2008 Honda Civic SE 1.8 from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Great reliable cars, if only they had a slightly better ride
Faults:
Recently had to replace the offside rear ABS sensor as a light was showing.
Horn relay.
General Comments:
I bought this in February 2018 to replace a 9th gen 1.6 diesel Civic which was being returned to the lease company. So far the current car has been great. I went for petrol as my mileage was reducing and I didn't want any DPF complications, even though my previous Civic was faultless in the 85k I had it.
I have now done about 46k miles in my current car, and apart from minor things like a horn relay and ABS sensor, it has been great. I replace the oil and filter every 10k miles, using the proper A5/B5 spec oil, 0W30 in my case. I use an OEM (Purflux) oil filter and also replace the air filter every other service. I've replaced the brakes all around, more so I know it's been done than it being essential, but as far as I can tell the exhaust, shocks etc are the originals. In my time I have adjusted the valve clearances twice, the first time on 75 k miles, minimal adjustment was necessary to three valves, the second time at 100 k miles they were fine. The air con is nice and cold when the weather is hot, it's worth running it most of the year round too in my experience.
I typically average about 43 mpg, this is the calculated value, not what the trip computer shows. The best I've averaged (calculated brim to brim) is 49, the worst is 39, so I don't really need a diesel. Performance is perfectly fine, it goes well when you want it to.
My only real complaint is the ride is quite hard. This is not the sporty Type R version, so not sure why they didn't have a slightly more compliant suspension set up, I literally grit my teeth going over some speed bumps! The annual road tax of £210 is a bit steep compared to the free RFL of my previous car too.
To summarise, I've more than had my money's worth, the car uses no oil between services and will probably last another 10 years, assuming the underside looks as good as above!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 16th February, 2022
19th Feb 2022, 08:57
I have a 1.8 petrol Civic, 2007 model with 17 inch wheels. I agree with this review - the ride is horrible - especially on our sub-standard British roads. Apart from that no real issues. My car is 108K miles. I've had to replace the front suspension - partly down to driving over speed bumps for several years taking my daughter to school. I had to get the air con replaced - due to stone damage, I suspect.
I'm on original exhaust and clutch. I can still get 44mpg+ on motorways or fast country roads. The car burns no oil. I suspect the car is good for ten years.