Faults:

I had to replace the windshield, and despite some spots of rust the car is fully functional. It burns a tiny quantity of oil when driven hard, but the situation is under control now that I'm using synthetic lubricants. Small hole in the exhaust no noise yet, but I'll change it before winter. Check engine light stays on, probably the oxygen sensor. So far so good.

General Comments:

Decent fuel economy depending how I drive.

Good handling and acceleration.

Fun to drive little city runabout.

Mechanically the car was in good shape when I bought it, so I'm not expecting anything major... yet.

Otherwise very reliable and inexpensive to run and maintain.

Faults:

Only 2 things went wrong with my beloved Civic:

1. The water pump needed to be replaced at around 110,000 (thankfully it happened after a long trip when I moved from So Cal to Seattle). I personally think that is OK considering the car was 8 years old at the time.

2. The trunk leaked... the water would pool in the trunk lid and spill in the trunk when it was opened after a rainstorm. (A bit annoying since I lived in Seattle).

Seatbelt buckle was replaced because of a recall.

General Comments:

I loved my Honda until some teen rear ended it while parked in the street. I knew Honda's were reliable since we had a few in our family, but really didn't appreciate it until I bought a Caravan and all the headaches that come with the Dodge.

I kick myself for not spending a few grand more for the Odyssey instead of the Caravan.

I am now in the market for a Civic...I'd rather cram my family in a reliable Honda instead of the minivan which is on the verge of breaking down every month.

Faults:

At roughly 384,000km one of the engine seals gave and the vehicle developped a small oil leak. It required a pint of oil every two gas-ups (roughly 1200km-1400km).

At 410,000km the radiator needed to be replaced.

The engine finally lost partial use of one piston at 464,000km. The car is still drivable.

The only other work done on this vehicle was routine maintenance.

General Comments:

This vehicle went through the entire family starting with my in-laws, then their son and finally their daughter.

The vehicle is by far the most reliable vehicle we have ever owned collectively. The engine finally blew after close to half a million kilometers. But for the fact that my wife has allowed the oil to run dry on three different occasions (for god knows how long) I am sure the engine would still be working well today.

Save for the radiator, all of the parts on this engine were still original. I am of the opinion that it is virtually impossible to destroy the engine or the transmission on this vehicle if you keep them well lubricated and drive in a reasonable matter.

In terms of handling, this little god send would whiz in and out of traffic and accelerate on demand with no problems. It turned on a dime, and due to its short turning radius and small size could be parked between two sardine cans if needed. On the highway it had adequate power and was still a reasonably comfortable drive up to 120km/h up until 464,000km.

As for gas mileage, even with the high kilometers, I could go more than 700 km on a tank of gas (43L) on the highway and about 625-650km in town. That translates to roughly 38 miles/gallon on the highway and 35 in town.

Up until this past week at 464,000 km it would have still passed the emissions test without problems. In fact it passed one at 455,000 km with flying colors. The vehicle was still in certifiable condition before the engine problem and this with only basic routine maintenance.

It is a roomy vehicle and well thought out. In fact when traveling, I could haul more stuff int this little car due to it's generous width then I could with a 4 door Suzuki Sidekick Sport.

The only drawback I could point out is that the hatchback is a little noisy on the highway. It was slightly noisy at first but with increasing mileage, it became a bit of an issue. Mind you, the car was not equipped with A/C and the windows were pretty much always open...

I loved this car and would by another Honda in a heartbeat.