prelude Type SH
This was the final generation of the Prelude before Honda, unfortunately, decided to can it. The Prelude lineage holds a well-deserved legend status in Honda's history, and the best version of the fifth-generation had to be the Type SH.
The 2.2 liter 4-cylinder under the hood made a healthy 200 hp, and the SH moniker (standing for Super Handling) was there for a reason, as this car was equipped with Honda's novel Active Torque Transfer System. An amazing sendoff to a truly great sports coupe.
6 (Acura) Legend
Though this car was badged as an Acura in the United States, this was when the brand was still in its infancy, and it was sold as the Honda Legend elsewhere. Not to mention, it was also assembled in Japan, so we'll consider it a Honda.
RELATED: The True Story Of Ludacris And His Acura Legend
The Legend came from a time where every automaker was attempting to enter the executive sedan market, and that included Honda with this car, and it was awesome. It offered a coupe version with an available manual transmission, great luxury features, and a stately and subtle exterior design.
5 Accord EX-L V6 Coupe
Honda has almost always offered a coupe version of the US-spec Accord up until recently, and it's a seriously underrated car. The dynamics were on point, as is to be expected from Honda, but there for a while, the Accord Coupe was available with an optional V6 powertrain.
The engine made 271 hp, and could be mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. With all of that and a nice exterior design to wrap it in, we're honestly surprised the Accord Coupe hasn't garnered that much attention. That does mean that used prices are very low, so get one before they start getting traction.
4 CR-X Si
It's a well-known fact that it's near impossible to find an unmodified, low-mileage CR-X in good condition, as they were all either modified beyond recognition or crashed and totaled. However, nice examples do tend to crop up from time to time, and they're not as expensive as you might think.
As a result of what owners are known for doing to these cars, the values will only go up from here. The CR-X represents everything that's great about sporty compact cars. Even though it didn't have all that much power, it loves to rev, it's relatively practical, it's lightweight, and handles brilliantly.
3 Acura TSX (Honda Accord 7th Generation)
Though this was badged and sold as an Acura in the United States, this is literally the European and Japanese-spec seventh-generation Honda Accord, with a bit more luxury. As a result of all the engineering expertise that went into this car, it's widely considered to be one of the best Acura models ever.
Even nice examples with lower miles can be found for great prices. They are also very good platforms for modifying if that's your thing. It also looks great and was available with a variety of examples from Honda's brilliant established lineup of engines. Not to mention also, a manual transmission was offered.
2 CR-V (First Generation)
One could argue that it's blasphemy to include an SUV in a list of cool, affordable Hondas, but we think the first generation CR-V definitely deserves it. It was way ahead of its time, in the sense that Honda's engineers targeted this car towards consumers that wanted an SUV but didn't plan to use it like most SUVs at the time were.
This meant that the CR-V included all the practicality and versatility of most SUVs, without any of the off-road drawbacks and calamities. It also looks pretty cool, has a great lineup of powertrains, and its design philosophy means that its on-road prowess are exceptional. Well, for an SUV, anyway.
1 Civic Si (FG2)
Finally, we have this more modern example of the Civic Si. The FG2 generation was offered in both sedan and coupe forms, and there was even an ultra-high performance Mugen version. Those are incredibly rare, however.
The Civic Si had a 200 hp 2.0 liter 4-cylinder, a 6-speed manual transmission was mandatory, and it even included a helical limited-slip differential to improve handling. They can be found for really good prices, so buy one now while they're very cheap.
This was just a fraction of the cool Hondas that not a lot of money can buy on the used market. Modern Hondas are also relatively desirable, so they could be worthy buys in a few years, and it would also seem as though Honda is playing the electrification game just right, with cars like the E. All of these will go up in value sooner or later, so pick one up while you can.
NEXT: 10 Awesome Hondas Every Gearhead Should Drive
