I am currently driving a gasoline Element and doing research on the Civic GX.
One of the big issues is the carrying capacity of the GX for me. An Element that ran CNG would be terrific! Don't suppose you have any idea or links as to when it might be released?
I live in Tennessee and I did not realize that you could buy autos that run on natural gas. What is the difference in filling up with ng versus gas? Is there any difference in the acceleration on a natural gas vehicle?
Yes, cars can run on CNG, even in Tennessee. Some use both CNG and gasoline and the one we own runs the same on either fuel. It's harder to compare CNG-only cars to their gasoline versions but our CNG Honda Civic seems to accelerate about the way a Honda Civic should.
Our 1999 CNG-only Honda has lots of spunk around town. I believe, however, that it has the smaller engine available for the Civic, so is not great at altitude (5000', e.g.) or on steep hills, where is must shift down to "3rd" gear (it is an automatic) to maintain 60 MPH, especially with two folks aboard. It will maintain that (or higher speeds) in 3rd, but I feel like I'm running the engine at a very high rpm, so I generally let it climb hills at around 55, where the engine seems to be racing less.
The Honda is a very smooth-running engine, and may well be able to handle high rpms without excessive wear, but I prefer to err on the conservative side.
The main difference in filling up with CNG is that you can't just go to a gasoline filling station. There are specific locations for public use and these may or may not be close to where you live. People that have a natural gas line to their home can purchase a home cng pump. Gasoline is a liquid and CNG is compressed natural gas which is about 12 times lighter than air and it goes into specially made kevlar/carbon reinforced tanks (anywhere from 3000 to 4500 psi) and is actually safer than a gasoline car. I have a Honda Civic GX (dedicated cng) and it has comparable acceleration to the gasoline version. But I also get much better mileage than the gasoline version (45 hwy/40 city) because the engine is made just for cng or hythane ( cng and a mix of 20% hydrogen) as it runs much leaner on cng. Right now, I'm paying $1.20/gge (equivalent gallon) but in Utah, they're only paying about 70 cents/gge.
One thing you should be aware of is that some of the cng pumps allow oil from the compressors into your fuel system. I know Trillium is one to avoid. I had a converted car and after using Trillium for one year, I had it emissions tested so I could get a certificate. The gasoline part passed with flying colors, but the cng one failed. Because of the excess oil going into the system, it was emitting excess HC (hydrocarbons). The injectors that were on my converted car were much different than the ones on the Honda Civic GX, which have very fine tolerances so buyer beware.
Recently I was led to believe that we can no longer park a compressed natural gas car at a meter in the City of Los Angeles without putting money in the meter. Has anyone else heard this? What about Santa Monica and, is it, Hermosa Beach?
Our 2005 Honda hybrid has been great. Now there seems to be plenty of CNG stations to try the Honda GX. My only concern is after a few years of use (3) what is the market for resale? I would think it would be small and really come at a loss. What is your resale experience. Thanks!
Any time you drive a new car off the lot, you take a big hit. If you want to reduce that, buy a late model used car. I have bought late model used Civic GXs and have been very happy with them. One was still within the 3/36 warranty and all of them were under the 15/150 special California warranty which covers the 'weird' fuel-related components, so the only thing that I missed was a big drop in value and 'that new car smell.'
Hi All, I own a Prius in southern CA, but have been thinking about getting the GX. I've found one with a bit of high mileage. Is this a concern? When is major service due, and I assume timing belt service is coming up? How much would this cost? My other option is a 2009 with about 22k miles from a dealer. There's about a $7k price difference between the two vehicles so I'm not sure what the maintenance schedule is like for the GX. I'm not finding very many for sale like the Prius'... Any help would be great. Thanks everyone!
I think they're both overpriced but if gasoline prices keep going up the price of used GXs will just go higher and higher, so it might be a good time to bite the bullet and buy the 2007.
If the car you speak of is in the city of Carson at a Honda dealer (get me?), I urge you to tread carefully. Test drove after getting runaround twice there. Definitely needs new CV joints. Try tight turns with modest acceleration. Also was told two weeks ago the only wear was 2 inch long driver door scratch. It's not there anymore and there is strange "movement" to the sparkle fleck coat on that door. Went there to test drive one week ago after being told it was there- it wasn't. They said the bumper was being replaced and if you do a nation wide Craigslist search, the same car and pictures show up at a Texas dealership. Something is rotten in Denmark. :mad:
That's the one, from Carson Honda. Scratch that I guess. I guess the only alternative may be to buy new. Honda seems to have a 0.9% apr until 5/1/11. How about a good dealer in OC? How is Honda World?
Comments
One of the big issues is the carrying capacity of the GX for me. An Element that ran CNG would be terrific! Don't suppose you have any idea or links as to when it might be released?
The Honda is a very smooth-running engine, and may well be able to handle high rpms without excessive wear, but I prefer to err on the conservative side.
See http://www.government-fleet.com/Article/Print/Story/2010/05/What-Happens-When-Yo- ur-CNG-Tanks-Expire.aspx
"Battersby has found while guidance is given about tank safety and expiration, noncompliance is not subject to regulatory punishment."
I own a Prius in southern CA, but have been thinking about getting the GX. I've found one with a bit of high mileage. Is this a concern? When is major service due, and I assume timing belt service is coming up? How much would this cost?
My other option is a 2009 with about 22k miles from a dealer. There's about a $7k price difference between the two vehicles so I'm not sure what the maintenance schedule is like for the GX. I'm not finding very many for sale like the Prius'...
Any help would be great. Thanks everyone!
How about a good dealer in OC? How is Honda World?