Second Hand Honda Civic

Hogrod said:
It's true the Civic gearbox is a bag of bolts. The clutch is ridiculously stupid as is the fly by wire throttle, which if you release it gently in traffic will ram your head in to the windscreen or give you whiplash if you tap it. I sold it because of that. Apparently, some software upgrade was supposed to fix it, but it didn't. If they just smoothed the throttle and gearbox you'd have a winner.
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Weird...have not had a single days trouble. Gearbox + clutch are great on my wife's VXI. Maybe its cos its driven by a woman :p
 
Creature said:
Mmmmm, strange how this "bag of bolt" is rated as one of the smoothest ever.....
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Compared to what, a rusty bag bolts? Drive a Volvo, BMW manual gearbox and you'll instantly feel the difference.
 
O man, you obviously have no idea. Go read up about it a bit... Then you come back and say sorry :)
 
I usually check this site (I took the liberty to open it on the Civic): Whatcar

This site shows you what to look out for when buying second hand. Just hover the mouse over the numbers on the picture.
 
Creature said:
O man, you obviously have no idea. Go read up about it a bit... Then you come back and say sorry :)
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No one like a smart arse. What shall I read, can you quote something useful? While you go Google something, feel free to read the rest of my post.

My memory reminds me that during gear changes in all these cars, the Honda Civic was the worst coupled together with a terrible ride, and now heavily overpriced new R292k tag for a 5 door 1.8 Vxi, are you insane? Its meat grinder for a gear box pales in comparison to the manufacturers I mentioned earlier.

Proof is in the pudding: I sold the Civic after 18 months it was so bad. My Citroen C4 was better than that. The only Hondas I know that have good smooth gearboxes were the the '95 ballade, and s2000. The Civic is the worst car Honda have probably ever relased based on it's gearbox, throttle response and suspension.

When you've lived with all these cars its easy to give an experienced opinion rather than listen to some one tell me I should go read. What for? I already know what it's like to drive a Civic, it's crap.

Comedy value: I feel even more sorry for Type R owner's they spend their lives driving around in 2nd gear doing 7,000 revs (cos thats where da power is) just so they can try to keep up with any car with a turbo charger doing 2,500 revs. However, the s2000 is an amazing vehicle, the one car Honda should not have stopped making.
 
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Go read some car mags where they compare some cars against each oda... That's all I have to say... Good luck with your frenchie....
 
Hogrod said:
Proof is in the pudding: I sold the Civic after 18 months it was so bad.
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How is your subjective experience "proof" of anything? Most other people here seem to like their Civics, and I havent found much about the gearbox being wonky on reviews, in fact they say its quite good. In all likelihood, if your gearbox really was that bad, it was the exception.
 
Archer said:
How is your subjective experience "proof" of anything? Most other people here seem to like their Civics, and I havent found much about the gearbox being wonky on reviews, in fact they say its quite good. In all likelihood, if your gearbox really was that bad, it was the exception.
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I've driven a range of vehicles all of which give a much more pleasurable drive compared to the wowful gearbox, suspension and throttle you find in the Civic. The only way you can possibly find this out is to go drive different cars for a lengthy period of time then you'll realise the difference in quality. I'm sorry to say but reliability is not everything, and the difference between you and me is you're relying on some review you've read on the internet, whereas I've driven the cars and therefore in my opinion the Civic is crap awful to drive compared to, for example, a Volvo, BMW, a VW. Damn I sold the stupid piece of junk after 18 months it was so bad in comparison.
I had the car checked, I drove another Civic, they are all the same. If you love meat grinders, an overly firm ride, and being jerked around by a fly by wire throttle, then go for it. You'll love it.
 
Again, you are literally the only person so far that I've heard bad things from. Are you telling me everyone in this thread so far, a family member, and several friends of mine, are all wrong? Sure, I agree, internet reviews are not the end all and be all, but really, one person out of ten = its likely you/your car that had the issue. And with the over exaggeration and in all of your posts its a bit difficult to take you seriously. Other posters have commented on the gearbox/clutch being a bit sticky, that I can take seriously since I know no respected car manufacturer is going to sell a piece of absolute carp.
Heck, I'd even be willing to believe that your driving style just doesnt suit the car, and so whatever faults it may have you feel worse than other people. But it seems like you are out to bash the car at every chance you get
 
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After over 118 000km in my Civic (2006 model hatch), I can agree with Hogrod on the drive-by-wire throttle although he exaggerates a hell of a lot. The car does tend to jerk when you release the throttle, but you can minimise it once you adjust your driving style accordingly. As far as the gearbox is concerned, I've never driven a manual BMW or Audi, but I've spent considerable time driving Ford, VW (polo, citi & golf) and Opel and the VW gearboxes were the worst of the bunch. The Civic gearbox is slick and precise. The BMW and Audi might be better, but they're also a lot more expensive.
 
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Archer said:
Again, you are literally the only person so far that I've heard bad things from. Are you telling me everyone in this thread so far, a family member, and several friends of mine, are all wrong? Sure, I agree, internet reviews are not the end all and be all, but really, one person out of ten = its likely you/your car that had the issue. And with the over exaggeration and in all of your posts its a bit difficult to take you seriously. Other posters have commented on the gearbox/clutch being a bit sticky, that I can take seriously since I know no respected car manufacturer is going to sell a piece of absolute carp.
Heck, I'd even be willing to believe that your driving style just doesnt suit the car, and so whatever faults it may have you feel worse than other people. But it seems like you are out to bash the car at every chance you get
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Well said mate.... Haters, gotta love em
 
Archer said:
Again, you are literally the only person so far that I've heard bad things from. Are you telling me everyone in this thread so far, a family member, and several friends of mine, are all wrong? Sure, I agree, internet reviews are not the end all and be all, but really, one person out of ten = its likely you/your car that had the issue. And with the over exaggeration and in all of your posts its a bit difficult to take you seriously. Other posters have commented on the gearbox/clutch being a bit sticky, that I can take seriously since I know no respected car manufacturer is going to sell a piece of absolute carp.
Heck, I'd even be willing to believe that your driving style just doesnt suit the car, and so whatever faults it may have you feel worse than other people. But it seems like you are out to bash the car at every chance you get
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You're entitled to your opinion, albeit different from my experience of the vehicle. I rely on first hand experience and I've bashed the car based on actual factual experience. Say what you will, it won't change my mind, nor do I consider my views of it any more or less valuable than other views. It's a review like everyone's else. There are several better cars to buy for the money, buying this car is a monumental waste of value for money
 
My personal experience with Honda is a great one. I really love my car and enjoy it everyday. Buy it dude.
 
Took one for a test drive today, all seemed well. Paid particular attention to the clutch, gearbox and throttle. Clutch is a bit short, but didnt take me long to get used to it. Its just different to my Jetta. Gearbox seemed alright, didnt have to force it or anything. Throttle also seemed good, didnt get jerk me around at all. So it agrees with my driving style at least. Everything else matched up ok, no bent panels, misalignments etc. Engine definately has some grunt to it, feels good to drive. I can also tell it'll be happy to let you throw it into corners. So made an offer and now waiting on finance :D Got one for 30k less than others with same year/mileage, but really couldnt detect anything major wrong with it so... /hold thumbs
 
Archer said:
Took one for a test drive today, all seemed well. Paid particular attention to the clutch, gearbox and throttle. Clutch is a bit short, but didnt take me long to get used to it. Its just different to my Jetta. Gearbox seemed alright, didnt have to force it or anything. Throttle also seemed good, didnt get jerk me around at all. So it agrees with my driving style at least. Everything else matched up ok, no bent panels, misalignments etc. Engine definately has some grunt to it, feels good to drive. I can also tell it'll be happy to let you throw it into corners. So made an offer and now waiting on finance :D Got one for 30k less than others with same year/mileage, but really couldnt detect anything major wrong with it so... /hold thumbs
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Good stuff, you wont regret it! great cars!
 
I was in a similar boat in April this year, was looking for a used Civic 2009 - 2010 with very low mileage. I eventually ended up with a mint 2010 Honda Accord 2.0 A/T but with slightly more mileage and minor chips (no big deal) for exactly the same price. The dealer gave me R10k off the asking price and also gave me on the road charge for free. Driven the car for over 20 000km now and couldn't be more happier.
 
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