dazelite

Hey. New member here.

I'm looking at purchasing a 2003 EX with 101,300 miles a bit under my price range or a 2006 LX with 71,300 miles a bit over my price range...does anyone have either of these and could give me some adivce?

Thanks alot for any help.

lazlong

'03 EX=accessories. Like the sunroof, which I love so much I'll never buy a car without one now. lol.

'06 LX=a little more power (like 0.1 liters, which is so little it really doesn't matter) and is a little roomier. The updated features make it comparable to the 7th gen.

* 7th gen civic auto trans are pretty much junk. If the '03 is an auto expect to replace the trans soon. '06 and beyond auto trans seem to be holding up better.

dazelite

Thanks for the response. A little disappointing to hear that about the '03 automatic transmission. I'm also looking at another '03 EX with 28,000 miles, but will now do a little research on transmission problems.

lazlong

Can't find the actual TSB at this time but, here are some forums to look at. Look around a bit more for a car, sometimes patience can be rewarded.

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...n-updated.html
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...atic-help.html
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...-problems.html

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

take the 06.

its newer, less problems, better engine, more hp, about the same mpg.

the only thing you're gonna be missing out (if u can even call it missing out) is the moonroof.


@lazlong correct term is "moonroof." sunroof is solid and you cannot see thu. moonroof is made of glass or some transparent material (mostly glass tho).

lazlong

Holy sh*t, just like my buddy Doug! "Use proper terms!", he says. But, I digress. Yes, I meant moonroof.

For arguments sake, when was the last time you saw a brand new car with a "sunroof"?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

lol. yeah stick with the manual trans for 7thgens. 8thgen is meh, i wouldnt buy one. whatever you decide be sure to test drive cause they are two very different cars.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

hahaha.... i was just teasing you....

i dont think ive ever seen an actual "sunroof" for that matter

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

just curious gearbox (since u are the wiseman of the site)

how reliable are the 7thgen manual transmission?

i take care of my car pretty well... u think it'll last to 200k + ?

anything i should be cautious about?

lazlong

That does sound like I'm mad, doesn't it? No worries.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

manual trans is a mixed bag. lots could go wrong but ive also seen many that last 200k+ miles no problem. ive also seen a bunch that had parts fail at 50k miles so who knows. maybe some of it is driver error but they are cheap enough that when something breaks, usually you dont need to take out a loan.

POOOGI

iTrader: (1)

^x2.. been wondering that too. im at 81K, still no problems and im hoping itll stay that way lol

dazelite

Both the '03's and the '06 are auto trans. I've done a little researching tonight and found that the '06 has had some engine block cracking issues, so that's something else I'll need to look into.

Thanks for the respones.

BTW I currently have a 1996 LX with 257,000 miles on it, but time to get rid of it. I've done the timing belt, water pump and accessory belts twice preventatively.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

imma drive my rice bucket forever... save money and buy an exige...lol



i have 130k. i changed oil at 6k miles and havent had a problem!

well, my front motormount gave out, but it seems to be common with 7th gens.

kbook

Yep I'll take 06 over 03 but like gearbox said, test drive it.

Sl33pyriceboi,

I got mine front mount changed at 70k.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i really think you should keep your 96 instead. much fewer problems and you can put a lil money into fixing stuff if you have problems. after year 2000, quality took a nose dive and gets worse every generation. the 8thgens have even worse issues than 7thgens. the 7thgens are pretty bad too. i bet you the 96 will last longer than the newer cars you are considering, provided it doesnt have any major issues. a nice tuneup will keep it going for a long time.

kbook

True I have read and almost forgot was the engine cover is plastic. I hate that part. Please research about the tick noise from the engine too. It look like 8th gen suffers about that too from what I read from Thai forum.

lazlong

I'm at 190K and have driven around with a bearing going out on the 1st-2nd shaft for two years with no driveability problems besides an annoying sound in 1st and 2nd. Been waiting for it to go before I get a new tranny but, it just keeps going.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

manual or auto?

lazlong

sorry, manual

MindBomber

I'm gonna back you up here Gearbox.

I swear Honda issued a directive to its engineers in 99 to stop building cars so well, so they can make more money on replacement parts. As someone who truly loves Civics, I won't be buying another after this one unless they return to their previous quality. Don't know to much about Pilots, CR-V, S2000 maybe the quality hasn't dropped off in all models.

kbook

My wife CR-V 2008 still use the low compression, the newer engine has more plastic also. Even though it has more compression ratio and more HP, I'm happy with the current one.

Looks like they have been choosing cost over quality.

dazelite

Ok guys so I need some more advice. Neither the '03 nor the '06 worked out for me. Now I'm looking at an '04 LX with 85,000 miles and auto trans. All opinions and advice is welcome. Thanks.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

shoot for an EX on the 01-05. the lx does not have vtec.

EX = more hp + better fuel economy.

dazelite

Unfortunately, the '04 LX is about my only option. There aren't many used cars in my price range under 100,000 miles. Do you know if the timing belt has to be done at 90,000 or 110,00 miles on the '04 LX?

ac_2007

umm, the 2006 is another generation completely. go with that. 2001-2005 civics do have more issues, ask me how i know.

100,000 miles is also a lot for a car, especially this car since it is 4 cyl and we don't know who "riced" it before you. If I had that money, I'd go with a different car altogether, no offense.
The only reason I own a civic is because its my winter "beater" with 126k miles.

Brian1037

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Civic/2006/engine/

be careful when getting a 2006

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

I'd go for the 7th gen. Mostly becaue I'm biased towards it. I just like the way they look better, the interior seems nicer. Just figured I'd offer my opinion since everyone else covered the mechanical aspect of it.

Oh Yea - 100k Miles on my 05 manual transmission and no signs of any issues yet

ac_2007

What Brian is saying is also true. You should never get the first production year of a new model, but that is the better of the 2 because of resale value, features, less miles.

IMHO, try another car manufacturer. Maybe Toyota or Nissan. Honestly, I paid less for my BMW then most people do for their overpriced RSX/Celica/Civic and its a beauty. You have many options.

Devani

iTrader: (2)

i had 01 EX coupe manual and currently have 09 SI sedan 6 sp...

01 civic EX was lighter but didn't cause and major problems for me....seat rocking and replaced struts and radio...it had 113k miles and clutch felt like the first day I had the car...slow but not too bad....I would be driving the car if I hadn't totaled it....

09 is much better in terms of fit and fitment....paint is thinner and chips easily...but is faster (I test drove 09 LX auto and SI)....

I would buy the 06 with less miles....no more timing belt, it's chain...