Faults:

First off:

This is my first time I've owned a Honda so bear with me. I was looking for a commuter car 4 banger to go to work, and pick up my boy from school. I knew Honda had a good reputation for building strong engines so I took a risk; the original condition of the car when I bought from third owner: (presumably)

* The car had coil-overs, it was a terrible ride and not very family friendly... So I went to the junkyard and got the stock struts (all 4 of them) for 65 bucks; the ride was better, and I was no longer worried about hitting pavement and at the same time prolonging my lower back health.

* I believe the car was previously owned by a teenager, it came with an Injen, performance intake and muffler; to be honest, it does sound pretty loud and it is somewhat intimidating for a 4 banger. I believe the Injen intake is responsible for the increased MPG. I decided to keep the intake, because hey what the heck, better gas mileage does not hurt anyone.

* The only thing that has gone terribly wrong is the fact that the suspension failed, due to a worn out ball joint, causing the shaft and strut and complete right front assembly to come apart while driving when I was about to park; THANK GOD it did not happen on the highway otherwise I believe I wouldn't be writing this. This repair cost me about 300 USD with parts and labor, but it could have been avoided if I inspected the suspension with a mechanic after I purchased it. I presume the coil-overs are to blame, because to be honest this is the first time something like this happened to me. Also the shaft that came out, also seemed to misalign something in the transmission, which caused my tranny to misbehave and not shift properly. To my amazement the tranny was not damaged; the mechanic had to take it apart and found the syncros were out of place.

General Comments:

Other than the above, nothing wrong with the car. I love the MPG I get - 23 MPG city (no jackrabbit starts), performance is great for the car, consider this is a 2 door version long body and it's heavy for the 2.3, however it has enough power to pass. I also had to replace 2 motor mounts. VTEC kicks in at 5000 RPM, which is nice for passing, and with the intake and muffler, sounds real loud and it is fun to do it on occasion so it's definitely not a boring car.

This used Honda got me to consider buying a new one; it's got excellent leg room, I'm 5'9 and I've got room to spare. The sunroof works perfectly and it was standard side airbags; that for 16 year old car is not bad.

I'm planning on driving it perhaps to the 120,000 mile mark and then sell it, because I need something bigger, my family is growing.

Hope this was useful. :-)

Faults:

Temp bulb gone at 130,000 km.

Otherwise, nothing.

General Comments:

I bought this car mainly based on the outstanding reputation of the model. And it has never let me down.

Tough - it has marks, nicks and tucks from everyday use, and 3 teenager sons, but works perfectly until this day, and more than 140,000 km.

The engine is very dependable, and if I keep taking care of it, I think it will run until the Judgment day. Never touched it.

It runs smoothly on highway, and it's almost as economic as a Civic. Not a V8, but is soft and moves the big car well enough.

The interior is pretty good, even with my 4 year old niece pouring ice cream on it. Not like new, but looks and feels reasonably well.

Brakes could be a bit better, but I don't think it's a problem.

Some year ago the temp bulb broke and the temp clock marked hot. Luckily I saw it soon, and the engine was not damaged. Repaired it (in an independent garage), no problemo.

One word about the dealer in my city. They seem to have a very few scruples, as they tried to frame a friend of mine with her 2007 Civic; they told her that the rattling sound in the suspension system came from the steering system, -and some other little things-, and concluded that the car needed a $2300 brand new steering system. Went to an independent garage, and the engine support system was worn out, an $150 fix.

And that wasn't an isolated story.

Too bad for the Honda dealership in my country, they had such an excellent reputation.

Anyway, this is the perfect family car. At least, it has been so for us, and for less than US$8,000.