Faults:
- Some of the adhesive is deteriorating (ie: the panel around the rear license plate, some of the areas near the added body-lip-kit *this is dealer/aftermarket)
- Plastic pieces make a "rattling" sound (dashboard when hitting high speeds; sunroof at all times)
- Some of the paint is peeling (interior side of trunk door)
- 3rd gear of transmission is "choppy".
General Comments:
When I purchased this car, I was looking for something that was good on gas, a daily-driver, and still would have some fun if I needed it. It does all these very well.
I normally get 23-26 MPG mixed driving (mostly highway, but shovelling it on the highway). It's good for going back and forth to work, but the transmission in 3rd is tough to hit sometimes (known problem by Honda).
As far as fun is concerned, it does have that... to a point. Since it's FWD, it's somewhat limited on its potential. No matter how fast you want to get it, it couldn't compete w/the higher-class type of vehicles (Corvette, M3, Porsche, Mach-1, WS-6, etc.). On the contrary, it does have many upgrades you can add to it and can have fun doing it (though it'll cost you).
I must say the V-TEC is a kick. If I were keeping it, I'd invest in a FlastPro though (this lowers the V-TEC starting RPM). In my opinion, the body style has much to be desired.
It does handle well (though I put the HFP suspension and lip kit on there).
I did check insurance prices before I purchased, so new it was definitely HIGHER than pretty much every other car out there, due to their theft rating. (They ARE safe vehicles, however.)
Reliability is good drivetrain-wise, but not for the little squeaks and rattles.
However, at the bottom line, I would've rather spent $26k on a higher performance vehicle, and sacrificed only a couple of MPG's while doing so (the Si only doing 23-26 is bad for a 4-cylinder -- in my opinion, of course).
15th Feb 2010, 17:09
Take the car to another Honda dealership, pronto. Your current dealer is giving you the run-around.