1997 Honda del Sol consumer reviews

Very reliable and trust worthy car, this is Honda at its best, solid after 24 years of driving and gas mileage reflective of a modern day hybrid; Honda for the creation of this car deserves the highest accolades for craftsmanship and quality which equals a true car.... thanks Honda...

Very reliable and fun to drive. The targa top is better than a full convertible. I’ve had it from 6-103,000 miles and still going strong.

Worthy of its cult status! Combines Honda reliability and longevity with style, speed & fuel economy. I currently drive a 2018 Forester 6 speed manual and I love it but when I get in the Honda it is just a smoother driving experience, what can I say? It's a car that makes you feel like a kid again, so fun to drive! Not a car for someone WITH kids, however. With a passenger, all cargo like groceries or anything bigger than a purse, needs to go in the ample trunk. Roof is light enough to remove or replace in a flash. I am a woman, 61 & have no problem putting the roof in the trunk for a moonlight ride or putting it in place when a rainstorm hits. Just a great, fantastically fun car!

Easy and fun to drive car. It got great gas mileage and had really low maintenance costs. I sold the car at 200,000 miles, but I bet it could keep going for another 100,000!

It's the ONLY car I drive. Got my first sol in 2000 and never looked back. I currently have THREE del sols! The first is a red 96 auto daily driver with 220k, faded paint, lots of dings and dents but mechanically perfect. It's great for the grocery store where people love to door ding your car with a shopping cart. Second is a newly repainted white 97 SI 5 speed with 135k. This one i drive on occasion because is looks quite respectable and is fun for weekends or showing off. I never leave it unattended in a grocery store parking lot. The third is a true museum piece! It's a red 1997 SI, 5 speed with ONLY 4, 231 ORIGINAL miles!!! Stunning car. I think it's gotta be the lowest mileage sol in the U.S. If you wanna see a video of it, go to YouTube and type in: del sol RED. Yes,it could be placed in a Honda showroom with the brand new cars and it would rival them all. Obviously, I never drive this car....only for show. In summary, if you don't own a del sol....you're missing out.

Low, sporty & in black, is a blast to drive, has loads of head room & a removable hard top for summer sun. VTEC DOHC engine and 5 speed, of course. Has been reliable daily driver for the past 10 years and good in the snow too!

Honda should have never ditched this car. Period. They only should have given it more horsepower and made it a RWD. These cars are the best of both worlds if you want a convertible but do not want all of the headaches that come with one. If you are into tuner cars and love a Honda then every Honda made from 1993 on to 2001 technically has a motor that can fit into this car without much trouble or without any effort at all basically. This Del Sol Model has a very well known nickname though... "Del Slow". This is where the weight combined with the puny 1.6L D series that came with it was stuck behind the curtain while Acura's Integra had the 1.8L that everyone now swaps into what should have been and OEM engine in the first place. Besides the motor these cars handle VERY well for the year it was made and considering it's a basic Economy Class commuter car. I have now driven a Del Sol with Manual & Power Steering and it's not that noticeable of a difference. If you sums up what this car lacks the xxxxxxto me outweigh the Con's for what this car is and what should have been. If Honda ever starts reproducing this car again I will most definitely buy it off the lot

Fun to drive, good performance, good mpg makes up for cost of premium gas, no complaints, wish that Honda still made them

Very reliable and fun. Also looks amazing! I use it as my daily. The targa top is absolutely perfect.

I guess you could call my DelSol another Mid-Life-Crisis purchase as compared to a previous review. For quite a few years, I?ve been toying about buying some type of small manual-shift sports car. The last stick-shift car I had was back in the late 60?s. I?ve looked at Miatas, MG?s, Triumphs, ect. and none of them really made an impression. I just happened to stumble upon a DelSol a few months ago and was immediately impressed with the removable targa roof and powered rear window. A perfect convertible that wasn?t a rag top. Extremely easy to remove and store the roof-top in a "huge" trunk with it?s own storage rack for a car of such a small size. Add to this the excellent reputation Honda has with it?s Civic platform and the affordable price they can be purchased for basically convinced me that a DelSol was in my future. I was lucky enough to find a nice low mileage, one owner 97 SI out in Utah which I had shipped back to the East Coast. Needless to say I?m extremely happy with the car and currently doing a series of upgrades to her. She?s a real keeper!