Faults:

Bought used just recently. Have seen several comments that even if not taken care of, these cars hold their own. The previous owner did most of the mechanical maintenance (timing belt, water pump, oil changes, etc.) but neglected brakes and cleaning it up with any regularity. After a thorough vac/upholstery cleaning, the Honda shined again inside. The exterior, with clear coat coming off, will have to be re-painted, something I negotiated when I purchased the car. Had to replace rear brakes completely and true the rotors in the front. Heater fan switch worked only on the 2 highest speeds, so the relay? was replaced. Minor things I knew when I negotiated the purchase. Anyone have an issue with the instrument lights being very dim, even on highest brightness? Don't know the issue there yet.

General Comments:

A wonderful car that will serve me well in years to come. Most issues that the original owner neglected are minor fixes, and Honda's are bulletproof mechanically.

Expected and received excellent gas mileage on my first tank. Peppy and rev-happy if you chose to. Seats are not the most comfortable for long trips, but hey, it is an economy car! Will keep posting as I own the car longer, but very pleased so far and look forward to being a proud Honda owner, as I am with my Toyota products!

Faults:

All 4 power windows failed from 250,000 miles until the last one failed at 290,000 miles.

A/C developed some blockage, working only intermittently around 280,000 miles. Not pleasant when you couldn't get the windows down!

Stock radio volume control developed a mind of its own, either refusing to go up or down, or in some cases hurting your ears.

The parking brake button started receding into the handle after replacing rear brakes, requiring the use of a double "A" battery to release the parking brake!

Minor overheating problems around 270k miles.

General Comments:

One hell of a reliable vehicle, and if you can find a used one with low miles (ha!), grab it!

Our Civic was donated by a fellow employee in our non-profit for use as an office car for pickups and deliveries, which I mostly drove. After 320,000 miles, we were not able to get it smogged, and used a California buy back program to get rid of it before any significant mechanical problems happened. This thing drove my friends and I all over the state of California, and it wasn't until it reached 300k that noises in the transmission started to get worry some, although that might be because I never put any fluid in it!

Beyond normal wear and tear (brake pads, 1 alternator, 1 belt and 2 clutches) I can't recall any major problems with the mechanics. The dash kept its look, and the seats kept their firmness. Even with the advanced miles we put on it, the performance never changed at all. This thing ran pretty peppy, which was very crucial when I had to get places in emergencies. Gas mileage was excellent throughout its life.

I just wish the office would have had the money to perform the work on stuff like the windows and the A/C, but that's the breaks in the wild world of non-profits. But considering the other models that the office has used, mostly American models, this has been the most trouble free car and the Honda engineers should be very proud of their accomplishment.