Honda Gurus - Were '88-'91 Civic CX's Available in the USA?
 

I know that up here in Canada we had them, as I was driving one today. Baaaare bones hatchback, no pass side mirror, cheap vinyl seats (almost look like Si seats, really big side bolsters, not the same as a DX that's for sure). No console around the shifter, just a rubber boot. This one was a 5 speed. And 5th gear felt really highway friendly, sadly it didn't have a tach so I am just going by feel. I am trying to find out what transmission ratios it has, but all the charts I can find don't show '88-'91 CXs, so I am guessing it was named something else in the US, or that they weren't available? Did these cars have HF transmissions in them or something weird like that?

There was an '88-'91 Civic STD in the US. The car you describe sounds like a US STD. But they were all 4-speeds as far as I know. The 4-speeds had HF 1st through 4th gears, but used the DX final drive.

Interesting. Thanks. I have seen 4 speed CX's up here as well, so that must be the equivalent model. A few years ago a friend of mine had an '89 CX and his was a 5 speed, so I guess we had it as an option. I will be picking it up on Monday so I will see if I can find the part code stamp on the trans case. We didn't get CRX HFs up here, so if it turns out to have a factory HF trans that's about as close as we got to one!

In the USA the parts list shows a 1988 hatch back in the DX trim and STD trim, in 1989 the SI trim was added, but the STD was only a 4 speed from 1988 to 1991, I've driven a few of them and thought they were very nice and basic, seats didn't age well, but I still see more of them around town then I do of the newer body style of civic hatchback.
A 5 speed transmission would bolt in, but the 4 speed was pretty decent gearing.
I really wish they would have kept up that simple design, throttle body fuel injection, no frills, not much to go wrong and a ton of space for passengers and cargo.