...and contrary to many OWTs, leather interiors last a very long time. I've never had a car that didn't still have leather in good condition after ten years and well over 100,000 miles. That and I NEVER treat my leather seats, ever.
As for having heat, blah, we live in New Hampshire and every time I get in Mrs. Shipo's car in the winter time I get maybe a quarter of a mile from our house before I'm scrambling to turn the damn heaters off on her leather seats.
If a Civic finds its way into my garage, it will be an EX-L 5-Speed non-NAV for sure.
"no leather unless you live where there is no sun"
LOL! ;-)
Funny thing though, NPR did a bit on motorcycle ownership a couple of years back, a program that I found fascinating. Do you know which U.S. state has the highest per-capita motorcycle ownership? New Hampshire. Go figure.
According to a number of the interviewees, New Hampshire has a higher number of "Perfect motorcycle riding days" than any other state. Hmmm, we've been living here for five years now and I think statements like that have been subject to a very loose poetic license, however, I really do like the weather up here. Today for instance, there's not a cloud in the sky and we're heading for a high of about 75 degrees. Can you say "Perfect"? Sure, I knew you could. ;-)
FWIW, I owned cars with leather interiors when I lived in SoCal and Hotlanta and still prefer leather to the various alternatives out there.
To the person who's been compalining about all his issues with his Civic, dump it already if it's so bad. There was also a guy in the Mazda3 forum who constantly droned on about all his "issues", that it began to take over the various forums that dealt with the 3. Got really old. I know I finally just scrolled past all that negativity and I'm sure others did to. Sometimes it's just better to cut and run, get something you'd really like better. I'm hoping that with the new '09 Civic, all these "issues" will be dealt with and resolved. I'm sure Honda Corp. hates these things as much as their buyers do, afterall their in the business of making quality cars. Maybe all these TSB's & that recall will make them ramp up their quality control to previous levels of years past. They've already shown that this quality standard is attainable by them. I think 2009 will be that we'll see marked improvement in Honda quality across the board. For survival...they'll have no choice. The competition is just that good, and getting better. Just sitting in that leather lined Hyundai earlier today proved this point to me. Many folks will jump at the chance to get a car as nice as the top of the line Accord for Sonata prices. And adding in the great Hyundai warranty and free roadside assistance for no extra charge, it's really a no brainer!
I guess that would be me droning on I just get so tired of all the kneejerk mindless talk of Honda goodness that I have to relive my problems time and again as a counter balance. Perspective buyers of Honda need to know that their ownership might NOT be the wonderful experience they are expecting and I'm just the guy to tell them. If you are a happy Honda owner be my guest and skip all my posts they will only upset you.
today i got 2008 civic LX for $17500 on ROAD (including everything). i cloud only bargain this much :sick: . sales guys kept saying they can't go below $18500... :mad: I'm still not happy because i paid almost same as MSRP. i don't feel i got it for good price. i want to know what you guys think. thank you.
I'm still not happy because i paid almost same as MSRP. i don't feel i got it for good price.
Then why, if I may ask, did you buy the thing? If I felt the car wasn't worth what they were asking, I certainly wouldn't fork over my money to them.
As far as how good the price is out the door, that would really depend on your taxes and trade-in, if any. Is it a manual transmission or an automatic? Sedan, or coupe? It's hard to say whether or not the deal is good without a breakdown of cost, and what model it is.
The invoice on a Civic LX Auto Sedan in my area for 2007 is $16,349. It sounds like the price of the car was pretty close to that if you have taxes like I do (8%). Assuming an invoice of $16,400:
$16,400 + $1,312 = $17,712. Paying invoice for a 2008 Civic would be a good deal in my opinion. It's hard to say without solid info though. If you'll share more about your deal, I bet more people would help you on the Prices Paid forum.
d34m0n, You need to provide more details, or we don't have enough info to help you.
When you say you paid almost MSRP......I assume that means that whatever the MSRP is for the vehicle (what was it?), they then discounted it and sold it to you for XX,XXX (what was it?) The invoice for your model with the options on it was YY,YYY (what is it?). And then they added tax for the city/county/state you are in which is Z,ZZZ (what is it?), and tag/title which is QQQ (what is it?), and also added a dealers documentation fee PPP (what is it?).
So if you paid almost MSRP (if this is what you mean), all of the stuff that got added back on to the discounted price, brought the purchase price back up to almost MSRP.
I was at the dealership today and saw a Civic with leather. It was a coupe with black leather and it looked sweet! In my opinion, it makes the car look a lot better than the cloth. They did a very good job on the interior. The center console and the steering wheel are also in leather.
Thanks for the report. ;-) Did you perchance take a look at the arm rests? I hear that the plastic used on the non-leather models is highly subject to scuffing and discoloration.
I've had my 08 EX-L for a couple of weeks, and I would agree that the plastic will scuff easily. I already have one scuff mark. I think that is typical of a lot of cars these days. I know my Nissan Titan truck really scuffs up easily.
The reason I said that was because at that point in reading my tracked discussions I had followed a whole string of your posts that were, um, not quite observant of the topic - sorry, didn't mean to call you out, was just poking at you. Peace?
Did you perchance take a look at the arm rests? I hear that the plastic used on the non-leather models is highly subject to scuffing and discoloration.
You mean the arm rests on the doors? Where exactly is the scuffing likely to occur. On the vehicles with cloth interiors there's cloth on the door arm rests on the area where the elbow touches. On the vehicles with leather interior that has been replaced with leather.
I have a 2004 BMW 325 with leather seats and have never had any problem with them. I just had them professionally cleaned for the first time in 53K miles - for $50 - big deal. They look like new, and they didn't look too bad before I had them worked on, just some normal dirt marks. They don't wear from your butt rubbing against them, and don't stain from pets' dirty feet and kids dropping and spilling things. They are not high maintenance at all.
I agree, one of the reasons I buy leather is it holds up better than cloth, especially from the wear and tear and stains from kids. Plus, I love heated seats in the winter. Yeah, they can be a little warm in the summer until the AC kicks in, but I can live with that.
Good day, everyone. I'm thinking of purchasing a 2008 Civic coupe in the near future and am interested in equipping it with the XM radio option that comes with the navigation on the EX. I'm not sure if it's worth the price though, and I may go with an LX or the EX w/o the navigation instead. My questions are:
1. If you purchase the EX with navigation do you have to install any more equipment to use the XM radio or do you just have to purchase a subscription from XM?
2. The Honda website once indicated that the EX without navigation is "XM ready" but not equipped with an XM radio. What does this mean exactly and how could I equip a non-navigation EX to listen to XM radio? Also what can I expect to pay?
3. If the EX w/o navigation is XM ready according to Honda, why is the LX not? How are the two radios different?
4. For those who have the XM and navigation in their Civic, was it worth the extra cost to you?
1. If you purchase the EX with navigation do you have to install any more equipment to use the XM radio or do you just have to purchase a subscription from XM?
That is correct. In fact, you get a free 90 day trial period of XM, so you don't have to even purchase a subscription immediately.
What does this mean exactly and how could I equip a non-navigation EX to listen to XM radio? Also what can I expect to pay?
According to College Hills Honda, the retail price for the XM Radio kit is $289:
Page 2 shows a little diagram of how it looks when installed. Note that antenna is placed inside the windshield on the passengers side and not on the roof like the EX with nav. I personally don't think that looks professional.
The XM Radio unit is hidden in front of the passenger and a cable runs to the back of the factory stereo.
3. If the EX w/o navigation is XM ready according to Honda, why is the LX not? How are the two radios different?
The LX head unit doesn't have the same input that on the back that an EX does. That's why the LX is not XM Ready.
You can always go to a place like circuit city and have them install an after market XM unit. I've seen people do that and mount the unit in the cubbyhole right in front of the gear shifter. The installer can plug the output from the XM unit straight into the aux jack of either the LX or the EX. Also the aftermarket unit usually has a rooftop antenna which should get better reception than the interior windshield antenna the Honda XM kit provides.
The after market units often have better displays giving you all of the info on one screen, singer, song title, channel name, etc. On the non nav EX you'd have to see everything scroll by on it's display.
The main disadvantage to the after market unit is that you won't be able to control the XM through the steering wheel controls as you would with the Honda XM kit. Frequently however, the after market kits come with their own remotes.
d34m0n, at least you got it $250 lower than what I have been quoted. How did you manage to make them lower it by $1000 for you. Would you advice please?
Because the EPA required manufacturers to change the formula used for the mileage calculations. Between 2006 and 2007, every car on the road had its mileage numbers changed. Some cars changed a bit, others changed a lot. ;-) In the end, the cars themselves didn't change, and a new 2008 Civic will get the same mileage under the same driving conditions as the 2006 and 2007 models.
Thanks, I was worried a bit as I am going to buy 08 Civic and found out the difference in MPG. I was thinking that they tweaked a little the engine to get better burning and cleaner exhoust or something like that.
No, but I'll probably get it on the next Civic I buy and mainly for the reason that I like the large display screen for listening to the XM Radio. I'd want the color matched rooftop XM antenna too.
There's another nice feature that comes with the Nav system that I would probably use a lot and that is the card reader. I could copy songs from my computer to a card and plug it into the slot and use the steering wheel controls to scroll through the songs.
A reporter seeks to talk with owners and serious shoppers of the 2007 or 2008 Honda Civic who are also parents. If you are interested in commenting on your experience, please reply to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than Thursday, November 15, 2007 and include your city and state of residence as well as the age of your child/ren.
Thanks for your consideration, Jeannine Fallon Corporate Communications Edmunds Inc.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
I just bought one. Love it. Great fun to drive, super easy shift, and comfortable. I wanted a coupe with the nav system, but couldn't find it in AZ; but the stereo is great. I only really wanted the nav system because my old car had XM, which I had paid for already, and the standard stereo doesn't provide XM. I test drove the Mazda 3Speed (definitely faster but too pricey for too little more) and the Volkswagen GTI (more comfy and quieter, but not nearly as sporty), but the SI offered me a lot more of what I was looking for, and for less, at that. If you shop around, you should be able to get it at least at $500 to $700 under list, depending on how many are in your area. Good luck, and enjoy.
I am looking at adding the full Rear spoiler to my soon to be delivered 2008 Civic LX 4 dr sedan AT. I have not seen any of these cars with the full spoiler, is there a reason for that? Possibly lower visibility or something? Does anyone have one and can comment?
I've gotta ask... Why do you want one? Bling? Downforce?
In my case I'd actually consider a 4-Door Si but for two things: 1) The rear spoiler (I like stealth and it looks like a pain in the hind quarters to keep clean). 2) The exterior mirrors cannot be had with heaters (unlike the EX-L and all Canadian Civics)
Its a personal preference thing, I think it looks good and adds value to the car. Yes, I know its a 4 door, My son already chastised me on this, said it was time to get something a little bit more sportier. I think the Spoiler looks good on the car (from pics. The Lip spoiler, I don't understand at all..
I prefer the smaller spoiler I've seen on the hybrid models...a bit classier looking and very subtle. But since I've already added the EP3 rims from the '05 Si model, think I'm done. If the smaller spoiler didn't cost that much, would definitely consider it though.
I have 08 civic.I think my car is quite noisy when idle. also when engine is cold I am hearing some metalic noise, is that normal? I just want to know other civic owner's experiences.
Comments
The civic EX-L includes heated seats.
As for having heat, blah, we live in New Hampshire and every time I get in Mrs. Shipo's car in the winter time I get maybe a quarter of a mile from our house before I'm scrambling to turn the damn heaters off on her leather seats.
If a Civic finds its way into my garage, it will be an EX-L 5-Speed non-NAV for sure.
Best Regards,
Shipo
LOL! ;-)
Funny thing though, NPR did a bit on motorcycle ownership a couple of years back, a program that I found fascinating. Do you know which U.S. state has the highest per-capita motorcycle ownership? New Hampshire. Go figure.
According to a number of the interviewees, New Hampshire has a higher number of "Perfect motorcycle riding days" than any other state. Hmmm, we've been living here for five years now and I think statements like that have been subject to a very loose poetic license, however, I really do like the weather up here. Today for instance, there's not a cloud in the sky and we're heading for a high of about 75 degrees. Can you say "Perfect"? Sure, I knew you could. ;-)
FWIW, I owned cars with leather interiors when I lived in SoCal and Hotlanta and still prefer leather to the various alternatives out there.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I'm hoping that with the new '09 Civic, all these "issues" will be dealt with and resolved. I'm sure Honda Corp. hates these things as much as their buyers do, afterall their in the business of making quality cars. Maybe all these TSB's & that recall will make them ramp up their quality control to previous levels of years past. They've already shown that this quality standard is attainable by them.
I think 2009 will be that we'll see marked improvement in Honda quality across the board. For survival...they'll have no choice. The competition is just that good, and getting better. Just sitting in that leather lined Hyundai earlier today proved this point to me. Many folks will jump at the chance to get a car as nice as the top of the line Accord for Sonata prices. And adding in the great Hyundai warranty and free roadside assistance for no extra charge, it's really a no brainer!
The Sandman
In any case, this is about the 08 Civic so let's try to keep to that topic and take other subjects to more appropriate discussions.
Then why, if I may ask, did you buy the thing? If I felt the car wasn't worth what they were asking, I certainly wouldn't fork over my money to them.
As far as how good the price is out the door, that would really depend on your taxes and trade-in, if any. Is it a manual transmission or an automatic? Sedan, or coupe? It's hard to say whether or not the deal is good without a breakdown of cost, and what model it is.
The invoice on a Civic LX Auto Sedan in my area for 2007 is $16,349. It sounds like the price of the car was pretty close to that if you have taxes like I do (8%). Assuming an invoice of $16,400:
$16,400 + $1,312 = $17,712. Paying invoice for a 2008 Civic would be a good deal in my opinion. It's hard to say without solid info though. If you'll share more about your deal, I bet more people would help you on the Prices Paid forum.
You need to provide more details, or we don't have enough info to help you.
When you say you paid almost MSRP......I assume that means that whatever the MSRP is for the vehicle (what was it?), they then discounted it and sold it to you for XX,XXX (what was it?) The invoice for your model with the options on it was YY,YYY (what is it?). And then they added tax for the city/county/state you are in which is Z,ZZZ (what is it?), and tag/title which is QQQ (what is it?), and also added a dealers documentation fee PPP (what is it?).
So if you paid almost MSRP (if this is what you mean), all of the stuff that got added back on to the discounted price, brought the purchase price back up to almost MSRP.
So what are the details?
Best Regards,
Shipo
You mean the arm rests on the doors? Where exactly is the scuffing likely to occur. On the vehicles with cloth interiors there's cloth on the door arm rests on the area where the elbow touches. On the vehicles with leather interior that has been replaced with leather.
Does that answer your question?
Best Regards,
Shipo
sorry, i was at lunch and i was typing a little too fast i guess.
anywho, PAT, we're cool!
1. If you purchase the EX with navigation do you have to install any more equipment to use the XM radio or do you just have to purchase a subscription from XM?
2. The Honda website once indicated that the EX without navigation is "XM ready" but not equipped with an XM radio. What does this mean exactly and how could I equip a non-navigation EX to listen to XM radio? Also what can I expect to pay?
3. If the EX w/o navigation is XM ready according to Honda, why is the LX not? How are the two radios different?
4. For those who have the XM and navigation in their Civic, was it worth the extra cost to you?
Thanks in advance!
That is correct. In fact, you get a free 90 day trial period of XM, so you don't have to even purchase a subscription immediately.
What does this mean exactly and how could I equip a non-navigation EX to listen to XM radio? Also what can I expect to pay?
According to College Hills Honda, the retail price for the XM Radio kit is $289:
http://www.collegehillshonda.com/honda_civic_2dr_accessories/06_08_civic_electro- nics.htm
Check your local dealer for their install charges as well.
As for the how, College Hills Honda has the install instruction on their web-site as well:
http://www.collegehillshonda.com/instructions/8th_gen_civ_sedan/xmradio.pdf
Page 2 shows a little diagram of how it looks when installed. Note that antenna is placed inside the windshield on the passengers side and not on the roof like the EX with nav. I personally don't think that looks professional.
The XM Radio unit is hidden in front of the passenger and a cable runs to the back of the factory stereo.
3. If the EX w/o navigation is XM ready according to Honda, why is the LX not? How are the two radios different?
The LX head unit doesn't have the same input that on the back that an EX does. That's why the LX is not XM Ready.
You can always go to a place like circuit city and have them install an after market XM unit. I've seen people do that and mount the unit in the cubbyhole right in front of the gear shifter. The installer can plug the output from the XM unit straight into the aux jack of either the LX or the EX. Also the aftermarket unit usually has a rooftop antenna which should get better reception than the interior windshield antenna the Honda XM kit provides.
The after market units often have better displays giving you all of the info on one screen, singer, song title, channel name, etc. On the non nav EX you'd have to see everything scroll by on it's display.
The main disadvantage to the after market unit is that you won't be able to control the XM through the steering wheel controls as you would with the Honda XM kit. Frequently however, the after market kits come with their own remotes.
Thanks a lot for your help!
Thanks a lot for your help!
You might want to post your price in Honda Civic Prices Paid forum and you'll probably get better feedback than in this forum:
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.eea7241/6119!make=Honda&model=Civic&ed_ma- keindex=.eea7241
Also you can search that forum to see what others have been paid. Although I haven't seen that many deals posted for 2008 models.
Good luck
Best Regards,
Shipo
I was worried a bit as I am going to buy 08 Civic and found out the difference in MPG. I was thinking that they tweaked a little the engine to get better burning and cleaner exhoust or something like that.
No, but I'll probably get it on the next Civic I buy and mainly for the reason that I like the large display screen for listening to the XM Radio. I'd want the color matched rooftop XM antenna too.
There's another nice feature that comes with the Nav system that I would probably use a lot and that is the card reader. I could copy songs from my computer to a card and plug it into the slot and use the steering wheel controls to scroll through the songs.
ah yes, another cool civic feature!
Thanks for your consideration,
Jeannine Fallon
Corporate Communications
Edmunds Inc.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
Thanks,
lore
If you haven't seen a lot of them, it's probably because many people didn't think it's worth spending the $500+ to add them.
In my case I'd actually consider a 4-Door Si but for two things:
1) The rear spoiler (I like stealth and it looks like a pain in the hind quarters to keep clean).
2) The exterior mirrors cannot be had with heaters (unlike the EX-L and all Canadian Civics)
Best Regards,
Shipo
I guess you could call it bling... ha....
Lore
The Sandman