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.
16th May 2007, 21:53
I said that Toyota's are slightly more reliable because of the survey results from Consumer Reports and J.D. Power. My personal experience with Toyota has been very good. My mom's car has over 160,000 miles and has almost all original parts. As far as the timing belts go- I have heard that the latest generation of Honda's have a chain timing belt. Can anyone confirm this?