Faults:

Needed a new actuator on the driver's door, and also a sensor box for the central locking, as both failed! 55 euro for both second hand parts, which I installed myself... Would have cost over 300 euro just to buy them new at the dealers!

Other than that, it's been bullet proof.

General Comments:

Excellent car compared to the 1.4 Corolla that I have previously owned. I have also owned a 2002 1.4 Civic hatchback. All 3 have been endlessly reliable, which is a major plus point, but the Honda engines are superior; not only quicker, but more economical I've found.

Service parts are fairly similar, as are running costs, although Hondas may be dearer to insure for me, a male in my early 20s.

My only negative point about the Civic is they are not a smooth car to drive at low speeds, no matter how careful I am. It can be quite jerky taking off from the lights, and even moving into second gives quite a kick when you take your foot off the clutch. All in all though, I am very happy with the car, and would recommend one to anyone.

Faults:

No faults noted as yet.

General Comments:

A seriously quick car and not for the faint hearted.

Handles well and provides good positive feedback, so you get an idea when you're pushing the car to it's limit.

Ride is firm/very firm and the road noise above 60mph can be a bit annoying on long journeys.

Can be a little petrol hungry when using the v-tech. But the performance you get leaves you grinning from ear to ear!!

Faults:

No faults so far.

General Comments:

I bought this car as a 54 plate ex-demo from my local Honda dealer. Although it was high mileage, it came with the 17" optional extra alloys and rear headrests. The higher mileage for its age (9 months at the time of purchase) enabled be to bargain the dealer down to a very reasonable price.

The Civic Sport is a brilliant car - you can rev it like any other VTEC and accelerate away, but you can also drive it sedately like any other 3 door hatch. It looks great with the TypeR body styling and the larger 17" wheels.

Fuel economy is very good - 40mpg+ on a medium drive, I've yet to take it on a long motorway trip, though I would expect to get almost 50mpg from it. If you drive it spiritly on short journeys expect your mpg to drop to around the 33mpg mark.

The car is very comfortable with the sports seats, and is very nice to drive. The leather steering wheel is sporty (although the steering will take some getting used to - the turning circle is far wider than my previous car).

One thing I love about the Civic is the positioning of the gear stick - after driving the Civic I find it difficult and very cumbersome having a lower mounted shift.

The Honda stereo leaves a lot to be desired, although it happily plays my CDR music and the radio reception is good. If you're an "ICE" fan you'd probably want more though.

The car comes fitted as standard with a Cat1 alarm/immobiliser - the car requires the factory key to start, as there is a transponder for the immobiliser built into it.

The insurance on this car, considering its performance (i.e. acceleration) when compared with other 1.6 cars (the focus, astra etc) is incredibly cheap.

My car came polished and waxed from the dealer, so keeping the Nighthawk Black nice and shiny isn't too much of a problem. If you're into your car cleaning however, some Meguiars is a must have.

All in all a brilliant value car for some good, comfortable, enjoyable driving fun.