Honda CRX SiR review: the JDM classic Bahrain's import scene still chases
3.9/5motorssouq Editorial Team
Buy a CRX SiR today as a weekend car and a project, not as transport. A good B16A revs to a 8,000 rpm VTEC crossover that no modern turbo four replicates at any price, and under a tonne of kerb weight makes 158 hp feel far quicker than the number suggests. The catch is finding one that has not been thrashed, crashed and re-shelled twice — 35-year-old JDM imports on the used market here are a minefield, and this is a car to buy through a specialist, not a classified ad.
Pros
- B16A VTEC crossover remains one of the most rewarding engine experiences at any price
- Sub-1,000 kg kerb weight makes 158 hp feel genuinely quick
- Strong, active JDM specialist community and parts network for support
- Values have held and climbed as the classic JDM market has matured
Cons
- Never sold new in Bahrain — every example is a decades-old private import
- No airbags and minimal passive safety by modern standards
- Structural rust and undisclosed accident history are common at this age
- Weak factory air conditioning struggles further after 35 years of Gulf heat
The CRX SiR was Honda's first production car with the B16A, the small-capacity DOHC VTEC engine that would go on to define an entire generation of Japanese performance cars. In a body weighing under a tonne, 158 hp and a genuinely thrilling top end made the SiR feel faster than any set of period rivals with similar paper output. It never came through official Honda channels in the Gulf — it reached Bahrain then, and still reaches Bahrain now, as a private JDM import.
What it is like to drive
The VTEC crossover at roughly 5,800 rpm is the point every review of this engine mentions, and it is genuinely worth the fuss: the cam profile switches, the intake note sharpens, and the car pulls with a different urgency all the way to a 7,600 rpm power peak. Below that point it is unremarkable — the low-rev torque is modest, and the car needs to be worked hard to give up what it has. That is the trade every VTEC-era Honda made, and the CRX makes it more honestly than most.
The reality of owning one in Bahrain
Nothing about this car is a sensible daily proposition in 2026. Air conditioning on period examples was weak even when new and is worse after three decades in Gulf heat, parts availability depends entirely on JDM specialist importers rather than a Honda parts counter, and structural rust or accident repair on a car this age is common and often poorly disclosed. Values have climbed hard over the last decade as the wider JDM classic market has matured, which means a clean SiR now costs meaningfully more than it did five years ago — buy through a specialist who can verify chassis number and history, and budget for a pre-purchase inspection before anything else.