whatsaricer

Hey everyone. As you can tell im new to these forums. Im looking at purchasing a 2003 Civic LX, automatic with 110.000 miles. I have read online about the reliability of the transmissions on these and it makes me a little bit weary about purchasing this car. I need a car by Sunday for work since my truck broke down, so im not sure if i should get into this civic or not. What are some signs that the tranny is going out? Are there any tell tale things or just drive it and hope it doesn't kind of thing. Also if anyone has a civic that used this transmission, whats your experience been with the auto. I appreciate any input. Thanks.

MindBomber

With the engine cold and the transmission in D floor it, if your developing problems the engine will rev up between gears. 2003 automatics aren't that bad.

whatsaricer

Ok cool. I just wanted to make sure because i need it for transportation about 60 miles 4 days a week and need it to last. Is there anything else i should watch out for? Thanks for in info. When i test drive it tomorrow ill let you know.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

very important, make sure to test drive the car after it has completely cooled down. this usually means overnight or at least 6 hrs of sitting. usually it will slip when cold but not when hot. if it slips when hot, it means the trans is ready to bust any day. cold slip it may go another few yrs. when you test drive cold, watch out for any rpm rev between shifts. like the gear didnt catch and you are in neutral for a second while the rpms rev up and then it shifts. the worst is the defect shift from second to third. be sure to check the fluid too. if its very dark brown or black, walk away. should be light red to medium dark red at best. smell it for any burnt odor like when you burn bread in the toaster. ofcourse check all the other fluids too. a car this old can have many serious problems aside from the trans.

whatsaricer

Thanks for the info, will do for sure tomorrow. I think thats my biggest worry, just because i feel comfortable replacing brakes, shocks etc since i used to work on cars, but my biggest concern is just the tranny, since they can be expensive and i dont have the money at the moment to have payments and replace that. What is the life expectancy of these transmissions?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

usually around 100k miles. i have seen many fail at 20-50k also. some ive seen go past 200k. its all in the way it was built but a majority have a defective secondary clutch combined with a very bad filtration system (internal non servicable filter) so when the clutch parts break off they will clog up the filter and restrict fluid flow. the seals are also terrible so you do not build enough hydraulic pressure in the cold for it to shift properly. my 02 auto started cold slipping at 50k, somehow with careful driving i made 100k now, and recently i switched from the honda z1 fluid to valvoline maxlife dex/merc (the only non honda fluid i would recommend) and it has noticably reduced the amount of slip. im hoping to go another 5 yrs on it and then dump it for another car.

other things you will be almost guaranteed to replace and shocks/struts, prolly brakes (rear drums which are a pain), front engine mount, front lower control arm LCA bushings, sway bar endlinks, and maybe a few misc odds and ends. def check to see that all the power parts are working like locks windows and mirrors. check everything around the car like hood and trunk release, gas door, look under the hood, make sure there are no big issues. open the oil cap and look inside the engine as best you can and look for varnish and carbon buildup. see if the tires all match, basically try to get a feel for how the owner maintained it.

whatsaricer

Ok cool. I really appreciate all the help and info. So in all honesty with all the problems, is it a good car. I was checking out the you know you have a 7th gen thread and i personally couldnt stop laughing at some of the entries(aka it didnt really scare me away from this car because all cars have their little problems), and i had a bro who had an 03 civic and he never had any problems, but i figured i would get more opinions.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

overall they are pretty solid cars for driving around town and easy to work on. i wouldnt take the 90hp into the mountains lol. any car with thousands of parts is bound to have its problems, doesnt matter which make or model.

Artificial

iTrader: (1)

My 2003 LX has absolutely no mechanical problems. But then again, it's only got 39,xxx miles on the odometer.

How much are you gonna be paying for this car?

whatsaricer

$5000 with like 4% intrest over 24 months i think is what im doing. I plan on paying it off as soon as i get a few paychecks into my new job haha, but till then the minimum is going to work for me. Is that a good price?

cabron

Others have pointed out the issues with the tranny. I would echo those comments and add that my 03 civic does not slip at all in the summer. When October hits, and temps fall a bit, that is when it starts to slip. In January, I warm up the car for 5 min. before I hit the road, still slips. I have less than 60,000 miles.

Be careful.

I would not buy an automatic.

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

[QUOTE=whatsaricer;4553327] Im looking at purchasing a 2003 Civic LX, automatic with 110.000 miles.QUOTE]

There is 1 other very important factor in this purchase... Timing belt and water pump service would be due at 110k miles.

Civicnoobie

From what i know minor slipping when the trans is cold is normal. Not sure if you get it but i think quite a few on here do. Isnt this due to the internal filter?

Also OP Id recommend installing an OEM Honda Ext in line filter. Not sure if this is true but from what i read itll keep the filter in your trans much cleaner over time and your ATF will be cleaner too. Itll prob prolong the life of your trans too.

whatsaricer

Well I decided I'm buying it. It's that or a 99 miata mx5 with 46k miles for about 5 grand more after both have been taxed. And I just would prefer the extra space in the civic and parts availability along with better gas mileage.I test drove it and slammed the gas at complete cold start with ac running and didn't have any slipping. I would actually say I felt more power outta that then I expected to be honest. But it comes with a 1 month parts and labor warranty.

montecarlogrrl

Guess I'm a little late since you already decided, but I have an 04 auto. I bought it at 70k and now I'm at 125k.. no issues at all with the transmission (knock on wood). Actually, I haven't had any issues with the car. Aside from actual maintenance, the only thing I've had to do is have the exhaust manifold repaired.

As someone else mentioned, the timing belt/tensioner/water pump is super important! I had my timing belt checked at 110k, they said it looked fairly newish, but I changed it anyway just to be safe since I didn't have any prior maintenance records.

And since you have a warranty, I'd go over the car very well ASAP so if there's anything going on you can have it fixed before the warranty period runs out.

MindBomber

Congrats, I'm sure you'll love the Civic.

I've owned mine for four years and have never needed to replace a single part outside of standard maintenance like belts and shocks.

CIVICSHABBYCHIC

I have a 2002 Civic ex but its a manual so Im not sure you can compare. Im a bit scorned right now about the 1400.00 transmission repair I'm doing with only 84,000 miles on the car. I would be a bit weary of the tranny on 01-03 civics based on the information I have read also. My car ran fine for about 1 year then it started popping out of second and grinding not to go back in..turns out to be the shift synchos which apparently is a huge problem with these. I think that part of my problem was that I retardedly purchased it from a college student who apparently confused it for a ferrari. But overall I do lke my car I get almost 30 HWY miles per gallon about 25 city and its only costs me about 35 buxtofill it up so it is economical. But do check the transmission fluid gearbox is right in that it should give you a pretty good idea on how well it was cared for. And by th way it seems like alot of hondas are having to replace camshaft positioning sensors too.. I have had to replace alot of little crappy sensors in my ownership, but this tranny issue is something else. Gear Box I would love it if you gaveyour input on my post under the mechanical tread-- yo seem ver knowledgable.

whatsaricer

I picked up the civic today. Great car. Only problems is the gas and trunk release and it needs brake pads but it's great besides that. I plan some mods after I fix the current issues like tint rims nice exhaust and probably an si rear disc switch if possible. But we will see haha. I'll post pics when I'm on my CPU since it won't let my iPad load them.

Artificial

iTrader: (1)

Why put unncessary money into it if you're using it to commute?

DarkSouljur

It's a hobby, if he wants to he can, learn something new :P

whatsaricer

Why not commute in style

But in all honesty I'm gonna do it because I have no wife, no kids, and only use my money for myself right now. And I also like working on cars as a hobby. But to each their own, right?

As for an update on the car, I already swapped out the rotors and pads on the front and the braking is great. No more noise and no more pulsing, and all for under $75 haha.