absolutely you can inspect them.  jack up the rear so the tire is off
the ground.  get your head down and look underneath.  it's a great big
bushing where the trailing arm is bolted to the chassis.  if you see
significant cracks or tears, it needs replacing.  if not, it doesn't!
it is suspect about needing bushings at your age and mileage, but since
you can see for your self so easily, you won't get ripped off.

regarding replacement, google this group for elle's experience replacing
these bushings.  she located a tool that allows you to do it with the
trailing arms still on the car - a *huge* advantage and cost saving.
the tool's not too expensive and the bushings are $60 each.  again,
google this group for part numbers.  take the vehicle in to have
alignment checked after you do it - rear suspension alignment on hondas
is highly sensitive and critical to satisfactory handling.

caution: carefully inspect the trailing arms for corrosion and cracking.
 honda factory spec is to replace the whole arm to eliminate risk,
hence the high cost.  but if the arms are in good condition, replacing
just the bushings is fine.  i've done it a bunch of times on my hondas
and enjoy restoring the handling of the vehicle back to the way it
should be.

Hi, I personally replaced the two trailing arm bushings on
my 1991 Civic this past summer. I bought a special tool for
$140 for the job using Ebay, and I bought the two bushings
online, OEM, through a certain dealer for about $40 each,
IIRC.

I would say the weather and the passage of time play about
as much a role in wearing those bushings than strictly
mileage. Temperature extremes, ISTM, will cause them to
crack and look aged more than mild temperatures year-round.
The dealer is not wrong per se, but he may very well be
looking for things on which to make money. This is an easy
money-maker for which he can't exactly be condemned.

You certainly can personally examine the bushings, looking
for cracks. See a drawing of the entire trailing arm at
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.jsp?inputstate=5&cat
cgry1=Civic&catcgry2=1997&catcgry3=4DR+EX&catcgry4=KA5MT&catcgry5=REAR+LOWER+ARM

Ask if you're not sure what part is the TA bushing.

Will your ride improve by replacing them? Probably not by
much. If they were severely worn, you'd likely notice it and
want to replace them a.s.a.p. I do not think my old 91 Civic
handles way way better as a result of the new bushings, but
I think there's improvement. I drive some icy mountain roads
to go skiing in winter, and I have this picture (rational or
not!) in my mind of the whole rear of the car swinging zig
when the car is going zag, and so helping me to get in an
accident, so I sleep better with the new TA bushings. Plus,
shucks, it was a fun project.

If you really want to replace these bushings, my dealer
offered something like $320 to do them. I would shop around.
They do have to be oriented correctly upon installation, so
you should talk to anyone who replaces them about this. You
could also buy the new bushings yourself and ask an
independent shop how much to do the job.

Alternatively, they were pretty darn easy to replace "in
situ" with the special tool. It's now a pretty popular tool
among Honda enthusiasts.

Ask if you want some links to some great photo-essay threads
on doing the job yourself.