Rep Power: 0

Hey guys, as a prospective 7th gen civic buyer, I have been questioning its general reliability. I know that honda has a good reputation and my brother has a 6th gen thats running strong. However, it seems that I'm reading quite a few big problems, then again it could only be a small majority with a factory mishap. I've heard of manual tranny problems(gear grind or gear popping), blown head gaskets(insane to believe), ecu, powersteering possibly haywire(misaligned steering spurratically goes left or right), and a few misc. problems such as creaks or minor body integrity.

Anyways, do you guys stand by this car? I mainly joined in this forum to get a better idea of it, and this thread has made me less confident. If I was going to purchase a compact car, it'd either be a civic or a mazda3(need to do more personal research on it, afterall it has some FORD in it), basically what I'm asking is... for generally the same price, and after owning it, would you buy it again if you had the chance while against the current competition? Would you recommend the 7th gen. as a good car to another person?

 
Rep Power: 453

I do, but it is too damn slow.

 
Rep Power: 812

Don't get me wrong. I love the car. But the newer generation of civics has all kinds of problems. Everything from the headlight switch burning to the auto tranny failing at 10-40k miles. Plus all the rattles, shaking, strange engine noises, and so forth. My friend has a 6th gen civic with cvt tranny. He's been beating it since 99 and it still drives great despite all the engine mods he threw at it.

 
Rep Power: 363

the blown headgaskets are due mostly to people with turbos

 
Rep Power: 303

I think that in general, the 7th gen is pretty reliable when you compare it to others. But if you buy it to modify it, I'd look elsewhere. The 7th gen is good at what it was designed for. The daily driver, good economy, and dependable. I have had virtually no issues with mine, but I guarantee you that it does not feel as solid as my older hondas.

For now, I'll keep it until it falls apart. But honestly, I doubt I'll buy another NEW honda again. My 82 Accord was a BRICK. The thing ran absolutely perfectly no matter what I did with it until 151,000 miles when I gave it to my friend. (Idiot me) It still runs great, with no sign of engine or tranny problems. I should add that the ONLY reason I got rid of it is because it had a top speed of 85 mph with the 3 speed auto. Had it been a 5 speed, I'd still be driving it. The poor car just couldn't compete on the freeway these days.
Damn, I miss that hatchback.... I could stuff a piano in it.

Nope, my next Car will be another Honda, but a 90's vintage. Probably a CRX. I always wanted one.

Remember that Honda, as a car, is still among the most dependable cars around. My thoughts on the 7th gen.... DON'T buy it unless you just plan to drive it. It's "fragile".
Mods just screw it up, and with all the money into mods, you could just have bought a better car to begin with. Like an RSX-S, for example.

 
Rep Power: 283

1.5years, nearly stock, and my car runs great. Some people got lemons, but most of the people with problems here caused the problems themselves. The 6th gens probably were better built overall, but I know people with them that have problems also. So, the 7th gen is still good, but probably not the best. Not as good as my friend's 90' accord, that thing just won't die. And, for all the "its too slow" bitching around here, they should have known that before they bought it. You can't get 40mpg out of a 1.7ltr and be fast at the same time, buy a different car if you want speed.

 
Rep Power: 416

if you spend much time in this 'vehicle issues' subforum, you'll believe these civics suck ***

however i personally think they're great. its a car with a few quirks, like the auto tranny takes a second to shift down when you floor it, low idle speed makes it easy to roll back on hills which may or may not be a problem for you... the rattles aren't too bad all in all. I used to worry about every little rattle until I came to realize that basically every car rattles, some alot more than others, some less.

my car, at 80,000 km has not left me stranded yet. EVERYTHING that i've had repaired on her has been able to wait until my next oil change. i doubt all those sunfire drivers you see stranded on some desolate roadside talking to a towing company on their cellphone would say the same about the car they drive.

like a few others here reiterated, its not a fast car, and is not mod friendly. Honda engineers got basically everything they could out of her D17 motor and the gains people are getting out of the mods they do don't seem to be worth the time or money...

what i've found with these cars is the most complaints come from the folks who want to race with their new civic, but find they have a poor contender. that said, if you're looking for a daily driver that looks nice, is fairly comfortable, and is good on fuel -- this is a good car.

 
Rep Power: 0

ditto with everyone here... If you want to keep the car beyond its life, you have to put Xtra maintenance on the car to keep it in good shape. I hear ppls tranny gone at 10K !!! My 2002 runs very solid. But like I said, you've got to dish out xtras to maintain the car compared to other economy cars. BTW, if you do get a 7th Gen, DO NOT follow the maintenance schedule in your manual. They are way off...

 
Rep Power: 323

I've only had my 7th gen for a little over a year - but it has run very well. The only things I have changed is aftermarket entertainment system and new tires.

The only gripe I have are the stock tires - the Firestone FR690's suck ***

We have a 98 sedan as well - 65k and running well - the only repairs other than maintenance to date are two exhaust pipes and front brakes.

 
Rep Power: 0

yeah, initially i just wanted to get an HX coupe manual, just because it sounds like a great econobox, 40+mpg, i commute a lot, so i need something reliable and gets good gas. I'm not looking into modding, i'd get a used car for that. But.. some of you may know, i started a thread in here in the past about occuring problems within HX's. I heard some scary things in there for a new car. I also joined a mazda 3 forum as well, they obviously have problems as well, but just seems like electrical problems(then again its only been out for a year), I want to know that my transimission and engine will last me for years with just REGULAR maintenance, just like the old honda's and toyota's were known for(i wouldn't buy a toyota any time soon, just for personal reasons, i've got beef w/ 'em).

but yeah, i know guys with acura legends and oldschool accords(93-) that have well over 250,000 miles on them with no real engine or tranny problems(maybe an alternator replacement, radiator, and a clutch) but nothing major, they were rock solid, no problems......and even one of my cousins, she bought her 93' civic new, drove it like hell(she didn't know anything about car, not even oil changes, tranny fluid, etc.) that poor car got some of the worst abuse and treatment maintenance wise, yet it still held up, i was impressed.......thats what i thought of when i heard the name HONDA.... is that what i can somewhat expect with the 7th gen, the infamous legacy behind it?? Or should i just wait it out?

 
Rep Power: 290

Civics should be reliable (and get awesome gas mileage) as long as you take care of them and don't drive like Speed Racer all the time.

For the same money, I'd buy my Civic again. If I wanted to spend more money and pay more for gas, there are lots of cars I'd buy instead.

 
Rep Power: 0

I would seriously consider the Mazda 3. For around the same price range, you are getting a lot more car for the money, not to mention the 148/160 HP and their pretty decent reliability.

I'm not saying that I'm not happy with my car. I've had my 01 EX for over 3 years now. Had no problems at all except one leaking strut that was replaced during the first year. 55,000 miles and still getting great gas mileage (35 mpg overall) with very little maintenance -- only thing I've changed so far are oil changes, air filter, manual tranny fluid, and front pads... so I've been very satisfied.

Would I buy it again? Probably not ... but not because I'm not satisfied with it, but because the 7th gen is already a 4 year old model that is starting to show its age against the newer competition. The new Mazda 3 is a newer model with newer features and MUCH more power. If there was an 8th generation Civic that can compare with the Mazda 3, then I would definitely consider the Civic again.

If I were you, I would wait until next year's Mazda 3... just so they iron out the bugs from the first year.

 
Rep Power: 0

I had my car for 2 years now and the only problem i had were a couple of interior peices coming loose and a rattle (all were fixed under warranty and problem has not come back).

If i had a chance to buy my 02 again i would, but probably in Silver.

 
Rep Power: 812

I have to really baby the car alot. Oil change every 3k miles, tranny fluid every 15k, and stuff like that. You have to constantly maintain it or the thing will fall apart. After 25k miles, my car is running like new, if not better. It's all about taking care of it. You'll have a tough time making it fast. Stay away from intakes and exhaust. I found that internal engine work gives a better gain like ported head work, throttle body, etc. There is room for minor improvement, but not much.

 
Rep Power: 0

mang,

it's all depends with your LUCK. that's it.

IF you got a very good and nice civic, there you go.

no rattles, no engine prob, no clutch prob, no brake prob..nothing...

good mileage....and all the things we all want from this car..........

many 01 civic owner are not lucky enough to get this kind of civic...HOWEVER, some peeps do have this kind of car.....believe me or not..

 
Rep Power: 0

well im pretty happy with my civic..right now it has 28, 024 miles on it..yea its an '01 ex..i havent had ne problems watsoever..i still havent changed my tranny fluid and the tranny shifts pretty well..dunt worry..im changing it next week..yea so far im happy with it and i hope it has a very long life..besides i do have a 7yr warranty..so if my honda was to break..do it now!!!

N yes i would buy my car over again..but i would prob buy it in black instead of silver..but yea..hondas are well-know for reliability..so these civics should last long!

 
Rep Power: 0

I drive 6th gen HX, so i'm can't judge how 7th gen civic are built. But i can tell you that my 6th gen HX now have over 70,000 miles. I owned it since new and from day one my HX never gave me any problem. Still everything is original including clutch, tires(those firestone doughnuts are holding pretty well), brakes etc...so I'm pretty happy with it. I know some 6th gen civic owners that currently driving 7th gen civics and they all said that 6th gen is clearly better built than 7th gen, so if honda is listening they better wake up and take care of their quality issues.

 
Rep Power: 323

I think this circles back to what you're expecting out of a vehicle - I bought the Civic for day to day driving and I'm expecting it to last well beyond 100k miles (with proper maintenance). I won't be doing any performance modification or racing.

No vehicle line is perfect, but IMO Civics are hard to beat - they are THE most reliable car I've driven.

 
Rep Power: 0

I would just avoid the 01s - the first year models. Read where the 01 Civic had the fastest development time of any Honda ever made at that time and it shows. My 01 LX has close to 99,000 miles and has been very reliable. But the little annoyances - like rattles, lousy fuel gauge , creaky clutch, and bouncy rear suspension made me wish I had waited a few years to get a 7th Gen Civic.

The front struts needed replaced earlier this year. I just changed the front brake pads at 98,000 miles - they still had quite a bit of wear left. Everything else has been regular maintenance. Clutch was acting up a few weeks ago and somehow fixed itself.

As far as slowness - this gets old. It is a 1.7 with 115hp in LX or HX and 127 in EX , very little torque regardless of model. If you want to go fast get something fast to begin with. Still , a Civic with a manual does a pretty good job with only 102 cubic inches to play with.

 
Rep Power: 363

^^ wow! your brake pads lasted a LOONG time ... I got mine replaced ~24k miles

 
Rep Power: 0

Update on car status... I went to the honda dealership today to look at used cars, long story but i sat down and spoke with the person who approves the final prices on the sale of the vehicle... and after finally convincing him that I wasn't going to buy a new honda civic and told him why I didn't quite feel confident about the new honda cars... he cracked and told me the blunt truth... this year... they regretfully had to take back 22 cars because of tranny problems!!! thats a bit too sketchy for me... honda needs to stop making their own transmissions and go back to their contract with the company that previously manufactured it for them(keep forgetting the name, semporo, sempai, or something like that, starts with an "s")...........so for the mean time, i'm just gonna get me an older cheaper car, and wait on opening up my wallet for a new car.. i wish it didn't have to be this way, cuz man i really wanted an HX..

 
Rep Power: 453

Go buy some other new car. Isnt like honda is the only car out there. Go for a toyota, or dodge, or ford, anything to your likes. Screw who makes it, besides when you purchase a new car, you purchase it with a warranty, so if the tranny does *** up, they will fix it for free. Besides I am at 71k miles and my tranny is still running hard. Only messed up once because I drove through high water and they had to replace the TPS. And the tranny still runs strong even after that. So I think the honda trannys are pretty good IMO. I am not sure about the manuals though, I have an automatic.

 
Rep Power: 812

My auto is starting to become rough when shifting at only 24k miles. That and you really need to change the fluid often.

 
Rep Power: 289

i think civics are pretty good, i have a 01 Si, and i love it, but im thinking about selling it and getting a s2000 or 350Z, but most likely im not, cuz i just do feel like giving my civic away

 
Rep Power: 0

Hey, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you guys for the feedback, I appreciate it. I decided to just wait it out... as much as I could use a new "new" vehicle, I guess i'll just settle for another used car, as good as the 7G civics may seem, as the trend usually* goes products get better with time ?............that and i always wanted a gsr..heh..

 
Rep Power: 0

got an 03 EX sedan n the only problem i have is that stiff steering!!! n yes its a very slow car without some worthy mods n da build quality is kinda low compare to the previous gen, if that Mazda 3 could had been available at that time i could have opt 4 it or a 6th generation Civic!!!

 
Rep Power: 812

Get a 6th gen. It can take tons of abuse, and there are more parts out to make it fast. The key to a happy car is early maintenance.