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Since there seems to be a certain amount of dissatisfaction with the 7th Gen Civic, some say that Honda struck out with this Civic, I was wondering whether Honda might try to get an 8th Gen out a year earlier than the 7th Gen came out. Has anyone heard any news about what Honda's plans are for the next generation Civic. What changes should Honda make? A return to the front double wishbone suspension? Better attention to interior quality? Or is Honda beginning to ignore the Civic and concentrate on its bigger sellers like the Accord and the SUV. Maybe they figure that if you like the Civic too much you'll never trade up to a higher model.

The 7th gen deficiencies have not been unnoticed by the auto world. Many pro reviewers were perplexed about the change in the front double wishbone, considering it a downgrade. A questionable move in a competitive market. It's one thing not going to a higher hp engine, but given that the suspension was already there, why change it? Certain reviews have predicted that the 7th gen will be less reliable than the 6th gen, particularly with the suspension and power components, and have given the new Corolla better overall reliability recommendations. I have to say though, that after one year and 9,000, miles there have been no noticeable problems with my suspension or power components, although I have noticed that the power windows sound like they have to work harder and less smoothly than those in a friend's Corolla.

Well that's probably enough for now, but just wondering on whether there is any news on an 8th Gen Civic and what changes would be good for it.

 
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body wise wont change except for a new suspension n extras like a 160 power plant.. i think body of 7th gen will last more than 6 years.. if u notice that 94-96 n 96-00. body overall shape is same..

 
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I would venture to say that you won't hear a darn thing until the last few months before release. I would look for a power upgrade, especially if everyone else bumps up the power. By 2005, I would venture to guess 145-150 HP would be reasonable. Other things are probably in the works, but you aren't going to hear anything.

 
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Where is the disatisfaction? Ive heard no complaints from people I know, and I defentitly see a huge amount of 7th gens around here so its not like theyre not selling...[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/IMG]

 
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Yea the sales suck, it's only the #1 SELLING COMPACT IN AMERICA THE LAST 2 YEARS. I think they are going to a new style for '05 though, since that's when it's due for a change.

 
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honda always changes its cars about every 4 years.

4thgen 89-91
5thgen 92-95
6thgen 96-00 (5 years but big whoop)
7thgen 01-04 id say

when they change gens they always look alot different so expect a completely different looking civic. mechanical wise, probably some suspension refinement and a horse power tweak, but the look will change. And the way things have been goin lately don't expect it to look good (ex: new accord.)

 
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the 2003's got a big interior overhaul....The 7th gens are not built as solid as the previous gens.. The plastic panels are VERY cheap..the door resonantes when you close it.. Older gen civics were not as bad. Corollas and even Ford Focuses are way better in that department. They downgraded engines, the D17's are not of the same built quality as the previous gen engines. The suspension off the lot is rather soft and bouncy. The metal underneath rusts within about 2 seconds of getting a stone chip on the paint. After taking apart the interior of a Ford Focus I can defintely say it's a car built with much more care and quality....and it's sad that honda would built a rather unimpressive driving car with a cheap interior..

 
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I totally agree with Hawk! I doubt this gen will last more than 4 years.

 
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i hear they already planned a redesign on 2004. and it's been officially confirmed. i'll find a link where it tells u the future of where our cars (and other makers) are going yearly.

 
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I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. Over the past weekend I had my older brothers 2000 5spd Ex Coupe. I took a couple of drives in it and I feel that the 7th gens are much better all around. The center area (parking brake, shifter, cup holders) are MUCH better in design and feel (quality) in my 7th gen. The suspension did feel better in the 6th gen however.

 
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honda has 4-5 year turns, the new civic is slated for '05. yes.

 
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The 2003 Civic should fix all the gripes that the 01-02 had...by the 3rd and 4th year of the gen most problems are ironed out.

Im still gonna have to say I prefer a 5G or 6G over my 7G.

 
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yeah they really struck out on that one... car companies building for higher sales instead of being tuner friendly... go figure!

 
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The tuner population only makes up maybe 20% of a cars sales. Most people want to buy a good looking, reliable car that will get them around town. They don't care about I/H/E, ICE, exterior styling, etc. They just want something that'll start when they put the key in and get the around. God forbid a compnay doesn't build a car to allow you to get 300+ horsepower out of it. God damned econoboxes.

 
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Mohawk, I would have to disagree with you on that one man. The 6th Gen. civic had weak sheet metals and did not "endure" well in a crash. My parents wouldn't have bought me a Civic had it been the old one, as they said that everytime they see a car crash, the civic received more punishment than the other car. The 7th Gen. doors seem sturdier, and that is why they have 5 Star crash test ratings with the new one. The 7th gen civic was structurally improved for better crash test ratings and more leg room and interior comfort. They redesign most of the front to absorb more impact in a crash.

 
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I hit a guard rail doing 90+ in my 6th gen EX(all you oldheads on here may remember seeing those pics back when I was a normal member)...head on at that, and me and my passenger walked away from that crash without a scratch on either of us. So im gonna have to disagree with you saying 6th gens metals were "cheap", or "do not endure well in crashes". At that, id be scared of wrecking in my 7G it feels way different than my 6G EX or Si felt.

 
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Didn't you guys hear that Honda is commited by 2005 to have I-VTEC in all of their vehicles? So, the new civic will have a power upgrade but all models will have I-VTEC!

 
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Well Neo, I guess that's why they call it opinion, since people have different experiences. From where I live, there's a lot of young Asians driving Civics, so the majority of the accidents is also with Civics. Most aftermarth accidents I see with 6th are pretty bad. I mean they look like they hit a telephone pole or something, but they only hit like an American Car. With the 7th Gen, I totalled it going 120 Km/H, me and my passenger also came out with no bruises and the car held together amazingly. Roof didn't buckle, only the side was mashed in. I was merely stating that the newer generations have a higher saftey rating than the previous ones. When I knocked on the doors of the 6th gen, it's almost like it's hollow. Now you mentioned you weren't bruised or anything, but how did the car look afterwards? Did it even retain most of it's original shape?

In regards to how the car doesn't feel the same as the older generations, I totally agree with you man. If you noticed, the rear of the new civics seem to be slightly higher than the overall height of the car. When I went fast or moderate speeds and I'm going through a turn, I literally feel the car swaying badly like it's going to tip over or lose grip. During my accident, my rear end lifted off so easily, I felt like I was floating in the air and spinning in circles. I still don't understand Honda. If it ain't broken, don't fix it! Than again, the Japanese believe in Kaizen and continous improvements.

 
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The doors on the new civics are just as bad.. I've taken my door panels off many many times..it's not impressive. Also the civics sustain more damage because the cars is designed to accordion in order to absorb shock and lessen the impact to the passengers. Cars that sustain very limited damage in moderate to high speed crashes often kill the passenger due to the harsh shock/impact they feel and not the much more dampened impact they'd get from a car that accordians... The 5th and 6th gen civics were built better. Ride better. Just they didn't have as powerful an engine. Liek a 5th gen CX had under 90Hp. the weakest 6th gen had 83 horsies..the 7th gens get over 100.. but don;t have the built quality... I'll never be buying a honda again..I don;t dislike my car..but there's much better out there for the $$ nowadays..

 
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I don't know if this is what XoULaBeAT is talking about, but this has the Civic slated for a redesign in "2005 and Beyond," note - and beyond. They also state that this is PURE SPECULATION, nothing is confirmed.
LINK

 
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isn't that what u call a confirmation?

 
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Yes it retained most of its original shape. I still got the pictures around here somewhere. I had no frame damage...only things that were replaced were pretty much the stuff in the front of the car ie; hood; fenders; lights; radiator, etc, ; but after that wreck it was referred to as the battle wagon until I traded it for my Si. Just like mohawk said...I have to agree, I will not buy newer Honda's again after seeing all that is wrong with the 2k1.

 
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You guys all talk about never buying a Honda again after the 2K1s? Almost all manufacturers have a problem with the first model year of a car. They're still trying to work out the kinks in it. Look at the subtle changes they made from 2K1 to 2K2 now to 2K3. There's always going to be a problem of the first model year of a car. Look at the problems they had with the Neon (granted it was a newly introduced car too), the Focus, etc etc. The list goes on and on. I can almost guarantee you that when the new Civics come out in 2K5, there will be some problems with them too.

Me? I'm more than happy and satisfied with my 2K1. I've got nothing but compliments from it. It's a very solid car. I wouldn't have a problem buying another Honda at all.

 
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Beta.vtec.net is usually pretty acurate, but I personally don't consider it a confirmation unless it comes from Honda directly. I just meant it's not a done deal, just a strong Rumor.

 
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i don't know about the rest of you, but i like my car.

 
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same here, i think the 7th gen is an excellent car. i plan to stay with honda/acura in the future, most likely a next-gen CL when i get out of college (hopefully)