2001 Honda Civic EX Coupe from North America - Comments

The automatic transmission failed after 80,000 miles and to be overhauled. Very unusual for a Japanese brand. I've always had Nissan and Toyotas, and have not had any problems. This is my first Honda and I am very dissapointed with their product. And to think it is an EX. The civic has had a lot of problems and I just try to ignore it like:

The driver's seat rocks back and forth.

There is a squeeking noise in the right rear side of the car and you can hear it from inside when the car is running.

The electrical wiring burned out on the headlight system, but replace under warranty. Good Dealer-Gillman Honda.

The engine knocks hard during a cold start and you hear a loud thud from the engine compartment.

Both door actuators have failed and needed a costly replacement.

There are other minor stuff that are too tedious to list, but it's one problem after another.

I still have a 91 Nissan Pathfinder with 142,000 miles, a 91 Toyota Celica with 92,000 miles, and still have not had any of the civic's problems. So the moral of the story is 'Don"t buy another Honda product, you'll be sorry!!! I am not buying a Honda product again ever. Their product quality and reliability really have become bad and they are not honest about it. I just bought a 2004 Infinit G35 and a 2005 350Z and they're great cars.

I agree with the review. I too am not impressed that much with the Honda. It's the first one I have owned and I purchased a 2000 civic coupe ex and I really don't like it. I want to go back to my Ford Explorer Sport. There is no room in this car whatsoever and the car came pre-certified and within the first week trouble with the exhaust. Took it back to the shop 3 times and still have the same problem. Now there is a rattling noise coming from the rear and I am ready to get rid of this car and have only had it 3 months! Overall... Not impressed.

Yep, I'm also going to have to agree with the last 2 comments. I've had my civic ex coupe for about a year now. Problem after problem, its unbelievable. Within the year I've had to replace some bushings, replace the old brakes, and get a new alignment because of it. So that already set me back quite a bit there. From there... a head gasket, my right tail light was short circuiting, the motor in the passenger window was dead and the struts need to be replaced (can hear creaking whenever I drive and am going over uneven surfaces, turning sometimes). Gosh... this car has been nothing but a headache to me with too much money put into it. Honda = reliable... HA try owning one of these for even a few months and I promise you'll be more aggravated than ever.

Brands like Honda and Toyota are known for reliability, but cars are complex machines with thousands of parts and they all develop problems eventually.

I've owned Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, GMs (Oldsmobile, Chevy), Plymouth, Jeep and Mercedes (prob the worst of them all). Cars are not invincible, parts fail. IMHO, the most important thing is that the drivetrain holds up and the car goes as long as possible before leaking or burning engine oil.

As for the comment about the EX, higher trim levels are never more reliable. In my experience, they are usually less reliable because they have much more gizmos and electronics that can go bad. Honestly the most reliable models are usually the bottom of the line, inexpensive models with the least amount of switchgear and electronics.

Comment 23:11 is RIGHT ON. As a former employee of a major car company, I can assure you that the LESS equipment on a car the BETTER the value. ALL accessories are marked up SEVERAL HUNDRED PERCENT. A basic car has EXACTLY THE SAME MECHANICALS, so you get nothing in the way of better reliability or performance by buying the fully loaded version. All you get is rapidly depreciating gimmicks that you will recover virtually NOTHING on in resale.

I bought a "stripper" pickup truck (a Dodge), kept it 5 years and sold it for only $1000 less than I bought it for BRAND NEW. You won't do that with a loaded version of ANYTHING. If you want gimmicks, buy a stripper and add the gimmicks yourself. You won't be financing them for 5 or 6 years, and you'll save TONS over dealer cost of the stuff. I added a Sun roof to mine for $160.00. Dealer cost? $1000. That's just one example.

Basically 7th Gen. (01-05) civics are just bad, and my 1999 Civic Si is PERFECT, not one thing wrong with it and nothing major has every happened. I would recommend the 6th Gen. (96-00) Civic to anyone.

Dude, my 2000 Honda Civic EX has 182,152 miles on it. only time its been in a shop was for two timing belt changes at 80,000 and 160,000; oil changes every 3000 miles; new tires every 60,000 miles, and regular 3-month quarterly tune ups. This civic is the most reliable car I've ever driven. I've had it since it was new and it has never seemed to fail me. I live in Arlington Texas and I've taken it to Tampa, San Diego, Salem - Oregon. It's a beast on the highway.