1994 Civic CX - whats the big deal about the VX?
 

Hey,

I've had this stock CX in my garage for quite some time, and I'm finally putting it back on the road this winter.

I'm just wondering, whats the hype about the VX model?

the VX model civic had a lean burn mode built into it which jumps the a/f ratio to 17:1 or so.

I think the highway mileage was rated 58mpg by the EPA. it was a big deal back then and to some is still a big deal.

not a honda guy myself. I am sure you will get more responses to your question.

The VX gets better mileage than the CX but has more power in the driving range. The CX is an 8 valve motor with 60hp, while the VX is a 92 hp motor with VTEC-E (switches from 12 valves to 16).

Still, the VX is quite overrated. Most people would save more money overall by getting a DX. You can get them for around 2 grand versus the VX's inflated price of 3500+; and you can get 35 mpg out of them quite easily. Also, there's no rare, super expensive O2 sensor and cat converter to worry about.

You can't go wrong with any Civic. My wife's 01 EX makes very good power and gets 33mpg street, 40 highway.

The nice thing about the CX: It's already in your garage, in known condition with known history.

Still, the VX is quite overrated. Most people would save more money overall by getting a DX. You can get them for around 2 grand versus the VX's inflated price of 3500+; and you can get 35 mpg out of them quite easily. Also, there's no rare, super expensive O2 sensor and cat converter to worry about.

You can't go wrong with any Civic. My wife's 01 EX makes very good power and gets 33mpg street, 40 highway.[/QUOTE]

In the SF bay area you'll be lucky to get a Civic for 2 grand. When I was shopping for a Civic I've seen a lot of inflated prices of $4500+. I ended up getting a salvaged 95 Civic EX 116K mi for $3200 from a body shop owner. The Civic I have is in the middle as far as fuel economy goes. Both the older and newer Civics get better MPG.

Thats interesting since EG Civics here in Toronto, Canada are a dime a dozen and can be picked up from anywhere between $500-$3500 USD depending on the condition.

FYI:

The Air/Fuel ratio in lean-burn mode on a VX is 24:1. Stochiometric is 14.7:1.

The VX was rated at 48-49 city (I've seen both) and 55-56 highway (ditto).

I bought my '95 VX with 194,000 miles on it in February 2008. I paid $1,100 at the dealer. After taxes, fees, I still paid under $1,300. The car had a new timing belt and water pump, as well as all other engine belts. The front brakes were new. I had the dealer adjust the valve lash and align it. Over the past year, I've replaced a CV joint boot, exhaust (cat-back), tires (80,000-mile Michelin Destiny tires 175-70R-13... BUY THESE TIRES!!! $220, installed at Tire Barn), rear brakes, oxygen sensor (NAPA quoted me $79 for the one for all other Civics. I showed up to buy it and they told me it would be $469. I raised hell and they gave me the VX one for $80.), distributer cap, rotor button, plugs (Champion), and plug wires. My total cost is less than $2,800 for a rust-free '95 VX with a perfect interior.

I still need to replace the input shaft bearing and I'd like to get a new windshield, as the current one looks sandblasted.

The car averaged 52 mpg in before winter. My wife has a very short commute, so the city mileage does not do it justice. When I drive it, I usually get 55+ mpg, as long as the A/C is off and I'm not taking forever to warm it up. During one trip over the summer, I kept the speed at 55-60 mph and got 66.7 mpg for the 400+ mile trip.

I agree that most VXs are overpriced. Don't give up if you want one. You may get lucky like I did.

Is Monterey considered the bay area? Or close enough driving distance... I got my VX last year in Monterey for $2200. Clean title, no mods.

I doubt any claim that the VX runs leaner than 18:1. I want to see proof. Someone probably "calculated" that value based on what they saw when the ECU was in DFCO.

The EGR, unique O2 sensor, and unique cat converter make the 13-16 year old VX expensive to maintain. But if you can find a clean one for a decent price, and you drive a lot of miles, and you can do the work yourself, by all means get it. It's a great little car. It beats the hell out of a Geo. Most of the people looking for a VX might be happier with an HX.

There's a clean one near me going for $3500. It's been for sale for a long time now. I can't see paying more than 3 grand.

The basis for the 24 or 25 to one claims is that it uses a stratified charge approach, wherein the mixture that is fired locally is a cloud of "normal" AFR ratio but sits on top of a puddle of normal air. Hence overall the ratio is high, but what is actually fired is closer to 16:1 or so.