2001 Honda Civic 1.6 SE 5 door review from UK and Ireland

Tape player jammed when the car was 2 months old.

Glove box hinge broke after 8 months.

Dash board plastics started to look worn after only 2 months.

The performance is very good for a 1.6 however 1st gear is very low compared to other similar cars I have driven.

The clutch pedal is very light to use and the dash mounted gear lever is comfortable and smooth.

The Dealer's response was very poor when I had a problem with the cassette player. They initially said that the faulty unit had to be removed from the car and sent away which would have left me with a hole in the dashboard for 3 weeks. The Salesman even claimed that he would be fined £1,000 by Honda if the garage exchanged the radio! I contacted other Honda dealers who said that this was untrue and that they would order a new unit from Honda and exchange it for the faulty one. In the end I contacted Honda UK who arranged for a replacement unit and compensated me by offering a separate CD player for £100.

There is only one rear ashtray, which is door mounted, if there a 2 smokers in the rear they have to hold the ashtray between them. Surely it wouldn't cost very much for an extra rear ashtray to be fitted.

Also the supplying dealer does not supply a courtesy car when my car is in for service or repair.