I just bought the 2001 LX civic sedan and love it. I noticed that the plastic cap around the top left corner of the rear left passenger door was not cover correctly. Maybe the plastic cap is too small or the door is way too wide. I can see the sheet metal sandwich between the frame. What I am concern is when it is raining water will penetrate and will eventually rust out the door. The right rear passenger door is k. Anyone out there see similar problem?
We have the Canadian version of the 2001 EX, known as the Acura 1.7 EL. Went to a new owners session at the dealer last night with about a dozen others in attendance.
The radio code problem is recognized by Honda and they have replaced mine (ok for the last 2 weeks), but someone else there has had a couple of them so far.
Other problems reported include poor reception from the keyless entry. The dealer claims it is interferance from local radio / tv / cell transmitters that limit their sensitivity. We often have to be right up to the car for it to work. Someone else had a problem with the locking mechanism struggling to pop up in cold weather.
Many people did not like how the A/C stays on when you move from defrost to heat - but Honda says it's a good way of keeping the A/C compressor from seizing up if not used for months.
I think the car will eventually be recalled for a safety problem with the trunk lid. It is too delicatly balanced and has hit my wife on the head twice. I think that a gentle wind in the wrong direction can force it to swing down.
The dealer says that the wiper blades are "special" which is why they wipe in one direction, and chatter in the other directions.
Carefully check the gas mileage issue. Make sure you are basing your evaluation on actual (gas pump) recordings. You will find that when the gas guage reads 50%, you have probably only used 20% of a full tank. In otherwords, the guage is poorly calibrated. One owner claims the gas warning light comes on at 38 litres (out of a 50 liter tank)
I always told myself to avoid new model years, but I took a gamble on Honda, I hope I will not regret it, especially considering the horror stories of the guy who needs a new cylinder head.
I haven't had the radios problem, or the keyless remote problem. The A/C thing does bug me that much but I agree that it's a "bug", rather than a feature.
I haven't noticed a problem with the trunk falling. I'll probably pay more attention to it now.
My wipers don't chatter but, but I find that it doesn't clean as well on the "back stroke" as it does on the forward stroke.
As for the gas milage thing. My car does the same thing where half-way is actually just over 15 litres. Even measuring the milage by km/fill-up litres, I'm only averaging 9L/100km (26.5 US MPG) in mixed (70Hwy/30city) driving. This is worst than the rated City rate of 8L/100km.
My car may not be experiencing the same problems because it's fairly. The production date on the driver door says it was built in December 2000. I've had for about a month with ~2,000km (may explain the low gas milage).
I agree - I think these problems with the EX must have something to do with the time the car was made. Mine was in November 2000 and I have no radio, keyless entry problems. I don't like that the A/C can't be turned off with the defrost setting on either, but I will get over it.
The thing that bugs me the most about the car is that the seat belt is so hard to put on (I have the coupe).
This is a very common and well known problem with early 90s Hondas. My mom has a 92 Accord EX and has had both of those parts fail. Honda actually recalled all 92-93 Accord EXs for the distributor, but the Civic was never recalled. I'm not sure if there is a true silent warranty for it, but even if there was, your car is too old to qualify. You want to know the sad thing? The distributor itself is not faulty. A poor quality bearing was installed in the factory which fails prematurely and causes the whole distributor to stop sending spark to the spark plugs, thus causing the car to either not start or run very poorly. But does Honda offer a replacement bearing for the distributor?? Hell no! They want you to pay $300-500 for a whole new distributor. However, my dad was able to outsmart them The distributor failed before Honda admitted there was a problem and said it would cost $400 to fix it. When he looked at it, he realized the bearing was fried and not turning smoothly. So he took the old bearing down to a bearing shop and found one that was almost the same size. Because it was not the exact size, he took it to his job and had them grind it down for him. $10 and a few hours of his time later, the car was running like new again! The distributor failed at around 85K. Now it has 185K and it is still running great with the bearing he installed. The igniter failed at 165K. Our mechanic, who happens to be my brother-in-law, said this is the most common problem he sees on Hondas. At any rate, unless you know how to take apart the distributor and know a place that will grind down an equivalent bearing, you are stuck paying for a new distributor from Honda.
I just bought a civic 2001 LX yesterday. The dealer mentioned to change the first oil at no less than 5000 miles. He mentioned that the first oil has special additives and coatings for the engine that need to be applied.
I picked up yesterday a civic lx 2001 5 speed. The price was $14012. This seems a good price but unfortunately I got into buying a lo-jack for 595. The extended warranty was $800 but did not purchase. The car seems OK but have two questions. a) The shift lever is supposed to spring back in the middle when in neutral. It does fast from the 5th gear. But from second to go to third is seems very slow. I actually have to mannually move it right before pushing it up to the 3rd gear. Since I have not driven a honda before I am not sure if this is how it is supposed to be but it seems funny. Do I have a sticky shift lever? b) Every report mentions improvement in road noise. When I drove the car yesterday it was raining and there was a lot of water on the road. I kept on looking back to check if I had a window open. The splashing of the water in the quarter panels was loud. Any experience with this? Thanks for any responses. For the rest the car seems fine, no radio problems, no fuel gage problems so far. I have not read all the messages on this list to see if there are any other issues as yet. Thanks.
I just got a price of $16,851.51 from our local dealer through the internet. I think it's a good price, any comments? Also, anything I should look for when checking out the car (which he has to get)?
Okay, I've got a weird question here. Does anyone else here consider this car's paint a tad soft? I've already got 3 different scratches on it with almost 2000 miles. One comes from a piece of packed snow/ice that managed to attach itself to my front bumper. A series of fine scratches resulted. The second came from who-knows-where. The third came today. I was parallel parking in a extremely tight area and accidently TAPPED a yellow pole in front of me. I wasn't going fast at all, seeing that I only have about 6 inches front and rear to weasel my way in. But that minor tap left yellow paint flecks in the bumper that didn't just rub off. I'm starting to wonder just how durable this paint is. I'm kind of glad that it's scratched now- it takes away some of the paranoia that goes with driving a new car- but at the same time, it is a new car. Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill or should I have the dealer take the scratches out?
I also bought a civic thru liquidprice.com . It depends where you live I guess. I live in california bay area and I got 5 bid for the same car. The actual invoice price on the car for a civic 2001 LX automatic with side airbag is $14,959.00. The dealer sold it to me for $14,859.00 with an additional package at no cost to me that include the carpets and door edge guards. I read about the civic in here then I place the bid thu liquidprice.com Remember the cost of the insurance and tax is not in this bid. So add 10% to the invoice price to get the approximation final cost.
The dealer will not take responsibility for the scratches in your paint. If the scratches are not too deep, you can remove them yourself in about 15 mins. See the Paint and Body Topic in the "Repair and Maintaince conference", here at Edmunds.com for tips.
I just received my first official "Motor Vehicle Product Update" from Honda today in the mail for my less than 2 month old 2001 LX. It says that the PCM (Powertrain control module) could be damaged by a surge in the electrical system. This was my first Honda purchase and I am hoping that this is not sign of the months and years of ownership to follow with this car. I am getting 36 mpg running Ohio's oxygenated 87 octane gas. (This is VERY good). My '94 Saturn SL would get 30 - 32 and then pick back up to about 40 mpg during the non-winter months when they don't add that crap to the fuel. I am expecting that this summer I will be exceeding 40 mpg easily with 95% highway miles. Great car so far.
I just got my notice in the mail today, too. We have a 2001 Civic LX sedan. I have to be honest, I was sort of wondering if there was something a little screwy with the car -- it's fine at highway speeds, but driving around the city, at low speed, like pulling away from a light, it would have weird episodes of jerkiness. The letter says that if the surge damages the pcm, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp may come on, or you could have flashing shift indicator lights, an inability to shift out of Park and/or an erratic engine idle. I hope it is as easy to fix as Honda says, and that we didn't jump the gun buying this car in its first new year. It's time for my first oil change, anyway, so I guess I'll be dropping by the dealer for sure now. Oh -- and I cannot tell what kind of gas mileage I am getting either, like some of the other posts. Pretty happy, otherwise, with the whole car ownership deal, and I am still (pretty) confident about owning a Honda.
Woow....I have my car for 3 weeks now and will be looking at my mailbox for the letter. So far no jerkiness on my car. I also purchased the shop manual for the civic LX 2001. Just curious about the car and when the warranty expired will be doing my own oil and transmission fluid changed myself.
Maybe you got a later build and you won't have to take yours in. I spoke with my service manager and he did a VIN status search with Honda and it says that eeven though I have not had any problems relating to the PCM they still want to replace it. Hopefully that means that they found what the problem is and they were able to make a change in the PCM that will prevent it from happening. Does anyone know anything more about what is actually causing the problem or what is actually failing. I just want to know if Honda is truly fixing the problem or just sticking an identicle PCM in place of the old one and hoping that it will fix it. I also wonder if these surges in the system are what are causing the CD/radio units in the EX's to go to code?
I just bought a manual 2001 civic lx sedan for a great price ($13,600). What got me to buy the car was all the hype about 2001 hondas having fantastic safety ratings. My husband and I opted not to get side-impact air bags because our dealer convinced us it didn't make much of a difference. However, I just checked the NHTSA website and noticed the only 2001 hondas that have been tested for side impact safety are the ones with the side airbags. The results for the side impact with NO side air bags have not been released...so, how could the dealer know it didn't make a difference? According to the NHTSA website, it appears that side-impact air bags make a considerable difference in most cars. I am very upset about this, since my biggest concern is safety. My new honda now has 1700 miles on it. I called the dealer today and he said again that the side air bags don't really make a difference...and that basically I would lose a good chunk of change now if I wanted to trade-in my new honda for another honda (with the side air bags). Any ideas out there about what I should do??
2) If safety is paramount to you, then go ahead and 'Bite the Bullet' to trade for a new Civic equipped with the side airbags. However, be prepared to lose your 'shirt' on this one. Again, if your safety is priceless, then I don't see any way around it...you'll be unhappy with the current car. 3) Never listen to a salesman! They are not to be trusted in questions of this nature. Do your own research before committing to buy a new car. Let this be your costly lesson. 4) Never buy a new vehicle model before crash test data is published. Appareances can be very deceiving.
I know how you feel... and what about ABS and 4-wheel disc brakes? I am very disappointed that it's 2001 and Honda still doesn't offer ABS as an option for most of its models! You have to go for the EX models if you want safety!?
You are taking the crash test as an absolute truth. Remember, the tests are a means to establish a baseline from equal parameters. If a Civic shows better test scores than an Escort, then the Civic is a better car by way of a standard. However, the public road does not offer equal scenarios - this is why real world stats don't correlate with the crash scores. If you collide with an Excursion pullng a cabin-cruiser with your head-curtain/side-bag/pre-tensioner/force-limiter equipped EX, who wins?
I just bought a 2001 Civic LX the other day, seems to be a very solid car, drives and handles well though it seems small compared to my old Taurus. Only complaints are there seems to be a minor rattle somewhere in the rear right seat or door area, and this A/C thing with the defrosters and heat is really annoying, wish they didnt set it up that way. Otherwise I'm impressed with the overall quietness and ride. The gas guage does seem to be dropping fast? but am looking forward to 35+ miles per gallon.
I got a Honda Civic EX Auto at a dealership last night, they gave me a car with 257 miles on it, and told me it might because they got this car from other dealer. I checked the car this morning, I found there is no sufficient coolant, less than minimum, and I was even given wrong keys for the car. Only one key is for the car, two others are not.
First of all, you knew the car had 257 miles on it when you accepted it, didn't you?
More than likely it did come as a dealer trade, hence the miles.
And...the selling dealer should have inspected the car more carefully before delivery. There is probably no problem, however. Make them do a new Pre Delivery Inspection.
The keys...? Well, mistakes happen. The salesperson should have checked them. This can happen to the best of us. Easy to remedy.
How can the keys be wrong? You drove the car home, right? That means the keys worked? Am I missing something.
When I got my 2001 Civic EX Coupe from a dealer in NOVA, it had 40 miles on it. It came from a near by dealer. The keyless remotes had not been programed, and I did not check them. I drove back and they fixed it in literally 15 seconds.
Very happy with the car so far. Now have about 1600 miles on it.
The shadow of marketing is lurking here. How many 5-spd DXs can you sell with side bags and ABS? On the other hand, how many EXs can you sell with side-bags/ABS/Sunroof/CD-Changer? Enjoy.
I'm driving a 2001 Civic LX, 5-speed. One thing I noticed--twice, now--is that when there's heavy rain, the Civic's exhaust noise will boom, almost sounding as if it had no muffler at all. This lasts from 5 to 10 seconds and stops on its own. The first time it occurred was on an interstate where I wasn't aware of there being excessive water on the road. The second time was on a city street where there was a sheet of water on the surface. Would this sound be normal, and/or is it a sign of water penetrating the exhaust system?
I got to my local dealer at 8:30 today and was gone in an hour. They did not hurry or anything, just a normal job. I did not notice anything different but then mine was working OK when I brought it in.
Just a thought ... given what the PCM does could that be why some people post low fuel economy? I know that I drive every car on the low end of City MPG and get 32 on my LX.
Please don't downplay the importance of ABS in a Civic. I could have avoided an accident (and $3500 damage) if it had ABS. Back in 1996 Honda did list ABS as an option for the LX model, but the dealers couldn't locate any. We have had other problems (rattles, jerky throttle, fading center console, rust under the dashboard and trunk area come to mind) and were lured by the Honda "reputation" and our experience with an older style Prelude (much better quality car). Honda has been cutting corners for the last few years and this will come to haunt them as the cars age. We will not buy another Honda until the company changes its philosophy to what it made it a success 15 years ago.
Just to update everyone... it was a bit warmer the last week just below freezing (instead of WAY below freeze), and on my last tank I got about 32mpg (US) or 7.3L/100km in mixed driving (compared to 27mpg previously).
So how much does cold temperature affect your milage? BTW, even though it wasn't as cold I still used the same accessories (heated seats/mirrors etc...) for the same length of time. I never idle for more than 2 minutes, but it obviously take more time "driving like granny" for the car to warm up when it's colder.
Dateline did a special last night on 5 mph bumper testing. They had a wide variety of cars including the new civic. I was quite pleased to see that it suffered no body damage from the 4 different tests , however I found it to be odd that it did have an engine mount fail. I was suprised to see the new $14,000 Hyundai Elantra and Civic to be the best of the group that they tested and the $40,000+ Lexus and Mercedes do the worst. I guess you really can have your cake and eat it too. I believe it was Mercedes that replied back to Dateline stating that they designed for higher speed crashes and that they would have to compromise in that area to excel in the low speed tests. I guess someone forgot to tell Hyundai and Honda that they couldn't do well in both areas. Hyundai got 5 for both front and side impact at the higher speeds while Honda's coupe got 5's in both and the sedan got a 5 for front and a 4 for side. I just know that I can't help but laugh when I see some fool throwing good money away at the gas pump filling up their "super-safe" luxo-pig being while being excited that they broke 20 mpg. I just got 38 mpg ,in vey cold weather, on my last tank in my 5-speed LX
If the car gets damaged, some say that is good because it has taken the brunt of the impact, not the passengers inside. Interesting...I don't know what to think.
I am about to buy an EX Sedan with airbags,cassette, and security system. I have read that there has been a lot of trouble with the radio presets as well as with the PCM. Am I better off ordering it hoping that they have fixed the bugs rather than take my chances with what they have on the lot? Is the extra security system worth it? An internet manager quoted me a price of $17922 for all of the options above. I'm thinking that might be a bit too high....that dealer is an hour drive from me so I am thinking of taking that offer to a local dealer to see if they can match or do better! I really don't want to drive that far if I have problems later.... This is my first car purchase ever so I want to do it right! Thanks for your input in advance!
I believe the EX comes with the CD. Yes, $17,922 seems high. Start with invoice and watch 'em sweat. The security system need is relative. You can always add the factory alarm later, unless you get a good deal now. Personally, I have not found the "Internet Dealers" to be advantageous. The local dealer can always match them, and you can see right away what you're getting. As far I'm concerned, we are all internet dealers/buyers using the same info base. The key is to always scrutinize the numbers - they never lie. Remember also that you both have a business relationship - there is a FAIR price in there somewhere. When the time comes, never visit the dealer without a pre-approved loan (check out eloan.com). Don't fall for $0 down deals or no Int/Payments for 2 years - you'll eventually PAY for it (again, the math/contract will show you that). You never know either what the dealer order-of-the-day is. The dealer may make a deal on the remaining 5 Civics on the lot. Or, full msrp on the silver EX. Good luck and enjoy.
on dry pavement, and in gravel, ABS causes LONGER stopping distances than with locked up non ABS brakes. That said - ABS is one of the best safety features to have I think. Right after the seat belt.
justin, I think you messed up your facts a little.
It's presented as a fact, and I agree with it, that by locking your wheels you can improve stopping distances on packed snow surfaces and certain types of the loose gravel roads. Under about every other condition ABS wins, including dry pavement. BTW the ABS brakes are mostly about maintaining control, not stopping abilities.
I'm looking into purchasing a Civic EX, and am wondering whether the coupe or sedan is a better choice. I'm leaning towards the coupe because I think it looks better and safety is paramount, but it didn't do too much better than the sedan.
I will defintaly order it with an automatic transmission and side airbags, but are there any other options to consider, such as fog lights (do they actually help in fog/rain/snow?), the security system, wheel locks, or floor mats?
I am hoping not to pay too much more than the $16,223 invoice that Carpoint gave me with the automatic and side airbags.
Are all Civics having the PCM and radio problem, or only those manufactured before a certain date?
Is there anything else I should be aware of before I make the deal?
I guess we are looking at different sets of facts. On dry pavement, if you wheels lock, you don't lose control (at least I don't), so ABS makes you take longer to stop. Now - don't get me wrong - I don't wait until the last minute to break anyway, so I would never notice it. But, if tests were done on dry pavement between a Civic without ABS, and with, I think the one without would have shorter stopping distances. Assuming the drivers could control a car with locked wheels.
I agree, ABS is more about control, and most drivers can't drive worth a sh** as most of us know here in the DC area, so ABS is great. I love it too - makes me feel safer on slick roads.
Just wanted to say how helpful the town hall community has been in helping make an educated car buying decision (I've been lurking around the Hall for about two months). My wife and I are very thrilled with our silver, manual sedan - yes the radio has coded, but I was prepared --let's see how long the replacement takes to come in. The Civic is a big upgrade from a '90 Geo Metro. For those of you looking to buy I would reccomend checking out carbargains.com We spent $17.500 (Tax is high in San Francisco) with side air bags.
I recently purchased a Honda Civic LX Sedan in the Bay Area. The dealer I worked with helped me finance my car for 8.8%. I read on the Honda web site that Honda Financing offers a "College Graduate Financing Program." The web site states that if you graduated from a four year accredited college or a graduate school within the last year, you can qualify for the Honda Graduate Financing program. Does anyone know if this program includes recent Law or M. B.A. grads? The dealer I spoke with isn't returning my calls. I want to learn more before I call him again. I'm hoping to get a better rate. Thank you!!!
My parents are going to buy me a 2001 Civic EX 2 door (auto) w/side airbags to take to college next year. However, all of these problems have me kindof worried. I know about the radio problem, but I'm not exactly sure what the PCM problem is. I'm guessing that stands for Powertrain Control Module? Have there been any other problems with the new Civics? Also, is $16,421 a good price for a 2001 Civic 2 door EX (Auto) with side airbags? Thanks...I really appreciate it.
You are a bit misinformed regarding ABS. Car and Driver has done a test that showed the differences between ABS and non-ABS brakes on the same car (1 car was equipped with a switch that allowed them to disable the ABS funtion). ABS SHORTENED stopping distances in every test except on gravel and on ice. Not only do you gain control with ABS, but you also gain the ability to stop much shorter on dry and wet pavement. The biggest difference was on wet pavement, but the car stopped about 10 feet shorter with ABS than locking up the brakes on dry pavement (difference between slammin the rear end of a car and a near miss). Keep in mind that ABS allows the brakes to operate at their maximum threshold of braking power (max stopping power is achieved right before the brakes lock) whereas locking them does not. As far as not loosing control when the brakes lock, I don't see how you can state that. When your front wheels lock, you loose all steering abilities of the car. The car just slides and you can't do much about it. If that's not loosing control, I don't know what is. I have locked the front brakes on my VW a couple of times in the dry and lost complete ability to steer the car. The wheel turned to the right on its own and the car slid str8 forward. Luckily, I had enough space to stop. Now, if only the rears lock, you can still at least steer the car and have some control over what it does. But it won't do you much good if you make a sudden steering input, as the car will easily swamp ends if the rear brakes are locked and you will have lost complete control at that point. Remember, a computer can make a decision a hell of a lot faster than you can and, therefore, could easily outstop your best attempt, no matter what your ego thinks If you would like an example proving my point while using the Civic here it is: Car and Driver tested a '00 Civic LX sedan without ABS and it stopped from 70 mph in 195 feet. The '01 Civic EX coupe with ABS stopped from 70 mph in 186 feet. A difference of 9 feet in ABS's favor, and that did not take into account that the new Civic weighed 190 pounds more than the old one. There would have been a greater difference had it weighed the same as the '00. The difference between ABS and non-ABS is greatest among pickups (with ABS improving stopping distances in the dry by as much as 20-30 feet). Anyway, I thought this info might be interesting to you and it might help those that are debating over the merits of ABS. I think its a worthwhile option that should be bought if money and model permits it.
What I was referring to was not an "expert" opinion. It was just simply an article stating the cold, hard data of a test. Opinions had nothing to do with what the test numbers showed. They deduced after looking at the data that ABS brakes are beneficial in almost every circumstance. I have never seen an article that stated ABS brakes were a detriment to your stopping abilities, so it really shouldn't matter what article you read. The problem lies in how people use ABS. Some might get scared of the jerking of the pedal and the weird noises and therefore back off the pedal to make it stop, which in turn could lead to longer stopping distances. What a person needs to learn when they have a car with ABS is to slam on the brakes for all they are worth and keep your foot firmly planted on the pedal in an emergency. If that's done, ABS will outstop non-ABS everytime. As far as I'm concerned, each extra foot is a greater safety margin and could mean the difference between a hefty repair bill and injuries and nothing but shaken nerves.
Comments
Maybe it is a quality control problem....
The radio code problem is recognized by Honda and they have replaced mine (ok for the last 2 weeks), but someone else there has had a couple of them so far.
Other problems reported include poor reception from the keyless entry. The dealer claims it is interferance from local radio / tv / cell transmitters that limit their sensitivity. We often have to be right up to the car for it to work. Someone else had a problem with the locking mechanism struggling to pop up in cold weather.
Many people did not like how the A/C stays on when you move from defrost to heat - but Honda says it's a good way of keeping the A/C compressor from seizing up if not used for months.
I think the car will eventually be recalled for a safety problem with the trunk lid. It is too delicatly balanced and has hit my wife on the head twice. I think that a gentle wind in the wrong direction can force it to swing down.
The dealer says that the wiper blades are "special" which is why they wipe in one direction, and chatter in the other directions.
Carefully check the gas mileage issue. Make sure you are basing your evaluation on actual (gas pump) recordings. You will find that when the gas guage reads 50%, you have probably only used 20% of a full tank. In otherwords, the guage is poorly calibrated. One owner claims the gas warning light comes on at 38 litres (out of a 50 liter tank)
I always told myself to avoid new model years, but I took a gamble on Honda, I hope I will not regret it, especially considering the horror stories of the guy who needs a new cylinder head.
Bob
I haven't had the radios problem, or the keyless remote problem. The A/C thing does bug me that much but I agree that it's a "bug", rather than a feature.
I haven't noticed a problem with the trunk falling. I'll probably pay more attention to it now.
My wipers don't chatter but, but I find that it doesn't clean as well on the "back stroke" as it does on the forward stroke.
As for the gas milage thing. My car does the same thing where half-way is actually just over 15 litres. Even measuring the milage by km/fill-up litres, I'm only averaging 9L/100km (26.5 US MPG) in mixed (70Hwy/30city) driving. This is worst than the rated City rate of 8L/100km.
My car may not be experiencing the same problems because it's fairly. The production date on the driver door says it was built in December 2000. I've had for about a month with ~2,000km (may explain the low gas milage).
The thing that bugs me the most about the car is that the seat belt is so hard to put on (I have the coupe).
Also, anything I should look for when checking out the car (which he has to get)?
Just FYI. Don't know what the colors are....this is per the Washington Post ads. Most dealers are offering for 14,800.
1) Live without the side airbags.
2) If safety is paramount to you, then go ahead
and 'Bite the Bullet' to trade for a new Civic
equipped with the side airbags. However, be
prepared to lose your 'shirt' on this one.
Again, if your safety is priceless, then I
don't see any way around it...you'll be unhappy
with the current car.
3) Never listen to a salesman! They are not to be
trusted in questions of this nature. Do your
own research before committing to buy a new
car. Let this be your costly lesson.
4) Never buy a new vehicle model before crash test
data is published. Appareances can be very
deceiving.
Good luck and keep everyone posted.
If you collide with an Excursion pullng a cabin-cruiser with your head-curtain/side-bag/pre-tensioner/force-limiter equipped EX, who wins?
Thanks in advance!
should I return it to the dealer Monday morning?
4 wheel disc brakes don't stop a car any faster than disc/drums either.
And...even without side air bags, the new Civics do extremely well in crashes.
Frankly, I'm surprised some people even venture out of their homes!
First of all, you knew the car had 257 miles on it when you accepted it, didn't you?
More than likely it did come as a dealer trade, hence the miles.
And...the selling dealer should have inspected the car more carefully before delivery. There is probably no problem, however. Make them do a new Pre Delivery Inspection.
The keys...? Well, mistakes happen. The salesperson should have checked them. This can happen to the best of us. Easy to remedy.
Enjoy your Civic!
When I got my 2001 Civic EX Coupe from a dealer in NOVA, it had 40 miles on it. It came from a near by dealer. The keyless remotes had not been programed, and I did not check them. I drove back and they fixed it in literally 15 seconds.
Very happy with the car so far. Now have about 1600 miles on it.
Enjoy.
Just a thought ... given what the PCM does could that be why some people post low fuel economy? I know that I drive every car on the low end of City MPG and get 32 on my LX.
So how much does cold temperature affect your milage? BTW, even though it wasn't as cold I still used the same accessories (heated seats/mirrors etc...) for the same length of time. I never idle for more than 2 minutes, but it obviously take more time "driving like granny" for the car to warm up when it's colder.
If the car gets damaged, some say that is good because it has taken the brunt of the impact, not the passengers inside. Interesting...I don't know what to think.
This is my first car purchase ever so I want to do it right!
Thanks for your input in advance!
And on dry payment,having ABS can take you a greater distance to stop.
I'm not saying ABS is bad...it's not. We have two cars with ABS and one without.
Personally, I think they are equally as safe.
And...in 1996 ABS was never an option on an LX Civic. It was in some earlier years but was such a poor seller it was dropped.
The security system need is relative. You can always add the factory alarm later, unless you get a good deal now.
Personally, I have not found the "Internet Dealers" to be advantageous. The local dealer can always match them, and you can see right away what you're getting. As far I'm concerned, we are all internet dealers/buyers using the same info base.
The key is to always scrutinize the numbers - they never lie. Remember also that you both have a business relationship - there is a FAIR price in there somewhere. When the time comes, never visit the dealer without a pre-approved loan (check out eloan.com).
Don't fall for $0 down deals or no Int/Payments for 2 years - you'll eventually PAY for it (again, the math/contract will show you that).
You never know either what the dealer order-of-the-day is. The dealer may make a deal on the remaining 5 Civics on the lot. Or, full msrp on the silver EX.
Good luck and enjoy.
"And on dry payment,having ABS can take you a greater distance to stop."
Care to explain?
I think you messed up your facts a little.
It's presented as a fact, and I agree with it, that by locking your wheels you can improve
stopping distances on packed snow surfaces and certain types of the
loose gravel roads.
Under about every other condition ABS wins, including dry pavement.
BTW the ABS brakes are mostly about maintaining control, not stopping
abilities.
I will defintaly order it with an automatic transmission and side airbags, but are there any other options to consider, such as fog lights (do they actually help in fog/rain/snow?), the security system, wheel locks, or floor mats?
I am hoping not to pay too much more than the $16,223 invoice that Carpoint gave me with the automatic and side airbags.
Are all Civics having the PCM and radio problem, or only those manufactured before a certain date?
Is there anything else I should be aware of before I make the deal?
I agree, ABS is more about control, and most drivers can't drive worth a sh** as most of us know here in the DC area, so ABS is great. I love it too - makes me feel safer on slick roads.
Thanks again
If you would like an example proving my point while using the Civic here it is: Car and Driver tested a '00 Civic LX sedan without ABS and it stopped from 70 mph in 195 feet. The '01 Civic EX coupe with ABS stopped from 70 mph in 186 feet. A difference of 9 feet in ABS's favor, and that did not take into account that the new Civic weighed 190 pounds more than the old one. There would have been a greater difference had it weighed the same as the '00. The difference between ABS and non-ABS is greatest among pickups (with ABS improving stopping distances in the dry by as much as 20-30 feet). Anyway, I thought this info might be interesting to you and it might help those that are debating over the merits of ABS. I think its a worthwhile option that should be bought if money and model permits it.
No PCM or radio issues - over 1700 miles so far.
My personal experiences have been different, however. Perhaps they are the exception - it certainly would not be a first for me
Myself...I wouldn't let the lack of ABS stop me from buying a car nor would I reject a car with ABS. I own both.