[Vivek5870]

The bug finally bit me to upgrade from Honda City to Civic few months back although I have always been wanting to upgrade to Civic, but wish the finances also pour in abundance to fulfill such desires.

It was almost 3 months back I started searching for a pre worshipped civic. Tried all possible options - Dealers, Auto Terrace, Online websites but to no avail. Sadly, I kept on searching for my dream car until I spotted a car which would fit my budget and yet does not compromise much on my specifications.

It was the 4th of Nov 2012 when I went over to see the car along with my wife and the first look at the car made me feel - THIS IS IT. I went ahead checking the car externally and then internally. Finally took a test drive to see if the ride was smooth. So far everything was in my favour. Both of us decided that we should think about this car and then finalize the deal, yet we went ahead with token money for the car with an understanding that if we do not agree to take it forward, the token amount will be returned (Did this to block the car as there was another buyer also who was talking about civic, although he wanted a white one). Got the receipt and came back home.

That Sunday night was mostly spent on TBHP reading about civic and what all probable issues could crop up in the civic before going in for the deal. Anyways, next morning called up the dealer and asked him to get the car to the HASS for a thorough checkup. Although the dealer was hesitant in driving 15 kms to the HASS near my place, I insisted on the same and also told him that this deal will happen only if this condition is fulfilled along with the HASS report.

At 11 AM, the dealer came up with the car at the HASS and I roped in my trusted SA to have a dekko at the car and deploy the best mechanic to check it thoroughly. Costed me Rs 1011/- for this checkup (worth every penny, as you get to know what could go wrong in the car in near future). The fortunate part was that this car had been serviced right from day one at the same HASS, so I got a hold of the entire service history of the car. After the checkup which lasted for more than 2 hours, finally got a green signal from HASS with few issues that would need to be addressed (some immediate and some in near future which is listed below). Finally closed the deal at 5L. The model is 2008 VAT done around 48K. This is my first Automatic so I am pretty new to this technology and will require inputs from all of you from time to time.

Hope you all like the car and excuse me for the newbie way of creating an ownership thread. Will keep learning from you all and will improve upon my posting skills. Please have a critic's eye to point out any anomalies in the car to me so that I can take care of them.

HASS report for the work that needs to be carried out on the car:

Immediate

Front Brake Discs Skimming - Done
Rear Brake Pads replacement - Will be done from outside
2 Radiator Hose Worn out - Done
Battery Replacement - Done (Replaced with SF Sonic 55B24LS with 5 year warranty)
Interior Enrichment - Done
ACP Coating - Refused
Exterior Package - Done for this time (Will not exercise this option going forward)

In Near Future

Transmission Mounting will wear out completely soon - Will replace as soon as HASS asks me to replace
Extremely Minor Vain Pump Seepage - Need suggestions from you all for this repair from outside in Delhi

50K Service Details

General Repair - 531.46
Hose Pipe Upper - 170.61
Hose Pipe Lower - 261.70
Disc Skimming - 1685.40
Exterior Package - 4201.04 (Waste of money)
Interior Enrichment - 2285.86 (Just Satisfactory, much better job can be done from outside)
General Repair - 56.18
Wheel Alignment, Balancing and Rotation - 898.88 (Better to get it done from outside, will do it from outside going forward)
50K paid service - 1370.79
Engine Oil SM 0W30 - 3.9 Ltrs - 2778.75
Washer Plug Drain - 20.75
Oil Filter Cartridge - 201.21
Lens - 144.67 (Not sure what this is - Will check with SA later)
Clips - 265.39
Bulb 12V 5W (Parking Bulb) - 88.79
Rest is all Labour and Taxes

Total came to Rs. 16207/-

Likes

1. Looks of the car, by far the best looking car in the segment. I did check out most of the cars but did not find any other car close to the civic in terms of looks and more so in the look and feel of the dash.
2. Smoothness of operation. The car is smooth as silk to drive and does not warrant fatigue in long journeys (experienced this on a long drive in my friend's civic)
3. Sporty Steering wheel and very easy to handle although one cannot compare it with the extremely light electric power steering. Civic has the hydraulic power steering.
4. Well Insulated Cabin, helps reduce the noise from outside to a large extent
5. Engine noised is not heard inside the car (at optimum temperature though, on cold starts and during initial start the noise does come inside the cabin but only till the optimum temperature is achieved.)
6. Extremely spacious cabin, one cannot feel crampy in this car, no matter how tall he/she is. Infact, long journey in this car is luxurious & an extremely comfortable experience

Dislikes

1. Soft Suspension leading to higher chances of car bottoming out in case you accidentally go over kerbs or speed breakers or ghats at a relatively high speed
2. Stock speakers in the car do not have enough power and do not give the much desired effect; not sure if damping the doors can bring some improvement on this front
3. Build quality is a little flimsy and the moment you go through some rough roads and undulations in a long journey, you are bound to return back home with some niggles
4. Bonnet is not visible at all, thus losing out on the edge of giving proper idea to the driver as to how much more the car can move in front while parking in the apartment basement, without banging into the wall - Guess this does not remain a problem for long with practice
5. CD drive is a waste and a pain. CDs keep getting stuck and the HASS literally robs you to get this problem fixed. Was quoted 2K labour just to open the dash and take out the changer which will then be sent to Alpine Service Center who will have their own charges to fix the problem. Overall the expense will be no less than 5K.
6. The car should have provisioned for a USB port in the pre facelift models also
7. Smaller boot space compared to other cars in the same segment
8. The covers of the mirror on the sun visors are flimsy and break very soon. Both the covers in my sun visors are broken and I am not able to find a replacement cover at HASS. They are asking me to change the entire Sun Visor set which is a stupidity. Here I would like to mention that you can live with this broken cover on the passenger side, however it is a bit distracting on the driver side and if the driver gets distracted while using the sun visor and starts looking into the mirror, there is a possibility of him banging the car somewhere. Wonder why the mirror has been given on the driver side. Did not have this in my Honda City.
9. Engine mount issue is prevalent in Civic and one needs to spend money to keep the car in good shape and free from vibrations. Seems like the rubber used on the mount is of inferior quality or the weight of the engine is on the higher side for the rubber to withstand.
10. Although this one is not a dislike for the car, however it is certainly a dislike for the HASS as almost all of them believe in the policy of replacing the parts rather than repairing one. This is one area where HASS needs to seriously rethink their strategy. Also, Honda has been charging very high premium for the spares which in today's competitive market will make them lose the edge over their rivals. This has been evident from the fact that there have been consistent decline in their sales figures (although most of us believe that this is due to the fact that they do not have a diesel workhorse, yet I do feel that the premium charged for spares along with no 'Off the Counter' sales of spres does have a significant impact on their sales figures)

Although I have listed so many dislikes, still this car is worth every penny for the sheer driving pleasure that it gives.

Alternative cars looked at before purchasing civic

Mostly none, as I am in love with the looks of Civic, however did listen to my mind and looked at a few Accords before finally settling for my dream car Civic. Reason for not approving Accord was extremely poor fuel efficiency although my daily drive is not more than 15 kms, yet did not want to compromise on the fuel efficiency to that extent to go in for Accord

Fuel Efficiency

With my Civic I am getting a FE of 10 kmpl in the city with soft foot and occassionally spirited driving on empty stretches. The pickup of the car is extremely good and I have not felt a major lag in my AT version. The engine is smooth and an extremely refined one. One needs to ensure not to use high octane fuel, rather should be using the normal unleaded fuel as the car runs much more smoothly on normal fuel.
I am yet to go on a long trip in this car, hopefully this desire will be fulfilled next month when I plan to do a 700 kms round trip. Will post the highway FE after that trip.

Some Observations

Another point worth mentioning about this car is the precision with which the steering handles the car. (does not make you feel that you are driving an extremely big car) The turning radius of the car is amazing (as in all Honda cars), I have a big smile on my face when I steer clear of small crampy spaces and zoom past other cars while they have to keep going back and forth to get out of my office basement parking.

Once I am out of the parking and on my way back home, which is actually a little late in the night, the temptation to floor the pedal is so addictive that you just cant resist. One just does not feel sitting inside the cabin that the car has zoomed past the 100Kmph mark (cabin is as silent as a stationary car except for the tyre noise that you hear) on the speedo, it is only when your eyes fall on the speedo that you let go off your foot from the accelerator pedal. Pretty addictive.

Mods to be undertaken

Side Step Door Garnish to be installed
Front Door Damping
Coil Spring Adjusters (in case I scrape the car, yet to experience it - Mom did say that this car bounces a lot more than Honda City on undulations)

I understand that an ownership review is incomplete without some pics, so posting some eye tonic for all

[harishpr]

Congrats. I'm almost in the same boat, hunting for a well maintained low run civic AT in bangalore. I believe this is a right time to grab civics since they are going very cheap, and a ivtec is a gem.
I have found 2 well maintained civics.
1) 27k odo, 2006 model, s-at.
2) 24k odo, 2007, v-at.
Both in immaculate condition and as good as new. Negotiating hard.

[Vivek5870]

Thanks Harish. What is the price at which you are being offered these cars?
Do press on getting the service history and getting a checkup done at HASS before you sign up the deal.

Originally Posted by harishpr

Congrats. I'm almost in the same boat, hunting for a well maintained low run civic AT in bangalore. I believe this is a right time to grab civics since they are going very cheap, and a ivtec is a gem.
I have found 2 well maintained civics.
1) 27k odo, 2006 model, s-at.
2) 24k odo, 2007, v-at.
Both in immaculate condition and as good as new. Negotiating hard.

[raul]

Congrats Vivek! Looks like a clean piece.

The leather seats especially seem to be in good condition. An excellent deal, 4 years old and 48K km at five lakhs! That too a VAT!

Surely with this kind of depreciation, this has to be the best time to get a used Civic.

[akhil_rpmlover]

Congrats Vivek on your new acquisition.Feeling very bad every-time i see a Civic, that Honda had to stop Civic.The car looks like in immaculate condition. The interiors looks very well maintained . Wishing you lots of miles of happy journeys.

Looking for more pictures and more of your ownership. Congrats again

[Vivek5870]

Thanks Raul & Akhil. I am sure Civic will be back with a bang in a diesel variant soon. The looks of civic are still admired by majority of car lovers and Honda should continue to cash in on this, but with a diesel variant and right pricing. A deadly combo to offer to the market by 2014.

BTW, I checked with Honda showroom and they say that they are still selling civics however not promoting it the way the other models are being promoted.

Originally Posted by akhil_rpmlover

Congrats Vivek on your new acquisition.Feeling very bad every-time i see a Civic, that Honda had to stop Civic.The car looks like in immaculate condition. The interiors looks very well maintained . Wishing you lots of miles of happy journeys.

Looking for more pictures and more of your ownership. Congrats again

Originally Posted by raul

Congrats Vivek! Looks like a clean piece.

The leather seats especially seem to be in good condition. An excellent deal, 4 years old and 48K km at five lakhs! That too a VAT!

Surely with this kind of depreciation, this has to be the best time to get a used Civic.

[Vivek5870]

Switch Panel improvement done this weekend.

Here are some before and after pics. Could not take the pics after installing the panel on the door as they need more time to dry completely.

The colour after painting seems different than the original one however this effect is because of the lighting. The colour is almost identical to the original colour. I will post some pics after installing the panels back

BTW, has anyone taken off this panel and seen the kind of dust that settles in there, especially on the driver side panel. Took me 30 minutes to clean all the four cavities and switch console covered by this panel

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

You got yourself a pre-worshipped Civic V-AT with full service history for 5L? 47k is almost new by Honda engine standards!

Congrats buddy. The price was quite a shocker for me since we hear prices upwards of 7L all the time for used Civics, even though ours is a diesel crazy market down south.

[mayankjha1806]

Congratulations, this is just amazing. For 5L getting a well maintained Civic with full and authentic history is killer deal. 47K on any other car would have been close to midlife for an engine, but not on a Honda. This can keep going for another 1L easily and possibly more.

Wondering why Civic's are going cheap, is it the petrol effect or the news that this version of Civic is end of life from manufacturing perspective?

[harishpr]

Originally Posted by Vivek5870

Thanks Harish. What is the price at which you are being offered these cars?
Do press on getting the service history and getting a checkup done at HASS before you sign up the deal.

Vivek5870, please let me know if you got this deal in bangalore? I'm not finding a well maintained low run civic in 5lacs range. Closest I got was 2006 s-at, 24k, immaculate condition with full service history for 5.2lacs.
How did you manage to negotiate, need few tips please :-D

[pradyblr]

Vivek5870: Congrats on your latest acquisition.
Wish you many miles with the Civic. At 47K you have got a steal at the price you paid.

Any plans to upgrade the wheels?

[Vivek5870]

Yes Crazy Driver, the price quoted is correct and just like you a lot of people have said this to me that its a steal. I am still cynical as to why the car was sold at less than market rate.

A question for all of you. Can the previous owner get the service history manipulated at HASS? The last service in the records was done at 45K by the previous owner and I purchased it in Nov around 48K assuming the mileage to be correct. Even if I assume that the dealer might have reversed the meter to some extent, still I dont see that the car might have done about 60K. 12K in about 7 months seems unlikely, isnt it? That's the thought with which I purchased this car although I was a little cynical considering the price of the car. Hope this deal remains a steal for me throughout.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

You got yourself a pre-worshipped Civic V-AT with full service history for 5L? 47k is almost new by Honda engine standards!

Congrats buddy. The price was quite a shocker for me since we hear prices upwards of 7L all the time for used Civics, even though ours is a diesel crazy market down south.

Thanks Mayank, Harish & Pradybir.

@Mayank - I am assuming the service history to be correct unless it can be manipulated by the previous owner. Not sure about that. BTW, this car was in the name of a company and they sold it post the depreciation period. Since they have about 40 cars, hence the low mileage, but I am still cynical.

@Harish - I got this deal in Delhi and Delhi does give me the price advantage compared to Bangy. Price in Bangy will be on the higher side. No expert negotiation skills though. Still got him to close the deal at 40K less as the original price was 5.4L.

@Pradybir - No plans to upgrade the wheels. I like to keep the car as much stock as possible.

Need to do another mod in the car. The USB thingy, which will help me plug in my USB stick. Also, would like to know if this mod will have the resume function or will the music being played get reset to the first song on restart?

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[Blue Thunder]

Congrats on the Civic, Vivek5870

Originally Posted by Vivek5870

Switch Panel improvement done this weekend....

They have come out very nice ! Did you do it yourself?

[Vivek5870]

Thanks Blue Thunder. No, got the panels painted from a local painter for 500 bucks. Will fit them myself to avoid travelling back to him.

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

Congrats on the Civic, Vivek5870

They have come out very nice ! Did you do it yourself?

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!