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Honda Civic - What's new for 2007?
I just test drove both the Civic coupe and the sedan. Sedan had more head room (with seat positions in both the upper and lower adjustment limits) and felt that the sedan had more interior room.....the couple just felt more cramped. I have read the previous owners' comments about some of the problems with the 06 Civic and would like some opinions as to whether or not I should wait for the 2007. My question is: should I expect the first-year problems that the car magazines warn about to be ironed out in the 2007 model, or is the 2007 model expected to be the same as the 2006, differing only by the designation of 2007 vs. 2006. I refuse to pay 18 or 19k bux for a car that has a history of pulling to the right, having misaligned doors, rattles, etc.
It might be worth it to just buy a cheap beater, then wait until Honda irons out the problems reported on this site, then consider buying one. Any advice?
Barry
It might be worth it to just buy a cheap beater, then wait until Honda irons out the problems reported on this site, then consider buying one. Any advice?
Barry
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This discussion has been closed.
Comments
I have an EX sedan I purchased in November06. The model certainly has had it's share of issues. And, problems with the struts or misalignment are not to be taken lightly. I have the idle vibration issue that no one has solved yet and a rattle here and there.
However, you should note that these issues, in a radical redesign and overhaul, are relatively minor. There are many, many happy civic owners out there without any problems whatsoever. I really like my civic. Mostly people who have experienced car issues come to this board. I had an 04 which I am sure would have been rock solid. It wasn't nearly the car this one is.
Read the problems and solutions section of any car you are thinking about and you will see similar problems. In fact in this class, even with the redesign, it may give you less problems than other cars. The Mazda3 is a great car but if you read their board, there are still major issues that haven't been worked out 3 years later.
I don't know what the difference between 06 and 07. For minor problems, Honda is probably continually trying to address them.
I plan on buying a 2007 Honda Civic LX sedan w/auto trans. sometime in early to mid-November of this year. I've now test driven multiple '06 Civic LX sedans over the past several months and they all perform flawlessly. I'm completely thrilled with the all new Civic. It drives and performs like a car that's far more expensive than it is. The Corolla seems like an inferior car next to the new '06 Civic. I can't wait to get my new '07 Civic!!! The new Civic in my humble opinion is a no brainer: great fuel economy, great looks inside and out, very good engine/tranny performance, superb handling and steering, and most importantly the Honda name!
Marc
In response to your comment about the corolla seeming inferior, I beg to differ.
My wife has driven corollas all the way back to 1986 and honestly, the are one of the most reliable and solidly build cars ever in my mind.
Every one she has owned, not one problem, not one visit to the dealer for a warranty issue other than a noisy brake caliper that needed lubing.
Her 05 corolla, now with 11,000 miles is far superior to my civic in almost every aspect. Low RPM power, no noises over bumps, awesome gas mileage, great room in front and back, super easy to work on, unreal supple ride on the highway and local roads. Many corollas have been described as having lexus like rides on highways and her does.
Every corolla she has owned has been the definition of reliable and solid and the cost of ownership is so little, it saves you money.
The only downside, on the 05's, not many air bags unless you go for optional side & curtains, which is a hard option to find on the lots.
I love my civic and she loves her corollas but honestly, you can never knock a corolla as the design and mechanics are practically unsurpassed in the segment.
I am not saying people don't have problems with them but if you ever owned one, you would not feel the way you do.
With all due respect the '06 Corolla cannot be compared to the '06 Civic in my humble opinion. I've test driven both cars back to back to back and the Civic is 1.) Far better looking both inside and outside, 2.) A far more engineered car, 3.) Much, much smoother/refined engine, 4.) Much tighter feeling suspension (sporty) and steering, and 5.) A much better, solidly built car overall. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not bashing Toyota in any way because I've owned 2 Toyota's in the recent past ('99 Camry V-6 and '94 mini pickup truck). The Corolla had to have the most awkward driver's seating position I've ever seen or felt. I'm 6'2" and I was either too close to the steering wheel w/cramped legs or too far from the steering wheel w/outstretched legs. Never could find a comfortable seating position. All the Corolla's I've test driven seem to exhibit lots of rattles in the dash area and the quality of a lot of the switchgear seemed very subpar. Also the engines were all very noisy and upon start up were very, very loud...they seemed very unrefined. The Corolla overall seemed very unrefined. I'm sure Toyota will rectify many of these issues with the new redesigned Corolla coming in 2008. And believe me the Corolla had it's fair share of issues when it was last redesigned in April 2002 for the '03 model year. No vehicle is perfect...just look at some of the $70 or $80k Mercedes'...Consumer Reports shows Mercedes are some of the most unreliable, most problem prone cars on the road. No thank you I'll stick with a good ole Civic! It's not perfect which I don't expect perfection, but it's close enough.
The seating position you refer to, you get used to it after a while and it actually promotes are great view of the road. My gripe on my wifes car, the dash board layout is so yesterday and boring.
It's quite possible the 06's fell in quality as my wife's 05 is just a super example of a perfect corolla.
No rattles, no noises over bumps, no defects as of yet, engine has great low RMP torque, etc etc.
Interestingly enough, let's see how toyota responds to the new corolla due out in 08. I just read an article stating toyota was pushing back the release date of the new corolla because they were so taken off guard by the new civic.
HOWEVER, corolla sales for the first part of 06 were up from 05 by a nice margin and you can't only equate that to a good price. This statement was based on the same article mentioned above from I think this past sundays newsday WHEELS section.
Either way, let's enjoy our new civic regardless of the little issue we have.
Oh, yes, some of the most expensive cars are having many problems because they are just making the cars to complex with to much fancy features that are all computer controlled.
What ever happened to turning a knob for HVAC controls, how complicated do car companies have to make these simple operationsl.
The Corolla has NO right side arm rest - there is a very low storage compartment but you would have to be a midget...she's just 5'7" but it's way to low for her to use and even at 5'7" she has to reach way too far for the steering wheel.
Maybe next year.
I was disappointed in the loudness & thrashyness of the Corolla 1.8 engine. The Civic just seems to drive very seemlessly, it accelerates at a brisk pace with almost nondetectable shifts & outstanding low end torque. I did test drive a brand new Corolla before I got the Civic and was underwhelmed with it that I chose to spend my $ elsewhere.
The Sandman
I had an '89 Corolla SR-5, and had the windshield replaced a couple times due to cracks (stray rocks, etc). Would the jumbo windshield on the new Civic be more expensive to replace?
The 2001-5 Civic was boring IMO, the coupe a little less so than the sedan. The 2006-7 Civics may look odd to some people, but I don't think they can be called "boring."
Get zero deductible glass insurance (not that expensive) and the big windshield will cost you nothing to replace.