Faults:

Distributor went, alternator replaced. Windshield has just cracked on me, so I need to get that replaced.

General Comments:

Very nice car- I like the way a honda drives more than a toyota. However, toyota does have a slight reliability edge. I wish it had a manual transmission, but even with the automatic transmission the car seems very peppy. The car has a very nice ride at highway speeds (like something I would expect from a much larger car), and handles amazingly. I don't plan on selling it unless it requires any major repairs. I bought the car for under 2000 dollars, and hopefully I will drive it until it has 200,000+ miles, and then sell it for five hundred, and find another car just like this one.

Faults:

Mo major problems.

Body rust around wheel wells - which is normal for Hondas.

No power steering - sometimes is very painful when it comes to park.

Fuse from fuel pump went out at 204K miles.

Right Axle-shaft replaced at 204K miles.

Reverse tail light keeps light continuously (had to remove the bulb).

General Comments:

Stock, Manual 5speed, 4cyl 1.5L DPFI 16V (92HP).

First of all, I got this car for a buck, paid about $800. When I bought it, the odometer showed 98K miles, but after the odometer switched to '100.000' I realized that somebody rolled out the actual millage, so I actually had 198K when I bought it.

Now, after two years, I have 230K (the odometer still shows 130K) on it and the car still drives great.

This car is extremely cheap to maintain! Just normal maintenance (oil, brakes, fluids.. etc).

$20-$25 (10gal) to fill up, and you can get 350-430 miles on that!

It's fast enough in the city, but has a lack of power on highways ( It's what you would expect form a 1.5L engine) However, you can go drive at 100MPH easily.

A/C still works!

Great car for a student, or just for a basic daily commute!

Faults:

Car has only really needed basic maintenance.

Regular oil changes.

The engine also burns a little bit of oil, needs a liter about once a month.

New battery (around 100$ from dealership, for some reason Crappy Tire did not sell in stock).

New driver's side drive axle (150$ installed).

New valve cover gasket (24$, installed myself in my driveway in 30 minutes).

One of the speakers does not work.

Replaced the old ratty cassette deck with a cheap CD player.

Power steering has a slow leak. Refill the reservoir with a 5.00$ bottle of power steering fluid every 3 or 4 months.

Weather stripping around the windshield fell off because of rust.

Water leaked into the car right on the driver's seat through a rusty spot where the windshield and roof meet. I put on a lot of silicon caulking and stopped the leak.

Rust seems to be this car Achilles heel. The floor and the body are unfortunately rotting out.

General Comments:

This car has been very good to me. I got the car for basically free, and have been driving it for over a year and a half, and have put on almost 45,000 trouble free kilometers during this time.

Initially I had to put 500$ into it in order pass the safety inspection, most of which went to a new exhaust. This was the only expense incurred by purchasing and getting the car on the road.

The car has never not started or left me stranded, except one time when my girlfriend left the lights on all day (hardly my Civic's fault).

Although one day I did leave the lights on for a extended period of time; she still started.

I have taken this car on many long road trips and it has never let me down.

I once drove 300km with an old 15ft fiberglass boat weighing probably close 300-400lbs strapped to my roof. It took five guys to get the boat loaded on the roof. And the Civic performed what was demanded of her without a glitch.

The only major problem I have had with the car is recently while driving with six people squeezed into the car, I blew or burned out one of the cylinders.

I thought the car was dead, but the engine still runs strong on three cylinders, and has been going for almost two months, and despite the cold Canadian winters, continues to start faithfully each morning without a block heater.

I would put the money into the car to fix the engine, but the floor and body are really in bad shape. If you lift up the carpet while driving, you can see the road! Rust has been the only real problem, and could have been avoided with regular rust proofing. If this car was structurally sound, I would not hesitate to put money into her.

Car is fun to drive.

Insurance is also very affordable. When I first got the car, I was 21 and paying only 52$ a month. An incredible price for a guy in his early 20's living in Ontario.

Before I blew the cylinder, the car could easily go 140km/h without hesitation on the highway.

Even with only three cylinders, the car, although initially a little slow merging on the highway, (really sucks if you get stuck behind me) will still get up to speed, and she will happily and comfortably speed along at 120km/h.

I'm shopping for a new Civic, yet I am hesitant to let this one go. It just does not want to stop. I kind of wish the engine would seize up so I don't have to feel guilty about giving up on her.