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Hi all:

I just saddled myself with a 112 mile daily commute from Hoboken, NJ to Westport, CT. Yeah, I know - I'm crazy. It will be approx 35,000 miles per year including weekends and long trips.

My wife and I are trying to decide whether the 2008 Civic SI would be a practical daily driver for me.

Can a few of you with long commutes in a 2008 Honda SI give me a few pros/cons to add to my list to help us make the decision? And, is premium gas required or optional?

A few things about me: I'm an ex-WRX owner, love to "tinker" with cars, safety and comfort are important.

thanks in advance
Ryan

 
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Well, I'm a newb here so I might catch hell for this. Seems this is an Si friendly site. Do you currently own an '08 Si or have you driven one ? I just drove an '08 Si and an '08 Lx ... the Lx was much more comfortable in my opinion. Was the Si fun to drive ... yes, but uncomfortable. My suggestion is to go drive one and formulate your own opinion here.

Second thought. It would cost about $780 more in fuel alone to drive the Si (compared to an Lx) those 35,000 miles. That's if you run cheap stuff (I assumed $4.00/Gal). And I don't know if you can run the Si safely on 87 octane ? Someone else will have to speak to that. If you have to run 93, then I think it would be a no-brainer for me. I'd get myself an Lx and run the wheels off it.

 
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Thanks for your input. I have not purchased an '08 SI yet, and I test drove the Si and the EX-L. I think your right, in that the EX-L was more comfortable but I didn't think the Si was uncomfortable. Also, the regular 4 cylinder was a little too boring for me.

 
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Thanks for your input. I have not purchased an '08 SI yet, and I test drove the Si and the EX-L. I think your right, in that the EX-L was more comfortable but I didn't think the Si was uncomfortable. Also, the regular 4 cylinder was a little too boring for me. So we ruled out any other Civic. I'm coming from a Stage II wrx so I need something with a little more oomph. Great point on the cost.

My other thought was a GTI (4 door). I've read good reviews on them but worry about the reliability and the maintenance costs.

 
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Ive HEARD that GIT's a lot of fun, but if you dont maintain them properly and attend to problems immediatelly, repair costs explode. I know we have a mini that requires premium, but runs fine on 87 as long as its nonspirited. you also realize you could buy a 01-05 civic and swap the Si engine in. Total about 16k for a decent car and a engine with less than 49k on it. Youd maintain the comfort of a regular civic, while havign the perfornamce of an Si.

Good luck.

 
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Not quite an answer to your question, but...
I have almost as long of a commute (100 miles round trip) and drive a 2004 Civic (non Si). Granted it's not going to win any races, but I can easily cruise at 70-80 mph and still average around 38 mpg. Why not buy a regular Civic for a daily driver and then pay cash for a "toy" that has some get up and go that you can drive around town and on the weekends?