Honda Civic (coupe/hatchback)

igloomaster

it costs about $10 to ship the cargo cover -

so ManHonda's price plus 10 is $94.52.....
damn near the same price I paid.

rex12

Yeah, you're right. I just like Manchester Honda. They've such a large selection and good prices. Basically just yappin to hear myself yap.

Did you get the cover? I can't believe how much louder the interior noise is with it off. You notice a difference?

igloomaster

I don't really hear the difference in mine.

I really like the security factor though; being able to throw bags and stuff back there and keeping them covered.

I still like my CX auto with A/C better than any DX out there. I hate the fact that Honda only supplies an FM/AM radio with no tape deck or cd player as standard equipment in the DX. It's so weird. My CX came with front speakers, but no stereo! I bought a CD changer stereo for MUCH less than the factory model and it's a much better brand. Oh well.

rex12

Yeah, that is a bunch of crap. I'd think they'd ATLEAST put one of their crappy cassette decks in the dash.

I notice the road noise most on the freeway. It cuts down noise most when the road is wet or snowy.

Auto? I just can't imagine the acceleration (or lack of) with an auto tranny.

One thing I wish they had offered would be opening rear windows.

igloomaster

I MISS THAT TOO! that was a great feature of my 1990 red hatch. I loved that flow through ventilation. Must be saftey or somthing.

the automatic i own now does not accelerate as quickly as my old manual, but it's not that big a difference. it's really not that bad. it moves just fine. i drive in the city in traffic so much that all the clutch work was pissing me off, so i went with an auto this time around.

only1harry

I just bought a cassete player (after 3.5yrs!) to put in my '97 DX. It 's a cheap pioneer model that I got on sale for $149. I don't know how I put up with the AM/FM these past few years..
As far as auto goes I personally would never get one. The acceleration I get from the 5-sp. makes up for all the clutch action when stuck in traffic. My DX with 98K mi. still amazes me with its passing power and acceleration. What also helps with my model is that it doesn't have power steering which adds an extra 4-5hp at the wheels!
Hatchbacks didn't get standard PS until '98 or '99
unless they had auto trannies. I 've seen a road test of my car that did 0-60 in 8.7s (Oct-Nov.'96 autoweek?) and one other was 9sec flat. Now that's pretty quick for an inexpensive car like a Civic HB. It's a good thing they 're light cars. I beat Corollas, VW Golfs, Sentras, Escorts, etc. at the light all the time.
I never regreted getting the 5-sp. but then again speed means more to me that probably most people driving a Civic htbk :-)

igloomaster

speed kills.

please be careful.

yes, my 90 4 speed manual with the 1.5 liter engine had slightly better acceleration than my 99 4 speed auto with the 1.6 liter engine.

i must stress that the difference in acceleration is slight. the best part of the manual tranny to me, is overall command of the vehicle. i do miss the control-freak aspect of the manual, telling the car what to do and when.

boston traffic can really suck my friends, especially with "The Big Pig".

rex12

Yeah, a manual sucks in traffic. It took me 35 minutes to go 1.5 miles today $%^#(@#$^!!!!! Clutch 1st clutch 2nd clutch brake neutral clutch 1st clutch 2nd clutch brake neutral clutch 1st clutch 2nd clutch brake neutral clutch 1st clutch 2nd clutch brake neutral clutch 1st clutch 2nd clutch brake neutral.....

But once we got goin, to quote an old TV favortite "YYYYYYEEEEEEEHHHHHHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" (Dukes of Hazzard)

igloomaster

today i discovered some weird rattling sound coming from the back hatch area.... can't seem to locate it....will do a thorough comb thru tonight, but it's hard to do when the car is still, because the sound only happens when moving at a good clip over bumps. any ideas?

iwphill

You might want to check the area around the spare tire. I had a 98 DX hatch, and when I was cleaning it out (traded it for a Tacoma 3 weeks ago), I found some junk that had fallen in there and was rolling around when I was driving. It might not be the case with yours, but it couldn't hurt to check.

igloomaster

i'll check that.
i removed a smelly rag from that area last month....
i had a rag back there that i used for oil dipstick checks....
it somehow got wet and started to grow mold.

what a horrible smell.

igloomaster

I love my 99 Civic CX. I love it.

BUT I HATE THE FACT THAT THE BUMPERS ARE PAINTED. OH MY GOD THIS IS AGGRAVATING!!!!!

My 90 hatch had the stock charcoal colored bumpers. That was great - didn't have to worry about rocks and shopping carriages chipping the paint off as quickly as flies on crap.

What can I do about this? I went to the dealer and bought a tube of sliver touch-up paint, but it's a slow process trying to paint over little chips, and it really doesn't come out right. It's not smooth like the original. I'm almost ready to bring the car to a body shop and have them sand off the paint, but I'm not convinced that the bumper underneath is the same charcoal plastic that is on the older models.

Who the heck got the bright idea to paint over plastic? If the damn things are plastic, then why aren't they colored all the way through?

Frustrated!

mzn

In addition to the help you get here, igloomaster, be sure to visit our Repair & Maintenance conference. I think you'll find some good information there.

carlady/host

guild66

hi
I just bought a 99 honda civic dx hatchback from a private owner with only 6900 miles on it..I love it! but when i looked in the spare tire well... it was wet. is this common? someone said it was, and what can i do? i dont want the darn thing to rust away. it has been raining for the past 24 hrs what i seem to understand is that when driving the rain spitting up underneath the car is leaking through the hatch area where the donut sits.
please email me and let me know if anyone else is experiencing this.
thank you
guild66@aol.com

mtnbunny27

Anyone in here familiar with the Honda Civic HX with the revolutionary CVT transmission? I may buy a 2001 if I can hear from some people whom have one, and like it! It is the ONLY model and transmission I want, basically becuse of 45 mpg. If I was to go with another modelor car I would buy the diesil New Beetle.

igloomaster

i discovered a really bad smell coming from that same area; turns out it was a rag that I had back there, that had somehow gotten wet and turned moldy. i have no idea how it got wet, and haven't noticed any water back there lately.

i too would like to know if water is getting back there, and how!

only1harry

I have a '97 DX HB and my spare is totally dry. I just checked it and it's been raining every day here in the N.East. There must be a bad seal or runner somewhere and it directs the water into the hatch area. I 'd get the dealer to fix it.
I also have many rags back there all over the hatch and none of them are wet after a few days of rain. There should be nothing wet inside the car and the hatch certainly qualifies as the inside of your car. Get the dealer to find the problem and fix it.

inky

The redesigned Civic hits showrooms in September.
Anyone have the details --Honda can sure keep a secret.
INKY

only1harry

know till about July to mid-August what they look like and what's under the hood.
Oh btw, Honda new year models always come out in October.

igloomaster

the redesigned Civics will NOT included a redesigned hatchback.

Unfortunately, the BRILLIANT folks over at Honda have decided FOR US, that we no longer need a 3-door Hatch. They decided to tell us that our nifty and trusty Hatch is "gone due to lack of sales", which of course is ABSOLUTE AND TOTAL B.S. Those cars are EVERYWHERE.

some anus up in the corporate office got bored with redesigning the hatch every 4 or so years, and felt it was "tired". they'll bring it back in a decade, call it "retro" and charge 30k for it.

i can see that corporate shmuck now, pouting and wafting the air because the A/C in the building got shut down temporarily.

igloomaster

HI - MY FRIEND TRISH JUST HAD HER ENTIRE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION REPLACED ON HER 98 CIVIC AT 35K. SHE DID NOT PURCHASE THE EXTENEDED WARRANTY, SO SHE WAS LUCKY THAT SHE JUST MADE IT UNDER 36K FOR THE ORIG WARRANTY.

IS THIS COMMON WITH HONDA CIVIC AUTOMATICS? I HAVE A 10 MONTH OLD 99 CIVIC AUTOMATIC,AND I DIDN'T PURCHASE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE CAR HAS 19K ON IT NOW.

I WILL GO TO THE DEALERSHIP RIGHT NOW AND PURCHASE THAT EXTENDED WARRANTY IF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS IN THESE HONDAS HAVE A HABIT OF CRAPPING OUT. I HAVE NOT HEARD OF SUCH A THING, AND EVEN TRISH THINKS THAT HER TRANNY WAS JUST A LEMON, BUT I'M NOT SURE I SHOULD TAKE THAT CHANCE. ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE ANY THOUGHTS? I PLAN ON DRIVING THIS CAR WELL INTO 300K.

IN OTHER WORDS, I'M KEEPING IT FOREVER!

only1harry

35K mi? Wow, that's definitely a defective tranny. No, that's not common at all. Over half of the Civics are automatics. If that were common Civics wouldn't have a good rep at all or Consumer Reports would 've commented on that or give the Civic and bad rating. Maybe your friend Trish through it into reverse or took it down to 1 or 2 while doing 65mph? But then again there should be a syncro lock to prevent that.. don't know but foul play could be the culprit too. Look at the new Celicas. People are blowing their engines because 2nd gear is very close to 4th. People would rev 3d gear high or redline it or whatever, and then put in 2nd instead of 4th and blow their engine. I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it but to tell you the truth, I 'd probably get an extended warranty with any automatic car. Those trannies are just too much to fix or replace. 5-speed? they last forever.
I doubt you 'll get 300K mi. out of your tranny. Automatic trannies rarely go over 200-240K mi, without some kind of problem, even in a Civic.
A manual tranny will always outlast an automatic one. Much simpler design and a lot less parts.

charmed

Waaaaa. Can anyone cite a source for this? It's news (to me, anyway). I've got a 94 DX hatchback, and was going to replace it with a 2001 model -- guess I'd better buy now, or wait at least 2 more years...

got an offer price of $11,561 for a new DX right off the bat, via email. What do we think of that? I know that the MSRP is $12,640 (including dest. charge).

igloomaster

buy your hatchback now, as YES the caring folks at Honda are taking them away from us.

I bought my 99 CX with automatic tranny and A/c and floor mats for $12,484 total price.

igloomaster

thanks for the tip.

actually, i asked Trish what she did, and she is like a turtle behind the wheel. no monkey games - nothing she did to the tranny. just a lemon.

glad to know that isn't common. so, how much is an extended warranty, anyways?

charmed

Gracias. Good deal.
When did Honda make this announcement, and where? Just wondering if you know... It's a shame.

mzn

I don't know where to find an official announcement but as I recall, our friend isellhondas confirmed a few months ago that Honda was dropping the hatchback.

carlady/host

only1harry

they 're not dropping it. They just won't import the new hatchback to the US for '01. They 'll continue to make it in Japan for Asia, Europe and other markets. I think it may come back in a "Focus" form though. I 've seen spy photos of the '01-02 Civic hatchback and it looks kinda like the Focus ZX3. Bigger, 4 doors (which Civic hatchbacks never had before!) and a little taller.
I think Focus and Civic hatchback are trying to be in their own class of the "mini-minivans" or mini-station wagons. That's what they look like to me.

sach1

for the redesigned 2001 Civic lineup in the USA. Bummer. If memory serves, Honda had a Civic wagon in the mid-80s that just died in the showrooms. So maybe the H/B will make a reappearance in 2002. I'm hoping that the Focus H/B is a big seller so Honda realizes their miscue and brings the Civic H/B back post haste.

igloomaster

there is nothing quite like a 3 door hatch. simple yet effective. all you need, and sometimes more. yes, a 5 door wagon would be groovy; i like the old civic wagons. but the scale of the 3 door hatch is perfect; i hate to seem them eliminate them here - i'd rather see them keep it and just add a wagon. but hey - who are we anyways? we're just the people who like to buy these products...so why should they care what we think?

igloomaster

regarding Honda Automatic transmissions....this came from the "Honda Civic Problems" thread in maintenance and repair. Any comments? It seems to contradict what you were telling me earlier. Who's right?

Yes. Honda has a history of poor auto transmission
design and reliability. For those who remember the
first few years Honda cars were introduced in the
US, Honda had serious problems with auto
transmission. Even though with significant
improvements in the last decades, Honda still lags
behind other manufacturers in this aspect. If one
wants to enjoy the most out of a Honda, standard
transmission is the way to go!

mzn

Thanks only1harry for confirming that no Honda hatchback will be exported to the US for 2001.

carlady/host

jimjps

See Temple of VTEC www.vtec.net/news for links and pictures of the new Civic. They are already producing pilot runs of them in the factory in Canada. No hatchbacks. I saw a spy pic of a wagon a few months back but it looks like just 4-door sedans and 2-door coupes for 2001.

only1harry

hatchback - spy photo. Looked a little like the Focus! I saw it in a "auto rumors" web page. It was a link off the vtec.net web site (3-4mos ago).

plush1

I know a lot of people don't like Civics and all but they have to realize that the Civic is a pretty revolutionary car, man! The first generation Honda Civic with the CVCC engine was declared the best engineered car of the 20th century by the Society of Automotive Engineers. People will refer to Civics as boring or bland and all that but it sure adheres well to the dynamics of racing more than most cars. It's no wonder they're so dominant in the import racing scene. I'm not saying they're the best cars around but I think that people should respect it because it has made some important strides. Hondas represent the standard by which all other cars are judged by. If this isn't true, why are all other car manufacturers comparing their cars to Hondas? Because Hondas are the cars to beat!

dudka

have you seen commercials where the saturns are compared to accords, and kia's, daewoos's and vw's are compared to civics???

only1harry

Well if you read the latest Accord SE review/road test of Edmunds, they said the Accord is the benchmark for mid-size sedans. The couldn't find absolutely anything wrong with it, so they said it's a little boring and low on the fun-to-drive factor, the usual.. Yeah, throw a 19 or 22mm rear sway bar and some better tires on it and watch the fun factor grow by 100%..

isellhondas

Lots of posts since I've been gone!

Nope, no more hatchbacks, at least in the U.S.

The hatchback lovers have found this out and have sucked up all of the hatchbacks for the most part.

I think we have one CX left.

Too bad, I think, but declining sales and the fact they are low profit items led the corporate guys to pull the plug.

And I've heard no rumors about a possible return but, who knows??

I would love to see a nifty five door Civic wagon or something like that.

Pretty doubtful, though...who knows?

only1harry

Focus ZX3s and Golf 4drs are selling well so Honday I 'm sure will bring the hatchback back. They 're releasing a 4dr version of the Civic HB in Japan. I have a feeling we 'll get in '02. The problem with the declining sales of the Civic HB is that Honda put almost no standard features in them. Base Golf and ZX3 have more features.
The Civic HBs are strippers that come with nothing. A/C is extra and you don't even get a cassete or CD player, and a tacometer is not even available. My '97 DX HB didn't even come with Power steering (now they do). Only the auto HBs came with PS then. The CX doesn't even come a Low Fuel indicator light (in '97 it didn't). You had to get the DX for that. And the DX is still a very basic model for about $13K and only comes with an AM/FM radio as standard. Honda basically mandated to its customers that if they want options to buy the 4dr LX or EX coupe & sedan. Spending an extra $1500-$1700 for A/C and a CD player is just not practicall on the HB because it wouldn't be an inexpensive car anymore and it approaches LX and EX prices where you get a lot more like power windows, doors, sunroof, etc. Honda I think is now realizing that they can't sell HBs on reliability alone anymore. America's economy has been good, the unemployment rate low, and people are not going for the optionless Civic hatchbacks anymore when they can spend $15K on a base Golf that comes with ABS, 4wheel disk brakes, better stereo, A/C, etc. all standard. And a ZX3 for $13K with all of the above (except for 4wheel disc brakes - they got drum brakes in the back).
The problem is also that most of the VWs & Focuses that are sold in the US are built in Mexico where labor is cheaper which is why these 2 can offer good prices on heavily equipped vehicles. Hondas are made in Ohio and Canada where labor costs are higher. I wouldn't be surprised if Honda starts building them in Central America too.

sunilb

I hate posting things twice, but I wasn't sure if this belonged in the Hatch or Coupe section...

Has anyone heard anything about this Civic Type-R making it's way to the States?

Maybe this is just a rumour, but have you seen this:

www.geocities.com/busybeetoys/scoop/edn21.htm
[scroll down to the yellow hatch]

It looks sweet!

dudka

this is the reason i went with the ex coupe. dx hatch comes stripped you add a/c and the price is close to what i paid for the ex coupe. when i did the math, ex coupe is a better value and you get everything standard. the only option i had was the cassette player on top of the am/fm/cd.
as far as the zx3 being $13k with features that's not true. i was looking at the zx3's and when i loaded it up to EX coupe level (less the sunroof, which is not offered on the ford) it came up higher than what i paid for the civic. i paid $14,600 for the civic ex coupe, the zx3 with similar options is $14,700 or so, but without a sunroof. the prices are without the destination.

only1harry

Who said these are making their way to the States? They won't. The Civic Type-R has been out since '97 in Japan and never made it here. It had 185hp from a 1.6L VTEC motor. There were rumors that they 'd be in the States in '98 or '99 so I waited. When they didn't I went out and got a GSR in June '99. Then 3 weeks later they announced the return of the Integra Type-R for '00 which I was also waiting for (it was only available in '97, '98 and now '00). I was pissed, but I like my GSR, especially with a few mods..
I wouldn't wait for the CTR (Civic Type-R). Hopefully we 'll get another Si but it's not likely. I haven't heard any rumors for a '01 Si nor have I seen any pictures of it. I hate Honda for keeping everything so secretive. Also, those figures you see for a 1.5L with 105hp and 1.7L w/130hp for the Civic could be for the Japanes domestic market (JDM) only. USDM specs could be different. I don't believe they 're going to go from the current 1.6L 106hp base Civic to a 1.5L 105hp one, do you? That would be suicide, unless the price goes down from last year and not by a few hundred bucks either.. They have to match or beat the competition in performance and options (Golf, Focus, Sentra, etc) if they want to keep selling the same # of Civics or more in the US.
I wouldn't be surprised if we only get the 130hp Civic here in the States or a base 115hp and a 130-135hp version. The 1.7L is welcomed. They needed to increase the displacement to give the Civic more torque and at lower RPMs.

sunilb

only1harry, you are probably right... but you can't blame me for dreaming, right?

I've heard rumors of a '02 Si, once Honda has had time to quell the demand for the LX and EX Civics. But it would be nice to see an Si hatchback return.

dudka

i think i kind of figured out why honda is not bringing the type R civic to US. the insurance rates will kill it, just like they killed the CRX and Del Sol.

I didn't know that they had type R integras in US before. I thought that 2001 was going to be the first type R in US

mzn

I can personally testify to high insurance rates for our, now departed, Honda CRX. We paid more for insurance in the nine years we owned the car than we did for the car itself!

carlady/host

only1harry

You 're right. I 've read a bunch of rumors/reports of a '02 Civic Si but nothing about a '01 model.
Dudka: The Integra Type-R (ITR) has been out since '97 and it was supposed to be a out for only a couple of years so they didn't export it to the US in '99 although it was available in Canada for '99 (Hondas & Acuras are the best selling cars in Canada so our neighbors always get special treatment) and in Japan as well. Because the demand was so great in Canada and US for the ITR, Honda brought it back to the US in late Oct. '99 as '00 models. The only thing different is that they offered 2 different colors: black & yellow instead of the (off) white only in '97 & '98. I 'm really surprised that you as a Honda owner and active participant in these boards didn't know that there has been an ITR in the US since '97.
Actually in '97 only 550 Type-Rs made it to the US. A train derailed in Japan carrying over 100 Type-Rs destined for the US destroying most of them. The ITR late in April '97. There were less than 1200 sold in the US in '98 and just over a 1000 in '00 (production has stopped for '00).

dudka

i owned a VW before i bought my civic, so i didn;t follow honda developements in that period. my last two honda's were 85 civic and 87 accord LXi. i saw one or two yellow integra's type R, but i figured those were just the stickers someone put on the GS-R. i have a somewhat stupid question though, How would one distinguish between the GS-R and Type R on the road?

dudka

i owned a VW before i bought my civic, so i didn;t follow honda developements in that period. my last two honda's were 85 civic and 87 accord LXi. i saw one or two yellow integra's type R, but i figured those were just the stickers someone put on the GS-R. i have a somewhat stupid question though, How would one distinguish between the GS-R and Type R on the road?

only1harry

Many different way. If the car is in motion, there 's not a lot of things you can check for unless the car is stopped and you can take a close look at it, BUT look for a sunroof. The ITR has no sunroof (to reduce weight and retain body rigidity). All GSRs have sunroofs!
If the car is stopped or parked, look at the wheels. The ITR has 5-lug wheels where all other Integras have 4 (like Civics). If you saw yellow ones, chances are they were real ITRs. Not too many people paint their GSRs yellow. The Tac and speedometer are also a little different in the ITR and if it's at night look at the lighting on the dashboard. ITRs have a light RED illumination where GSR is greenish white. It's very noticeable at night even when driving by an Integra, you can always see the dash from the adjacent lane. Of course exhaust, wing, underbody spoiler kit can all be duplicated but removing the sunroof and filling in the top of the GSR would be a very hard thing to do and very costly.

dudka

thanks harry, i will look next time i see one.