'91 vs '92 Civic
 

Hi guys,
Just wondering whether it is worth getting the next generation of civic or not. I live in Sydney (Australia) and am trying to source a donor car for an EV conversion. There seems to be about a $1000 gap between a 4th and 5th Generation civic. I obviously don't mind too much about the engine seeing as it will be removed but is there enough of a difference in terms of aerodynamics, interior, handling etc to fork out an extra grand? I certainly prefer the styling and it at least looks slightly slipperier but I would be interested to see what you guys think. On a side note a CRX is a lot rarer and probably $2500 more than that. What would you recommend I go with in terms of value for money?

I'd suggest to use whatever comes along that will work and has a fried engine. Things get a LOT cheaper if the engine is already shot.

If you will change the motor anyway, than there isn't a lot in therm of aero, interior, handling. I could be wrong...

get whichever one you can that doesn't have power steering, power locks, power windows, or A/C.
I think that the 5th gen coupe and especially sedan had higher GVWR's so you can load them down with more batteries. The 88-89's are by far lighter in terms of curb weight though. So basically you want a low curb weight with a high GVWR. That's the wall I'm running up against right now.
My 94 hatchback has a curb weight of about 2050 lbs. Since the GVWR is 3050, that only gives me 1000lbs to mess around with, and it's all too easy to add over 1000lbs of batteries, leaving no extra weight for passengers, cargo or the driver.

I would go with the 92 just for quality and style appeal...

i would choose 92, i had owned a 90 civic hatch, sedan, and a 94 civic coupe. the 92+ civics are alot more stable to drive (feeling) and interrior room is alot more. also the steering wheel has standard airbags, which is a +

having owned an 89 civic sedan, a 87 crx, and a 92 civic VX, I would recommend either a 92 civic VX or civic CX, if you can find one. The curb weight is much lower... the honda engineers did a lot of work on the aerodynamics, and the interior is much more "modern" than the 88-91.

I personally love my 92 VX, and am surprised how much more modern it feels than my 89.

One other reason to go for a 1992 is CURB WEIGHT. This may seem somewhat counter-intuitive. But 1991 Civics were burdened with those dor-mounted seatbelts. This meant that a TON of door reinforcement was required to keep the door from buckling under the seatbelt load in an accident. But in 1992, Honda went with an airbag instead. That allowed them to place the seatbelt back in the pillar.