Faults:

Overall this car is a prime example of Honda's legendary reliability; other than the oil pan gasket that had to be replaced twice because of oil leaks, this car has not run into any mechanical problems.

General Comments:

If I would have to recommend a compact car, the Honda Civic would definitely be my top choice; the 1.6L engine equipped with Honda's legendary i-VTEC variable valve timing system makes this car quite quick. The 0-100km time is just a little over 9 seconds, and the engine has ample torque, all of which is available at around 2500rpm.

The front and rear independent suspension provides great cornering with very litle body roll, and the automatic 4 speed transmission is amongst the best in the industry.

While not the most stylish generation, the 2001 to 2005 model years offer an interior fit and finish that is unlike no other; the seat materials are of top notch quality, and the plastics used are of surprising quality for an "econo car". The LX-i pacakge comes loaded with power windows, cruise control, remote keyless entry and ABS brakes, and all of the accessories are of remarkable quality.

The downsides to this litle beauty include a large amount of road noise; rattles and squeaks can be heard while going over bumps at low speed. The brakes are a little too spongy and would be greatly improved with a front/rear disc setup.

While I was able to get a great deal on this car, its high resale value makes it much more expensive than it's American counterparts, and its overall "bang for the buck" is greatly reduced by high sticker prices. Also their insurance costs (especially if you're under 25) are sky high.

If you can afford the payments and the insurance, go for it! You won't be disappointed.

Faults:

Cruise control Cancel button does not work.

Sunroof leaks water, but only in car wash or super heavy rain. Dealer wants $2000 to fix, body shops want $1000 to fix. The car has never been wrecked. It was my first car and we got it new.

The timing belt broke at only 62,000 miles. It was cheaper to replace the entire engine because some other stuff broke as well when the belt broke. The dealer paid half of the labor, but we had to buy a used engine. The used engine had only 99 miles on it.

I was getting 33 mpg on average, but now with the same exact driving, except now I have my daughter in her car seat, in the car, I am only getting about 26 mpg. I didn’t realize that adding a 30-pound baby, 40-pound diaper bag in the trunk, and a 20 pound car seat would kill the mpg like this. It would be fair to say that I have gained over 50 lbs myself. The car had a major tune up at 109,000-miles.

Water leaks on the passenger side floor board with the A/C on. 3 of the 4 power windows have been rebuilt at a cost of over $250 each. The only one that has not broke is the driver’s and I use it 90% of the time.

The transmission has always been jerky and shifts very harsh sometimes. Now it seems to take a few more seconds to go into D.

A big black air bubble, or something, has formed right on the 120 mph on the dash and some of the dash lights have burned out.

The headlights are really dim now and the paint is flaking all over the sides of the roof of the car and on the edges of the hood.

The driver’s arm rest is broken and will not stay up and the driver’s door will not latch properly, even thought the car has never been wrecked or even jacked up from a flat tire. I can say that the car has never had a flat, but even the most expensive tires seem to only last 30,000 miles on this car.

CD player has had a CD stuck in it for years and it will not come out.

The car is loosing antifreeze, but it only leaks like a quart a month. The repair shop says that they can’t find the leak. The leak on the passenger side floor board is for sure from the a/c they say.

A few fuses and other dinky things that don’t amount to much.

General Comments:

The car drives good in the city, but not too well on high speed windy roads. The car is obviously too light in weight.

For the size of the car, it has great room. Almost as much room as my husband’s Chevy S-10 Blazer SUV thing.

The a/c seems to take forever to cool the car down, but has been checked and it hasn’t used up enough gas to recharge it yet.

The car is basically worn out at only 135,000 miles. I was hoping for over 200,000 miles, but my confidence has been crushed since the new engine at a young 62,000 miles and I will have this thing paid off in a few months along with the credit card for all the repairs.

I know a few other people with civics that have had some of the same problems. I will not buy another civic again, I don’t even feel confident in buying any Honda now. I am trying to be as fair as possible on this car, but dag gumet, I have had the oil changed on time, never let anyone barrow the car and I have always driven the car easy and never floor the accelerator. I won’t even drive on dirt roads.

I have friends with over 200,000 miles on their cars and they don’t even take care of them.

I can say that the car is very cute and it looks friendly. My mom’s 2001 Buick Le Saber looks like a fat cat fish, especially from the grille. Her car has over 160,000 miles with no problems and drives much better than my civic, but it is just too big and only gets 22mpg.

I will not miss this car at all and I will probably trade it in on a new Corolla, or Focus, because I see that both of these cars get great gas mileage and most of my friends have over 100,000 miles on theirs and have had no problems. I am really looking for a small wagon, but the Corolla doesn’t come in a wagon. I know the Focus does, but I think that Ford will stop making it.