Honda Civic 2005 and earlier

jrct9454

The parking brake [not break, at least we can hope it's not] should be applied EVERY TIME, AND WITHOUT EXCEPTION, EVER. If you want to know why, come by my house so I can show you the pictures of our garage door damaged by the neighbor who "thought he had put it in Park" but obviously hadn't. Fortunately, no humans were in the way, only our house, which was repaired a lot easier than someone's broken bones.

Worrying about damaging the transmission is admirable, but you should be worrying more about damaging something a lot more expensive. If you think it can't happen, I would be happy to introduce you to our neighbor...he didn't think it could happen, either.

otis12

and look for a full page ad from a Honda dealer on Rt. 22 in Union on Saturday. I got my 2001 Civic LX there for the advertised price of $13,750, plus tax and tags.

f6biker

The owners manual says 10k normal and 5k severe driving conditions. I always like to change mine early. Castrol and Penzoil make the required 5w-20 oil. Any gas over 87 octane is a donation to the oil refiners. IMHO.

mdriver

I bet the oil change places are loving these extended oil change periods for some of the newer cars. They will put the fear into you and say you should change your oil every 3K mi. I follow the manual.

s852

If you do not qualify as driving under their definition of severe driving conditions and you change the oil every 3,500 miles, you are just wasting time, oil and money.
I've seen people who were so wasteful as to actually buy a new car and change expensive **synthetic** oil every 3,000 miles even though they ended up trading the car in before the warranty expired.
Unless I was planning to keep the car way past 100,000 miles, I would do the maximum allowed 10,000 mile intervals.
If you are like the majority of drivers who will trade or sell the car before 60,000 miles, you will deinately get zero benefit. In fact, even if you are planning to put very high mileage on the car, there is no gaurantee that changing the oil more often than Honda recommends is going to even add on extra mile of engine life. There is some buffer even in the manufacturers most optomistic service schedules.
Consumer reports did a test a few years ago where oil was changed more often than the manufacturer recommended and they did not see any benefit or engine wear reductions compared to following the normal recommended schedule when the pulled the engine apart and checked for signs of wear.

dudka

you should always apply the parking brake, and not only because of the possibility of the car rolling out. besides the new cars, i think, have a dummy protection switch, you can`t remove the key unless the shifter is in park. the reason why you should put the parking brake on is because when you put the tranny in park, a metal piece is wedged between the gears and stops them from rolling. i bet you, you nticed when you park on a hill and leave your car in park with out applying the parking brake, it is very difficult to get from park to drive, you kind of have to overcome this force resisting the shift. next time apply the parking brake first then put the gear selector in park. your tranny will love you for it, and will server you many many trouble free years.

oops13

I just took mine in for my free first oil change. 8,500 miles!!! It was still at the full mark and did not look any dirtier than it did at 3000 miles. Of course the service department put the new sticker in saying 3750 mi till the next change is due. My next one will be at 10,000 mi! Great car!!!

isellhondas

Sorry, folks but an oil change isn't expensive.

10,000 miles is a LONG time. Personally I wouldn't let it go more than 5000. Waste of money? Perhaps.

oops13

I suppose you change your tires out at at 20,000 miles even thought they aren't worn out cause you always used to. Do you still wear polyester leisure suits? I get a good laugh when I see people that are stuck in ruts due to lack of ability to accept change. You should sell Oldsmobiles.... Oh yeh, GM shut the division down due to inability to accept and embrace change. LOL

raybear

I don't agree with everything isell says, but oops13, you're out of line.

gasguzz

It's really a matter of preference. I too faced the dilemma in deciding between the OEM CD-Player over an aftermarket AM/FM/CD - and replaced the Head (on my 2k sedan). Reason... you cannot do what your Head cannot do (the Honda stereo just doesn't have the guts. And stock dual-cone speakers???). Well, it's a Civic. Thankfully Honda adopted the DIN standard, where you can go aftermarket relatively easy. You'll want/have to build your system if you swap out the Head... replacing then the stock speakers. If you plan it appropriately, you'll have a better upgrade path and spend as you go... into cd-changer/amp(s)/sub.
Good luck.

pat

You were offered an opinion on your plan to wait 10,000 miles for an oil change - that's all it is, an opinion. Take it or leave it, but please leave aside anything resembling a personal attack on another Town Hall member.

Thanks.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

llkingj

I need a used car for commuting to work. I have come across a 1993 Civic 5 speed with 103,000 miles. The asking price is $3,900. Overall, it's in good condition. Is this a good deal, and how reliable is an 8 year old Civic with over 100,000 miles on it? Are there any known problems that Civics commonly have that I should be looking for?

s852

While even the best high-power headunits do not put out as much usable power as a good separate amp, some of the better high-power head units sound really good and push decent bass with 4 good quality speakers and with 6X9s (Polk or Infinity) in the rear.
So, if you shop carefully, you might be able to build a "very good-sounding" system without the added expense and complication of an external amp and trunk-mounted sub. Plus you will still have the option to add an amp and sub if you really want to have earth-shaking bass later.

f6biker

I rechecked the owners manual service schedule last night and I can not bring myself to change the oil and not change the filter. Even though it says every other oil change to change filters. I think it's like drinking out of a dirty glass, I just can not do it. I do trust the Honda engineers schedule but ... I would rather go the extra mile. I think that I may be stuck in the 70's.

isellhondas

I'm curious...Can we take a poll?

Would you rather buy my 100,000 mile used Civic, or the same 100,000 civic that was owned by oops13 ?

raybear...do you REALLY mean we don't always agree?

truckdude1

Honda's are great cars, but they are made way way to cheaply. I know they are reliable and refined,but they are horribly expensive and the civic feels like its made out of plastic bottles inside and out. PLUS they have absolutely no power to get up and go with a load of five people. you must floor the sucker to take off almost.

pat

Um, no. We're not going to take a poll on whether we want to buy a car owned by a particular Town Hall member.

Let's just stick with talking about Civics and skip the disrespectful comments about other posters here. Your Terms of Use requires it.

I'm really trying to avoid removing posts here, but further posts in this vein will leave me no choice.

Thank you.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

9honda8

Dudka -Not trying to be argumentive, but after
visiting 6 honda dealers, I went into DC honda
in Tannafly N.J. I advised them that I had shopped around for a 98 Accord Ex with leather.
The salesman quoted me a price of $23000.As I began to leave the manager stated the salesman was New and the next quote was $22500. I bought
the car for $21000, but not at DC Honda who
gave me the highest quote of a total of 9 honda
dealers. The real question is how much profit is
enough for a dealer?? You know the answer to that

These are fantastic cars, but you must shop till you drop, for the best deal

backy

truckdude1, given the use of recycled plastics, maybe much of the Civic--and other cars--is made out of plastic bottles! At least, that would explain the Diet Coke label embedded in the dashboard of my Elantra. 8)

grisoue

Mine is made from tin cans.

hvtec2000

I bought my civic01 in Sept 2000. It has so much ralltle noise when the car got up to 7000 miles. I took it to three different dealers but they didn't find out where noise coming from. When the car shift from the second gear to the third, there is a rattle noise from the engine and the car shakes a little. It also append when I drive over the speed bum or a rough street. One dealer changed the engine mount and front struts (under warranty ofcouse) but it still have the same noise). I want to take it back in and trade for an Accord. This civic is also too weak for a 1.7 L . My friend has a 2000 model and we both took it out to test last weekend and his car was faster than my 01. We pushed up to 5 rpm on first gear and 5 on second gear and his was ahead of mine. Did any of you notice about this???? I wasted so much time to take it to the dealers for this car and I have so many dissolution about Honda but I'm willing to try one more time. Hopefully they have better car on the 2002. Forgive me if my English is so babe but I can do better in my language

newciv

I really cannot justify spending a ton of money on a car stereo system, even though I listen to music all the time in the car. That said, here's my question:

What will sound better
1. A $175 Sony CD player from Circuit City.
2. A Honda CD player which connects to the stock AM/FM/Cassette.

The Sony CD is cheaper ($175 vs. $240 for Honda CD player), however I lose my cassette function (comes only with CD)

WHAT SHOULD I DO?? I certainly don't want to get the CD player and run it from the stock unit if this stock unit sounds like crap.

HOW ABOUT ALSO REPLACING THE STOCK SPEAKERS?? Would this make a noticeable difference in sound quality??

regards,
NewCiv

raybear

We usually DO agree, on most matters. We part company on the subject of third party/internet deals.

gasguzz

That's part of my point... I would've spent more money with oem equipment, compared to spending less or equal going aftermarket and gaining more performance per dollar. If you cannot install aftermarket yourself, I recommend going stock. If you have a shop install aftermarket gear... well, anything goes and all bets are off.
As for sound, that is subjective. Looking at the system-wide application (by installing the Honda CD-Player), I can easily see mediocre frequency response gains. Why??? Not enough power there. Does your dealer have a demo exhibit/console on the CD-Player? What does it sound like (to you)?
Replace just the factory speakers? You MAY get some performance increase, but not very much (depending on your choice)... the stock system is tuned for the stock dual-cone speakers.
Remember, power is number one. You cannot gain performance without it (especially with road noise from the Civic). That is why the stock system relatively falls short (although it may be decent to most).
Decisions, decisions. Good luck.
Oh by the way, an alternative to cassette - CD-R (and the sound quality that goes with it). But yes, that's another subject.

krk3

I'm thinking of buying a used 2000 civic ex 5 speed for $14,800,13,000 miles. After reading some of the comments I'm not sure anymore...the noisy ride; the suspension; the ride, period; the cheapness; the driver's seat any comments re: pros and cons would be appreciated! Would I be better off with an accord?

jsylvester

I am not a Honda fan, but I admit being surprised that the 2001 Civic finished in 154th place in the J D Power initial quality survey, which was even below the industry average for all vehicles.

When you are paying what Honda asks for a Civic, I would think it would be screwed together better than average.

Maybe they don't build them like they used to.

britton2

but I do know that the '86 Civic was a darn good car - in spite of that, I went for a '01 Corolla and so far I'm glad I did (#1 compact car in initial quality - JD Powers)

pvilla

hello,just a little upset.
my wife and i just recently recieved the honda care warranty via mail.it says on it contract purchase price:$1095.00. the finance guy at paragon,queens sold it to us for $2824.00.it turns out he sold us an "etch policy",which i presume is window etching.they also charged me i think for the spoiler again after it was agreed upon in the original price for the car(either that or they charged me $1710.00 for a etching,which would be really ridiculous). i read the warranty and i know i can get my money back for the warranty but will they hassle me about the etch.the sneaky finance guy didn't tell me the price,he mildly explained some "benefits" while talking about the warranty and roadside assistance,basically misinformed me/lied to me.

i really want to keep the warranty,not that etch crap,but i really want to know how to go about it if the dealer starts to give me a hard time about it.i work real hard for my money,i have a family to take care of, and i hate having to pay for something i don't need.please advise great honda lovers!!

scooter62

I had an '86 hatch, too bad I crashed it before 100k - it'd probably still be running. My '90 Corolla went 195K. My new LX is a month old... so far so good...except for the dumb gas gauge.

krk3: I find this board to be too negative. We expect so much out of Honda that every little thing gets magnified. If the gas gauge and a little road noise is the worst thing we can come up with to complain about, we have it better than most. I still wouldn't trust many other car lines for LONG-TERM reliability. If I'm proven wrong with this g7 Civic, so be it. As far as I'm concerned, the Civic is the top 2 or 3 cars out there in this class. Period.

My $0.02

lindathomp2000

Someone mentioned how at 75 mph the Civic was noisy. If you are in the market for a fun to drive car that loves to go 75, you should drive a Mazda Protege. I have a 2001 ES and it handles like a little BMW.

isellhondas

Ah...just curious..have you ever driven a BMW ?

gasguzz

This board is about sharing data and experiences, and MAY not have anything to do with negativity. LOL. My 2k is a good competent car, for me. But it indeed has "more than usual" road noise (which is an objective observation, and not a complaint). The buggy gas gauge is a big deal... and could get your family stuck in bad weather. The info in this forum may provide users with what's out there, and they can then decide. If there are shoppers here where road noise is unacceptable, there's Lexus (and "value" for your money).
Good luck.

joshuae73

The 32/37 mileage numbers are wrong. I get 34/39

krk3

Thanks for the info and recommendations. I did take the car out for a longer test drive. I decided not to buy the car. The ride was fine, but the seat was very uncomfortable. The firm molded edge seemed to cut into my thigh. The seat did not feel deep enough no matter which way I adjusted the dials. Back to the drawing board. Perhaps a car that has the capacity to hit 150,000 to 200,000 miles, holds up during crashes, is comfortable to drive, has the reliability of a Honda or Toyota, is medium-sized, moderately priced. Any suggestions?

joshuae73

The 32/37 mileage numbers are wrong. I get 34/39

britton2

Have you considered a Corolla LE? It is comparable to the Civic EX I believe - it's the top Corolla - I am really enjoying mine -

civic_cx_92

I thought you were looking at used 2000 Civic EX.
Try 2001 Civic sedan... see my message 617 and 622

TMV is $16,668 for 2001 Civic EX 4D sedan automatic.

backy

Sounds to me like you are describing an Accord or Camry--depends on what you mean by "medium sized" and "moderately priced". But they fit your other criteria to a T, and there's lots of slightly used samples to choose from to bring the price down. Altima would be another possibility--nicely equipped new '01s are going for $15k in my area. Very reliable. If you can wait until fall, the '02 Altimas look fantastic, like mini Q-ships. On the other hand, the '02 Corollas should be a big improvement too, bigger and rounder--maybe they'll finally get a decent back seat. Two compacts with perhaps the most comfortable ride, Focus and Elantra, don't meet your proven long-term reliability requirement.

tgo63

75 mph makes me feel sleepy. When the traffic is light I cruise in accord lx 5 speed 90-95 mph and the car handles great. Please don't take my comment as being sarcastic. I feel wide awake for long time when I drive faster.
Tom

dudka

did the finance manager tell you that if you didn`t get the honda care warranty you would not wualify for financing? if he did, you can bring that up to NYS attorney general, and they may take his licence away. i dealt with paragon, and i walked because of the finance manager. i bought the car from D&C in tennafly (someone said they were too pricey still, and found a better deal. i just liked the no pressure treatment there) and bought honda care warranty from a different dealer for $600 (7yrs/100 000 miles) you can return the warranty and shop around for a different warranty, there are lot sof places on line that sell warranties, as well as some insurance companies. also, you may want to try a different dealer for warranty, just remeber that there are people who paid even less that $600 for honda care coverage.

inky

You folks with 5 speeds...at what interval do you change the 5 speed tranny oil? D0 you use Honda MTF or regular 10w30? Please respond.
Also, any use other than Honda antifreeze. Honda is so darn insistent at using only genuine fluids. Must be hype.
INKY

mdriver

I have heard that the Civic did badly on the latest survey, right down there with the Hyundai Sonata. Does anyone know where to find the complete survey results and not just the winners in each category?

This result is probably the worst that the Civic has ever done. However, some people on this discussion will still stand by the Civic through thick and thin. I think this result combined with lackluster performance and very good competing models will remove the Civic from the automotive pedestal.

gasguzz

There is no such thing as Genuine Honda Anti-Freeze, it is either industry green or orange. Honda uses standard green, and as long as you stay with the brand names you'll be fine. The key is a prompt maint schedule, the coolant loses some its lube properties with heat and age. So replacing it is cheap.
The Honda tranny is a diff animal. I have an auto and have switched to Mobil Syn ATF since 5k. The newer Honda slushboxes are designed to use transmission fluid, and using prolonged straight crank oil may damaged it (stated in the O-Manual as a substitute). Numerous have used synthetic Redline on the manual boxes though (I think it's called MTL).

lindathomp2000

Have you driven the 2001 Protege ES?

jsylvester

I apologize, Civic was actually tied for 151st place with the Chevy Tracker and Chevy Venture.

See link below. Obviously there are a lot of other issues to consider when buying a car, but I know Honda owners are extremely anal about things like this. Maybe when you drive the equivalent of a refrigerator, it becomes very important.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=3671

For the record, I own a 2000 Intrepid R/T and a 92 Mazda Miata, though my girlfriend drives a 99 Civic.

isellhondas

I wasn't trying to be sarcastic...well, maybe a little.

And, yes, I did drive a 2001 Protege ES. I was part of a group that drove the new Civics and their competion on a test track.

The Protege was fine but it's hardly a BMW. Not even close.

Ex 325i owner

majorthomecho

Just wondering why there are so many different tail light assemblies on the new Civic.

civic_cx_92

All that said, J.D. Power's IQS rank is a poor one to make a buying decision on. Most of us would still rather have a Camry than an Intrepid, a Volkswagen over a Buick Regal and a Land Rover over a Saturn.

But it does provide a nice cattle prod to the automakers who, without the published list to motivate them, wouldn't work nearly as hard to sell us cars that will break less often.

I am appalled 2001 civic has more problems per 100 vehicles than Ford Expedition,Chevrolet Suburban,Dodge Neon,Ford F-250 Super Duty,Jeep Wrangler,Dodge Stratus Sedan,Pontiac Grand Prix,Pontiac Grand Am,Chrysler Voyager,Ford Focus Sdn/Wgn/Hbk,Ford Excursion, etc.

gasguzz

What in the world is this IQS nonsense. First, I don't care who is at the top, or bottom (that tells you where my "loyalty" is - none). JDP states that the survey is not scientific, so what good is that in a car buying decision. How much valuable data can you gather on brand new cars in the first 90 days (and from a minuscule sample). Stats-101... give me stat data and I'll skew it to capture my audience. What is the selection process on the survey participants. Boy, I'm sorry if you'll pick a car that may be based on a highly opinionated set of data. But, yes, it is an entertaining survey (a WAG at best).