rust question
 

There are a couple of rust spots starting on the CRX HF I just bought and I wonder what I can do to neutralize it for now. I wouldn't mind having it repainted in a year or two, but for now I just want to protect the sheet metal and prevent these little rust spots from doing some serious damage in the future.
I was thinking about these rust neutralizing 'paints', but the thing is that I am sure some rust is already underneath the paint and you wouldn't be able to touch that. The best thing would probably to locally sand these spots and then paint them with rust neutralizing stuff, but what are just some really small spots now will definitely be visible as larger 'repair spots' now. I know you can't have it all, but does someone know of a way to stop rust and do the least cosmetic damage for now?

If it were me I would sand the area around the rust down to the metal until you find no more rust, then just hit it with primer. It won't be pretty, but it ought to stunt the rust until painting time.

There is a rust oxidizer marketed under the name "Extend". You can find this in any auto parts store. It will stop any further rusting as long as you are able to coat the entire area of rust.

My 85 HF had a bad rust area on the thin piece of metal just under the black "CRX" panel on the rear. Good luck!

I've had good luck with rust reformers, you have to wire brush/sand the rust untill you have the thick scale removed and make sure to get bare metal around the edges as not to leave nice moist rust hidden under some paint bubbles, then it seems to work best if you give it a few coats, and of course it's not a paint, so prime and paint it, I prefer spending the extra few dollars on color match spray paint, simply take a sample, or the paint number in to a parts store that sells paint and can put it into spray cans for you, then give a quick coat of clear coat to seal and protect it, if done this way you will hardly be able to tell anything was done.

I've used POR-15 for controlling/removing rust on my vehicles to good effect. www.por15.com

I'll add a vote for POR-15. I've used it to decent effect. A friend used it on his '85 Civic before repainting it, and it's been about a decade now without the rust coming back.

I use LPS-3 seems to work good

I've heard that is some very good stuff. I've tried a few other rust inhibitors, and had no luck with them.

i used rust bullet, it stopped the rust, though some did chip off...rock maybe.

I smear grease on areas in the wheel well and fenders where rust typically attacks civics. Not all over but mainly targeting the area where the back bumper attaches to the metal on the side right behind the rear wheel. This might not be a good approach where there is rust already under the paint. Like everyone said sand it down and see what you have. then protect it.