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Hey all,

I'm in the market for a used Civic, I'm considering a 6th or 7th gen with manual transmission - please recommend either generation if there are any benefits, they seem pretty even to me. I've owned two Saturn S series in the past and although they got decent mileage I'm looking to reach around 35-40 MPG mixed.

I was curious if there is anything particular I should be looking for during my hunt, I'll probably be purchasing in the 100k-200k mile range. Timing belt replacement is a must! Do Civics have any other quirks I should look for (certain sensors, etc)?

 
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I have a 7th gen (2004) Civic coupe with manual transmission and it was probably the best decision I could have made. I think I've read on here that the Auto Transmission of the 6th and 7th gens sometimes has issues, but other than that these cars are good looking and extremely reliable. I've had my timing belt and water pump replaced (at about 100k miles) but other than that I've just purchased new tires and done oil changes (engine and transmission).

My seat belt sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced (the SRS light went off) but this was covered under lifetime warranty and they diagnosed and fixed for free.

I haven't heard of anything else that you should be worried about. Good luck in your search!

 
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Head gasket is a big weak point of the 7th gen. Auto transmissions also.

6th gens get a little better mpg I believe, and are over all more reliable, IMO.

 
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^ not to mention much cooler.

I'm constantly looking for another 6th gen these days. They are getting hard to find any where close to where I live. You'd want to be careful about getting one that was too modified as well. Basically you don't know if the person that modded it was an A type personality that organized/labeled/polished/lubricated every single thing that they did or an idiot with a hammer.

7th gen had some issues like headgasket, auto transmission and a few other things but also have a higher level of safety than 6th gens.

Case in point about too modded....this is for sale right across the street from me these days for $4000.

 
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Haha thanks all, I'm definitely looking for 100% or close to stock, I don't want someone else's nightmare or hackjob

Is the 7th gen head gasket issue caused by anything specific? Let it the engine overheat once and it's toast? I'm in the Phoenix area so high temps would be more likely than other places in the country. Is it luck of the draw or "just a matter of time" type of thing? That would greatly steer my decision to a 6th gen only

 
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There are theories on what causes the head gasket to go but I don't think anyone knows for sure. I would say its luck of the draw but only because I never had an issue with my 01 and it has 190k on it. It seems to be more common of an issue then not.

 
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I've been doing more hunting and research. I started comparing the auto vs manual transmission for MPG differences because the autos are so easy to find out here. I've been reading mixed, do the AT's actually outperform the MT's in fuel efficiency in the 6th and 7th gen? Stock 99 mentioned the 7th gen transmissions have issues, what are they?

Here's my findings from my research

Manual
Pro
Fun (my jeep is stick so driving this would be cake)
Control of RPM range/vehicle
Lighter transmission
Simple design - less stuff to break
Cheaper

Con
Deeper gears, highway RPMs will likely be 800-1000 higher than AT at 75+
Potentially less fuel efficiency for cruising?
Harder to find

Automatic
Pro
Easy to drive
Shorter gearing for better highway RPMs
Better fuel efficiency (at least at highway RPMs)?
Easy to find

Con
More complex - more likely for things to break
More expensive
Heavier
Torque converter steals power?
Little torque for hills

I live in the Phoenix, Arizona area. My 10 mile daily commute is a slight blend of highway and urban driving all relatively flat. On the weekends I often go on long trips to go rock climbing (2.5+ hours). If the AT suffered an MPG here and there during my daily commute it would easily make up for it on the long rides. However I'm torn if I want to make this decision purely based on MPG, as long as I'm getting above 35 in either situation I'd be happy, the other part if ease of finding the year/mileage/trim I'm looking for

 
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6th gens and 7th gens are great. prob the best civics ever made.

-the 6th gens are easier to work on because they are a bit more basic.
-they get good gas mpg and have MUCH better suspension than the 7th gen (6th gen uses the same basic suspension as the s2000...aka double wishbone in front, multilink in rear).
-they are lighter and imo look better

the pros of a 7th gen are (in the manual trans)
-the inside is a bit more modern and a bit more spacious.
-mpg is also good. i can easily clock 37-41mpg on the highway without trying. i average 35mpg with combined city and highway. but YMMV.
-solid car. solid engine. i have 180k on mine and haven't had any real issues with it besides the maintenance.

 
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My 7th gen was a tank, put 240k on it before i sold it and it still ran really strong. Head gasket was leaking and decided it was time for an upgrade. In retrospect i kind of wish i had kept it (making car payments suck) and did an engine swap (prob another d17 for ease).

Despite what a lot of magazines say the civic is def one of the leaders in it's class, i would say it's a tie between the civic and the impreza for me. Both retain value really well, get excellent gas mileage, and are overall great cars to drive. The civic is just so easy to work on as well, even a novice mechanic can work on it.

The focus doesn't hold value.

The mazda 3 in fantastic, but doubt it would be as reliable as a Honda.

The corolla is also a great car, but handles like ***, def more of a commuter than the civic. Ride is a hell of a lot smoother though.

The impreza is great, but the boxer motors are prone to head gasket issues around 100k, whereas my civic's didn't go bad until around 235k-ish.

The non evo lancers are hot garbage.

I prefer the styling and slight interior upgrades on the 7th gen, so that would be my choice. All personal preference i guess.

 
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Thanks for the summary of other vehicles in this class. I have an offer down on a 03 LX 5speed with 150k, hopefully it goes through. I'm looking for 00-05 with manual or 04/05 with auto, I've heard these years don't have the transmission slip issues plus they have the face lift and interior updates which look nice. I'll keep you all posted with what I end up with! I'm really excited to get one of these

 
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love the 7th gen, my fav bodystyle and a breeze to work on. pulled a motor an trans, rebuilt trans, replaced whole front end suspension an bushings, and got it back together literally everything myself in the driveway in 3.5 days once. all i had was a book an no fear. an no id never done one beforehand.

 
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I forgot to mention check out the exhaust manifold on the civic you are thinking of buying, they often crack and are about $250-700 to replace. If it is cracked that will give you some bargaining power.