Honda Civic "sport" or alternative

rossk26 · 28 Jan 2013 at 11:48

Thinking of the future and money, I'm starting to think about a cheap, sensible car to run. Budget would roughly be £3k or less, with importance on reliability (don't want unexpected bills).

Also:
- Small wheels for cheaper tyres
- Small petrol engine for mpgzzz and less problems (hopefully)
- Cheap tax and insurance
- Still needs to look nice and be nice to drive

This spec screams Ford Focus, but I've had two now, and want something different. I also feel that the low end focus lacks character and looks.

So far I have picked the Honda Civic "sport" LINKY - I use the sport term loosely as it's not really sporty, but I suppose it does have "sporty" looks. I prefer the look of the Civic to the Focus too. However, they do seem more pricey, which is a bad thing. I need something that is going to last for ages, and cost pennies to fix if anything goes wrong. The example above is now 10 years old and £3.5k seems a lot for it's age...

OCUK motors thoughts?

LiE · 28 Jan 2013 at 11:53

I presume the reason for the low budget is you need to release the money from your ST for something?

rossk26 · 28 Jan 2013 at 11:58

LiE said:
I presume the reason for the low budget is you need to release the money from your ST for something?

Deposit for a house.

Life is getting serious :eek:

Syla5 · 28 Jan 2013 at 12:02

if you can find one with full service history, below average mileage, recently serviced good tax, good tyres etc paying 3.5k is fine. That way you shouldnt have to pay anything out for the first year and gives you plenty of time to build up a contingency and add to your house deposit

rodenal · 28 Jan 2013 at 12:28

They're decent enough little cars - a friend has the 5 door 1.6 and it's been bombproof so far. I would have thought that example to be top dollar (even from a trader) for the car, especially seeing as you'll get into an early 1.8 Type S for about £5k - though the ep3 lookey likey ones do seem to command a fair premium over the slightly older still plain looking car.

rossk26 · 28 Jan 2013 at 13:57

So is that particular Civic renowned for reliability? Should I be looking to get something newer with less miles that will potentially last longer?

Honda Accord - I like this too, seems a lot more car for the money!!

Dogbreath · 28 Jan 2013 at 14:48

I wouldn't be worried about reliability. An older chap at work bought a 5 door 1.6 Civic from new and has basically abused and neglected it during his ownership. Very rarely serviced, not a straight panel on it but it has never let him down. Needless to say, no one that values their car parks next to him

One thing I would say is that the Civic probably won't feel quite as nice as the Focus from a driving perspective. The handling is fine, but the electrically assisted steering racks can have too much internal friction which robs the steering of some feel. Some are worse than others though.

The Accord is also a fine car, though the minimum engine size is 1.8 so economy and insurance may cost you more.

As an aside why do dealers say "This car is priced to sell"? That infers their other cars are priced to not sell.

rossk26 · 28 Jan 2013 at 14:59

Thanks for the info, the 1.6 Civic seems to be getting good words.

Dogbreath said:
The Accord is also a fine car, though the minimum engine size is 1.8 so economy and insurance may cost you more.

Economy and Insurance aren't great factors for me at the moment. But I suppose circumstances could change in the future. I currently pay £426 a year for insurance on a Focus ST, I ran a quote for the Civic which was £313.

I work 5 miles away from home (however I will be moving out of course, so this will change). So anything >30mpg is fine, obviously the higher the better. But I wouldn't rule out something based on economy. I think my main priorities are reliability (so I have no unexpected bills) and also looks and driving appeal, because I'm still a petrol head at the end of the day

sovietspybob · 28 Jan 2013 at 15:45

I really like the Accords, i'd be looking at them personally.

rossk26 · 28 Jan 2013 at 16:04

sovietspybob said:
I really like the Accords, i'd be looking at them personally.

I really like them too, I generally feel the Civic and Accord are much better looking cars than the Ford equivalents...

rodenal · 28 Jan 2013 at 16:22

The Accord 2.4 is a decent enough engine and quite a good match for the car, surely that'd get you over 30mpg (not town obviously)?

Bill101 · 28 Jan 2013 at 16:56

Try a test drive in one and see if you can live with the steering, it is not only very light, it also has the turning circle of an oil tanker. Two attempts to get into a supermarket car park space is not cool

Syla5 · 28 Jan 2013 at 17:55

Rossk26 having just come from an st to a 56 plate civic I was actually suprised how well the civic handles, it's got a very good little chassis and in type s spec I am sure would be even better. As for the quality of drive, to be honest if you have even a standard st with no springs on the civic or accord for that matter are more comfortable.

DGBVIPER · 28 Jan 2013 at 19:20

The ep2 1.6 civic is a great little car, cheap to run, easy to live with and really never went wrong in my 2 years of ownership.
I would however look extra closely/listen well to the 'sport' versions with the standard skirts etc as these appeal more to the boy racer types and thus have more chance of being abused a lot of their life.

rossk26 · 29 Jan 2013 at 08:38

Syla5 said:
Rossk26 having just come from an st to a 56 plate civic I was actually suprised how well the civic handles, it's got a very good little chassis and in type s spec I am sure would be even better. As for the quality of drive, to be honest if you have even a standard st with no springs on the civic or accord for that matter are more comfortable.

Thanks Syla,

Would the 56 plate be the newer shape Civic? By the time I come to sell my ST, they may have dropped into my price bracket. I really like the interiors on them, and the Type S does have very nice "sporty" looks!

LiE · 29 Jan 2013 at 10:06

Syla has the new shape.

Outcast · 29 Jan 2013 at 16:26

New shape is called 8th Gen

ie: Spaceship.

And the Honda engines are built for thrashing !!

BlastRadius · 29 Jan 2013 at 16:35

Or if you wanted to save a few quid and stick with the 7th gen then maybe the type s (ev1).
5 door, flat floor pan, loads of internal space, 2.0l 160bhp (k20a3), cruise, half leather, air con, 30mpg easily attainable 35+ on 97 ron ( 40 on a nice run). Looks aren't as good as the ep2, it has a fat posterior and subtle body kit. £200 a year to tax and a rubbish turning circle. Love mine though and quicker than the 8th gen type s.

rossk26 · 29 Jan 2013 at 16:38

I'm starting to really like the Honda Accord

And also Saab 9-3, however would prefer N/A as less problems and better MPGzzzzz

iaind · 29 Jan 2013 at 17:03

rossk26 said:
I'm starting to really like the Honda Accord

And also Saab 9-3, however would prefer N/A as less problems and better MPGzzzzz

Turbos on those arent really prone to problems tbh although if you want bulletproof, cheap to run and worry free then the Honda Civic or Accord is a much more sensible idea