1999 Honda Civic VTEC-E review from UK and Ireland

After about a month I noticed a buzzing sound from behind the dashboard and also a creaking sound from the suspension at low speeds.

After a visit to the dealer they said that the buzzing sound was a batch of faulty ignition switches and they booked the car in under warranty.

When I gave them the VIN number they informed me that there was a safety recall on the braking system, the brake levelling valve was faulty (this reduces the pressure on the back brakes under heavy braking and prevents the car from sliding).

I was also informed at the same visit that Honda had changed the manufacturer of the shock absorbers mid production and had still fitted the old bushes, this was causing the annoying creaking noise at low speed. At this point I was horrified thinking that I had bought a "Friday afternoon car".

They had the car for the whole day and rectified all the faults, no problem, no questions asked (and I didn't buy the car from them).

The only minor niggle is the car tends to condensate up pretty quickly, this is rectified by running the air con for a few minutes.

Outstanding dealer service, very helpful, very friendly.

The car now runs like a dream, smooth, quiet, very economical. 45mpg+ normal driving, have a bit of fun and still get 38mpg! Not the fastest car 0 to 60, but a lovely road holder, absorbs all the bumps very, very smoothly.

Compared to Nissan these cars are like Rolls Royces. They are both reliable, but Honda have spent a lot more time on cabin design making the car a very pleasant place to be on a long run.