2006/7 Civic

Stephen

Am I right in thinking that the wonderful 2.2 litre i-CTDi engine is not available in Irish Civics but it is available in the UK? That truly sucks if it is the case.

Anyway, I was talking a while back about buying a ~5 year old BMW 3 series early next year, but after tossing the idea around for a few weeks I think I'm going to set my sights on a 1-2 year old new model Civic for the same money. Better economy and cheaper to keep on the road (tax, insurance etc) and the same power output as the Bimmers I was looking at.

Since the diesel appears to be completely unavailable in Ireland, I'm looking at the 1.8 i-VTEC petrol that develops the same power (140bhp) but without all that lovely diesel torque. Not interested in the 1.4 at all.

Has anyone driven the 1.8? What's it like? Do Honda provide any way to cleanly connect an ipod or will I have to go all DIY on it?

The different spec levels on the Honda site seem to be odd combinations, such as ES which appears to be fully loaded but without leather, and Executive which appears to be fully loaded with leather for bugger all more?

Thanks folks

TheOneToBe

I did try 1.8 litter civic, but it was North American model, but same engine. I have 2.0 200 HP, but 140 is very nice. Fuel economy is very low probably on average you can get around 6 litters per 100 km and even it has low torque it is very good combination of every day drive and civic power. Thing to remember about Honda is that they build small natural (no turbo), low torque pocket rockets. There engine and cars last forever, and no need for anything to chance for very long time. I love Hondas and if type R was not that expensive that would be my next purchase (all information is based on 2006 model)

Anan1

I think 6l/100kms may be a bit on the optimistic side.

TheOneToBe

Depends on many factors, I get with 2.0 litter engine around 7-8. I used to have 1.6 civic and on highway I was getting around 5-6 per 100 km. New 1.8 is made that way that consumption is of 1.5 equivalent.

Stephen

Honda Ireland are claiming 6.4l/100km combined cycle for the 1.8. 5.4l/100km extra urban and 8.2l/km urban. Nice. I'd love the 2.2 diesel engine, but there's no sign of availability here My ould fella has it in his accord and gets about 55mpg.

layke

I don't think Honda brought any into Ireland either meaning you'd have to import a 2nd hand model yourself.

Stephen

Yeah, and they're fairly thin on the ground at the moment in the UK car supermarkets too
I'll probably just go for the 1.8 petrol.

pburns

I've been thinking about a 1.8 Civic myself, test-drove one a few weeks ago. The Exec spec isn't that sparse but I kinda expected cruise control. The one I drove had nappa leather - nice...

If VRT is modified to take account of emissions rather than engine capacity (the current system is idiotic!) I think Honda Ireland could be a BIG benificiary. It's engines are oversized for our current system but very efficient. As it is I'm concerned that a 1.8 Civic would be a poor resell even though i reckon it makes sense - good mpg, bhp & CO2 figures from this unit.

I've heard the saloons are sold out in January and can't be got new. They're surprisingly handsome and a 1.8 would be an ideal fit...

lafors

Stephen wrote:

Am I right in thinking that the wonderful 2.2 litre i-CTDi engine is not available in Irish Civics but it is available in the UK? That truly sucks if it is the case.

Anyway, I was talking a while back about buying a ~5 year old BMW 3 series early next year, but after tossing the idea around for a few weeks I think I'm going to set my sights on a 1-2 year old new model Civic for the same money. Better economy and cheaper to keep on the road (tax, insurance etc) and the same power output as the Bimmers I was looking at.

Since the diesel appears to be completely unavailable in Ireland, I'm looking at the 1.8 i-VTEC petrol that develops the same power (140bhp) but without all that lovely diesel torque. Not interested in the 1.4 at all.

Has anyone driven the 1.8? What's it like? Do Honda provide any way to cleanly connect an ipod or will I have to go all DIY on it?

The different spec levels on the Honda site seem to be odd combinations, such as ES which appears to be fully loaded but without leather, and Executive which appears to be fully loaded with leather for bugger all more?

Thanks folks

I have the 1.8 ivtec SE-S saloon (2006).
The diesel is unavailable in ireland, but you could get it in from the north.
The 1.8 is very fast in my opinion. Its 3rd and 4th have very good acceleration. Its 6 speed manual so you can reduce you fuel consumption.

I get on average 34mpg, and I drive the balls out of it.
I have gotten over 40mpg on many journeys when taking it easy.
Got 42.5 going from holyhead-liverpool-holyhead recently.

The spec's are odd alright, I have everything bar leather, and as you said exec has leather and feck all else.

There is no ipod connector, all DIY, BUT I heard a rumor that if you get the concert sound package an aux connector is available in the empty spot under the ciggie lighter.


There are 5 of us in my company who have the new model as our company car and all are very very happy with it. No problems as yet...touch wood.

Any questions feel free to ask.

TheOneToBe

It is funny reading forums when you are from North America. I can only imagine what it would cost to drive 5.0 American car.
It is unfortunate that Honda is not as popular as it is in NA. They make excellent products that just keep going…for example… I used to have 2001 Honda Prelude with 200 HP in it and after 5 years driving it and 98 000 km, only thing that had to be replaced is one light bulb. Brakes were used only around 20 % for that mileage. Outstanding quality especially when comes to engines and transmitions.
I have been driving Honda products for 10 years, and there is a good reason why I did not switch brand…

Cyrus

Stephen wrote:

Am I right in thinking that the wonderful 2.2 litre i-CTDi engine is not available in Irish Civics but it is available in the UK? That truly sucks if it is the case.

Anyway, I was talking a while back about buying a ~5 year old BMW 3 series early next year, but after tossing the idea around for a few weeks I think I'm going to set my sights on a 1-2 year old new model Civic for the same money. Better economy and cheaper to keep on the road (tax, insurance etc) and the same power output as the Bimmers I was looking at.

Since the diesel appears to be completely unavailable in Ireland, I'm looking at the 1.8 i-VTEC petrol that develops the same power (140bhp) but without all that lovely diesel torque. Not interested in the 1.4 at all.

Has anyone driven the 1.8? What's it like? Do Honda provide any way to cleanly connect an ipod or will I have to go all DIY on it?

The different spec levels on the Honda site seem to be odd combinations, such as ES which appears to be fully loaded but without leather, and Executive which appears to be fully loaded with leather for bugger all more?

Thanks folks

okay you looked at 5 year old 3 series and have decided against, how about a 5 year old 530d sport, ?? spank the botty off a 1.8 civic

Stephen

haha yeah, i can feel my wallet self-destructing already at the mere thought of running a 3 litre BMW

TheOneToBe

Another option for you could be Toyota… they make excellent cars!!! Top quality, but a bit boring if you ask me…never the less it could be a good choice…

ChowChow

Just thought I'd throw another idea your way - if you want a motor with good economy (40mpg+), bucket loads of torque and great handling go take a test drive in the new Peugeot 207 GT THP (yes I'm biased, I have one ). It has a 1.6 engine but with a dual scroll turbocharger that gives max torque from only 1500rpm. The build quality is light years ahead of the 206, it probably won't match the reliability of the Honda, but it does come with a 2 year warranty on that front. I traded a 2L Gen 3 Hyundai coupe for this and I've no regrets whatsoever. To top it off, I cannot speak highly enough of the whole buying experience I had with Peugeot main dealer Slattery's of Puckane in Nenagh.

Stephen

Sorry but the peugeot just ain't my bag I don't like the bignose/smiley face/jaws thing all the new ones have going on.

I'm actually going to view a Civic 1.8 ES tomorrow at my local Honda dealer. This has impulse purchase written all over it :eek: I'd link to its carzone page but carzone is being rubbish and not working right now. The one I'm looking at has the following specs:
Light metallic blue colour. 10,500 miles, 6-speed gearbox, 16" alloys, electric windows, remote central locking, climate control, traction control, sports kit, alarm, immob. etc. It doesn't mention it in the ad but since its an ES it should have the glass roof too. Dealer is looking for 25.5k which I think is a bit high since to buy one brand new is €26.8k according to honda.ie.

edit: Carzone's back. http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=673246

I should add that I'd be trading a 2002 Hyundai Coupe FX 1.6 with 69,000 miles against it. Taxed and NCT'd till some time in 2008. Its fairly standard - alloys, sunroof, electric windows, loads of airbags, etc. The only thing that's not standard is that it has a decent Pioneer stereo with discreet (in glove box) ipod kit - the original stereo was stolen, but that too was a (lesser) Pioneer. What do you reckon a dealer would give for that on trade in? I'm thinking that since its a harder-to-shift 1.8 litre civic I might get a slightly better deal from him?

Thanks

JHMEG

Afaik Universal Honda will bring in a diesel if someone orders one via a dealer. But a 2.2 litre Civic and Irish road tax do not make for a good combination.

However you should have no problem picking up a used one in the UK, as long as it's a hatch (saloon body in the UK is hybrid only (which beats the diesel on economy, spec (loaded), and refinement).

bazz26

Stephen wrote:

Sorry but the peugeot just ain't my bag I don't like the bignose/smiley face/jaws thing all the new ones have going on.

I'm actually going to view a Civic 1.8 ES tomorrow at my local Honda dealer. This has impulse purchase written all over it :eek: I'd link to its carzone page but carzone is being rubbish and not working right now. The one I'm looking at has the following specs:
Light metallic blue colour. 10,500 miles, 6-speed gearbox, 16" alloys, electric windows, remote central locking, climate control, traction control, sports kit, alarm, immob. etc. It doesn't mention it in the ad but since its an ES it should have the glass roof too. Dealer is looking for 25.5k which I think is a bit high since to buy one brand new is €26.8k according to honda.ie.

edit: Carzone's back. http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=673246

I should add that I'd be trading a 2002 Hyundai Coupe FX 1.6 with 69,000 miles against it. Taxed and NCT'd till some time in 2008. Its fairly standard - alloys, sunroof, electric windows, loads of airbags, etc. The only thing that's not standard is that it has a decent Pioneer stereo with discreet (in glove box) ipod kit - the original stereo was stolen, but that too was a (lesser) Pioneer. What do you reckon a dealer would give for that on trade in? I'm thinking that since its a harder-to-shift 1.8 litre civic I might get a slightly better deal from him?

Thanks

That Civic in the ad doesn't appear to have the panoramic glass roof.

This one does however, granted it has done a few more miles but the price is more reasonable: http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=700666

Stephen

Well that was a disappointment. Turns out the Civic in the ad is a 1.8 SE-S not ES. And to top that, although the place was open to look around there was not a single sales person there to talk to. Pfft.

Stephen

I test drove this car this morning. Very nice but I'll be holding out for an ES! They're asking for silly money for it too. If I spent 2 grand more than they're looking I could have a brand new ES specced exactly as I want it, instead of their year-and-a-half old ex-demo SE with 16000km on it. The mind boggles.

They offered 12,500 trade in for my '02 Hyundai Coupe 1.6 with 69000 miles and five years worth of wear and tear and small car park dents.

unkel

Stephen wrote:

If I spent 2 grand more than they're looking I could have a brand new ES specced exactly as I want it, instead of their year-and-a-half old ex-demo SE with 16000km on it. The mind boggles

That's just silly. Why don't you just buy the new one then? Civics are very popular in Ireland second hand, so it will probably keep its value reasonably well

Looks like they're offering you a decent trade in too...

Stephen

Yeah I'm considering that at the moment. Buying a new car just feels wrong to me

Andy_R

I bought a new 1.8 ES hatch last year, 40,000 km on the clock now and no problems. Its more economical than the '02 1.4 model I had before and much faster of course. The specs are a bit strange alright, the ES used to be top of the range yet the lower Executive has leather which mine doesn't. There's now an EX model with sat-nav and xenons but no panoramic roof. I would highly recommend any of the 1.8 models.

unkel

Stephen wrote:

Buying a new car just feels wrong to me

Aye, who are you telling?

But for some cars it makes more sense than for others. Depends as well how long you're going to keep it. If it's say two years, a new Civic might not cost you much more than a two year old one. And then there are many benefits of driving a new car. More reliable, under warranty, scratch free, exact spec you want / are willing to pay for, your favourite colour, no NCT to worry about, nice smell, upsetting the next door neighbours with the new plates, etc.

Stephen

I get what you're saying about it making more sense for some types of car than for others. For instance, whoever bought your 7-series panzerwagen new was a nutter

Stephen

OK, I've pretty much decided. I'm going to order a new one

Going back to the dealer tomorrow for a bit of negotiation, wish me luck

.Longshanks.

Maybe im totally way off topic here - but i just couldn't order a new car in June for July deliverly. Would you hold out for Jan?
Personally i even think its mad buying new anytime after March - or is that just me?
Cracking car the new civic thou- new 3 doors are quite cool

Stephen

I plan to keep it for 3 years or so, so I'm not really bothered by having 3 months less of 07-plate snobbery

Stephen

Ordered this morning

It'll be ready next week sometime but I won't be able to pay for it for about 2 weeks. I'll be sitting here drooling until then.

Most colours are unavailable in ES spec for at least 4 months :eek:

The deal was €15k plus my car. List price of the car + options that I'm getting is just about 28k. Apparently Honda now have an ipod kit that can be installed after purchase so I may get that a few months down the line, once I read up about it first!

.Longshanks.

Stephen wrote:

Ordered this morning

It'll be ready next week sometime but I won't be able to pay for it for about 2 weeks. I'll be sitting here drooling until then.

Most colours are unavailable in ES spec for at least 4 months :eek:

The deal was €15k plus my car. List price of the car + options that I'm getting is just about 28k. Apparently Honda now have an ipod kit that can be installed after purchase so I may get that a few months down the line, once I read up about it first!

What colour did you go for? I'd love to see what the dark bronze looks like in person......a friend has a "dark brown" passat and it honestly is the nicest clour of black you could want! I wonder if the Civic dark bronze is similar?

From reading some treads on http://www.civinfo.com the after purchase ipod connection isn't the best - seems it can control up to 7 or so playlists and doesn't display the track names, only the track number. But it still effectively acts as a 20 disc CD changer:D

Congrats on purchase!

Stephen

I went for silver with black/grey interior in the end, as I would have had to wait four months (!) for blue, which was my first choice.

unkel

Stephen wrote:

Ordered this morning

You don't hang about. Good luck with the purchase!

I'll pm you my bank details so as the Honda dealer can transfer the usual commission into my bank account

Stephen

Here she is in the dealer's yard



Hopefully I'll have it later in the week, depending on the bank!

barryfitz

Congratulations Steve!!! Ya mad feck!!! Where did it all go wrong for me thats what I want to know!!

unkel

Well wear!

They're quite cool those wee Civics. I'm really starting to appreciate the bold looks. They're not like anything else Japanese, are they?

Stephen

Well, its confirmed, I pick it up on Wednesday \o/

I can hardly wait

Stephen

Picked it up this morning, I am very happy . The dealer only registered it this morning so I apparently cannot tax it until tomorrow. Also for some reason it was cheaper to switch my insurance (Quinn) over today than it was when they quoted me last week!