2008 - 2010 Honda Civic Saloon 1.8 Petrol.

tom_tarbucket

Hi,

Thinking of buying a 2008-2010 Honda Civic Saloon 1.8 Petrol.

Unsure yet as to whether to go manual or automatic.
Tax on either seems to be 570.

Generally speaking, are these a reliable car?

StereoSound

It's a Honda, I wouldn't expect anything less then reliable. I did look into one of these back in the day, I didn't like the front end of them so I didn't buy it.

kennethsmyth

I have the 2007 car (same as 08 to 10) 1.8. Love it same fuel efficency as 1.4 unless you have heavy foot and the engine suits well. Very comfortable and lots of gear in car. Bullet proof - 2007 tax is 725 or so (for the very same car as 2008 570!)

Ensure paint is good as some early cars were affected with thin paint in areas that allow chips/rust.

Good car simply

Parchment

I have a 06 1.4 petrol Civic. Its a great car - i am a Honda fan and this only sealed the deal. Light on petrol, comfy to drive, i feel safe in it, very roomy - we often have 3 bicycles in the back (the seats flatten to a flatbed), light bulbs easy to access etc.. It has 120k on the clock and the mechanic who serviced it said it was pleasure to service and needed nothing.

I have had it for 3 years now - bought it secondhand. Only had to replace a light bulb on it. You wont go wrong buying one. I love the look of the car too - its unusual and striking.

tom_tarbucket

Thanks all, good reading so far

Did I hear something that the Civic hatchback is manufactured in the UK and the Saloon is manufactured in Japan. And supposedly the Saloon is more reliable.

kennethsmyth

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

Thanks all, good reading so far

Did I hear something that the Civic hatchback is manufactured in the UK and the Saloon is manufactured in Japan. And supposedly the Saloon is more reliable.

I thought that was a myth, doesn't really matter anyway as honda reliability is legendary no matter where built. I have friends who are mechanics and one is even a toyota mech and he regards honda as better built than toyota, hence why honda is one of the more expensive jap brands though.

colm_mcm

My friend has a saloon. I have a hatch and mines needed less work by a good bit. Could just be the way they're driven too.
The saloon is built in Japan alright. It's not nearly as cleverly designed as the hatchback but does have independent rear suspension which the hatch doesn't have. Can't say I've noticed it making a difference.
I'd go manual on either the hatch or the saloon. The saloon has a better auto box but the 6 speed manual is a lovely gearbox.

tom_tarbucket

Thanks. Was the engine updated or changed in any of these years from 2008-2010?

(You know the way some cars have bad stories with engine X and then engine Y is way better...............or worse etc)

Toyotafanboi

I've a 07 1.8 hatch too, had it since June '16 and put 25k on it so far and it's been faultless, handy on fuel too.

I think they switched autoboxes and 07 was the last year they used i-shift. Mine is an i-shift and it's just about acceptable, I wouldn't buy another. It's the only let down really. If it was a conventional torque converter style auto it would be a much better car.

Cee-Jay-Cee

kennethsmyth wrote: »

I have the 2007 car (same as 08 to 10) 1.8. Love it same fuel efficency as 1.4 unless you have heavy foot and the engine suits well. Very comfortable and lots of gear in car. Bullet proof - 2007 tax is 725 or so (for the very same car as 2008 570!)

Ensure paint is good as some early cars were affected with thin paint in areas that allow chips/rust.

Good car simply

Tax for pre 08 is €636.

They're an extremely reliable car, there are no known issues with them and they're also very easy to work on. I was very tempted by one but went for a uk Mazda 6 2.0i instead but test drove four 1.8 civic saloons. They're a lovely car, solid and steady on the road and the engine has bags of power when needed. I checked the average fuel consumption on the 4 I test drove and they were all averaging 38-42mpg.

My brothers mother in law has one too, it's 08 and she's had it since new and it now has 105k miles on it. It has never been in for repair to a garage/mechanic. It's on it's original clutch and still drives like a brand new car.

kennethsmyth

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

I've a 07 1.8 hatch too, had it since June '16 and put 25k on it so far and it's been faultless, handy on fuel too.

I think they switched autoboxes and 07 was the last year they used i-shift. Mine is an i-shift and it's just about acceptable, I wouldn't buy another. It's the only let down really. If it was a conventional torque converter style auto it would be a much better car.

Yep the manual is actually very good and quick snickity snick, the rear suspension on the saloon is independant and I find it better over the rougher ground otherwise known as roads in ireland. I do like some of the cleverness of the hatch but saloon has space saver spare and hatch (or at least all the ones i looked at have foam injector system) Seats in saloon are much more comfy though. The 1.8 is single overhead cam but has vtec and loves to be reved. Double cam is not needed on this engine and if it was it would be closer to a type r! (friend has 1.8 type r integra - he's 40:D)

I thought I'd like the hatch better but actually i love the fact we got the saloon - keep away from the rma prius type though as the 1.8 is perfect for this car

q85dw7osi4lebg

What mpg are you guys reporting from the 1.8 approx?

kennethsmyth

Around 7.3L per 100km or 38/39 mpg it can do better though

colm_mcm

I was getting 43mpg but now I'm working in the city it's dipped to 37.
Saloon is a tiny bit harder on juice but not a lot.

Gotham Knight

Aurelia Zealous Pub wrote: »

What mpg are you guys reporting from the 1.8 approx?

I have an 07 hatchback 1.8, which I only drive around the city now and I get about 32 mpg. On longer runs I used to average around 40 mpg.

q85dw7osi4lebg

Thanks. Averaging 26 mpg over the last 12 months, would need 40mpg combined to justify buy something else, will stick this on the long shortlist!

tom_tarbucket

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

I've a 07 1.8 hatch too, had it since June '16 and put 25k on it so far and it's been faultless, handy on fuel too.

I think they switched autoboxes and 07 was the last year they used i-shift. Mine is an i-shift and it's just about acceptable, I wouldn't buy another. It's the only let down really. If it was a conventional torque converter style auto it would be a much better car.

What autobox is in the Saloon?

tom_tarbucket

colm_mcm wrote: »

I was getting 43mpg but now I'm working in the city it's dipped to 37.
Saloon is a tiny bit harder on juice but not a lot.

presume this is the manual car?

tom_tarbucket

Gotham Knight wrote: »

I have an 07 hatchback 1.8, which I only drive around the city now and I get about 32 mpg. On longer runs I used to average around 40 mpg.

manual?

colm_mcm

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

What autobox is in the Saloon?

Sausage and chips torque converter.

colm_mcm

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

presume this is the manual car?

Yes. Manual hatchback. The auto in the hatchback gives identical mpg though.

tom_tarbucket

colm_mcm wrote: »

Sausage and chips torque converter.

Whats the reliability like on this particular Civic auto box, do you know?

colm_mcm

Far as I know there aren't any issues with that auto box.
It is only 4 speed though vs 6 on the manual.

tom_tarbucket

colm_mcm wrote: »

Far as I know there aren't any issues with that auto box.
It is only 4 speed though vs 6 on the manual.

4 speed seems fairly 80's

Would this affect MPG or make it jerky, very loud when accelerating etc

JohnBoy26

kennethsmyth wrote: »

I thought that was a myth, doesn't really matter anyway as honda reliability is legendary no matter where built. I have friends who are mechanics and one is even a toyota mech and he regards honda as better built than toyota, hence why honda is one of the more expensive jap brands though.

It was the case years ago that the jap built hondas were better. The uk built 6thgen civic was very reliable but still was not as reliable as it's jap built counterpart. The same with the american built coupe, a few minor issues that you just wouldn't see on the jap built civics.

The reliability gap was widened further with the release of the7th gen civic. The uk built models were far more prone to gearbox issues and power steering problems.

colm_mcm

The OP is looking at 8th gen Civics though. I honestly don't think the FD saloon is any more reliable than the hatch.

JohnBoy26

colm_mcm wrote: »

The OP is looking at 8th gen Civics though. I honestly don't think the FD saloon is any more reliable than the hatch.

The early ones were anyway The uk 8th gen civics had build quality problems at the start. For example leaking rear split screens, rust around the front windscreen and various other issues.

tom_tarbucket

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

The early ones were anyway The uk 8th gen civics had build quality problems at the start. For example leaking rear split screens, rust around the front windscreen and various other issues.

So this only applies to civic hatchbacks yeah ?

colm_mcm

Yes. Hatchbacks without the panoramic roof.

tom_tarbucket

So essentially overall the civic saloon 1.8 petrol from 2008-2010 in either manual or auto should be reliable enough.

kay 9

Have a 06 civic fd1 and can't fault it. 34-48 mpg, about 38-40 being my average. A decent 140bhp and surprisingly torquey for a petrol, reliability and comfort. From 07- Honda installed "esc" (electronic stability control) and it can give a little trouble. Shock mounts are another, but these are minor repairs in comparison to other brands problems. The valve clearance may need adjustment but it's a relatively easy diy.
I'm tempted to import an fd2 I like it so much, but the roads in my local area are terrible and the fd2 is stiff.

tom_tarbucket

kay 9 wrote: »

Have a 06 civic fd1 and can't fault it. 34-48 mpg, about 38-40 being my average. A decent 140bhp and surprisingly torquey for a petrol, reliability and comfort. From 07- Honda installed "esc" (electronic stability control) and it can give a little trouble. Shock mounts are another, but these are minor repairs in comparison to other brands problems. The valve clearance may need adjustment but it's a relatively easy diy.
I'm tempted to import an fd2 I like it so much, but the roads in my local area are terrible and the fd2 is stiff.

Thanks. Good to hear another happy customer. Decent mpg. Presume yours is manual too. Oh, nice to hear it has a bit of torque.


What does "fd" stand for/mean ?

colm_mcm

FD is the chassis code for thst generation saloon civic. FD1 is 1.8, FD2 is 2.0

tom_tarbucket

Anybody have any real world examples of MPG (and driving style) in the real world with a 1.8 Saloon Automatic ?

colm_mcm

Very few people would have bought the 1.8 auto over the hybrid when they were new.

kay 9

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

Anybody have any real world examples of MPG (and driving style) in the real world with a 1.8 Saloon Automatic ?

I'd take a guess the auto box would be about 5-10% thirstier. Worst you'd achieve is 32-34 best 44 or so. Pick an average from the middle. You stand to save a fortune due to the reliability though

Ps. Mine's a manual

j14

I had a 1.8 civic Type S from new for 10 years. I only traded it in because I needed a bigger care. I never had any problems with it in 10 years. I didn't service it as often as I should have and as far as I can remember there was about 180k on the clock and I averaged about 38 mpg. One thing to watch for is that they have timing chains and it should be done around that kind of mileage. It's an expensive job so it might be worth asking if it was done or get it done by them before you buy.

tom_tarbucket

Thanks. Anyone know if the auto box is reliable ?

colm_mcm

j14 wrote: »

I had a 1.8 civic Type S from new for 10 years. I only traded it in because I needed a bigger care. I never had any problems with it in 10 years. I didn't service it as often as I should have and as far as I can remember there was about 180k on the clock and I averaged about 38 mpg. One thing to watch for is that they have timing chains and it should be done around that kind of mileage. It's an expensive job so it might be worth asking if it was done or get it done by them before you buy.

Timing chains don't have a replacement interval. Unless the car was ran dry of oil, it should outlive the driver.

walus

I've 160k kilometres on this engine. Runs like new. Had Subaru and Toyota with similar mileages but Honda beats them full stop in terms of how the engine runs.

kay 9

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

Thanks. Anyone know if the auto box is reliable ?

Might be worth checking over on civinfo forums about the auto box. I'd say it's fine but worth checking for peace of mind. Oil should be cherry red

Toyotafanboi

Again, hatchback, but still 1.8 auto, i've stopped keeping my fuelly account, but the trip computer average in the dash over the 25k kms i've had the car is 6.2 l/100/km which is 45mpg ish 75% motorway driving, 25% stop start traffic. When I am on the motorway I like to keep the pace around 130kmh, i'm sure some small effort could see the car do 50mpg.

The car often reckons it can do 1000km after I fill it up but by the time i'm done driving on, I get 550-600km to 3/4 of a tank.

colm_mcm

The automated manual in the hatch is a whole other thing to the torque converter in the saloon though.

tom_tarbucket

colm_mcm wrote: »

The automated manual in the hatch is a whole other thing to the torque converter in the saloon though.

how exactly ?

more economical, less economical etc ?

Toyotafanboi

Torque converters I believe are supposed to be less economical due to whatever witchcraft doesn't go on in a torque converter.

The automated manual is a 6 speed too, what is the torque conveter? In 6th @ 120kmh i'm only doing around 2750rpm iirc.

colm_mcm

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

how exactly ?

more economical, less economical etc ?

The auto in the hatchback can be more economical than the manual in some scenarios

tom_tarbucket

colm_mcm wrote: »

The auto in the hatchback can be more economical than the manual in some scenarios

oh right, then I presume the standard auto in the Saloon will be less economical than the manual.

cerastes

So there are two types of automatic, a standard CVT and an automatic manual?
Would it be likely the final! Gear ratio be the same?

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Torque converters I believe are supposed to be less economical due to whatever witchcraft doesn't go on in a torque converter.

The automated manual is a 6 speed too, what is the torque conveter? In 6th @ 120kmh i'm only doing around 2750rpm iirc.

Is there a clutch pedal in the automated manual? Presumably not. Is there any way of allowing the car to operate fully automatic? My wife can only drive an auto and while I'm happy to drive an auto, I'd prefer one with features of a manual, like better mpg than a standard auto, this car seems to have this?

colm_mcm wrote: »

The auto in the hatchback can be more economical than the manual in some scenarios

What scenarios? Are there estate/touring versions of these cars? If this is the hatchback I'm thinking if it seems small, estates suit my needs better than a saloon, but I like the look of the saloon.

colm_mcm

What scenarios

I'll give you an example.
The system Honda uses is very similar to the MMT/Multimode that Toyota use. It's basically a regular gearbox with actuators for the clutch and gear linkages. So, there's no power lost through the transmission as you'd have on a torque converter.
They usually program them to do well in emissions cycle testing, so they'll change up early etc. So in toyotas case, the MMT versions often had lower euro cycle co2 emissions than the manuals because of the way the gearbox changed gear early.
This is why cars have gear shift indicators these days too AFAIK.

The problem is that they're rubbish.

Is there a clutch pedal in the automated manual? Presumably not. Is there any way of allowing the car to operate fully automatic? My wife can only drive an auto and while I'm happy to drive an auto, I'd prefer one with features of a manual, like better mpg than a standard auto, this car seems to have this?

There's no clutch pedal, but there's a tiptronic style +/- function for the gears on the lever, so you can manually select gears if you want.

This is the MMT shifter on a Corolla Verso, same basic idea as the Honda

Are there estate/touring versions of these cars? If this is the hatchback I'm thinking if it seems small, estates suit my needs better than a saloon, but I like the look of the saloon.

They do the I-Shift in the hatchback
They do traditional torque converter in the 1.8 saloon
They do CVT transmission in th 1.3 Hybrid saloon

They didn't do an estate in that generation civic, but the current (soon to be old) model has a Tourer version.

cerastes

colm_mcm wrote: »

I'll give you an example.
The system Honda uses is very similar to the MMT/Multimode that Toyota use. It's basically a regular gearbox with actuators for the clutch and gear linkages. So, there's no power lost through the transmission as you'd have on a torque converter.
They usually program them to do well in emissions cycle testing, so they'll change up early etc. So in toyotas case, the MMT versions often had lower euro cycle co2 emissions than the manuals because of the way the gearbox changed gear early.
This is why cars have gear shift indicators these days too AFAIK.

The problem is that they're rubbish.



There's no clutch pedal, but there's a tiptronic style +/- function for the gears on the lever, so you can manually select gears if you want.

This is the MMT shifter on a Corolla Verso, same basic idea as the Honda




They do the I-Shift in the hatchback
They do traditional torque converter in the 1.8 saloon
They do CVT transmission in th 1.3 Hybrid saloon

They didn't do an estate in that generation civic, but the current (soon to be old) model has a Tourer version.

Seems an odd offering of gear options? So long as there is a fully automatic version as anything with gears even automatic manual would be too much additional work for my other half, who is used to fully automatic cars. Odd that the increase gear? Direction seems to be what I'd consider should be drop down a gear in that MMT image.

colm_mcm

They operate as a conventional auto if you want.
No way I'd buy one though.