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Honda Civic

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Comments

  • pam2pam2 Member Posts: 185
    Moe2,

    I don't know about a "design flaw", but the thing to do is get the timing belt replaced BEFORE it breaks. My mechanic made absolutely certain that mine was replaced at 80,000 miles to avoid this.
  • cmc1cmc1 Member Posts: 2
    I am looking at the civic dx hatchback 5spd. Does anyone know if you can get this model with a tachometer, or get a tachometer added on by the dealer?
  • punkintozepunkintoze Member Posts: 8
    I am planning to buy a 98 Civic Hatchback. I want black, but is it true that only the DX comes in black?
    Thanks!
  • cmc1cmc1 Member Posts: 2
    punkintoze, According to the brochere we got from the dealer, the dx is the only hatchback model offered in black.
  • russ2russ2 Member Posts: 1
    I have a purple CX and other color choices on the lot were black, red and silver.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Moe2,

    It's amazing how things can get distorted...

    Hondas have never had a "severe problem" with timing belts. On early Hondas, these belts needed to be replaced at 60,000 miles. On the newer ones, it's 90,000 miles.

    If they are not replaced, they will usually go well over 100,000 miles, but, why take a chance?

    I've never heard of a head cracking, but under certain conditions, I know valves can be bent, and, yes that is expensive.

    When maintaince is neglected, things can get expensive.
  • laturjlaturj Member Posts: 45
    yes it is amazing how many things get distorted, i believe isellhondas that you are more than happy to provide the same distortions for VWs. I still want to know why there is the fat rubber "gasket" on the front of civics between the hood where it closes. Is it a fashion statement?? or just a bad design as if they planned on the hood closing tightly, but then found out it did not, so they added the "gasket". btw i have mentioned elsewhere that i do like hondas (my friend builds them over in ohio) but am still curious as to the gasket.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    laturi,

    I've never " distorted" anything about VW's, but have simply expressed my opinions on these cars. Your opinion may differ.

    I have NO idea what you are talking about on this " fast rubber gasket " ??

    I've never heard of this before and now I'm curious? When I leave today, I'll check out my 97 Civic.

    Must not bother too many as I've never had it brought up before...
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Sorry, meant " fat rubber gasket"
  • pam2pam2 Member Posts: 185
    I kind of like the looks of the Civic Hatchback... I definitely like the price. But I'm quite spoiled with my automatic windows and power steering. The windows would probably not be a big deal, but I don't know about the steering. Has anyone gone from power to the rack & pinion on the Civic Hatchback? How does the car handle? What about acceleration? I'm used to almost 130 horsepower. Doesn't the Civic Hatchback have only 107? But what about the torque (what's the difference between the hp and torque anyway?).

    Also, by the time air conditioning is added, does that bump up the price to the point where I might as well buy the EX Sedan?


    Pam
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Pam,


    Haven't you bought a car yet??

    All Civic hatchbacks have power steering except for the base CX 5 speeds.

    106 HP, which is plenty.

    It'll be the best most reliable car you ever owned.

    Why are you waiting ?
  • perringperring Member Posts: 7
    I just bought the CX with automatic and ac at $100
    bucks over invoice. Pretty decent deal I suppose and there was no haggling or playing game. BTW, A/C costed me $1000 to install. Another dealer was asking for $975. This is in Southern Cal.
    And it's scorching right now :( Automatic comes with power steering, to answer someone's question.

    A word of warning. Sometime, even paying at invoice is not a good deal because of not only dealer's holdback, but there might be dealer's incentive that the don't tell you. Also, some dealer might scam you for your rebate too.

    In my case, $100 bucks over invoice was only about 3% profit for the dealer and holdback was already taken into account.

    If anyone is looking for a car, any car, the best way to go is to ask for a FIRM quote via one of those Internet auto services like AutoVantage (www.autovantage.com), Auto-by-tel (can be found here at Edmunds), Autoweb (www.autoweb.com), and others. I really LOVE AutoVantage because not only they give me a reasonable quote (ie $100 bucks over invoice) within 2 hours, but when I called the dealer associated with them, the dealer confirmed. $100 bucks over invoice, no games involved :)

    So, I got my very first hatchback and didn't have to play game. I was never too fond of the hatchback styling in the past, but the CX does looks pretty cool. It's roomy inside. I'm really tired of the sedan look. SUV is my choice, but saving up for that. So, looking forward to driving my 98 CX. Another thing that it's appealing is the space in the back for all sorts of stuff like transporting painting canvas, rock climbing gears, etc....you got the idea :)

    One question, will I (5'8") be able to sleep in the back? I'm asking because I don't have my CX yet. I'm picking it up tomorrow after the A/C is installed. I didn't test it out cuz it would look ridiculous at the dealer. I am quite active (rock climbing) and it's nice that I can just sleep back there, instead of setting up a tent. :)

    Perri
  • perringperring Member Posts: 7
    I forgot one important fact. You all probably know about the 3.90% APR, which is over on sept 9. Take advantage of it! Can't beat that. It's for 36, 48, and 60. All at 3.90%. However, you must have good credit. This APR beat my Finance.com quote of 7.44%/48mos.

    Good luck...

    Oh, I got a metallic silver 98 CX! Don't see too many of those on the roads.

    Perri
  • alan2010alan2010 Member Posts: 2
    I've been researching prices for a CX and have found most of the information I need except for a good idea on a fair price for the (dealer installed) air conditioning. Anyone have any info?
  • alan2010alan2010 Member Posts: 2
    I'd be interested in hearing anyone's experiences with getting warranty service on their Honda at a dealer other than the one they bought the car from. A lot of the best deals I see on the car I'm looking for are not at the dealer closest to me that I would like to use for service. I've had a bad experience in the past with a GM dealer service department reluctant to do warranty work because the car was puchased elsewhere. Any comments?
  • pam2pam2 Member Posts: 185
    Hi! Thanks for responding to my post.

    Nope, haven't bought a car yet. I keep waffling back and forth between keeping my Integra and trading it in. But I'm ready to attempt a purchase now. (Will this Civic be more reliable than my Integra?)

    My car is starting to need work more often (after 118,000 miles). I've spent $1,000 on it in the past month for a radiator, clutch, and CV joints. Which I didn't mind because I know these things won't last forever. But yesterday the air conditioner quit cooling - AGAIN! And the steering wheel is starting to shimmy - AGAIN! So, I'm going right back to the shop today after less than a week!! You can imagine how incredibly irritated I am right now. The next things I expect to go out are the water pump, alternator, and starter - all of which are the original parts. My logical mind says this is to be expected with a 9 year old car and will still cost less than a new one. However, my emotional side says that I'm NOT going to run to the shop every other month and find myself stranded 3 times in the next year!!

    So, I figure the Hatchback would be the rock-bottom least expensive Honda I can buy. As long as I have a radio and air conditioning, I'll be OK. By the way, I have the 1997 Civic brochure and it says that both the DX and CX models have rack and pinion steering with the 5-speed. Did this change in 1998?

    I talked to 3 dealers last night. One is completely sold out of Hatchbacks and wants to talk me into a Sedan. The other doesn't have any 5-speeds and wants to talk me into an automatic. The third has at least two 5-speeds on the lot. He quoted me $12,000 to $12,500 for the CX with air and radio over the phone. I'm hoping I can even negotiate it a little lower since that was his first offer and it wasn't even in person.

    The pivotal factor now will be financing. I had a bankruptcy discharged in February 1997 (a direct result of my divorce), so it's going to be hard to get anyone to give me a car loan.

    Well... now that I've told you my life story, any comments? :)
  • perringperring Member Posts: 7
    As I had posted before, the A/C is about $1000. Another dealer was asking for $975. They usually tell you that it costs about $1300, but do not pay this. $1000 is reasonable.

    As for power steering on the hatchback, I think the 5-speed manual doesn't come with it. If you get the automatic, then the power steering is present as part of the package.

    And for pricing, anything about 2% to 5% profit above the "dealer's actual cost" is good. Unless you're good at haggling and pay 2%. Remember, "dealer's actual cost" is NOT invoice price. Again, make sure you subtract dealer's holdback, incentive (if any), and rebate(if any) from invoice price. That gives you Dealer's actual cost. Then you can give them 2% to 5% and you get your TARGET price.

    Perri
  • perringperring Member Posts: 7
    Does anyone know of any other resources on the Internet that talk about the CX hatchback? Thanks

    P
  • pam2pam2 Member Posts: 185
    Thanks Perring! I'll add this information to my file!! I sure hope I can pull this off!!


    Pam
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Perring,

    I don't expect you to care about the huge overhead and expenses that have to be paid by a dealer to stay in business. With this in mind, you are correct about the invoice not being the true cost of a car.

    Pam,

    Rack and pinion steering has nothing to do with whether or not it's power steering.

    Hate to tell you this, but with a recent BK, you are going to have a rough road ahead of you for financing ANY car. I do wish you well, however.

    Craig
  • mznmzn Member Posts: 727
    perring, it sounds like you've been hard at work! Where did you get your "invoice" prices? Did they come from the buying service or had you researched them on your own?

    isellhondas, why does Honda consider the AC to be aftermarket, requiring an additional cost? Don't most folks want AC these days -- or at least enough people to have Honda install some in advance? Off the top of my head, I can't think of another auto manufacturer who does it this way.

    carlady/host
  • perringperring Member Posts: 7
    To answer the dealer's profit issue, I totally agree that a business should make profit, otherwise there is no point. However, car dealerships are like sharks that devour uneducated customers. Do you think a sale person cares about how much you and I save on our dream car? So, why should I care about their expenses and overhead? They'd already ripped off hundreds of others. They make thousands and thousands of dollars in profit on ignorant folks and that is truely sad. I read somewhere that, on average, a business makes anywhere from 0% to 3% profit. So, the advices on Edmunds and other sources of 2% - 5% is fair. And, we're playing FAIR to start out with. What about huge profit on used car? They low ball you and charge cut throat price on them. Anyway, that's that...Kind of interesting :) This is my first new car experience so I've done quite a lot of research and it's an acquired knowledge now. The most amazing website I've found that talks about the in and out for buying a new car is(www.carbuyingtips.com) which is even more informative than Edmunds'. Do yourself a favor and check it out if you're buying a new car.

    Invoice price:
    I've found that there are lots of inconsistent prices among several websites. Yes, Edmunds has several mistakes too. So, what I do is to compare the data from at least 3 sources (Edmunds, www.autovantage.com, www.stoneage.com, www.carpoint.com). To my suprise, when talking about invoice of a car, it alway includes the following: 1)invoice price given at these free website 2)destination charge and 3)emmission(if any). Even with all the data, the invoice you have could be different from the dealers. I found that if you get a firm quote via one of those internet car buying services like www.autovantage.com, www.autobytel.com, www.stoneage.com, etc. the sale person at the dealership gives you the invoice price freely! Then, you can do your calculation there and know exactly how much your car costs.

    Totally agree about he A/C! Every car should have one as standard, period!

    Sorry about steering off on those topics, since this is a hatchback forum...just answering some questions.

    Perri
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Perri,

    Zero to 3% profit ? Sorry, you have been mis-informed. I'm not even going to start a discussion on this, but your logic is flawed.

    If a customer pays a decent price and is happy with the transaction, he or she has NOT been ripped off!! But, of course, to you a 2% profit would be considered "fair" probably, huh?

    Carlady,

    Most Hondas come with A/C as standard equipment. Only the low end base models do not.

    Beleive it or not, there are people out there who don't think they need A/C. Of course, here in Seattle, a hot summer day might even hit 85.

    Still, I disagree with these people. I use mine every day, especially in the winter. When used with the defroster, heat on, it works well in removing the mosture from the car. The windows are quickly defogged using this method.

    In addition, when it's time to sell the car, much of your investment will be returned.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    By the way, I'm really a good speller! I get in a hurry and don't proofread first.
  • mznmzn Member Posts: 727
    Yes, perring, we reluctantly return to the subject at hand. :-)

    And yes, isellhondas, my husband is one of "those" people. No AC in his Honda CRX. No wonder he borrows my car alot in the summer!

    carlady/host
  • mznmzn Member Posts: 727
    Ooops, another quick question before we return to the Honda Civic. Are these ACs that come standard installed at the factory or at the dealer? I've been told they are installed at the dealership but that seems a bit odd so I thought I would ask

    carlady/host
  • perringperring Member Posts: 7
    Carlady, A/C are installed at the dealership and it takes about 3 hours. The saleman said that all works are guaranteed to meet manufacturer's standard/specification. So, do not worry about it.

    BTW, I ended up getting the Civic Coupe XE instead of the CX hatchback. Dished out an additional of less than 2K gave me A/C, sunroof, power door lock/windows, radio, and of course, more ponies. :) I changed my mind because, in my view, the coupe Xe is a better value. Too bad, the CX didn't come with A/C and it costs way too much for it.

    Got it for $100 bucks over invoice and they threw in the mats for free. The price is $15100 for an automatic coupe EX, before tax and registration.

    Does anyone know what is a VTR (vehicle theft registration)? The saleman explained to me that everyone Honda car has the VIN inscribed onto the parts like windows, hood, etc. so that the thief can not take the car apart and sell it as parts. So, this VTR insured you for 3 years. If the car is stolen within that period, you get several benefits like they pay you $2500 cash, $1000 deductible, etc..if the police can't find your car within 2 months or something. He said all Honda come with this fee. I thought that it's just another fee for them to make some benefit. It's not much ($159), so I thought I'd let it go and didn't really fight about it all out. I was pretty tired anyway. So now, the Honda dealership had made about 5% profit on my car. I think it's fair. :) You have to admit, it's one tough job being a car saleperson.

    Alrighty, looks like I'm off "enjoying" LA's traffic and smog in my new coupe. Won't be checking back here that often. Good luck to everyone if you're purchasing a new car. Feel free to ask me any question at my email address.

    Oh, one more thing, did anyone buy a HONDA brand CD head unit or CD changer? If so, how much? Is it good? Is it worth it? In order to use the built in CD controls on the radio of my coupe, I have to buy Honda's CD player/changer. Otherwise, I would have to use one of those remote controls that come with other CD player/changer from other manufacturer like Alpine, Sony, etc...

    Perri
  • perringperring Member Posts: 7
    oops, misread Carlady's question. It makes sense that A/C that comes as a standard should be installed at the factory.

    P
  • pam2pam2 Member Posts: 185
    Hey everyone!! I took the plunge and bought a red 1996 Civic DX Hatchback over the weekend!! And I love it! Plenty of power and so much fun to drive!

    I bought it at Carmax and paid only $9,998 for it. It has 23,000 miles - which is practically new to me!

    For details of the deal I made, look under the Smart Shopper conference. I named the topic "My Carmax Experience".

    To Isellhondas:

    Thanks for all your advice. I'm very happy with my purchase. I got decent financing despite my BK - much to my surprise!!


    Pam
  • mznmzn Member Posts: 727
    perring, thank you for all your information. I hope you will continue to check in with us and let us know how your new car is working out for you. Also, you'll be a great source of info for our other car buyers.

    pam2, congratulations! I love happy car owners! :-) I've been curious about carmax so I'll definitely check out your CARMAX experience.

    isellhondas, doesn't installing the AC at the dealer take up service time that could be used by post-purchase customers who are in for their XX mile checkup?

    carlady/host
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Pam2,

    Good for you!! You'll love your new car!

    Sounds like your BK problems are minimal. I'm happy for you!

    Craig
  • AhsitanAhsitan Member Posts: 1
    My poor little 1993 honda civic vx hatchback was squished by a very big tree last week...It got 50 to 60 miles to the gallon highway and 35 to 45 miles to the gallon city (the gas mileage depended on who was driving it). I was hoping to run it into the ground, but not literally. Does anyone know if the newer civics get similar mileage specs. We are in the market for a new car.
  • pam2pam2 Member Posts: 185
    I just bought a 1996 Civic DX Hatchback a week ago. So far I've gotten 29.7 and 30.9 mpg. Haven't taken it out on the highway yet.


    Pam
  • pam2pam2 Member Posts: 185
    I saw what had to be a 1999 Civic Hatchback. It was a medium/bright green. It looked great! Glad to see Honda making some "real" colors for 1999!!


    Pam
  • zelzel Member Posts: 10
    Pam,
    That bright green color is not any new color.
    The car that you saw is a show car that Honda specially made for the dealers. I found out about this when I talked to this guy at the gas station, who also drove a bright green Civic Hatchback.
    It's a very nice color though. I'm also satisfied with mine, which is black. Just have to clean it once a week.
  • mznmzn Member Posts: 727
    Does that mean the car cannot be bought in that color? Seems odd they would tempt folks with it and not be able to deliver... ?

    carlady/host
  • parkoparko Member Posts: 7
    First off, I want to thank everyone for their information when I was buying my car. It really helped and while I didn't get the best deal, I got a better one than I would have without coming here first. Now my question here is about the starter. I have a '98 DX hatchback, and once in while, it will take a few seconds for my car to turn over. I asked the dealer about this, and he said it was normal. When I took it in, they said they couldn't reproduce the long starting which after I thought about it, made sense because the car only takes a while to start after being off for a few hours (so if the engine was just on, it starts right away). I haven't been too worried, but a few nights ago, it took forever (about 5-10 seconds) for the engine to turnover, so now i'm thinking it might be the starter itself. Does anyone else have this problem? Also, my A/C works great when it's below 90 degrees, but when it gets really hot, it only gets really really cold after I start recycling the air, is this normal as well? any help would be appreciated.
  • keltkelt Member Posts: 3
    to isellhondas,

    quick question for you. I went over to a local dealer and one salesman told me that the only color for the 99' si is a "purple, with white" color paint? Don't ask b/c i was a little confused. I have seen some online photos of red, black and a blue. Is that one salesman off his rocker or what ? He said he had a color picture of it but could not find it for me.

    thanks
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    kelt,

    The salesperson you met was wrong. The info you have is correct.

    These SI Civics will be one hot car, hope we get lots to sell.
  • mznmzn Member Posts: 727
    isellhondas, can you help with Parko's question about his difficulties with the starter on his '98 DX? Thanks for being a resource for us!

    carlady/host
  • gerry5gerry5 Member Posts: 1
    I'm looking for a 94-95, preferably 95, Civic VX. To qualify further I would like it to be from a Salt free environment. Got any help?
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I did read about your starting problem but didn't respond since I've never heard of this before.

    It sounds like something isn't right since Hondas seem to always start right up even the old ones with 150,000 plus miles on them.

    It may be a hard problem for your dealer to replicate. You may want to bring it in and leave it overnight. That way they can try to get it to act up when it is dead cold.

    Also, ask them to check the computer for codes in case something shows up there.

    Good Luck!
  • pam2pam2 Member Posts: 185
    What's the deal with the green color? Is it not available to the buying public?


    Pam
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Pam2,

    I haven't the foggest idea about what you are talking about on this green color.

    I've never, ever heard of Honda painting cars a certain color for promotional reasons either.

    You weren't dreaming were you?
  • pam2pam2 Member Posts: 185
    Well, now I don't know. I just called that Honda dealer to confirm the green car and they say they don't have one!!! But, REALLY, I swear it was a Civic Hatchback (current generation) and it WAS green!! Since Honda hasn't made a green hatchback lately, I just assumed it was a new 1999 color. I believe it even had dealer plates still on it.

    Isn't this a mystery??? Maybe I got caught in the Twilight Zone that day!

    By the way... I'm loving my new little red hatchback!! Mileage is excellent. This time I got 32 mpg!! I'm still surprised at the power that little engine has. Little Lucy and I are very happy together! :)


    Pam
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    OK Pam,

    In 1996, the first year of the current style, Honda did make a green color that was exclusive to the hatchbacks.

    I forget the proper name for this color, but we called it Kermit Green. It was a bright green that few people liked! Honda used another similar shade of green on some of the Del Sols.

    A color that a few people loved but most hated.

    I'm just glad it's gone!

    Wonder if you saw a 96 ?
  • glenroseglenrose Member Posts: 13
    What is the honda civic si?
  • pinheadpinhead Member Posts: 33
    glenrose,

    The Civic Si is basically a sporty Civic with the sohc 1.6l vtec engine. The output of the D16Z6 engine is 125Hp. In the US the Si Civic was available only as a hatchback. In Canada the Si was available in either hatchback or coupe form. I have an Si Coupe which I imported from Canada.
    In the US the EX Coupe is the equivelent. The EX is equipped slightly different than the Si however.
  • pam2pam2 Member Posts: 185
    Isellhondas,

    That could very well be what I saw. I had never seen that green in all these years, so I just figured it was new. I didn't know Honda had it in 1996. I kind of like it, though. I would have bought the green over the red, probably. But I do like green anyway. My Integra was green.

    Whew! I'm glad that's cleared up. I thought I had passed into an alternate universe for a while there!!


    Pam
  • mznmzn Member Posts: 727
    Pam, how did you decide to name your car Lucy?

    carlady/host
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