1997 Honda Civic EX 4 cylinder

Summary:

The most sour lemon I've ever seen

Faults:

Windows came off their tracks.

Bad window seals.

Poor overall acceleration and performance.

2 head gaskets.

Uncomfortable seating, front and rear.

Sheet metal too thin, dents easily.

Brake rotors have warped three times in the past three years.

CV joints.

Hard starting in cold temperatures (below freezing).

Transmission jerks violently during a forced downshift.

Head gasket.

Manifold gasket.

Rough idle (worse in cold weather).

General Comments:

I'm sorry I made the mistake of ever buying a Honda. I was lured in by rants and raves of Honda quality and reliability, but I guess somebody was smoking crack on the assembly line the day my car was built. Most of these problems were covered under warranty, but it's pretty inconvient having to borrow a neighbor's car three times in one month because mine was in the shop.

It has the comfort, performance, and reliability of a Chevy Chevette, and that's an overstatement. My 90 Buick Skylark was something I should have held on to. It didn't dent from little parking lot door scuffs. It actually had a little bit of power under the hood, more than I can say for this sorry excuse for a car. It was solid, reliable, dependable, and even better on gas. It had a few bugs here and there, but nothing close to being this bad.

HONDA FOR SALE!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th August, 2001

8th May 2002, 14:48

Not all Honda's are like that my mother has a '90 Honda and it has about 200000 miles on it. It runs perfectly. It goes into the shop only for it's yearly check-ups and oil changes. We live in a cold climate also and it starts fine. Not all cars can always start perfectly in the cold. I would much have her car than my '95 blazer that hardly runs. All in all I think you may have just got a bad car and should really think of trying another Honda out cause they are the best cars out there.

7th Oct 2002, 02:42

I have a 1991 Honda Civic with 250,000 miles and it is still going strong. I have never had to replace anything major. Matter of fact, the only thing I've had to replace is the CV joints, the clutch and the radiator. I just returned from a long trip and "Lucy Blue" is thirsty for more pavement!

12th Jul 2007, 13:09

I would say that Honda is definitely a good car. I did have problems with my 1997 Honda Civic EX and the window tracks, but I haven't had any severe problems. Had to get a new Alternator, Window Motor, Exhaust system, and I have 157000 miles on it and my sister in law and I are the only owners.

17th Aug 2009, 22:57

I've seen more and more 90s and early 2000s Hondas that were just unreliable. Back in the 80s, they were 200k cars easy. Not sure about 2005+ yet either, but sometime in the early 90s they went downhill something terrible.

Plus, driving a 90s Civic on the freeway was probably the most terrifying experience of my life!

1997 Honda Civic LX

Summary:

Awesome for a first car!!!

Faults:

Nothing yet.

General Comments:

This is my first car, AND I LOVE IT!! In response to a comment made in another review, for a short person like me it is comfortable as you can get buying a used car from that year.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th June, 2001

1997 Honda Civic EX 1.6 VTec

Summary:

A great dependable car for everyday use and roomy enough for shorter traveling trips (within state)

Faults:

The only thing that has gone wrong with the car is that when I recently had the tires replaced (less than 12,000 miles ago) I felt that they weren't gripping properly. This I have learned today is because of an alignment issue which has caused the tires to become cupped. I take the car to the dealer for regular service intervals and oil changes, and despite mention of the issue they failed to notice the problem and now I have to get new tires because of the uneven wear. This is more a result of inattentive service personnel as opposed to anything with the car.

I would have liked a longer warranty period (more than the 36,000/3 years) just as added insurance - although I don't anticipate any major concerns before I reach 100k miles.

Added options are too expensive so I had my own upgraded stereo installed after purchase.

General Comments:

I liked that I got almost the same amount of interior/cargo space as the Honda Accord without having to spend the extra money.

This is my first new car and I have enjoyed it so far. I think I can expect it to continue to perform well even after I finish up my car payments next year. I plan to keep it for a while.

This car serves the general purposes for everyday use without soaking up the fuel.

This car offers a relatively quiet ride for a small car. I expected more road noise and I am happily not hearing it.

This is a better choice of car in value and quality compared to the Mitsubishi Mirage my husband bought the year before I bought the Honda Civic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th April, 2001