I bought my 1990 CRX si in late 1994 while in college. I was commuting between campus, work, and home, driving 75+ miles a day looking for an economy car with some pep. My older brother had an earlier CRX, and I always remembered how roomy it was for a small car. I'm 6'3" and finding a roomy car is as important as fuel economy and peppy driving.

The CRX si met all my needs. The front passenger compartment is quite roomy, with a small dash that's set close to the windshield, giving you the feeling of roominess. The pedals extend far into the wheel wells, allowing me to stretch my long legs out fully when the seat is back. The layout of the dash is straightforward and everything is within easy reach.

The biggest drawback of the this car is the overall small size. No matter how big it feels inside, it's a two seater. The back end is roomy enough for the occasional 17" monitor box, but not much more. I can fit one mountain bike inside with both wheels off, and I've gotten one snowboard in with gear, but if you expect to go bike riding or skiing with a friend, invest in a good rack for the roof.

Fuel economy is great. When I first got it, I averaged 40 mpg on highways, and now with over 145k on my car, it gets 35+ on freeways and 25-30mpg in Los Angeles. Since it's so small and light, the peppy 4-cylinder engine can really take off. At really high revs, you can hit a "powerband" where the torque peaks and pushes you back in your seat. I love zipping through traffic and around corners in this, not to mention you can parallel park it almost anywhere.

Safety is almost non-existent. There are no air bags (it was 1990), the low-to-the-ground hood is certain to slide under other vehicles during an accident, but the worst safety feature is the seat belts. The seat belt straps are attached to the doors, not the door pillars as they are in most cars. If you get into an accident and the doors fly open, so do the seat belts. Thankfully, I never got into an accident while I owned the car so it was never a problem for me.

It has served me well, and I'm finally getting rid of it for something bigger, but whenever I have a hard time parking my new car, I'm going to wish I never got rid of my CRX.