IceColdJones

So I've been looking for something that is 4 door, good mpg's, and reliable but also cheap because I don't want to spend much. Results came to a Civic sedan since its reliable and gets great gas. I'd prefer an 8th generation sedan but I'm done with car payments for awhile. So I found a 2001 Civic LX automatic sedan with 77k miles on it for $5k. Clean body and clean inside, no problems, no dents. I just want a daily driver to and from work everyday, which is 25 miles roundtrip and I will probably get rid of my VW GTI VR6 soon because I'm done with VWs and it only gets 24 mpg's and I rather have a Honda or Toyota. I've been a longtime member of vwvortex.com but I'm getting out of there soon.

My question is, how well was this model made since it was the first year of the 7th generation? Should I look for an EX instead? What are the major problems that this LX model is prone to or that is common to an 01 civic? My friend has a 01 EX coupe and it hasn't given her any problems at all since she bought it brand new in 2000 so I'm hoping this will be the same.

My GTI for clicks:
http://s51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...er_media_share

sorry, can't get onto Photobucket at work.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

the 01-02 (and possibly 03-05) civics have terrible auto trans problems, so i would stay away. if it was manual then no problem.

IceColdJones

I'm tired of manual, owned 4 manuals, trying to get my first auto. What kinds of things go wrong with their auto trans?

TRIZ

iTrader: (14)

Thats a good deal! The 02 were ranked the best for the 7th gen by consumer reports... although I have an 01 MT coupe and I dont have any complaints worth mentioning. We say the trannys arent that great, but compared to what your coming from, you'll have nothing to complain about.

Just put the transmission cooler on there, and your set.

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

As with ANY used purchase. buyer beware

I would look real close at the condition of the fluids, esp ATF. Try to find out if any maintenance records are available.

I would also drive it cold and monitor it very close to see how it acts (slipping, tach flaring) while it is still warming.

Lift up the rubber sleeves on the front struts and look for leaks from the top cap.

And yes, some of these with autos are perfect.

IceColdJones

Where did you see that the 02 was the best? Also, what is the trans cooler for, all the auto trans overheat????

izotop

My parents have had a '01 DX sedan AT for the last 8 years. It's gone through my parents' hands, my brothers' hands, and my hands. This car has known 5 different drivers. I must add that some of them weren't too gentle.. It's never been maintained: repairs were made only when needed, but my parents never did preventive maintenance. No brake fluid change, no P/S fluid change, no tranny fluid change... All that they did was oil changes every 10000km (6000Mi).
It definitely missed some oil at some point...

At 53k miles, the transmission was changed under warranty. I'm pretty sure it's my fault since I messed with it. I was downshifting even though it is an automatic... I was not deliberately being rough with it, I was simply ignorant.

After they changed it, we have never had any other problem with the car and the clock is indicating 110k miles. The CEL has never turned on. This car is tough.

All I wanna say is that even though these cars have their problems, they are still really valuable cars. I don't want to be harsh, but if you have owned a mk4 VW, you probably learned what the word broken meant (a friend of mine owned one)... It's not the case with our civics.

I'd say take a ride with the car, inspect it thoroughly. If it's a lemon, you'll most probably feel it.

unTuned

just to add some input, i was in the exact same boat as you. i had a mk III vw gti as well, and after countless headaches i finally decided to go for a big change and got a honda. ive been happy that i did ever since too. mine is an 02 (manual) and the only money ive spent on it is on mods.

that is a very good deal and price, and if the car drives ok (you should know because you seem somewhat familiar with how a vehicle should run) you should buy it. the first couple years do have problems with the automatic transmissions, but only one out of every bunch. they were fixing the problem while the cars were under warranty, but obviously the warranty is done. on the plus side, if the car is at 77k miles, chances are its one of the many that had a good transmission without a problem. most of them had problems between 40-60k miles from what ive read. like triz said though, after shifting over from vw, the problems youll have with a honda will be minor in comparison.

on the downside, you will very much miss the power a vr6 has compared to your 115 hp civic lx sedan, but if youre going for mpg, reliability and a cheap price. there is nothing at all that compares. extremely practical too.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

just make sure to drive the car cold. see if it slips between shifts (rpms rev up higher when it should be shifting gear). usually 2-3 shift is the problem due to defective clutch pack. if you feel it slip, dont buy it.

TRIZ

iTrader: (14)

Here ya go, thank gearbox for the writeup: https://www.civicforums.com/forums/7...ics-added.html

Hondaguy89

Is the car being sold at a dealership or a used lot? I was in your position not too long ago, and was put in the disappointment club many times from going to the used lots. Usually the used lots get their cars from dealerships. However, they pretty much always have problems that the dealer didn't want to fix. The dealer will sell a car that is in good condition, because they don't want to risk they're reputation. So they send the problem cars to the used lots for a wholesale price.

On the other hand, the used car lot could have gotten it on trade, and it may be ok.

Just thought i'd add that in. Good luck finding a car though! Civic's are awesome!

shanemercer08

get down and get the civic.