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Honda Civic 2005 and earlier

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Comments

  • scnamescname Member Posts: 296
    You can buy a brand new one for that money. He's no friend.
  • spike78spike78 Member Posts: 9
    Ups.. I forgot to put the year. His car is 2001 model, bought in April 2001. scname, thanks for your comment, he's still my friend =)
  • rfruthrfruth Member Posts: 630
    He's asking $ 16.5 - MSRP of a new EX auto is $ 18.2 http://www.honda2001.com/models/civic_sedan/customize.html?step=6&PHPSESSID=fb3df177489a25af42ac39c19a4ac2e4 - Edmunds says $ 12.3 - I must be missing something big here, I would offer this friend 13 grand but be prepared to pay $ 15
  • breckcobreckco Member Posts: 62
    My Civic is a 5 spd sedan with side airbags. There's something about Hondas 5 spd's that I just love. Overall a very nice car.
  • 2001civicowner2001civicowner Member Posts: 16
    OK so this totally caught me off guard. Tuesday morning I'm leaving for my 8:00 am class, and I get into my brand new (3 mo old) 01 EX Sedan, and it wont start. I decide it's the battery, and even though I have never left the lights on in any car that I have owned, I thought I had to have left something on. SO, I get my little portable battery out and hook it up and start the car, then toss it in the trunk. (well, I carefully placed it in the trunk =)

    So I'm like OK, I must have left the lights on.
    Later on in the day, the same thing happens again. This time I am quite a bit more skeptical, but it was possible that I left something on AGAIN. However, when it happened a THIRD time, I was sure it wasn't me.

    So, I get tired of jump-starting my car, and on Friday I bring it into the dealer where I bought it. They told me that I must have a bad battery, and that they would replace it. Great. No problem, right?
    Wrong. Friday night ism leaving a friends house and again, I can't start it. I bring my car in again on Saturday to the dealer, and they look at it, and they told me that the battery is fine, and that the altinator was fine too. They still hadn't found the problem when I needed to go to work, so they gave me a loaner car.

    The dealer has EXCELLENT about this so far. However, one of the main reasons I got a BRAND NEW CAR was so that I didn't have to be fixing it all the time. What the heck?

    They are going to call me tomorrow (Monday) and hopefully it will be fixed. I'll keep everyone updated!
    -Ryan-
  • breckcobreckco Member Posts: 62
    Do you have any aftermarket equipment on your car such as an alarm system? I have seen some alarm component go bad so there is a constant draw of power from the battery at all times including while the car is parked. Just a thought.
  • 2001civicowner2001civicowner Member Posts: 16
    No, I don't have anything after market like that. I have a spoiler and floor mats... I'm too poor to do anything else right now.

    The UPDATE: They still cant find whats wrong, and one of the technicians took my car home with them to put it in a "real world" situation.
    Meanwhile I'm paying 10 bucks a day on insurance.
    for my "loaner"
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Tip on rental car insurance: most auto policies cover non-business use of rental cars. Might want to check on it, maybe you could save the $10/day.
  • mixwhitmixwhit Member Posts: 9
    Ok. New '02 Civic EX. I've got about 200 miles on it so far and want to take a 3-hour trip up north this weekend (6 hours roundtrip). I can take the trip over 2-lane state roads, meaning I'll be maxing around 60mph and having plenty of slow-down due to the towns along the way.

    Owner's manual says to simply avoid fast starts and hard acceleration. Dealer said the same thing.

    However, based on my previous knowledge of these types of things, I did some digging and found all kinds of other recommendations. Plenty of 'baby it' until 1k miles, don't go above xxxx RPM, don't drive above xx MPH, etc, etc,
    etc.

    In most cases with something like this, I'm inclined to go with the manual to the letter. I figure that if anyone knows how to treat the car, its the people who made it and warranty it. A trip such as the one I propose fits within the manufacturer guidelines easily (in fact, an interstate highway trip could, as well). However, last thing I want to do is end up with bad fuel mileage and performance because I didn't break it in right.

    Spouse is on me with this too, wanting to take the trip.

    Any guidelines or recommendations? If you reccomend differently than the
    manual does, please let me know why.

    Thanks!!!!!!!

    mix
  • claywaterfillclaywaterfill Member Posts: 534
    I don't think you can go wrong on any topic if you follow the owner's manual. While you may be able to get away with something different, the people who engineered and built the car should know best.
  • silentguiltsilentguilt Member Posts: 35
    Most manuals will also tell you not to go a constant speed during the first 500miles. That means you should vary your speed when you take your trip, every mile or so I suppose. In fact, every break in procedure I have seen recommends this, I am suprised Honda doesn't. And, I would also not take the engine past ~4.5k - if you redline it once, you have broken it in. High revs will seat everything where it is.
  • gangelogangelo Member Posts: 2
    I am in the market for a 2002 Civic Ex. To my surprise, Consumer Reports lowered the predicted reliability rating down to a "Good." It seems that the Suspension and Power Equipment of the 2001 model did not exactly live up to Honda's sterling reputation for quality.

    So did Honda fix these issues with the 2002 Civic?
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    I don't hink it's the quality of the suspension that is the trouble. I think they "soften" the ride of the Civic. they changed from the double wishbone in front to Macpherson strut setup. In the process they also modifed the rear suspension to make a more compact wishbone setup. to most buyers you won't know the difference. But it does drive differently then the previous model. With these modifications they were able to make a roomier interior and elimiate the hump in the back seat which increase leg room for your back seat passengers. Most of the complaints about the ride of the Civic has been it's "jittery'" in some situations (crossing railroad tracks, bumpy roads, etc.) Some people complain it light in the rear so it doesn't handle the corners as well as the previous generation. Of course those who complain abu the ride after only a few thousand miles, I say to them, "didn't you test drive the vehicle before you bought it?" Honda made these changes to the suspension in hopes of increasing sales..and it has worked. The Civic is leading the Focus in sales this year. For 2002, they did make some changes to the rear suspension including modifying the spring and shocks so it holds the ground better.

    The main reason they received the average reliability is the 2 recalls during the first model as welll as some minor electrical items. Take the 2002 out for a test drive ...a long test drive over different types of roads to see if you like it. If you do I wouldn't hesistate to buy one. The quality is still there. I think they had a few gremlins in the first year.
  • claywaterfillclaywaterfill Member Posts: 534
    Was the 2001 the first year of a new design? If it was that may explain the bugs. Many first year cars have bugs that get worked out in subsequent years. I'm sure the all new 2003 Accord will have a couple of bugs to work out for 2004.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    Yes, 2001 was the first year for this generation of Civics and they made a number of major changes to the vehicle.
  • cschaafcschaaf Member Posts: 16
    What is the standard warranty on a 99 Civic? Would that be listed on my original sales papers? It's not in the manual.

    The reason I ask- My drivers side power window has become very slow to roll up. The first half of roll up takes about 7 seconds. Would this be covered? If not, is it easy to replace the motor?

    I have a little over 40k on the vehicle.

    Thanks
    Chris
  • claywaterfillclaywaterfill Member Posts: 534
    You didn't get a seperate book that covers the warranty? I don't know if Hondas come with one, but the last couple of cars I bought had a warranty info book. I'm sure it's 36k miles, though.
  • dudkadudka Member Posts: 451
    honda had 3 years/36 000 miles warranty for years. you are out of luck with 40k. if you mainatined the car at the dealership, honda may break the price in half with you, or just ask you to pay for labor. mostlikely you just need to spray some WD40 in the runners and see if that speeds up the window.
    you should have gotten warranty booklet, either on the last page of your manual, or a separate book for tires, battery, and other warantable stuff.
  • claywaterfillclaywaterfill Member Posts: 534
    What do you guys think about Civic not being a nominee for Car & Driver's 10Best list? I find it hard to believe that Focus made the list over cars like Protege. Honda had 3 products nominated, and all 3 made it.
  • silver_bulletsilver_bullet Member Posts: 1,339
    My guess is that in its segment, the Civic doesn't offer as much per dollar as the Focus. Keep in mind these journalists rarely take long term reliability into account when making their selections - they mostly live in a make-believe land of freebies and low mileage press cars.
  • maringamaringa Member Posts: 36
    Is it me or is this site's and others dealer's invoice pricing arbitrary? I've been negotiating for the last week for a 4-dr Honda Civic EX, Auto listed for $18,250 on this site and at the dealership - no problem. This site lists the invoice price at $16,716 and so does the dealership - no problem. I always heard that you should pay about $200-300 over invoice, especially since the 2002's just came out. Well, I got an internet quote for $300 dollars under invoice $16,416 and then went and signed the deal plus a few options (by the way, I got the options basically at retail or slightly less (another $400 worth). I happy for the deal, but I was surprised to get the vehicle for under invoice, especially a Honda. My previous Honda, I couldn't get anywhere near the invoice ($500 plus, new model back in 1994). I guess they must be hurting from all of the competition elsewhere...Also they gave me 5.6% on 60 month loan..not GM like, but not bad for Honda. To finalize everything, I'm just wondering since everybody gets invoice price info from the internet these days, have the dealers started using a super secret invoice price that we don't know of yet?
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    >>> I guess they must be hurting from all of the competition elsewhere... <<<

    I think you just answered your own question. In 1994, there was much less competition for the Civic; for example, Kia was not a factor in the U.S. back then, the U.S. car makers had nothing to compete with the Civic except the Escort/Lynx (inferior to the Civic IMO) and Prizm (similar price to the Civic), Hyundai's Elantra was a first-generation model and not competitive, etc. Now its a different ball game out there. Witness the significant changes Honda made in the '02 Civic to respond to consumer complaints on the '01 models and to add a more upscale feel--unheard of for Honda in a car's second year (usually major tweaks don't come from Honda until the 4th year).
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    You didn't mention what year your civic was. I'm assuming it was a 2001. If it was that explains the under invoice price. Honda is tryign to be the sales leader for compact cars as well as mid-size cars. The Focus and Camry are right on their heals. And they don't offer rebates so to push the cars off the lot, they sometimes either give inviting financing or lower pricing (i.e.: $500 under invoice). So that may explain the low price you received.

    Trust me Honda is not hurting. Honda and Toyota sales are up for the year unlike the domestics (until they started the 0% financing).
  • maringamaringa Member Posts: 36
    I bought a 2002 Civic EX. That's why I was surprised. I'm not saying I got the best deal out there. There may have been more room to give, but I was surprised that they were already selling the 2002's at or below invoice since the new model year has just begun (by two months). Usually you don't get these discounts until in the middle or end of the model year. Anyway, I pick it up this afternoon - can't wait....
  • claywaterfillclaywaterfill Member Posts: 534
    I had a dealer quote me $13,969 on a Civic LX Coupe with manual transmission. Another dealer told me he only put $300 markup on the car and quoted $14,379. I told him that was fine, but another dealer beat his price by over $400--were they losing $100 on the sale of this car? He told me to watch out for people with real low bids to get you in the door & to the F&I office, then they hit you with hidden fees on the paperwork, bringing your price back up. He said to compare the drive off cost and then gave me my out the door price on the Civic and suggested I get that figure from the other dealer to compare with. I'm not saying they are going to add strange fees, but you may want to check it out.
  • maringamaringa Member Posts: 36
    Claywaterfill, I was wary of the possible fees. The only fee that might have gotten me was a $50 documentation fee and it was disclosed up front during the financing. All other fees, taxes, etc looked OK. During the loan settlement, they tried real hard to sell me extended warranties and service plans which I rejected. Also this dealership has been known to be bad about add-ons such as paint and fabric treatment (for $675!!!). Although claiming that they do it to all vehicles and that it was already done...I told them B.S. and to take it off the price. I was also worried that they were going to make money of the loan, but the payments came out exactly what I calculated. The only place where I feel they made some money was the on some of the add-ons (cassette player for $280 and wheel moldings ($89), mats ($89) and splash-guards ($89)). They originally wanted $480 for the cassette player, $225 for each the mats, splashguards, wheel moldings and accent stripes which they couldn't take (got that one thrown-in!). Like I said, I know I didn't get the deal of the century, but Honda for the first time I can remember is really negotiating on their cars!!!!
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    Sounds to me you got a sweet deal. It could be how the dealership handles their sales too. Well they sell below invoice, they are dipping into their holdback money. They may have had some sort of volume incentive from Honda.

    Who cares? Sounds liek oyu got a great deal.
  • gfc4usgfc4us Member Posts: 14
    Believe it or not. Honda is no longer producing high-reliable
    cars. Why?
    1. Honda does not improve its reliability as fast as USAs.
    2. Honda just found out that average reliability can earn extra
    money by selling extended warranty (ask Ody owners).
    CR reliablity rating on 02 Civic is GOOD (no longer EXCELLENT), 02 Ody is AVERAGE.
    Will the new designed 03 Accord keep EXCELLENT? I doubt.
  • claywaterfillclaywaterfill Member Posts: 534
    Does sound like you got a great deal then. Maybe they get most people to buy the extended warranties and other junk--so they figure they'll make it up on a lot of customers. In a worst case scenario like yours, they just dip into holdback and are still okay. It may also have something to do with the fact that I understand the first 3 weeks of December are usually slow in the car business and they were just trying to get some volume. As the other poster said, though--either way you got a great deal, so who cares?
  • mixwhitmixwhit Member Posts: 9
    Looks like you did well on your pricing. I picked up my new '02 Civic EX Sedan 5-sp man w/ floormats for $400 over invoice, $250 under Edmunds TMV. The negotiation was very simple and straightforward, and the local dealer didn't try to add a single thing on the other end. I just asked for the best price on the car (he knew I had done my research) and then I haggled once on the price he came back with and we settled right at my target value. Very pleasant actually.

    So, I might have been able to eek out another $1-200 but I actually feel like the great, calm experience was worth some money (it was my first car-buying experience).

    BTW, I'm LOVING the car.
  • maringamaringa Member Posts: 36
    You may have a point about December sales, Christmas, etc....Picked up the car yesterday from the dealership...It is sweet. It is the smallest car I have ever owned, but it has a midsize car feel to it. It's very tight on the road and quieter than I expected. The reason I bought the car was that I wanted a well built, comfortable compact that I could use in my new 60 mile roundtrip commute and that would handle a lot of miles. I had a 94 Accord LX, but the new Civic EX feels a lot more luxurious even though it's slightly smaller. I'm 6'3" and am very comfortable in it. I probably wouldn't want to make 2,000 mile trip in it, but for my commute it will be more than adequate. Because of my commute, I didn't want to see myself spending $25 grand plus for a luxury sedan that would have it's value quickly deteriorate because of high mileage. The only complaint that I have of the car is that there isn't a lot of storage space for items like tapes, CD's or a specific place for a garage door opener.
  • truckdude1truckdude1 Member Posts: 88
    Is a Honda Civic with 100,000 miles in just 3 or 4 years still extremely reliable? And if you always push your car speeding up, how long can you expect the Automatic transmission to last? thanks-
  • 2001civicowner2001civicowner Member Posts: 16
    I agree about the storage issue, and the garage door opener. Neither thing is a big deal, but it's the little things that set one car apart from another, right?
  • 2001civicowner2001civicowner Member Posts: 16
    I found something out today about my car.

    If you didn't already know, its almost impossible

    to lock your Civic if your key is in the ignition.

    In my last car, I had an alarm. So what I would

    do is, every day when I go to get my coffee, I

    leave the car running and with a second remote

    that I leave in the car, I would lock it while it

    is running. Well, here in Boston, we just got

    snow and today was the first day I decided to

    leave my car running while I went to get my

    coffee.
    I got out, and tried to lock the doors with the

    second remote I brought, but alas the doors would

    not lock. So I tried to lock them with the switch

    inside. Still couldn't lock them. (remember the

    car is still running) I then tried to lock the

    door by hand--the lock would not go down!

    This is a great feature so you dont lock the

    doors with the car on, but it sucks if you WANT

    to lock the doors with the car on!

    well thats my story of the day =)

    -Ryan-
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Maybe did not do enough testing in Hokkaido, or whereever they do cold-weather tests, to realize some people want to lock their cars with the engine running. Now, I wonder if one of those remote car starters would drive the Civic's locking system crazy? :-) No, would probably be smart enough to sense no key in the ignition.
  • bordsourcebordsource Member Posts: 95
    I did that all the time last year. I just used the key to lock the door from the outside (I used the valet). It should work. Remember that the driver's side door will not lock if it is open (that is under any circumstance). The remote may not work if the car is running, but the key should.
  • truckdude1truckdude1 Member Posts: 88
    For YOUR INFORMATION, I am not the one always making comments ON THIS EDMUNDS.COM my family uses it,and if you find it annoying then why dont you take a HIKE. We are just trying to get as many opinions out of people as we can since ppl only leave one or two each time. AND BY THE WAY we take care of our cars perfectly UNLIKE INGTONGE who probably can't afford one.THATS ALL THANKS
  • 2001civicowner2001civicowner Member Posts: 16
    ...To use a key. But the remote is so much more convenient!

    By the way, I plan on getting a remote starter sometime (soon) when I get the cash, and when I do I'll let you know how the Civic reacts...=)
  • maringamaringa Member Posts: 36
    Just curious, how low was your gas mileage on the first tank (if you measured it) and how quickly and by how much did it improve after the first tank? I haven't officially measured the first tank gas mileage, but I'm a little nervous as I've just got 130 miles on it and the tank is already less than 3/4 full (almost half full). I drive 80% highway/ 20% city and haven't exceeded 60 miles/hour. I also haven't accelerated abrutly.
  • claywaterfillclaywaterfill Member Posts: 534
    It may not be as bad as you think if you did not fill it up to begin with. If this is your first tank of gas and the dealer put it in for you, it may not have been completely full to begin with. Otherwise, I don't know.
  • jbolltjbollt Member Posts: 736
    I have a 2001 EX Sedan 5 spd with about 6500 miles now. The wheel covers are loose...the lug nuts that secure them and the wheels to the car, are tight. The dealer says "normal" (why am I surprised?) They are so loose, that you can easily rock them back and forth (rotate) about 1/2 inch. Does anyone else experience this and do you have a "do it yourself fix" as I really don't want to push the dealer on such a minor issue. Thanks, and loving my Civic and the 36+ MPG in town!
  • tazerelitazereli Member Posts: 241
    iM NOT 100% SURE ABOUT THE GEN 7 CIVICS BUT THE GEN 6 AND OLDER CIVICS THAT HAVE EXPOSED LUG NUTS HAVE SMALL RUBBER GROMMETS ON 2 OUT OF 4 OF THEM. PERHAPS YOURS DOES NOT HAVE THEM? MY 98'S WHEEL COVERS ARE TIGHT UP AGAINST THE WHEEL.
  • lngtonge18lngtonge18 Member Posts: 2,228
    For your info, I own 4 cars, thank you, including a perfectly running VW with over 200k, so I know quite a bit about taking care of a car :) Secondly, the reason you get so few responses is your questions sound silly or can be answered with your handy manual. People don't like to see the same question repeated over and over so they just begin to ignore them as I have until I decided I wanted to be crabby (I may have come off as sounding a bit too harsh and for that I'm sorry). What kind of question is "how long will my tranny last if I floor it all the time?" or "Is it bad for my engine to rev it high all the time?"? No one knows the exact answer to these, but what I do know is don't expect a super long tranny life if you push it all the time. As far as, "will my engine run smoother or stay cleaner longer with 89 octane gas?", that's a big no, which you should already know since your manual tells you to use 87. Just try to keep the repetitive questions down. If no one replies, then no one cares to answer or doesn't have one, so don't repost it cluttering up the forum and making it harder to read through.
  • truckdude1truckdude1 Member Posts: 88
    I am quite sorry about that post my Husnband made to you. I feel that was completely un called for. But I hope you take the appology. Thanks~ Oh by the way... I will re ask what his ignorant remarks where. How reliable is a 1997 or newer Toyota Camry, or Honda Civic... with high milage? What kind of near future problems would we usually encounter, and last, what sort of Honda or Toyo can we get for 10,000$ and 1997 or newer?
    Thanks much~~
  • rfruthrfruth Member Posts: 630
    High mileage = 100,000 or more miles ? 50 / 50 mix of city highway miles, maintance done, driven how ? IMO a Chevy with 100 K highway miles that was driven by a 45 year old would be a better buy than a riced up Civic with 100 K on it that was raced by a 20 year old. Rob (2000 Civic hatch) Fruth
  • plumekussplumekuss Member Posts: 18
    Hi:

    I purchased my 2001 Honda civic EX in July 2001. I travel an average of 8 miles per day and the total mileage is 970 miles. I thought I was due for my first oil change but the dealer told me today I did not need to do it until 4,000 miles, regardless of how many miles I have on the clock. I then called another dealer who told me I should probably have it changed within the next several months. Conflicting info from 2 dealers. Any suggestions? Also, I went to the Honda Website hoping I could email the question to them but could not locate a "customer service" link. Any ideas?
  • devoredevore Member Posts: 39
    Like lngtonge18 says above, "Check your manual." :)

    The manual will tell you you ought to change the oil either every 7,500mi or 5,000mi in "harsh" conditions. To me this seems like it's really pushing it, as I'm used to the 3,000mi oil change standard.

    So to answer your question, I'd say that changing the oil anywhere between 3,000mi and 7,500mi is fine. I seem to have mine changed about every 4,500mi or so.

    I can't think of any instance in which you'd want to change the oil with < 1000mi on the car, though.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    Actually the dealers gave you the same advice but just said it differently. You won't reach 4000 miles for several months with your driving pattern.

    Since you have only traveled 1000 miles in 4 months and it is your first oil change, I would get it done at 3000 miles then go every 5000 miles after that. Or it may be easier for you to change the oil once every 6 months.

    I believe Honda recommends changing the oil every 5000 miles for severe duty driving and 7500 for highway driving (others who own a Civic will know this) You definitely fall under severe duty mainly because of the limited amount you drive. Just make sure you use the correct Oil which is 5W-20.

    Before you do anything else, please read you manual to see what service needs to be done to your Civic. Too many times people have no clue what needs to be done and they end up paying for things that are unnecessary. Never go into the dealer and say i need the "fill in the blank" service. Tell them exactly what you want done based on the manual. It will save you a lot of grief and you will come off as being knowledgable about your car.

    Good luck.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    It's hard to cahnge after the oil companies (Quaker State, Pennzoil, etc.) have been beating us in the head with "YOu have to change your oil every 3,000 miles". Most manufactures now recommend waiting every 5000 miles even my Chevy Malibu recommends that. I believe some of the luxury cars have oil life indicators and soem of those don't recommend changing your oil for 10,000 miles.

    Engines are made so much better today. Much less friction then even 10 years ago so there is less debris in the oil. Plus oil filters are much better at cleaning the oil. My thing is go with the manual. If something happens you have your receipts and the company's manual to back you up.
  • claywaterfillclaywaterfill Member Posts: 534
    Driving as few miles as you do, your oil is good on miles. I would, however, change the oil next month. I used to live in another city where my average daily commute was about 6 miles, and a couple of different mechanics told me not to worry about miles driven, just change it every 6 months as long as you drive this little. Besides, why would you want to go longer than 6-7 months between changes? I know 3000 miles is a load of junk, but you don't want to go too far the other way, either.
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