Honda Civic 2005 and earlier

1656668707179

Comments

  • atlantaatlanta Member Posts: 2
    Using the Kelley Blue Book I'd guess that this car is in "fair" condition which gives a value of $3,555 for selling to a private individual. Another comparison is that I just sold a 1990 Civic LX (104,000 miles) with a leaking air conditioner for $1,800.

    I'd put an add in the paper for either $3,000 or #3,500 and expect to sell it easily.

    Dave
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    Love the TSX but if I pay another $25,000 I want XM and that's not available in the TSX yet.

    Trading the Accord would sting a bit but it would be more like a sweat bee sting not a wasp sting. Fortunately, our interest rate is low (3.49% through my credit union and we got a decent deal when we bought it.

    I am already almost over the though of buying a Civic. After looking a little closer at how our rear-facing car seat fits in the Accord I am not sure it would fit in the Civic sedan. Besides, the Accord is bigger, has more features, and we already have a years worth of payments in it.
  • mthexumamthexuma Member Posts: 43
    I am picking up my recently purchased civic on wednesday this week, is there anything I should know about breaking in, does it need it?
  • bd21bd21 Member Posts: 437
    Read your entire owner's manual. Everything you need to know is in there including all real required servicing and break in procedures. Ignore your friend's advice who think they are mechanics and ignore some of the advice on this board posted by people who have proven they know little about car care. When in doubt of your driving habits follow the severe schedual in your manual and you will maximize the life of your vehicle. Remember it's time or mileage, whichever comes first when determining when you need service. Congratulations and enjoy your new car.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    Just take it easy on it. Don't race for the first 1,000-1,500 miles and take it easy on the brakes. Nothing really extreme. And IIRC, Honda specifically states to wait until the recommended interval to get your first oil change. Some people swear by doing the first oil change at 1,500 miles but when in doubt take Honda's advice. They did design and build the car so they should know the Civic's limitations.
  • gregoryc1gregoryc1 Member Posts: 764
    Read the owners manual. Use good fuel. Use a high quality oil and filter, and change the oil and filter often.----- Don't be "cheap" on preventive maintenance!---- Oil and filters are cheap. Engines are expensive! ----Change the oil and filter every 3,000 miles.---Remember, a clean engine is a healthy engine!
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Good advice! Always read the owners manual and follow it, and you should have no problems.
    As for myself, I do my oil changes between every 3k and 4k miles and feel comfortable with this bracket.
    If you are uncomfortable, call several service departments and see what they say.

    The Sandman :-)

    (Common sense and reading the manual go along way!)
  • gidogido Member Posts: 5
    I read your message about the rattles in your honda civic 04. Did you have the dash rattle/creak near the passenger door? If so what did they do to fix it? Any info would be great.

    thanks
  • mthexumamthexuma Member Posts: 43
    Been driving my civic for 1 full week now and already have 360 miles on it. On the first tank of gas I got 27 mpg with heavy a/c and lots of iding with a/c on as dealer showed me all the features. Pretty good I must say. I love my car so much. I don't car what people say about rattles and creaks, it is an economy car not a lexus. Yeah there is a little wiper noise or break noise now and then. But who cares, it runs great, it's a honda and I turn the radio up anyway and don't hear any noises. LOL It is so much fun to drive and I love. Couldn't have spent my money better.
  • cptsessocptsesso Member Posts: 116
    Purchased June 4, 2004. I have put 2500 miles on it since new. I drive 300 miles round trip a few days a week. Mileage with AC on and cruise set at 73mph has been consistently 36.6 to 37.5 mpg. I bet if I slowed down a bit with the AC off I would approach 40 mpg. Got to love it.
  • gregoryc1gregoryc1 Member Posts: 764
    Enjoy the AC, you only live once!
  • kellswokellswo Member Posts: 1
    I've read through the forum a bit and I'm happy to see the positive reports... I've had my Civic for a little over a month now and I'm really enjoying it. I drive roughtly 300 miles round trip each day. So you can see my need for an economical car. Right now I'm getting just over 400 miles per tank (420 is as high as I've gone).

    I think I can stretch this a bit further, but I'm not sure. I know the manual reads that the tank holds just over 13 gallons. But I'm only able to get roughly 10 at the gas station... Are the 3 additional gallons 'reserve'? I typically fill up shortly after my gas light comes on. Again, this happens right at 400 miles.

    That said, I'm getting right at 40 mpg given the nature of my drive (98% is interstate each day) @ 70 - 80 mph avg.

    What are others seeing for their tank capacity? Has anyone run the tank dry? How many gallons did it take to fill it back up?

    Thanks!
  • mthexumamthexuma Member Posts: 43
    I've driven it quite a few miles after the gas light came on and only filled up 10.89 gallons. My friends who has had a civic for a while says she can drive forever after the light goes on. I think there is 3 gallons left when the light goes on.
  • cptsessocptsesso Member Posts: 116
    I drive the same distance (150 miles each way). I typically do 3 legs (450 miles) on a tank of gas. The light comes on around 420 miles or so.

    When I fill it up, I usually keep filling until it is really full (gas up to the top of the filler neck). I know some people advise against this, but if you stop when the pump automatically stops, you could still put in like 2 to 2.5 gallons more. My suv is the same way.

    Anyway, if you want to get the most accurate reading of your mpg, this is the way to do it. Start with a full tank (to the top of the filler neck), drive then refill to the top of the filler neck.
  • bd21bd21 Member Posts: 437
    Never, ever fill your gas tank up to the top of the neck. This can and will eventually ruin parts in your emission control system. This is a fact not an opinion, I'm a mechanic. If you are still able to get several gallons in your tank after the pump automatically stops the first time, then the pump is defective. Use another pump or station. Always stop the first time the pump clicks off. If you want to accurately measure gas mileage try filling up the same way at the same pump and station. Simply divide the miles driven by the gas you have to fill up with.
  • cptsessocptsesso Member Posts: 116
    I have always done this and have never had any problems with the last 6 vehicles I have owned.

    It is also not the pump because it happens on both of our vehicles at any gas station. It is worse though on our suv.
  • bd21bd21 Member Posts: 437
    Most car manuals out there will caution you about over filling the tank, because it shortens the life of a part or two in the emissions recovery system. In this case, it's the recovery canister that handles the gas tank fumes. You must not hold on to your cars long enough to experience the failure. You can continue doing what you are doing, but understand that you are indeed shorting the life of some very expensive pasts in the system. You have been lucky up to now and I hope you luck keeps up. Although if you ever get an engine malfunction light remember this post.
  • kenshin9kenshin9 Member Posts: 4
    I'm gonna be buying a 2004 Honda Civic EX 5-spd soon. I drove by a coupe the other day and thought it looked really nice. And so I've been thinking about getting a coupe. I was originally going to get a sedan. The thing is, I've been told that the insurance will cost a lot more. Could anyone clarify this for me? Is the Civic coupe considered a sports car? I find it absurd for the insurance to be higher when it's essentially the same car as the sedan, just that there are two doors. I would understand if it was the Si. I'm a 17 year old male. Any replies would be helpful. Thanks.

    By the way, let me ask you. Coupe or sedan?
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    I traded a 99 Accord EX sedan for a 2001 Honda Accord EX V6 coupe and the insurance only went up marginally. Just check with your insurance company before you buy.
  • three_birchesthree_birches Member Posts: 1
    My new 2004, 4 door, 5 speed manual LX has an annoying vibration that can be felt through the gas pedal, brake, and (to a lesser degree) the steering wheel. This only becomes noticeable when revving above 2800 RPM. The Honda folks say this is normal for the model. My dealership let me test drive other LXs after I questioned them. It does seem to be a common design weakness. Has anybody else had this problem? What did you do to solve or mitigate it?
  • bd21bd21 Member Posts: 437
    Since you are a minor, I assume your parents or guardian are buying you the car and hopefully they are putting you on their car insurance policy, if you live under the same roof. As a young male you will pay more than anyone else for insurance, because of the statistical risk you pose. Yes, a 2-door with a stick shift will cost you more. Call a few insurance companies and get a quote. If you were actually carrying your own insurance it could cost you several thousand dollars a year regardless of what you drive. I have young guys that work for me that pay over $300 monthly for insurance year round on a used car, so it behoves you to see if you can afford insurance on the car you may want to buy. Good luck!
  • ncampbell2002ncampbell2002 Member Posts: 163
    As a primary source for your question, I can tell you right now, get ready to pay whether you go with the sedan or coupe. I am 20 years old and pay $989 for 6 months of insurance on my 03 Civic Coupe. That is with basic collision $500 deductible and $250 comprehensive. I have absolutely nothing on my record that would affect this rate. I am on my parents policy and we get the good driver discount, multi-car discount with 4 vehicles insured, blah blah you get the idea. If you get the sedan it will save you about $200 every 6 months on your insurance according to our company. Yes I have shopped around for a better rate, but was out of luck. The only reason I own a new car is because I do a lot of driving commuting to school and I like to do some traveling. I have had the car since April of 03 and it just turned 24,000 miles. Anyhow you make the final decision, I personally like the styling of the coupe much better than the sedan so its worth it to me. Basically any 2 door car is gonna cost more to insure than a 4 door car no matter what model you turn to. Good luck.
  • kenshin9kenshin9 Member Posts: 4
    Thanks, that helps a lot.
  • mantis2073mantis2073 Member Posts: 3
    Wow! Some of you guys really put the miles on your Civics. I bought my '97 Civic LX Sedan Automatic in April of '97 and only have 73,000 miles to date. I'm trying to keep my average miles at 10,000 per year by driving my '97 Lincoln Mark VIII (21 mpg) two days out of each week on my 40-mile round-trip commute.

    The new Civics sound like they do a lot better on gas than mine does. My overall average over seven years is about 29 mpg, but I can get up to 34 on a road trip. The small 11.9 gallon tank is a real pain, though. I usually fill the car around 280 miles. It really makes me miss my '87 Accord that would go 475 miles with a 15.9 tank.

    Over the course of seven years, I have had NO mechanical problems of any kind. I have the car serviced religiously every 3,750 miles at my terrific local dealer in Portland, OR. My wife's '97 Accord LX Sedan has been similiarly reliable.

    I'm not as young as some of you on this board, but I plan to keep the Civic until I turn 50 in seven years. When I get the itch for a new car, I ask myself if I'd rather spend $25K+ on that now or be relaxing on a beach somewhere when I'm 60. That makes the decision easy. My goal is always to get 10 years of good service out of a vehicle.
  • mthexumamthexuma Member Posts: 43
    I had to go on top of a curb today and then come off of it. DON'T ASK, LOL. I took it as slow as possible. Is there anything that could break easily by doing this? My civic seems fine, just wondering. I don't do it ever, this was a special case. Thanks
  • crv16crv16 Member Posts: 205
    I've had my 2003 Civic EX sedan (5 speed) for 10 months now. I've got almost 25,000 miles on it so far. I'm delighted with this car. It is fun to drive and gets excellent fuel economy. I average 40 mpg.

    The only issues I've had are an occasional dash sqeak/rattle (mostly in colder months, and only when I drive down a bumpy dirt road), and the interior trim covering the pillar between the front and rear doors popped out. Just pushed it back in.

    I've been changing the oil every 4,000-5,000 miles, and changed the air filter at 15k. Just rotated the tires, since the fronts were just about to the wear bars. I'm guessing I could get about 50k out of these tires, but I'll likely replace them this fall. I don't like to drive thru winter weather on marginal tires.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    As long as it wasn't a high curb and you didn't hear anything scrape you should be fine.

    25,000 miles in 10 months? Are you in sales or do you just have a long commute?
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    What happened to the Civic you and Gee just bought? Details...details!!!!

    The Sandman :-)
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    Which Civic? The 97 LX?
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    The Sandman :-)
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    Long story short ...

    The Civic needed tranny work. Couldn't find a good used car that met our requirements. Leased another 04 Accord.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Please e-mail me...i have a question to ask you.

    The Sandman :-)
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    I would be more than happy to but I do not see your e-mail address on your profile. If you would like you can e-mail me at white_02_si@msn.com.
  • mautomauto Member Posts: 75
    Overfilling the tank can cause problems, but I too can (on occasion) get an extra 2 gals in the tank after shut-off. To get an accurate mileage let the pump shut off and stop. Return to the exact same pump (and station) to refil and again stop after pump shuts off.

    As to the person who called the 04 Civic EX coupe a "sports car". I have the 02 year of this car and it's anything but sporty. Looks sporty, yes. But if you like a sporty ride, your gonna hate the Civic. It bounces relentlessy over uneven pavement. A sports car is supposed to hug the road and feel well controlled. Unfortunately, all Civic models (except the Si) have the same soggy suspension tuning (2 or 4 door) that appeals to the mainstream buyer. If you want a sporty ride, I suggest you look at the Mazda 3 which drives like a BMW next to the weakly sprung Civic.
  • shiyang100shiyang100 Member Posts: 8
    just bought it last week. When I drove for a 2-hr trip yesterday, I notived a noise from front (tire?) at the speed say over 40mph. The noise is like sth rubbing the surface. not so high, but I can hear it because I am very sensitive. I cannot tell whether it is a normal tire noise. What do you think about it?
  • wrjoycewrjoyce Member Posts: 51
    Is there any news on what improvements there might be made for 2005 honda civic. I think it is the last year of the model and wondering what tweaking they might be considering.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    Since the Civic will be completely redesigned for 06 the 05 Civic won't see very many changes. I have heard they will offer a SE coupe and sedan which will be in between the LX and EX models but will be cheaper than the EX and barely more expensive than the LX. Other than that there isn't a lot of info available. Honda is notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to model year changes and redesigns.
  • mautomauto Member Posts: 75
    Oh no, an SE coupe? Don't tell me - this car will have the EX's alloys and engine without a sunroof and ABS and be priced between the LX and EX. Hmmm, that's a bout the same price as Toyota's Scion tc. Now if you look at what you get on the tc compared to today's Civic EX coupe, the Civic looks downright pathetic. So Honda wants to come out with an even more pathetic model - the SE. What are they thinking?
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I have no idea how it'll be equipped.

    Looks are subjective. What you think looks "pathetic" other people like just fine!
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    If the tC is so great why are you in the Civic room in the first place? The Civic is larger than the tC, gets better gas mileage, and has great crash scores. Sure the tC may be better in some ways but the current Civic is going into it's last year. Hard to call a car pathetic in comparison to a model that has a 4 year advantage on design and features.
  • mautomauto Member Posts: 75
    Ah, so you're saying that only people with similar views to your own should be allowed in the Civic "room".

    OK, the tc has a four year advantage. But if I'm buying a car TODAY, I'm not going to give anyone a break because I think their model has been around for four years. I'm going to buy the best car for the money. On paper, that's the tc without question. The fuel economy is the only negative - and it is supposed to get the max. crash score like the Civic. The Civic is not larger, the tc actually has a longer wheelbase. Now if the 05 Civic comes with 17" alloys (Z-rated tires) and a 160W stereo, I might change my mind. Oh, you could order the Honda factory performance kit at several thousand $ and get the 17" alloys that way...

    or you could just buy the tc.
  • blueiedgodblueiedgod Member Posts: 2,798
    A civic with 17" rims will look ridiculous, I don't care what "modifiers" say. There is no way a 1.7 liter can produce enough torque to spin those to get any respectable acceleration. Don't forget that Tc has Camry engine (2.4 liter), and I am pretty sure, despite what Toyota says, shares other parts with Camry/Solara.

    Tc is a welcomed contender, but Civic coupe is not even in the same league. Civic and Xa are probably more closely related. Tc, IMHO, is more on par with TSX and Mazda6, and very close in dimnetions to previous generation Nissan Altima.

    Toyota is doing the whole Scion line to compete with Honda in the youth market, they have to give more for less to draw people away from Honda. I think average age for Toyota buyer is 43, while Honda's average is 34. (don't qoute me on these, they are from something I read somewhere a while back). The increased competition is good for the consumers.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    My point is that if you aren't even considering the Civic then why waste your time in here?
  • mautomauto Member Posts: 75
    Considering the Civic? I have one now. An 02 EX coupe.

    "There is no way a 1.7 liter can produce enough torque to spin those to get any respectable acceleration"

    Umm, you might want to tell Honda this because they sell the factory performance kit with 17" wheels for the Civic with the same 1.7L engine.

    Who cares if the tc has Camry parts and an engine. Who cares if the average age of the buyer is whatever it is. And the fact that you said the tcs competition is the TSX proves my point. You get more performance and value for your money with the tc.

    After having put up with my Civic's floppy suspension and the thought of spending $600 in the next year or so to change the timing belt, the tc is the obvious choice.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    Now Civics have floppy suspensions? $600, which I don't think a timing belt costs for the Civic, isn't bad for 90,000 miles worth of driving.
  • moparbadmoparbad Member Posts: 3,870
    quote Automobile Magazine-Unfortunately, small dimensions, a lack of power, an uninspired interior, and suspension faults have taken this car out of the spotlight. There are simply more exciting cars than the Civic at this price.-end

    Civic is showing it's age. The suspension on the current generation Civic has been a source of complaints since it's introduction.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    Guess it depends on who you ask ...

    "The Civic's ride and handling are two more areas where it earned high marks from our editors. It's more tightly controlled than the Elantra and Corolla, yet more forgiving than either the Protegé or the Sentra. In other words, the Civic strikes the best balance between ride comfort and road feel. Heavy insulation makes for a quiet cabin, while the solid steering feel keeps you well apprised of the road conditions below."

    http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/comparison/articles/100022/page015- .html
  • wrjoycewrjoyce Member Posts: 51
    Hey, I think it is great for someone to compare and contrast civic vs tc, I am in this room just for that purpose. So dont go knocking someone for touting the praises of the tc. I am terribly torn between the two cars, I think both cars are great with some different strengths, I was just hoping that the 2005 civic would put in the 160 engine and some of the other features that the hatch have and the tsx have. I think if they did, it would blow away most other cars such as the mazda 3, corolla and compete evenly with the tc. So guys if you have opinions between civic and TC please opine away.
  • blueiedgodblueiedgod Member Posts: 2,798
    After having put up with my Civic's floppy suspension and the thought of spending $600 in the next year or so to change the timing belt, the tc is the obvious choice.

    Did anybody twist your arm to buy the Civic EX? Did you not know that it had "floppy" suspension after the test drive? Did you not know that it had timing belt before you plopped the money for it? Have you looked at Si before buying the EX? Si has stiffer suspension, it has a timing chain, and is a little sportier than EX.
    tC is actually closer in size to Subie Impreza.
  • shiyang100shiyang100 Member Posts: 8
    my car also has such vibration. I plan to see the dealer next week. What the dealer did for you?
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