Junkyard Find: 1991 Honda CRX HF
Saddam Hussein's forces invaded Kuwait in August of 1990 and seemed set to push on into Saudi Arabia as well, and it sure looked like we were going to see a repeat of the fuel shortages of 1973 and 1979. As a result, I dumped my idea of building a 454 for my 1965 Impala sedan and settled for a 350.
Fuel economy-minded American vehicle shoppers that grim fall found they had just two choices for new 1991 cars that had EPA ratings of better than 50 highway miles per gallon: the Geo Metro XFi and the Honda CRX HF (the '91 Suzuki Swift with three-banger and manual transmission was rated at exactly 50 mpg on the highway). Here's a discarded example of the latter type, found in a Colorado Springs car graveyard a few months back.
CRXs still have a strong enthusiast following, so I don't find many of these cars in junkyards nowadays. Those that I do find tend to be completely trashed and/or stripped clean, so this one is unusually intact and complete.
The extra-stingy version of the CRX had been called the HF since the 1985 model year. Those first-generation Civic CRX HF s achieved EPA ratings in the low 50s in town and high 50s on the highway; the second-generation (1988-1991) CRXs were bigger and heavier but still admirably efficient.
The 1991 CRX HF with five-speed manual transmission had a rating of 49 city/52 highway, while its gas-swilling-but-much-quicker CRX Si counterpart managed just 28/33 MPG (even with a manual).
Meanwhile, the 1991 Geo Metro XFi two-door hatchback with five-speed had an amazing 53/58 mpg rating… mostly thanks to an economy-optimized engine that made just 49 horsepower.
This car has a comparatively powerful engine: a SOHC 1.5-liter straight-four rated at 62 horsepower and 90 pound-feet. Its curb weight is just a hair under a ton, at 1,967 pounds (the Metro XFi scaled in at just 1,585 pounds).
The final owner of this car tried to add some horses via stickers.
That effort would have been more successful if one of the many cannabis-themed stickers had covered the HF badge on the hatch.
It does have aftermarket struts, springs and rear control arms (and the stock rear drum brakes).
There's rust-through aplenty and the interior was rough at the end. I think the final mileage figure must have been impressive, but someone bought the instrument cluster before I could look at the odometer.
This car's color was known as Milano Red.
The rust is the most likely reason that nobody felt like saving this car from its junkyardy fate.
I've been seeing more of these Eivy's de México air fresheners in Colorado junkyard cars recently. I'm still hoping to find an example of El Vainilliono Cotorro during my junkyard travels, but La Chica Fresita seems most popular.
Goodbye Kitty!
Spend less time at the pump!
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
1991 Honda CRX HF in Colorado junkyard.
[Images: The Author]
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Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Hagerty and The Truth About Cars.
More by Murilee Martin
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Engineering. Quality. Smooth revving. Fit/finish. Just wow.
I once picked up a ’90 CRX HF from a local junkyard, and even in rough shape, it still amazed me how light and nimble it felt. Tiny, efficient, and surprisingly fun to drive.
For those looking at these old econo-cars, do you think the HF’s reliability still holds up compared to the Si if you plan to daily-drive it?