Honda Civic Hatchback (2000 - 2005) 1.6i VTEC SE Executive 5d (2001/Y) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

It says I'm a family man, who needs space and reliability and a little refincement. As I'm single, 35 and no kids this therefore suits me very well indeed. Not.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

My neighbour likes it. Family and friends get to see the face I pull when they ask 'So, hows your new car doing?' Needless to say it's not a happy camper face...

Would you buy this car again and why?

Nope. It is the single biggest waste of money I have ever spent in my life. I am heart stopingly disenchanted with the Honda branding now due to this car, and this is coming from someone who has Honda wallpaper on their PC, Honda pictures on their MSN Messenger, and a love of the new Civic thats almost painful. If it was the new shape Civic I could forgive it almost anything, as good looks often encourage us to do. It's the older shape though, and it's a family car for a man with few family ties. It is therefore currently for sale after only 2 weeks of ownership. Newer doesn't always mean better, and I miss my Escort Ghia X something terrible.

What are you likely to buy next?

Having spent what I did on this thing, and feeling as I do about it, it looks like its going to be a bus for me. I'm looking forward to it too

Type of dealer you bought from?

Independent

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£4,000

When did you buy the car?

February 2008

Did you get a good deal and why?

Not a good deal, no. Tyres had nails in them (pointed out before I picked it up). Not only were the nails not removed, but the car passed it's MOT with them in! Currently investigating that one with VOSA... Also, Timing Belt had not been changed at service interval, and front wishbones were away. Got this checked at another MOT garage and they state they were borderline fail. No mention of this on MOT certificate though.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

I thought my Ford Escort was on it's last wheels... what a big mistake I made selling that!

What was the dealer like?

Independent dealer, though from a BIG concern in Scotland and showrooms all over the UK now. Tried all the usual ‘Oh, just let me check with my manager on that,’ stuff that salesmen do. That part never changes. Part of the reason I’ve avoided dealerships for the past 10 years. Too much hassle. Also got phone calls saying that they weren’t going to do me a trade in on my existing car (£200 for my Escort Ghia X). They said they could only offer me £100. I didn’t relent and they called back and said OK £200. In the end I sold it privately. The look on the salesman’s face was ace when I told him that

What's it like to drive?

Actually not as bad as I'd been led to believe. Electric PAS is a little too powerful and not weighted too well at lower speeds. However, the car has a lot of trim rattles and squeeks. It easily has the worst road noise of any car I've ever owned above 50mph, and I've been driving 17 years and owned 10+. The road noise is common on flat bottomed cars I discoverd from a Google page (I'll not bore you as to why - its a technical side effect of the flat floor and the space it gives the interior).

What's it like to park?

Easy enough. Electric PAS makes turning childsplay. Rear view is cluttered with headrests and the rear window itself is small. Electric mirrors are there for those that need them to judge distances.

Have you had any problems with the car?

Front wishbones discovered to be ‘needing attention’ shortly after pickup, though I think this is due to them just wearing out rather than manufacturing defects. Very expensive parts though. The rattles (oh the rattles...), fuel economy not being quite right and the fastest window misting up I've seen since my X's Corsa. Major flaw is it's not growing on me as a part of my life, at all. I ‘bond’ with my cars. That way, I can tell when its sick long before something expensive happens. Sure it might be reliable. The Honda engines are superb, high revving and perky, and on that score it is excellent. It’s a hard pushed 1600 that moves this overly heavy vehicle around. Add it’s noise at 50+mph to the road noise and you need to put the volume on your stereo up to the fabled 11! I think that’s m

What's most practical about your car?

Space, in the most part. Lots of it. Boot is fairly small though, but the rear seats fold down nice and flat. Lots of cubby holes for stuff, but some just seem to serve as echo chambers for the rattles and squeeks (drivers & passneger door areas especially)

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

Climate control. I've never had it before, and it keeps me nice and toasty without having to open windows and reset fan speed settings on dials 3 or 4 times per trip to work (17.5 miles pone way). Heated leather seats made me think I'd wet myself when i first used them, and the outside temp guage is good. Every car should have one of those.