[NTO]

Originally Posted by swami69

@ NTO - first of all, Congratulations on your Civic AT. I too bought a 2007 model couple of years back and this car is special somehow.

Thank you Swami69. It is indeed a special car and it is used as the family car on weekends when 5 people wants to travel together. It drives very well.

Originally Posted by narayan

Congrats on the new Civic NTO. I am doing some preliminary research on a pre-owned Civic. One of the points that I recall is some issue with the AT box of the Civic from a few threads. Was there anything in particular you checked for the AT BOX with regards to its condition etc ?

Also, I couldn't find the price you paid for this beauty - do you mind sharing it. Will help other members like me when we look out for cars.
thanks

I followed exactly the same points as mentioned by Swami69. 5000 kms done so far and no issues. The gear shifts are never felt inside the cabin and except for aggressive downshifts, I never faced any problem with the gearbox so far. Getting used to the car over time, now I exactly know when to use the paddle shifters to overcome the sore point of aggressive downshifts.

I paid 4.9 lacs for the car. The price included the following. the car, RC transfer, insurance with 5.5 lacs IDV till March 2020.

In addition to these, I did the following to the car:

1. Painted the scratched bumpers. I also added a few marks until I got used to the dimensions of the car. Once I got confident on where the ends of the car are, I repainted the bumpers.
2. 3M interior germkleen and exterior paint sealant treatment.
3. Redid the seat covers as the OEM sear covers started showing signs of ageing. Spent 22K on this.
4. CR70 film all around and Garware Ice cool anti-glare tint to the windscreen. It also reduces the impact of direct sunlight on the thigh which used to irritate during the initial days of ownership. Spent Rs. 9500 for these.
5. Auxbeam 8000lm LED headlamp bulbs on the OEM reflectors. These are not the regular white LEDs which scatter. These have a slight yellow tinch and lights up the road well. It gave excellent visibility during my 1200 Kms trip Chennai - Bengaluru - Mysuru - Bandipur - Bengaluru - Chennai without blinding the oncoming traffic. Two pairs, low beam and high beam costed Rs. 18500.

The car returns 9 - 9.5 Kmpl every tank when driven only in the city. This includes daily office commute of 20 Kms one way and weekend family duties.

Civic has overshadowed the Vento and Punto as the family car on weekends due to the sheer space it offers, flat rear floor and chiller of an air-conditioner.

The car came with Michelin P3STs which was swapped by the first owner at 46000 Kms. They work like a dream. I wish I had gone for them when I installed MC5s on my Vento.

The highest tank average I got was 17 Kmpl, when driving from Bengaluru to Chennai and car was on Cruise control set at 110 Kmph for 70% of the distance.

Overall a great experience so far and the ground clearance also has not posed any serious threat to the car.

I am planning to get the car serviced once replacing all the fluids and essentials along with the engine bed. When the engine is cold at idle, I get to feel some vibrations inside the cabin. I am sure it is due to the bed. I was told it would go on for another 20K kms when I got the car checked before the purchase. I am sure it would work well but, the vibrations are an irritant as the car is otherwise smooth as butter at all times. After this service I am planning to get the car serviced at every 10K kms then on.

[prsnck]

Wonderful thread man.I had always been a fan of Baleno, OHC (2000-03 models) and the vtec. Now after reading this..I feel i should consider a civic also in stable !! Manual is my preference though.

the way it is written..anyone will be pulled to get a civic..the way Ivtec performs in highways..and the mileage as you told it gives is a bonus. Never knew civic can give mileage in that range of 16-17 kmpl. Low GC and mileage was 2 important factors that always went against civic. Now with this that notion is more or less got over.


Please feel free to PM once you get some time, to discuss few things.

regards
Prsn

[NTO]

It is already one year and 15000 kms since I bought the Civic. Not even once did I feel the need to reevaluate the decision of buying it. It has given me and my family nothing but a lot of memories cherish.

Things that I like

1. The car itself. It is beautiful even today. It is also relevant today in terms of performance, looks and space.
2. The free revving iVTEC. Redlining the car is definitely fun even today.
3. Fun at corners, not “PUNTO FUN” but fun. Even the steering is precise. Again, Not “PUNTO PRECISE” but, precise.
4. Well mannered at highway speeds. No bouncy rear end and never felt nervous.
5. Decent fuel economy for a 1.8l petrol and automatic combination.
6. Low maintenance expense
7. Extremely Reliable being a used car and 8 years old
8. Most spares are still available off the counter in Honda
9. Service experience in Capital Honda, Chennai.
10. Spacious for 5 adults
11. Generous boot space
12. Thoughtful features like the small yet feelsome steering, organ type A pedal, all 4 disc brakes, sexy tuned suspension, large wing mirrors etc.
13. Overall visibility from the driver’s seat. Vento is the best, Civic is the second best among the cars I own and I’ve owned. Jazz had a very bad blind spot in A pillar and Punto’s A pillar can swallow a complete walking man with the blind spot. Wagon R too had a blind spot in the A pillar.
14. Sporty driving position.

Things that could have been better
1. Everyone must literally drop into the seats. The height definitely proves worrisome in the long run for elders. In my initial ownership review, I commented that It was not a problem.
2. Large car and getting used to edges and parking in tight spaces is real work.
3. With 5 on board, you have to be extremely careful while tackling speed brakers and bad roads.
4. Whine from the automatic transmission while revving.
5. Slow to react gearbox when in need for sudden down shifts. Paddle shifter solves this issue though.
6. Rattles here and there. I am almost on a hunt always to identify the source and fix them.
7. Small dinges on the body appear – can be attributed to the light build of Honda.
8. Low seating height means you are prone to glare from oncoming traffic. Let alone the high beam warriors, even low beam on some tall cars, trucks and buses prove annoying at night.

Things that happened in my life that made Civic my lucky charm!
1. Got a new job
2. My first son was born with both mom and the baby healthy and fine.
3. My first visit to the USA.
4. Bought my first house

Before we jump into the details a pic of the beauty herself!


Let me start with the expenses that I incurred with the civic



Let us go in the descending order of expense contributors.

Fuel Expense

Total Expense - Rs. 127059.7
Kms Run - 15514
Expense per Km - Rs. 8.19
Running pattern - 19% highway and 81% city.

The car has returned an average of 9.42 Kms to a litre in the last ~15K kms with the highest tank average being 14.9 kmpl and the lowest being 7.1 kmpl. Fuel efficiency can go very high when driven around the highways at constant speed. Stop go bumper to bumper traffic can adversely affect fuel efficiency. In city, one can expect a fuel efficiency of 8.5 - 9 kmpl and up to 15 kmpl on the highway.



For the last few tanks I also started to note the difference between the display fuel efficiency on the onboard computer and the actual fuel efficiency achieved by full tank to full tank method. The average difference has been 0.91 kmpl. Weirdly we could also see a difference of (-2.33) kmpl where the actual fuel efficiency was higher than the display.
display in orange
Attachment 1986217

I was initially filling in Shell as it was en-route my previous office. Since I changed jobs in last July, I have been filling in a COCO BPCL fuel station near my residence. A couple of times, on road trips I filled in IOCL and Reliance petrol bunks. There is no impact on fuel efficiency irrespective of the bunk I fuel at. Once I filled V power due to unavailability of regular petrol at the shell bunk. No change in fuel efficiency however, I felt the throttle response to be sharper. Still the difference did not justify ~10Rs to a litre difference in price.


The average price of petrol in the last one year has been Rs. 77.23 for a litre. Here is a variation of Petrol prices in Chennai on different fuel fills. The one anomaly is the V power fill.


Cosmetic Expenses

Total Expense - Rs. 107800.
Contributors:

1. Seats - Rs. 19000. The original seats on the car started to show signs of age and the car badly needed a seat upgrade. I got artificial leather seats which were snug fit for the civic seats. Covers were also included for front and rear arm rests.

2. Headlamps: Rs. 18000. The stock headlamps were sufficient for city use. However on two laned highways at night, the headlamps were not sufficient and I struggled a little bit to drive. Hence, I upgraded to Auxbeam LEDs on the regular headlamp assembly. These are not while lights and these do not scatter like the white LEDs on halogen unit setup. These have a tinch of yellow shade and light up the road ahead phenomenally. Also, ensuring that the oncoming traffic is not blinded. The power consumption is also only 35W and hence these do not load the electric systems.

3. Head unit and Audio Upgrade - Rs. 13000 + Rs 32000 This was done in two parts.

First, I moved the pioneer head unit (5190 BT) with apple carplay and android auto from Vento to Civic. Since the day I installed them on Vento, they looked out of place and completely killed the classy dashboard layout of the Vento. When I had sufficient money to buy the RCD 340G+ for the Vento, I moved the Pioneer to Civic. 13000 was for the connection kits (USB interface and volume control on rear seat armrest), labour and the panel to fit the Pioneer unit in Civic.

Pioneer 5190BT on Vento - Completely spoiling the classy dashboard layout.


RCD 340 G+ bringing back the glory in Vento


Pioneer 5190 BT in Civic


Since I installed the Pioneer HU in Civic, I started to feel the need to upgrade the audio. I am a person who loves clarity in low, mid and highs and mild bass. So, these are the things I did.

1. Installed two component speakers with a two channel amp in the front.
2. Insulated the door pads from inside to avoid rattles and vibrations.
3. Under seat sub woofer (infinity brand) with bass adjuster.

I left the coaxial speakers in the rear untouched. They were functioning well. All these changes costed me Rs. 32000 inclusive of labor and game me a fulfilling experience. It took almost a day to tune the system to my liking post the install.

Work in progress pic


Under the seat subwoofer


4. Bumper painting and polishing (Rs. 10000), Interior Germkleen (Rs. 3000).

In the initial days, I made a few getting used to marks on the front and rear bumpers of the civic. This is the first car of this size I am driving and made a couple of marks. The car also came with a few marks on the front bumper when I bought her. Once I felt confident of the car's dimensions, I went ahead, resprayed the bumpers got her detailed both interior and exterior.

An example mark, the first car I put on her


After the painting and detailing



5. CR70 Films and Anti glare tint on the windscreen - Rs. 9500. The reason for this install was privacy and heat from the front wind screen was burning the thigh while driving. Got it sorted with these two installs.

My go to place for cosmetic upgrades is Jeewaajee car decors in Anna Nagar Chennai. I have been doing business with them since I had my Wagon R and the owner Matheen definitely has a Customer first approach. His advises on things I do not have idea on are almost always spot on.

P.S. I have no affiliation with Jeewaajee but, all my referrals to Jeewaajee have been happy and no bad experience yet.

6. Orbiz F1 get plates front and back - Rs. 3300 The plates which came stock with the car had lots of vibrations and also looked a bit dated. Hence, I went with the new trend of gel plates and they look absolutely fab on the civic. A small mention on the orbiz and their customer service. You can get on whatsapp and get the plate customized to your liking before making the payment. Also, they usually dispatch the plates in under 24 hours and the plates reach well packed in courier in under 72 hours. Great service from team Orbiz so far.







Maintenance Expenses

Total Expense - Rs. 24,603

The car has been absolutely light on the pocket. The number might suggest otherwise but, I can explain. The average regular maintenance expense has been between ~3500 - ~4500 for every 5000 kms. The things that consumed major chunk were the engine bed and transmission oil. I was aware of the weak engine bed when I purchased the car and got it replaced in the first 5000 kms service. Since then the car needed only regular maintenance with no surprises. However, with the age of the car these are the few things that I notice.

1. Suspension will be due for replacement in another 15000 kms.
2. Rotors and pads in another 10000 kms.
3. Door rubber beading in another 10000 kms.

I was ready to replace the discs and pads in the last service. However, friendly service advisor (Mr. Pradeesh) at Capital Honda said, they can easily run for another 10K kms and prevented me from hurrying into replacement. He also said, 5000 kms is too short a service interval for this car and asked me to bring the car in every 6 months/ 10K kms. I was never charged a penny extra for anything and the advise and explanation of work carried out on the car by Capital Honda is simply phenomenal. I will never go elsewhere for service. For both Vento and Punto I have moved out of OEM garages but, I will stick to Capital Honda for Civic. In addition to this, old civic, accords and CRVs command certain respect from inside the service centres. These cars are legends for a reason!

Living with the used Civic AT

Driving in traffic is a breeze and driving on open highways is super fun. The best part is that the car does all of this without any drama. The passengers inside are cocooned with good and supportive seats, a good working air conditioner and the sexy tuned suspension. The steering is small and feelsome. The only fly in the ointment is the gearbox (AT). It whines when revved hard and is slow to reach when you need a sudden downshift. However, the paddle shifters solve the problem of downshifting.

The car is super reliable and it has become the go to car when 4 or 5 people in the family wants to travel together. A certificate to the car's reliability is, I took my 7 months pregnant wife on her baby moon trip to Bengaluru, Mysuru, Bandipur and back to Chennai without worrying about anything. The suspension tuning is also spot on with no sharp impacts filtering into the cabin. Not once the car has caused any trouble, not even a flat tyre. Such is the reputation built by Honda and its cars in the past which, the new age so called Hondas are cashing on!

The problem is mostly for elders as they have to literally drop into the seats. Getting in and out is difficult but, once they are seated in, they are comfortable. The trouble again come in when they have to get out of the car. However, opening the doors for the elders, helping them get in and get out is our duty and we also get blessed for such deeds.

Also, we have to be extremely cautious when the car is packed with 5 adults on board when tackling speed brakers and bad roads. Slightest of carelessness can have the underbelly scraped.


A tragedy the car escaped
In my previous job, I had to park my car in the open. My car narrowly escaped a tree fall into the open parking. The tree fell 5 minutes after I left for home damaging other cars in the vicinity!





Thanks to god, I have a covered parking in the basement now and the car is safe next to a pillar.



However, the covered parking came with its own set of problems. Something leaked on the car and this required a machine rubbing exercise to get it removed! These two incidents made me look on top before I park the car every time even if it is a covered parking.

The leak


Cleaned after a thorough rubbing exercise


Here's looking to another beautiful year with the Civic. This year I am sure, the part replacements will contribute to be the highest on the expense roster. I will keep the thread posted. Hope you all enjoyed reading the thread and could get an information or two from my experience.

Civic has also given me the "Civic Expert" tag among my friends. Anyone considering a used Civic first calls me now.

Here are a couple of parting shots until my next update
Unusual fog in Chennai




Ayudha Pooja 2K19


Random Shot after parking


Outside my residence

[Chitta Pradhan]

Hi
A MT Civic, 44 k done only, 2007 model , seems to be well maintained, owner a doctor , is available in OLX in my area at Cuttack, Odisha @ 3.05 lacs. I have not inspected the car yet. After the lock down is over, will have a look. Is it worth considering? The rate quoted seems to be ok. Should I consider such an old car, if maintained well?
Please suggest.

[Kashish]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

Hi
A MT Civic, 44 k done only, 2007 model , seems to be well maintained, owner a doctor , is available in OLX in my area at Cuttack, Odisha @ 3.05 lacs.

3 Lacs is a lot of money for a 2007 MT Civic. I bought a December 2006 well maintained Civic two years ago for 1.5 lacs. You shouldn't be paying anything more than 1.5 - 1.75 Lacs for this car. 3 lacs would comfortably get you a post-2010 model with a better rear suspension of the facelift Civic.

[NTO]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

Is it worth considering? The rate quoted seems to be ok. Should I consider such an old car, if maintained well?
Please suggest.

I completely agree with Kashish.
Even if it is well maintained, it is very expensive. Also, Pre facelift models had some issues with the steering hydraulic pump and the rear suspension. You should be getting good post 2010 models for this price, if MT and an AT for 75K to 1 lac more. I have been seeing examples, very well maintained, 2010 and above for BHPian Astonite for around 4 lacs. Look out for more, have patience and it'll land you a good car. My advise, don't go for it.

[Chitta Pradhan]

Thanks both Kashish & NTO for the useful info. I was not aware of the issues associated with pre 2010 models. Couple of MT cars of 2011 & 2012 are also available @ 3.30 lacs to 4 lacs. One AT too of 2012 is available @ 6 lacs which is probably too expensive. Will have a look at those. I may need a 2nd car for about two/three yrs, and I was really surprised to find cars in the class of Civic at mouth watering prices. So planning to take a plunge at something, which I can not afford new, and sametime one segment above my Verna. I am actually in search of a VFM used car, which I will dispose after 2/3 yrs with minimum of loss. Also looking at Linea & Fiesta which are available at pretty low prices. But definitely 1st preference will be Civic, if I find a good one.
Can you please tell, when exactly the face lifted model came, so that I can only search Civics post that.
Thanks

[Kashish]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

Can you please tell, when exactly the face lifted model came, so that I can only search Civics post that.

The facelift model came in around somewhere in 2009 from what I remember. You could have a look at models from 2010 onwards. Though the Civic of this vintage is cheaper to buy do remember that it will be expensive to maintain especially at the ASS. The spare parts cost big money and nothing is cheap to fix except for routine service.

Apart from looking at the Linea, Fiesta you could also consider the City Ivtec. Clean examples with low odo reading can be had for 3-4 Lacs from 2012/13 vintage. The 1.5L engine is a sweet revving engine and the car would be more frugal with cheaper maintenance, more reliability and reduced insurance costs(difference of more than 10K a year) when compared to the Civic. You could spice things up by adding a better intake, a free flow exhaust, fatter tyres, etc to increase the fun quotient of the car and enjoy revving it hard. The city will also have better resale value and will be easier to sell down the line after 3 years when compared to the other cars on your list.

If you are okay with higher maintenance costs and can put in a little time of yours on the car, look no further than the Civic. She will never fail to plaster a smile across your face.

[NTO]

Originally Posted by Kashish

The facelift model came in around somewhere in 2009 from what I remember. You could have a look at models from 2010 onwards. Though the Civic of this vintage is cheaper to buy do remember that it will be expensive to maintain especially at the ASS. The spare parts cost big money and nothing is cheap to fix except for routine service.

I agree that parts are and will be expensive in the future. However, from a reliability POV, there aren't much parts that can fail. Only the wear and tear parts like the engine bed, belts, disc rotors etc will need replacement at the end of their useful life. Other than that regular service will have your Civic up and running.

I would like to add to Kashish's comment on Fiesta and Linea. Both are beautiful cars however, I have a Punto and can safely say that service in ASS and part availability is a pain. So will be the case with Linea. Also, ergonomically, Linea is not a very comfortable car to drive. Punto in my house is majorly used by my younger brother and I for a reason have not gotten a comfortable position to drive the car even today. The long travel clutch, congested pedal placement and in your face steering are major contributors to killing the comfort. I believe part availability will not be easy and also the cost of parts will be expensive in Fiesta. Also, selling Fiesta/ Linea after three years will be unimaginable hassle, let alone poor resale value.

City is a safer bet as Kashish suggested but, Civic is not too far behind in terms of ease of maintenance. Also, Civic has better mod capabilities and significantly more fun to drive than the city.

The logic is simple, NA engine and not many electronics, the chance of failure gets very less. In addition to this, Hondas of yester years are extremely reliable.

[Dippy]

Hey NTO,

Been following your thread from the beginning and its nice to see you are enjoying the Civic ownership. Even I have a 2012 V automatic that we bought pre owned in 2014. It had done 15,000 km when we bought it. Today it stands at 87,000 kms.

I took up the Anytime Warranty from Honda and it has been a boon. I share a great relationship with my service centre but at the same time Honda has been very forthcoming in changing parts under warranty. AC cooling coil, power steering parts , key transmitter and some others all were changed under warranty.

This warranty is now offered for upto 10 years or 1,00,000 kms. If you havent, I would suggest you buy that. Its fantastic peace of mind. Of course you renew it every year, once your 2+2 warranty expires.

My Civic is now due for a suspension overhaul, new tyres, repair of some worn out leather and paint touch ups. Waiting for this lockdown to end.

Once the above is done, I will be hanging on to the car for quite some time to come. Along with the Polo GT TSI, the garage is good for now.

Wish you many happy miles

[NTO]

Originally Posted by Dippy

Hey NTO,

Been following your thread from the beginning and its nice to see you are enjoying the Civic ownership. Even I have a 2012 V automatic that we bought pre owned in 2014. It had done 15,000 km when we bought it. Today it stands at 87,000 kms.

I took up the Anytime Warranty from Honda and it has been a boon. I share a great relationship with my service centre but at the same time Honda has been very forthcoming in changing parts under warranty. AC cooling coil, power steering parts , key transmitter and some others all were changed under warranty.

This warranty is now offered for upto 10 years or 1,00,000 kms. If you havent, I would suggest you buy that. Its fantastic peace of mind. Of course you renew it every year, once your 2+2 warranty expires.
Wish you many happy miles

That is a great piece of advise sir. Thank you very much. Once this lockdown ends I will inquire and get this warranty done.

Thank you for the kind words.

Mine will be due for a suspension overhaul and brake rotor replacement in 10K kms/ one year. The car is fabulous. Wishing you too a many more happy miles.

GT TSi and the Civic having identical torque outputs, you should be the best person to comment on the NA versus Turbo thread. Link to the thread (Naturally-aspirated vs turbo-charged petrol engine! What's your pick?)

[Nithesh_M]

Is the insurance difference really 10k between the City and a Civic of nearly a decade ago?

Also have you got a quote on the spares prices as of now? What do you imagine new suspension to cost inclusive of labour?

[NTO]

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

Is the insurance difference really 10k between the City and a Civic of nearly a decade ago?

Also have you got a quote on the spares prices as of now? What do you imagine new suspension to cost inclusive of labour?

I don't think the difference in insurance will be that much. My civic at 5.25 IDV, I paid Rs. 15K for insurance this year. Regarding the quote, all components inclusive of labor should set you back by close to 1 lac.

[Kashish]

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

Is the insurance difference really 10k between the City and a Civic of nearly a decade ago?

Out of the 10K difference, 5.5K is towards the difference in 3rd party insurance premium due to the difference in engine size and the remaining amount could be due to the difference in car segment considering 0% NCB due to pre-owned purchase.

Originally Posted by NTO

Regarding the quote, all components inclusive of labor should set you back by close to 1 lac.

Instead of getting the suspension overhaul done at the ASS, you could also consider getting the same done at any competent FNG using TRW parts for half the cost. Attaching a sheet I had compiled last year for your reference indicating the cost of some spares.

Honda Civic Spare Parts.xlsx

[spd_tkt]

This is just perfect. I was planning to sell my almost brand new Swift and buy something a little more exciting where I can have more fun without an emi. The Civic was a top contender since I considered a Polo GT tsi and did some math.

Compared to the Polo GT tsi, the Civic offers

- a higher rpm range that too in Honda vtec fashion for a more engaging drive

- a honest to good 5 speed manual again, for a more engaging drive

- organ type accelerator pedal, I am a sucker for those

- better space at the rear and the slight convenience of a three box sedan

- unlike the German understated looks of Walter de silva era Polo, the Civic has some futuristic, yet Japanese design that has stood the test of time imho and still looks contemporary

- better power to weight ratio and similar fuel economy

- A more engaging chassis - not in terms of stability that Polo offers but more about agility, more engaging when changing direction

- super cheap to buy, cant afford a decent tsi without some emi options

- reliability Japanese NA manual vs German turbocharged DSG

So basically it looks good, is more engaging to drive and yet cheaper to buy and maintain (?)

And btw, one of the other cars I considered was the Fiesta S which is also now in the home page!