Faults:
I had no serious problems with the car.
My windshield cracked across the lower end.
The cloth on the driver's door ripped.
The speakers developed noise.
There were paint scratches on several places.
The tires wore fast (I had to replace the original Firestone tires).
General Comments:
The car looks good from outside, but it is such a great disappointment. Soon it shows its true nature: a cheap and unstable little car.
First of all, the gas mileage that the Honda salespeople advertise is not true.
Personally, I don't think it is built for North Americans who are usually taller. I have a hard time fitting in the car and I am only 5 feet 6 inches. We can hardly fit our 2 kids in the back (with one car seat); and definitely not built for the North American terrain of vast stretches of land.
I too find the gas pedal overly sensitive, which results in the car's being "jerky" and hard to control. I need to be constantly alert to avoid accidents and skidding, which can be exhausting. This is not a car for an inexperienced driver. And it is not a ride I will ever enjoy as I am constantly trying to 'survive' it.
The ride is also awfully noisy and extremely rough. Honda dealers call it "sporty" which is another word for horrible. The car feels "heavy" and it seems as if the shocks are shot or something. I had mine checked and I couldn't believe the mechanic telling me that they were OK. It didn't feel to me so, the ride was so atrocious! I wouldn't take my car on the highway, it is just too painful to ride on long distances.
The seats are also extremely uncomfortable with cheap padding of lousy quality. This is a disgrace and Honda should be ashamed to ask so much money for just an econobox. They need to offer something better quality wise to justify the price of this car. We equated Honda with quality, and it was an ugly surprise to find that we paid a high price for just a penalty box. This will definitely be my only and last Honda!
It has the reputation of a reliable car (this is yet to be seen as mine is still covered under warranty), however, it is not a car that it is driven a lot. I had a Pontiac that I drove non-stop on all terrains and distances across Canada and the U.S. It did bring me some problems, but this was justified given the kilometres I put in the car. The Civic sits on my parking lot taking up space, as reliable as it can be, since we seldom enjoy rides in it.
Honda dealers are extremely uncooperative about all this. Once you buy the car, you are pretty much stuck with it. I wouldn't advise anyone to buy the Civic given the fact that it is an expensive, uncomfortable and cheap car. Honda manufacturers need to realize that their cars will be driven by people and improve their 'ergonomics". Wake up Honda!
Note: One word for those who want to lease the car. Honda forces you to have full insurance on the car (collision-liability) for the whole lease term, a contract that is hard to get out of given the fact that the car depreciates faster that the lease is paid for. You need to keep this insurance in full force; if even if you get into an accident (which can send your premiums sky high), as they won't allow "theft and fire". Given the insurance rates, GOOD LUCK!
29th Aug 2019, 19:56
My neighbor had a 2005 Honda Civic. Was a great little car. Ran it hard for most of its life, then gave it to her son who also ran it hard. Don't think that car ever got any rest and very little maintenance was done to it. Now one of her grandkids has it and treats it a lot better. Those cars are great to hand down from one generation to the next. Drove in it a couple of times and what a solid little runabout... no power, but got you there. I have a 2013 Honda Civic Hybrid and what a pile of rattles and squeaks... no more Honda Civics for me. If I get another Honda it will be an Accord. The new Honda Civics are not well put together and just don't have the feel of the old ones.