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.

2008 Honda Civic EXL 1.8L 140 HP inline 4 from North America

Summary:

All around good

Faults:

I'm the 2nd owner of the car.

A/C had a leak in it and was repaired.

Front and rear brakes (rotors and pads), fluid changes, thus far. Really just normal maintenance.

General Comments:

I was given this car for free, so obviously it was too good to pass up. In 2 years of owning it, I have been happy so far. Mine is a 2dr EXL coupe.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st January, 2018

2008 Honda Civic Type R 2.0 naturally aspirated from South Africa

Summary:

A driver's car with performance and reliability that won't let you down

Faults:

Nothing whatsoever.

General Comments:

This vehicle is built for racing and driving hard every time it is driven, and so with that said, this vehicle does what it was intended to do, as it never fails me and it performs every single day.

The interior was designed for the driver, and I for one can vouch for this. The positioning of the digital speedometer and the size of the rev counter keeps the driver's head up and eyesight on the road, and not looking down trying to find the speedo and rev counter.

This vehicle's feedback thru the steering wheel is unlike any other and is how it should be.

The precision and length of travel to each gear is a real treat to any petrol head.

Consumption? This vehicle is a little bit thirsty with an average of 12 litres per 100km in town and mixed driving.

Performance!? This vehicle's performance is like no other that I have experienced in regards to a naturally aspirated power plant under the hood. The vehicle's exterior design is still very unique to that of the vehicles of late, and I still receive compliments on a weekly basis.

When you accelerate thru the gears, you and the pedestrians know about it, as the exhaust note is loud, unique and astronomical.

This vehicle has a cold air intake as well as a full exhaust system, and lastly software, and it still performs better than a lot of more recent vehicles that make the use of a turbo.

I have owned 5 vehicles from 5 different manufacturers, and this vehicle has surpassed them all in the fields of:

A) Performance

B) Reliability

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th November, 2016