Comments: 1-15, 16
The more appropriate question is, "what hasn't gone wrong with the car"? The list would be much shorter.
Let's see...
19,000 miles, blown head gasket.
24,000 miles, power steering failed.
26,343 miles, transmission just decided it didn't want to work anymore.
BIG STRETCH!
39,000 miles or so engine started smoking through the tailpipe (still smokes to this day)
47,000 miles, the tranny went again.
50,000 miles, something short circuited and the windows no longer work, not even the sunroof.
51,000 miles, the CD player quit working, replaced with aftermarket unit.
60,000 miles +... seems like everything else went on it.
Overheating, stalling, chugging, sputtering, you name it, this piece of
junk has done it all. Oh yeah, I just got it back last week for a new main computer, for over $1000 dollars. I've paid probably close to double what the car is worth in repairs.
Granted I pretty much have a rebuilt Civic, I hate this car with a passion. I've done nothing, but show this little hunk of tin love, changed the oil on time all the time, regularly maintained it, and drove it very easily, and this is the return I get. People reading this can think what they want to think, but I have tried getting Honda to buy back this disgrace and they won't!! Some customer service!!! At least they paid for rental cars the numerous times that they have mine. I never had a stitch of trouble with my Lumina, with the exception of the brakes, and it was so much quicker. Granted I am in my late 50's, but still, you have to have some fun while driving, right?
This car has made me so bitter that I have a hard time liking anything Honda now. My car looks like it's straight out of that movie "Uncle Buck"And to think that everyone and their brother says that these Hondas are so extremely reliable. Drive my car for a day and they'll run screaming for their life. I hate this car, and as soon as I get the piece of junk paid down enough that I'm not upside down in it, I am either trading it in or entering it into a demolition derby, or maybe towing it to a junk yard and operating the machine that will crush it into the keychain that the keys to my new Chevy Impala will be on.
Yes, a GM car-perhaps European GM car like Opel (Vauxhall), because it is much cheaper than Honda, not as fast, but very durable compared to American GM, but if I am correct you cannot buy European GM cars in USA. I mean this new honda's are realy uuuuuuuugly- why are American's buying it.
Hi, American here. The guy with the first comment is correct, they don't sell European GM cars here, unless it's at an auto show or something similar. However, you can get almost all the way there. For example, The Chevrolet Cobalt sold over here is apparently little more than a "rebadged" Opel Astra (hope I got the model right). I'm a big GM fan, but if it were me, I'd go for a solid German car if possible. I rode in a friend's Jetta, and its "small car" ride was better than my huge Oldsmobile! As far as your Civic, I usually hear that they are reliable cars, so I was surprised upon reading your review. Maybe Honda has started applying cost-cutting measures as competition increases. I drove a '92 Corolla for a while; my sister drives it now, just passed 207,000 miles. It had a new timing belt at 123,000 miles, and nothing else. No water pumps, alternators, or anything. You just change the oil whenever it strikes your fancy, and it'll run forever. All reports I've read of new Corollas, however, indicate problems very early (for a Corolla, anyway). Toyota and Honda still make good cars (I think), but perhaps price wars have led to more cheaply made cars.
If you do go with GM, I would recommend maybe the Cobalt, or if you don't go GM, Consumer Reports gave the Scion tC a pretty good review. I wouldn't recommend Dodge's small car, the Neon. I've driven a Pontiac Vibe, and although the exterior is a bit strange (to me, anyway), the interior had plenty of room. However, the 1.8 liter engine (from the Corolla, and the Vibe's twin, the Matrix) doesn't provide much passing power on the highway. Okay, it provides none. It's fine in the city, though. That's all the "smaller" cars I could think of. Good luck!
Then reason why we Honda owners say they are very reliable cars is because it's true. However, let us not forget that ALL car companies have their lemons. Honda and Toyota have less than American and German cars, but they are out there. That is all that you have, a lemon. I've been driving Toyota's and Honda's all my life, and they all have been reliable. My current Accord has just passed 280,000km (175,000 miles), and all I do is change the oil, and perform regular maintenance (brakes, tires, etc.)
Regarding the availability of European GM cars in the USA: The Saturn L-series is heavily based on an Opel design. So was the Cadillac Catera. Also, some of the new "American" GM cars (the current Chevy Malibu comes to mind) are built from the same platforms as "foreign" makes that GM owns-like Saab, for example. There are a lot of different vehicles being built on the same platforms within a corporation regardless of make. Other companies do it, too. The 1991-up Ford Escorts were built on the same platform as the Mazda 323/Protege series. Some current Ford vehicles are built on the same platforms as some Jaguars (which is owned by Ford) -the Lincoln LS and Jaguar S-Type are built on the same platform. Some Chrysler and Mitsubishi vehicles shared platforms. There are other examples as well... the lines between American, European, and Japanese cars have been blurred almost beyond recognition and have been for quite a long time.
I own a 05 Scion tC and my Mom owns an 05 Chevy Malibu. The consumer reports are right about the Scion tC (very beautiful car), I drive 50 miles (one way) to work and the car has 20K miles. The car runs like a dream and it is extremely reliable. I used to own a Toyota Celica that ran for about 236K miles with regular maintenance and ran great, but I also made a BIG mistake buying a Ford Contour and that car needed a new transmission at about 32K miles and basically fell apart at 120K (biggest lemon ever made IMO) I learned my lesson and I am never Buying Ford again, although the Chevy Malibu is a nice car and so far has been reliable.
You must be a GM salesman... nice try!
To the above poster:
You must just hate to admit that Hondas can be just as atrocious as the next car!
I don't see why people have a hard time believing that some have better luck with a Chevy than a Honda. It isn't impossible! It just sounds to me like this Honda Civic just plain sucks!
Yes, I must agree that you must just have a lemon. I know someone who owns a 80-something Honda, and besides the timing belt, oil, tires, you know, the basics, he is still running good. He just pushed over 235,000 miles, so I must say that Hondas are pretty reliable cars. Sorry to hear about yours though.
I think to put everything into perspective, it seems like GM makes some fine cars, and Honda makes some fine cars too. I've had both, and I've seen both ends of the argument. I personally like GM more, despite that I think that GM cars are a lot uglier inside. I mean come on, who thought that those fisher price stereo controls and orange gauges would look good on my Grand Am? Now my Civic, that's a different story. It looks like a car, not a tool. It seems like a car that it supposed to be driven, not a machine that moves around and has arbitrary gauges telling you how it's operating. That's probably one of the plus sides to Honda.
To me (just an opinion) GM cars will last LONGER, if maintained properly. However, if not, they will break. I have personally seen Taxi car Luminas and a few Caprices that have ALL turned over 250K miles, and some of the older units (96 and back) haver nearly 600K miles, none of which have had anything major replaced. Engine, transmission, etc.
BUT, that does say that Hondas are not great cars too. I have a Civic myself, but it's only got 88K on it. I've had to replace a number of things on it, (CV axles, alternator, fuel system, and battery parts, but the car has always been a strong runner for me. No surprises. I think that's why Honda has a great name. It is a very CONSISTENT car to own, not the most reliable or longest lasting. I have yet to see a Honda pass 400K or to be used as a Taxi. I have taken an Accord to nearly 300K miles myself, BUT, this car was so near death by the time I was finished owning it, that it wasn't worth anything. I literally traded it for a pair of shoes. I maintained it meticulously, but it still gradually died.
So, in all, that's my opinion. I think Honda is the most consistent car maker out there, maybe along side of Toyota, and I think that GM has the best potential for cars, if maintained. Never have I seen a Corolla, Camry, Accord, Civic, or even the "indestructible" Tacoma/Pickup, reach 600K, 700K, 800K. But, the LT1 Caprice and a couple of old, old Lumina's, I've seen over those mileage marks, and they're still running strong.
THe reason you don't see Accords as taxis has nothing to do with reliability and everything to do with politics of the taxi company.
You don't see Mercedes taxis here, yet you can't throw a stone in Europe without hitting one.
Mercedes are not reliable cars anymore. Getting stranded twice in a business suit on a rainy day in the middle of the intersection in an SL 55 is very embarrassing. 8300 km on the clock.
And I have heard of a Toyota with 998K on it. 1982? Starlet, I believe it's listed in Guinness somewhere.
I have owned several GM models over the years. None of them have lasted longer then 180K miles. Now on the other hand I have a 94 Civic and it just reached 265K and still going strong! I really think that Honda has the market in reliability and style. GM should have done more to compete with the styling and dependability of their vehicles back in the early 90's. Maybe then they wouldn't be in the financial problems they are now. Just a thought, as for me no one could pay me to take a GM car off of their hands!
I have travelled through central Mexico since 1997. Most of the 1960-1980's Renaults, Datsuns, and other imports have long rusted away. The American made cars have held up much better in real world tough driving conditions. The price of maintenance and parts also led to their demise. In the real world, the Japanese cars never seem to meet the expectations they have written on paper.
American cars seem to have been built with better material. I've got an 89 Dodge (mechanics kind of suck), but it has no body rust or chassis rust, and it's in Utah with all kinds of Salt. Then, I just sold my Toyota 1985, it was so rusty, and that truck was washed every week! Honda, same thing. My dad's got a 99 Civic, and that thing has already begun to rust on the rear quarter panels. And he lives in a coastal town.
Hmmm.