warrior86

well i currently have an 01 ford explorer which is great for hauling my dirtbikes and handling the snow in the poconos but it kills me on gas and 95% of the driving i do is commuting back and forth to school and work. about 70 miles a day.

I test drove an Ex and i liked it. I have a few questions for you more experienced Honda guys. btw, id be gettin a 5 spd 4 door.
Is the front wheel drive pretty good in the snow?
Can the EX haul my dirtbike and trailer(600lbs) and can i put a hitch on it?
I do a lot of highway driving at about 80mph, where is the enging revving at this speed.
I used to have a s-10 blazer that is still running with 340k miles....what kinda live can i expect from these engines if i takes great care of them. i generallly change oil every 2k and always warm up engine.

Can you PLEASE tell me your likes and dislikes about your civic ex's. Any regrets? good commuter car? reliable?

the car seemed pretty quick but then again i never really even got into teh meat of 3rd gear. I basically drove around the block. Can the car get out of its own way on the highway? basically, i just need a review because this is a big decision for me and a drastic change from what im used to (suv's).

thanks for any help.

GuliziaN

iTrader: (1)

Bought an 05 EX recently. Great car. Reliable and sexy. Go for it my friend! This is an excellent commuter car with an awesome aftermarket! Come back to the forum too when you make the right choice.

nindoo

iTrader: (1)

600 pounds is a lot I'm not sure the civic is the right car to be hauling 600 pounds on a regular basis. I know if a few guys in the car it feels slower. You might need something with more torque, perhaps a Mazda 3 GT.

I live in Montreal Quebec so If your asking if it can handle snow easily, yes it can. We have crazy winters.

I love my EX, its the coupe model.
I get great Fuel economy.
Its got great looks, and features like heated mirrors come in handy in Montreal. I love Sunroofs because of the EX.
Enough power for a daily driver.
Good handling.
The EX is my first car


My car makes a slight buzzing sound at 3k rpm, I think I don't hear it when the windowes are down, I thikn it might be the heatshield on the headers.
Anyhow other than that I love it.

CivicsRdBest

EX's are pretty good. They're excellent in snow because they're light and come standard with ABS. If you're used to AWD or maybe a 4x4, the driving style in snow will be a little different, but it's still very good.

I wouldn't put a dirtbike on it. I don't know if it can take it. I'd suggest you look into an Element if you want to tow it or maybe put it inside because the Element's seats are very flexible.

On highway's EX's are excellent. 80 might be around 3k or something a little higher. Power? Well, that's why you have to rev the engine a little high. The gas-mileage is excellent I'm getting 33 mpg.

Nick

iTrader: (3)

- hmm i've never heard of anyone towing stuff with their civic so i don't know how well it would do.
- a 5 speed ex at 80 mph will be reving somewhere around the high 3000 range, maby low 4000
- If you take good care of he engine i dont see why it cant last 300,000 plus miles.

warrior86

alright, maybe not 600lbs. More like 400. Some guy said he tows two jet skis with his civic no problem.

Although i have a 4x4, i alwyas keep it in 2wd. More fun and more of a challenge and less gas. So actually, im used to a rear wheel drive driving style rather than 4x4.

how bout engine life? are we talking 100k, 200k, 300k, or more? I mean, my friend has a 95 civic hatchback that he beats the $hit out of with 150k miles and it still runs decently.

One thing im worreid about is the fifth gear. I do a LOT of highway driving for 2-3 hours sometimes. I dont have the patience to go slower than 75-80. I dont want to be revving the crap outta my engine when doing this cause that CANT be good.
Any opinions on that? thanks for all the help and the quick replies.

warrior86

i searched the forums and i am gettin the impression that the non ex tranny's have a higher 5th gear and dont rev as much at higher speeds. is this true? Is it worth losing the hp of the EX? btw, how exactly do they get the higher hp for teh EX. Its the same size engine. thanks again.

warrior86

o, lol...one more thing. I DONT wanna rice this car out, but is it worth gettin a short ram intake for a little more pep?

btw, the other car im considering is a sentra. But like i said, i want a reliable, economical car.

john_817

i would get a RSX type-s for the highway driving because it has a 6th gear and that would keep the rpm's down. I have an 02 EX 5spd and wen i drive on the highway i too dont like to go slower then 70 but i worry sometimes because driving at that speed or higher makes the rpm's go to about 4k and higher.

CivicsRdBest

70,000 miles and our black car is still going strong. We haven't had any engine problem what-so-ever.

As far as fifth gear? I don't know. I drive an auto. Honda's are high revving engines. Whether it's a motorcycle or a car, they rev really high. Regular driving is ok, but drag racing and high engine drops are always bad.

I spend two and a half hours on the road almost everyday. I haven't had any problems maintaining highway speeds, although it does give up some gas-mileage.

CivicsRdBest

A Sentra would be more powerful and would easily be comforbale at 80, but then again, Nissan isn't really synonymous with reliable. It would be a more fun car, but not economical because it also needs more gas.

I still don't know about towing anything in a compact car...

warrior86

unfortunately my price range is no higher than 18 k really. I was lookin at the tiburon's but there smaller and get less gas mileage. either way, an rsx is out of the question. Btw, where do these engines redline at. That will help determine exactly where 3k rpms are in comparison to the engine's limit. another words 3k rpms on an old chevy muscle car isnt the same as 3k on a 1000cc streetbike.

and if anyone can answer this, id still like to hear about towing with the civic

CivicsRdBest

6800 rpm. Very high, at 3000 you'll most likely be in VTEC zone.

S2000man01

iTrader: (1)

no 3000 is pre vtec. the car should be fine cruising along at 80mph, or whatever you plan to drive it at. as for towing, someone here could look in the owner's manual to see what the maximum capacity, if any, is limited at.

the car is a great economical car, very reliable, and an overall great purchase. i don't own a civic, but have owned 2 7th gens previously, so I can comment somewhat unbiased.

it's not a speed demon by any means, but has some pep to it, and isn't too shabby for a little 4 cylinder. the car is just like any other FWD car, though if you wanted to go with some better all season tires, you'd get a bit better control. of course again, that goes to say for any FWD car.

ajhdragon

iTrader: (5)

car is great in the snow and when doing 80 on the highway the car is usually around 3000rpm. for the hauling thing im not sure about that.

warrior86

o man. 6800. well in that case, 3000 in nothing. Thats less than half. In my explorer im doing about 3000 at 80 mph and mine redlines at around 5500 or 6k. Its hard to tell. Well, it looks like CIVIC will be my new car.

next question. Does anybody know what the dealer invoice is for an 05 4door 5spd Ex is with side airbags. I need to know what my haggling range is. Are there any options you guys reccomend that i get? fog lamps? what about the little spoiler. I think thats kinda nice...not rice. Otherwise i plan on gettin whatever teh EX includes and thats it. how much did you guys pay? thanks for all this help guys, i really appreciate it. Im sure ill be on this board a lot just like the motocross forums (800 posts there)

ajhdragon

iTrader: (5)

i can't get top 4k rpm until like mid 90's in 5th.

warrior86

could the size of the tire affect it that much...i dont think so??

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

Whatever you do, keep the car stock and it will be fastest. Intakes and all that stuff aren't really for anything. I would only recommend the aem accessory pullies to free up a bit more power if you don't need as much voltage for a big stereo. I've had my civic ex auto for 3 years and it's been great. Yes there are problems like some rattles and yes it's slow, but alot of things you may not like can be changed. If I were to go back, I can remember a few things I didn't like but are fixed now.

--lots of rattles with interior pieces (can be fixed with dynamat and foam)
--the WORST road noise ever with stock firestone tires for 01-02 (now I think the new civics come with dunlop or something). I have bridgestone turanzas now and the ride is oso quiet.
--It seems like the newer civics are very sensitive engine wise. I got a tranny cooler for mine and always change the fluid every 15k. I think it takes a couple years to break in the engine fully, because now the car feels solid. Better than when it was new.
--certain things about the exterior, which have been fixed for the later models.
--the stereo and speakers are the worst I've ever heard. I threw in some $100 infinity speakers and pioneer deck with a super good install and the sound improved 10 fold.
--The interior lighting color is terrible. At least the newer vics have a nice looking gauge cluster.

Well after playing around with my car I have it just the way I want and wouldn't change anything on it. It's a great car that I plan to keep until it dies. Hopefully 10 yrs at least. Oh and no big mechanical probs in the last 3 yrs (30,000 miles) either. Just a few small things like seat belt buckle loosening and needed new brakes and tires at 20k miles.

wrussi

iTrader: (1)

if you haul stuff you will break the tranny or wear the clutch eventually
the civics are great on gas you will waste arround 80 a month putting like 1200 miles / month
they have abs but the stock tires suck for snow from what ive heard so u might wanna get better tires for snow
the car is not so mod-friendly but very reliable and you wont regret buyng a civic unless ur planning on making it fast (you cant unless u spend some big $$ into it)
finally get a manual one the auto tranny is kinda retarded IMO

TemjinX2

iTrader: (11)

yeah the gear timings on the autos and manuals are different for the civics. i know for my 04 auto ex i can hit 80mph at 3000-3500rpm depending on how flat the road is. I think i read the manuals are a little higher around closer to 4k rpm.

towing wise, i think you can do if the total weight is only 600lbs. I towed my friends toyota tacoma half way up a muddy hill with my 96 camry, 4 cyclinder before the rope broke and we decided just to call AAA. The hp for the camry and the ex civic is the same at 127hp, but the camry has a little more torque then the civic since its a 2.2liter. But i think the civic can do it, it might just take up some time to build up speed but 600lbs should be ok. Best just to check the manual

Some good places to get a good idea of how much to pay for would be www.edmunds.com or yahoo.com. Most places will offer the cars a few hundred above invoice straight off the bat. I would just shop aroound, they selll civics everyday no problem so you shouldnt have too much trouble finding one at the price you want.

S2000man01

iTrader: (1)

if you can, go to two different honda dealers. really pit them against each other. it's a game, but in the end see who gives you more for your money.

UTICivic

iTrader: (3)

Its a great car! I have everything stock on my car. Oil change every 2500 miles. 89 octane every tank. Wax the outside every once in a while. Im comming up on 3 years now and I have a bit over 11 thousand miles. Gonna go for a long time.

warrior86

well everything seems pretty good so far. Towing has me a little worried, tho. Some more opinions on that would be good.

Theres 12k still owed on the explorer so i have two choices. eitehr keep the explorer which is super nice and powerful (its an xlt) and pay xtra gas and all that crap, or for about another 5k i can get a brand new, fun civic, but its a little econobox with less luxury and little power. I dont wanna make a stupid decision. what do u guys think? i love my explorer, but sometimes its really boring to drive, its this soccer mom gold color, and gas is horrable (i dont even have the v8!). The civic seemed like it wouild be more fun to drive cause of the manual, i could drive a lil faster cause i dont have to worry about flipping and stopping all teh weight, and gas mileage is great.
I'd really appreciate an unbiased opinion. thanks

TemjinX2

iTrader: (11)

you can always get a si or a base rsx, there about the same price and you get more power then the regular civics and still get similar gas mileage if your going to get the manual. Your other option might to be a used type S, i saw a used type S with 14k miles on it selling for 16k at the dealership. When i saw it i was kicking myself for getting my ex instead of the used type S. Another option is getting a scion tc, its the same price as a ex civic if you dont get the supercharge, more power and more torque but you do lose gas mileage, but i think you still get in the 20's. You'll probably get high 20's or low 30's mileage wise with the si and base rsx. If you get a manual ex you'll probably get 30+ depending on how much highway you do. i get around 30-35 mpg on my auto ex, but i do probably 90% highway.


if you tow a lot of stuff and often i would probably just suggest keeping the explorer. The only other option i can think of is just getting a old beater civic or something for like 2k and just drive that to work and use the explorer when you need to tow stuff. Usually the japanese cars can last you at least 200k with proper maintence. My 96 camry lasted till 200k before we traded it in to get my civic.

nindoo

iTrader: (1)

I think the 2005s come with Michilens, not the firestones like on previous 7thgens like mine. Do you know if the the Michelins they put are better than the firestones on the original.

nindoo

iTrader: (1)

honestly speaking its a great fun car when your alone in the car. If your gonna be hauling a trailer thats 400 pounds I think the explorer is better. The EX has really good fuel Economy especially if a lot of driving is smooth and continuous like on the highway, theres no point to get a Hybrid youll notice the fuel consumption is not that much less than the EX I'll try and find that MSN article for you that illustrates the fuel economy comparison of both. If your explorer is running reliabily and isn't giving you any grief I would keep it.

Keep in mind if you buy the civic your putting an extra 5k from the your pocket. With your driving snenario use the maintenace calulator along with fuel consuption to see when you break even. Comparet the expenses of the explorer and use the maintenance schedule from the honda website for the civic and see when you actually start to save money. I don't like SUVs, but I thikn going from a fairly New Top of line Explorer to a fully loaded Honda Civic is a downgrade.

S2000man01

iTrader: (1)

someone please look in their civic manual and make sure the car is actually capable of towing. we dont want him thinking he can get the car if the civic is "not recommended" for towing at all.

JRHAWK9

This is my first Civic (Honda for that matter) and to tell you the truth, the initial quality is worse then my '97 Neon and '00 Firehawk. I do like the car so far, but I am not sold on Honda quality quite yet.....of course bad service doesn't help either.

Zzyzx

I know the Coupe is listed as "Towing Not Recommended" But I Don't konw about the Sedan... BUT, the Si is listed as being Toe Capable, though I'm unsure what the max LBS is.