This Base Model 2006 Honda Civic On Bring A Trailer Reminds Us Of How Good We Have It

2006 Honda Civic Dx Topshot
ADVERTISEMENT

You’ve probably noticed that over the past two decades, all manner of gadgets from flat-screen televisions to bluetooth speakers have grown rather cheap. Unsurprisingly, that’s filtered into cars, and as a result, it’s been a while since we’ve seen a heater-only compact car. Well, a 2006 Honda Civic DX Coupe recently sold on Bring A Trailer, and it really reminds us that it wasn’t too long ago that base really meant base.

The cars that aren’t inherently special due to rarity, performance, beauty, engineering prowess, or what have you, are almost never preserved. Instead, they’re just used as cars, from the showroom floor to an eventual demise at the hands of the crusher. Ferrari 308s? Even though they never sold in huge numbers, they aren’t hard to find. Now, when was the last time you saw a Buick Skyhawk?

The small handful of regular cars that stay cached away and largely preserved are both great vessels of joy and massively important, as they give unadulterated perspective of how we used to drive. This 2006 Honda Civic DX Coupe doesn’t feel particularly old, but 2006 was 18 years ago, and the entry point of the automotive landscape has changed vastly in the years since.

So what’s on the list of standard features for the 2006 Honda Civic DX Coupe? Well, it gets power windows, daytime running lights, a tilt and telescopic steering column, and that’s about it. It wasn’t that long ago when cheap cars were rather fairly spartan, and the list of equipment simply absent is astounding by modern standards.

2006 Honda Civic Dx Blanking Plate

For a kickoff, whoever bought this Civic DX new didn’t get a stereo. Sure, there’s an antenna, but that’s it.

Screen Shot 2024 01 25 At 11.41.17 Am
From Honda’s Media Site

There’s just this giant blanking plate in the middle of the dashboard where a radio would’ve gone, a reminder that for about two pizzas a month, you could’ve had something to listen to that wasn’t road noise.

2006 Honda Civic Dx Interior 1

Then there’s the cheapness of the passenger seat. This may be a coupe, but its front passenger seat doesn’t include a tilt-and-slide walk-in function for easy rear seat access. That’s mildly annoying, just like the lack of a one-touch driver’s power window, or cruise control.

2006 Honda Civic Dx 1

So how much did this run someone in 2006? Well, according to Honda’s official price sheet, this thing retailed for $15,155 including freight. Adjusted for inflation, that’s $22,905.55. A brand new Civic LX costs $2,139.45 more than the inflation-adjusted price tag of this 2006 DX Coupe, but when you look at all the stuff you’re getting, that doesn’t seem like a bad deal. I’m talking about a four-speaker stereo, phone mirroring, body-colored door handles and mirrors, automatic climate control, cruise control, two extra doors, an automatic transmission, an improved crash structure, LED headlights, power door locks, stuff that makes a real quality of life difference. By the way, that new Civic LX sedan works out to be $807.82 cheaper than an inflation-adjusted 2006 Civic LX Coupe, and while that 2006 LX does come with a radio, air conditioning, body-colored door handles, and cruise control, it doesn’t get all the kit of the new one.

2006 Honda Civic Dx Profile

Mind you, while the base-model Civic of today is objectively a better car than this 2006 DX, it doesn’t do much to appeal to enthusiasts. There’s no tantalizingly impractical coupe bodystyle on the new car, nor a row-your-own manual transmission. Curb weight has ballooned by 284 pounds, the wheelbase has been stretched by 4.4 inches, and overall length is up by a whopping 9.2 inches. That compact feel of old has more or less vanished, but it’s what the bulk of consumers want.

2006 Honda Civic Dx Interior 2

The base models of today are far closer to the range-toppers of yesteryear than the entry trims, and much of that is due to how cheap little electronic gizmos have become. However, if you do still want an absolute base model car, gems like this are still out there, and thanks to automotive progress, a 2006 Honda Civic is still safer and better-equipped than its predecessors. I mean, just check out the IIHS crash test footage.

Above is a 1997 Honda Civic hitting an offset barrier at about 40 mph. Just look at the way that A-pillar bends. Now, let’s see how a 2006 Honda Civic holds up in the same test.

Yep, that looks a whole lot better. I certainly know which Civic I’d rather be in. Plus, one of the nicest 2006 Honda Civic DX coupes in the world with just 7,000 miles on the clock went for $8,150 on Bring A Trailer. That’s not a bad deal.

2006 Honda Civic Dx Rear

As ways of getting around, new and used cars have never been objectively better than they are today. Sure, the floor of pricing is up, but when you look at what you’re getting for your money, the typical car has never been safer or more comprehensively equipped. When it comes to tackling the commute, that’s exactly what matters. This rather spartan Honda Civic DX Coupe offers a bit of “they don’t make them like they used to” without any qualms of “I wouldn’t want to crash that old beer can.” Let’s hope it stays preserved as a reminder of how far we’ve come.

(Photo credits: Bring A Trailer)

Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.

Relatedbar

Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.

About the Author

View All My Posts

63 thoughts on “This Base Model 2006 Honda Civic On Bring A Trailer Reminds Us Of How Good We Have It

  1. New thought here you calculate what the old car would cost now. Based on the value of the dollar. How about measure what the old features would cost now and figure out them at yesterday dollars? Yeah a better equipped car now may be cheaper than the decade earlier car. But if that car from yesterday was sufficient what would it cost to produce now? I bet a lot cheaper because the people decided the math to be used should help them.

  2. Okay smart car buying guy I am going to ask a question. Given that in the old days you had a down payment based on 90s dollars, and an interest payment based on about $25:a month per $1,000 dollars financed on a 4 year payment plan. How does it translate to a $22,000 2024, with a down payment of 2016 dollars at today’s interest rate and an 8 year payment plan? At today’s average income rate? Because if today’s Civics are cheaper I certainly can’t afford them like I used to. I think the whole estimate on today’s cost VS 15 years ago is BS based on what government and big business wants us to think. Back then bread cost 79 cents a loaf vs 99 cents a loaf pre covid. But ignore a specific model the average car cost $20k VS 2 years ago $38k and last years $42k.
    I keep saying you guys need a good business major on staff to help you with your math you don’t understand and quote from sources who don’t want you to understand.

  3. The 2006 model likely has 4 speakers too, it even says it was prewired. I honestly like this approach, as you can then purchase the latest/coolest double DIN stereo and plop it into your new car. More cars should be sold with a blank double DIN void, and empty speaker pockets, with wires ready to install aftermarket/nice equipment.

  4. Some of this is perspective, of course. Depending on your age, this DX Civics spec sheet reads like a top luxury model from the 90s. The people who were driving in the 90s might say, well, what else do you need? If I need to get from here to there, this Civic will do that. And do it reliably and efficiently.
    If you are a younger millennial twink soyboy you might not be able to drive a car that doesn’t have a 32″ screen in the dash. Or real buttons instead of touch screen hurt your soft smooth callous less fingers. NEED is a strong word.

    1. Hey I loved my 1989 Honda Civic DX, It saved my life was great and dependable. If I hadn’t been in an accident where it rolled 4x I would still be driving it. I would love a survey on features in a modern car VS how well the owner knows what they are VS how often they use them. I bet there is $10,000 in f3atures in most cars that the owner doesn’t know about or doesn’t know how to operate.

      1. You and I both drove cars that didn’t have power steering. Unthinkable today. I was joking above, but the point is how much of it is really a NEED or a comfort. While I’m normally for increased safety, I was in a newer toyota the other day with lane keep assist. I would pay you to take it out of the car.

Leave a Reply