Honda Civic Hatchback (2000 - 2005) 1.7i CTDi SE 3d (2005/55) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

My 3 door is a lot prettier than the practical family 5 door. So say's I wanted a good solid reliable sensible car but didn't want to compromise looks.

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

Have friends who wished they'd have bought this instead of their Focus or Peugeot which had reliability issues.

Would you buy this car again and why?

I did buy a second one after first one was written off. Very good value to run. Has been reliable. I'd recommend it if you find a good looked after one. My mum will keep this car for a while longer as even though is approaching 100k miles still cheaper to maintain and run than a modern car with more depreciation.

What are you likely to buy next?

Since the youngest cars of this model would be early 2006 models it would be hard to find a good one, also these cars lack some of the more modern accessories (could be a bonus!) Likely to something a bit more modern with more room for the family.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Franchised

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£4,995

When did you buy the car?

March 2008

Did you get a good deal and why?

Ayr Audi dealer had a number of non-Audi cars. Price online was about $5995 but when I went in the price had been reduced to $4995. Saw the email which arrived that morning from head office in respect to the price reductions for non-Audi cars - therefore reduced in price the morning I went in. Lucky I did not turn up the day before. Very good deal as even at the $5995 it was less than comparable (~50k miles) Honda franchise cars. Came with MOT and recent service.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

Previously had same model.

What was the dealer like?

Audi dealer. New building which was very well kitted out. Happy for me to take the Honda for a drive round the block and not pushy. As car had recently been reduced in price no scope for further negotiation but he was happy to make sure it had an MOT. F.

What's it like to drive?

I'd say very good to drive and plenty fast enough for overtaking (turbo diesel does that 45-60 acceleration well +2000revs) and motorway driving. It is happy to be driven hard or I also like to be a bit lazy and leave it in 5th and let the diesel's torque do all the work over 30mph. My 65y old mum has it as her car and does mostly round the town and country roads driving.

What's it like to park?

Pretty small so easy to park. Good all-round vision. Did my best ever parallel park in this car.

Have you had any problems with the car?

Bought car at 48k miles - done 50k so now about 98k (mother owns it now). Two issues - Recently the turbo turbo actuator was replaced (thought it was the whole turbo but just the replacing the actuator corrected it). Had engine warning light showing and the engine went into safety/protection mode - took a while to get to bottom of issue which was sensor related rather than a problem with engine. (My prior car (exact same model) had no issues from 0 miles to 65k miles until write off).

What's most practical about your car?

I did about 17k miles a year with prior and current car between 2005 and 2008. Does over 50mpg for daily driving and still does so at 98k miles. Cheap to run.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

No one item - has the essentials. Good storage and lots of space.