2001 Honda Civic LX Coupe from North America - Comments

The cassette player never worked since I bought the car. I brought it to the dealer, who said I "shouldn't play 90 minute tapes," which, of course, I wasn't.

The driver's side map light sticks. No big deal, but annoying, and the kind of detail Honda used to always get right.

I think I'm a victim of the infamous Front Suspension Problem. Although my wife doesn't believe me, the whole front end seems like it's loose. I've read other reviews on this site and was pleasantly surprised to see others have had the exact same problem. I haven't had the dealer look at it yet, because I don't trust my dealer, but I'm looking to get rid of it anyway. From the other problems noted on this site, I better get rid of it quick.

This is my third Civic. I had an 84 CRX I bought for my wife (I drove it for a while until she learned to drive a stick) and an 89 base hatchback which I loved absolutely to death. It lasted for 180,000 miles and I still see it driving around town. After this one, I may not buy another Honda for a while.

It's still a great car to drive, and it's very well designed. The interior is comfortable (for the most part) and nothing big has happened to it -- I've packed on the miles and I haven't had any breakdowns at all.

However, I'm really disappointed with the overall quality of the car. Honda always nailed the details -- the little things that make a car great. This car misses the mark.

First off, the cassette player never worked right. The radio was fine, but tapes would play very low. I'd have to crank the volume just to hear it. The dealer was no help, basically blaming my tapes for the problem. Needless to say, I gave up.

Also, the left map light sticks. No biggie, but still an obvious manufacturing flaw. I also didn't like the change to the multi-level windshield wiper stalk (from the more intuitive dial on my old Civic) and how the left stalk needs to be pushed forward to activate the high beams (my old one had a spring-loaded pull switch). Both of these changes are pretty much industry standard now, and were probably done as a change of suppliers, but I don't like it.

I also noticed something amiss in the front end a while ago. I thought I was imagining things. My wife still does. But after reading other reviews on this site, I think I'm experiencing the Front Suspension Problem (FSP). The whole front end seems loose. When I hit bumps, the steering wheel wants to jerk out of my hand (the right side is far worse than the left). I haven't had the dealer look at it yet, but I think I'm going to get rid of it first.

I think the problem comes from this being the first model year of the first truly all-new platform (the previous ones were evolutions of my old 89 Civic's platform). This is the first Civic to sport a strut front suspension (as opposed to the excellent multi-link suspension from previous generations). I guess it took them a year or so to work out the bugs -- again, very un-Honda like, as they usually get those worked out before the car hits the showrooms.

I'm looking at new cars now, and none of them are Hondas. A shame, as I used to be a die-hard Honda fanatic.

I wrote this, but for some reason, the title was truncated. It should have read "Should have waited until the new-model-itis was fixed."

I agree with you: the 2003 civic is a total disappointment. The front end feels too too "heavy", the driver's seat rocks, the gas pedal shakes, the suspension is way too stiff and the ride is way too bumpy. I am trying to get rid of the car knowing that I will lose tons of money, but I cannot live with it either. This car is way too overpriced for the quality of the ride and comfort. I am sworn off Honda for ever, despite the good things I heard about them. For the $22,000 Can I paid for this car, I would expect QUALITY and some COMFORT. It is a shame that Honda expects consumers to suck it up and take it, when we are talking about that much money.

An update...

The problem in the front end has been getting worse. It now rattles constantly when I drive. SO...

I'm getting rid of it! I traded it in on a 2004 Saturn Ion 2. Got a great deal, despite owing more on my Civic than it's worth. I also got 0 percent financing, another big plus.

It's a little bittersweet, though. It's the end of an era - I'll no longer own a Honda. This was my third. The other two (84 CRX and 89 Civic hatchback) were amazing. It's a shame Honda has let their cars degrade so much, or at least got so complacent that they didn't catch the problems of an all-new suspension design before it hit the market.

Wish me luck. I pick up the new car on Monday. I'll write a review after I get a few miles on it.