Faults:

Has needed only minor maintenance, like a battery and oil.

However, the interior has very small holes in it, and there are various rattles and noises from inside the car.

General Comments:

I bought this because I had a timing belt blow for no reason on my 1993 Subaru Legacy L Wagon. I almost wish I had kept the Subaru.

While a good little car with low maintenance costs and extraordinary fuel economy. It takes a looooooong time to reach highway speed; when the AC is on, it cuts the horsepower in half (at least), and front wheel drive is positively useless in the snow with this car.

I am a bit biased, though. If I had wanted a car to perform well, I'd have bought a sports car, and instead I bought a Civic. So on the plus side, this car gets over 30 MPG in the city, if driven like a grandma. If you have to let it rev, it'll still do 25+MPG, and it'll be pretty fast as long as you keep the AC off (I'm serious, I mean it's the most underpowered car in the world with the AC on...). It will hold 4 comfortably for short trips, but it's best for 2 only if driven for a long time.

I have small oil leaks, but the oil drains so fast I haven't the slightest idea where it all goes. It doesn't burn it, but it doesn't leak it either. I have heard it's a fairly common problem.

It does handle surprisingly well, despite FWD, and heavy understeer.

Inside, it's all business. No luxuries in here. You have a stereo, a rear defroster, a heat/cold switch, and a cigarette lighter, and that's pretty much it. I'm surprised that it comes with windshield wipers. I'm more surprised how comfortable the seats actually are. I rode over 1000 miles on a trip once and only got the most minor of backaches. The seats have plenty of support in the corners as well, although there really is no need.

Last but not least, there are NO usable cupholders. Not a big deal to me, but if you order a drink at a fast food joint, don't count on taking it with you. The most that will fit is a soda can.

If you want a basic commuter car, you can do no better. It is, after all, a Civic. My downfall was buying this thinking it's a more powerful car than it actually is. AWD or RWD would be better for me in the snow, but hey, it isn't terrible. At 145,000 miles, it feels like it has another 150,000 in it. It's cheap to fill up, and sips gas like nothing offered today, at least by Honda.

Faults:

Bought the car from a dodgy bloke, so I expected things to go wrong, and so far I've replaced:

- Right hand outer CV joint.

- Right hand boot rack.

- Re-do the oil injectors.

- Re-wired headlights.

General Comments:

- Great handling.

- Quick acceleration.

- Damn good when it comes to hand-braking around corners.

- Not the best car to drive along freeways and highways, as the sound can become quite annoying, and I got a full exhaust system installed, which doesn't exactly help with the noise on the longer roads.

- Really fun car to drive... each time I drive it, it's like a new adventure, really enjoy this car.

- There's a fair few modifications available for it, and as I'm into the looks of the car, these cars are really nice to do up, although it does cost quite a bit of money, and aftermarket body parts aren't all that easy to get around to.