Looking to buy an 8th gen Honda Civic

SpitfireIV

Hi all,

So the time would come it'd seem to give up my trusty ol' 98 Starlet that I've been knocking about in (far and wide) for the past nine years. €500 well spent! But time (and 'serious structural corrosion') are against her and she'll be retired to somewhere safe I hope to be given a new lease of life in future years!! 😀

So I'm on the lookout for a 'newer' car and have my heart set on the 8th Gen Honda Civic (2006-2011) model, why? Because I think they're a beautiful car, well proportioned, unique, stylish and a nice place to be seated as well as reliable (?!) Any models after that just bloated out and look unnecessary.

Convince me otherwise?

Anyone have one? Any thing I should be aware of, look out for or about? I'm just looking for a bog standard 1.4 but damn they're hard to find! Where are they hiding...

colm_mcm

I had a 1.8 one for 7 years. Never missed a beat.
The 1.4 models are very slow, so I’d be going 1.8 as a minimum.
Post 2008 have cheaper tax.
Suspension is quite firm on them, so if you’re after a comfy cruiser that can fly over speed bumps there’s probably better out there.

Toyotafanboi

Here we go again

They were for a while the sensible boardsies go to vehicleof choice :pac:

I had a 1.8 one for around 3 years. Would strongly recommend the 1.8 although i've never owned or driven a 1.4 i would say it's worth the extra tax on a pre 08 and the tax is only €390 i think on a post 08 1.8.

Had no real issues with mine in that time, put around 60k kms on it iirc and outside of servicables all i can remember is one brake caliper on the front.

Pan roofs were popular in them and make a nice car of them so try to hold out for one with one fitted if possible.

Rickwellwood

Have one 3 years great car pan roof is great ... only ever driven 1.8 (engine in mine) -- its lively ;-) Great for longer commutes regularly getting >45mpg

Things to check: worn rear disks, all a/c components work fully -- condenser, if shot, very expensive, FM radio dodgy reception.

Great handling on 17" factory alloys on low profiles. +1 on the firm ride. Tax on the 1.8i is 400 p.a. Plan to keep mine until the engine falls out.

Highly recommended esp with pan roof and other creature comforts ;-)

Zurbaran

Another shout for the 1.8 petrol. Great car and they still look great from the outside. Haven’t sat in one in years but I bet they still look fairly modern other than they don’t have a screen in the centre.

As mentioned they are a bit sharp on bumps but then they would be better than a starlet in that respect and for comfort all round.

newmember2

Zurbaran wrote: »

Another shout for the 1.8 petrol. Great car and they still look great from the outside. Haven’t sat in one in years but I bet they still look fairly modern other than they don’t have a screen in the centre.

As mentioned they are a bit sharp on bumps but then they would be better than a starlet in that respect and for comfort all round.

Had a 1.8 saloon here and although a little firm over bumps I found the suspension compliant enough but just in no way what you might call plush. I found the engine zippy enough but found it runs out of puff fairly quick. Fairly bulletproof motor and comes with fairly good standard spec.

SpitfireIV

Cheers for the feed back guys!

To be honest while I'd like the extra spec and performance of the 1.8 I couldn't justify spending over €600 a year on tax compared to €280 with s later 08 1.3. I know I'm sacrificing the driving experience but I'm alright with that.

The search goes on...

Toyotafanboi

An 08 1.8 is only €390 i think. If you're budget will take you to an 08 it's definitely a no brianer, you'll still get close to 40mpg in the 1.8 they are very handy on fuel.

SpitfireIV

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

An 08 1.8 is only €390 i think. If you're budget will take you to an 08 it's definitely a no brianer, you'll still get close to 40mpg in the 1.8 they are very handy on fuel.

Ah, ok, well that changes things alright

.red.

We have one here, the 1.3/1.4 model.
It's a fantastic car but it's slow, very slow. Put your foot down at 100kph and it doesn't budge.
Personally I don't like the silver console but my wife loves it.
Issues..
a lot of them had a slight electrical fault where the display for the radio comes and goes.
They can have leaks. The back seat belts can be damp and the spare wheel section can get bad too.
Our one has both leaks and the dodgy radio but it really is a great car.
If I was to buy one for myself it would have to be the 2.2 or the 1.8 tho.

Toyotafanboi

What's the budget roughly?

Something like this would be lovely

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honda-civic-1-8-sport-low-tax/26834143

It's a facelift, up in the years a bit, gets the nicer lights, seats, has the arch mouldings colour coded, the all important pan roof, yada yada. It's a UK import but sure you cant have it all :pac: be a fine car if you could get him under 4k for it.

Edit: i see the ABS light is on in that car, nice haggling point. Also reminds me that my own one needed an ABS sensor, passenger side rear at one point.

Also, give is an update on the 4EFE Spitfire.

colm_mcm

That’s a lot for it. I’d swallow the €636 tax and buy an 07 for a grand or €1500 before I’d spend €4250 on a 11 year old one.

Toyotafanboi

That's a fair point, if keeping it as a long term proposition though, getting a fresher car/ newer reg might be nice. Either that or an 06 is only 15 years off classic tax anyway :pac:

Dubsub43

Hi there, i just bought my 2nd 1.4. i bought my first one new in 06 never had a days trouble.
Have gone and bought the 2006 1.4 2nd hand i just love them.
By the way yeah the 1.4 a bit slow but i don't care I'm not out for speed it's the reliability, and tax saving I'm after.
Why get screwed any more than we motorists already are by the tax and insurance in this country.

pajosjunkbox

I have the 2006 1.8 for the last 6 years. If you can stretch to 2008 the tax is 390.
If you plan to keep the car for the long term I would definitely recommend the 1.8. it's more fuel efficient and nicer to drive.
Mine has never missed a beat. They are the sweet spot in the 2nd hand car terms ....

- nice to look at
- cheap to own
- cheap to buy
- ultra reliable
- fuel efficient
- plenty of power.

Best of luck with your search.

David6330

I have a 2010 Honda Civic FD 1.8 (saloon version) and motor tax was €570 last year. Now gone up to €600. Not sure how other people are paying €390 when the engines are the same?

Other than that, nice reliable car and still going strong.

Correction:
Civic FD 1.8 (saloon) motor tax is €570
Civic FN 1.8 (hatchback) motortax is €390

Never realised both were in different C02 bands

SpitfireIV

Thanks for the help guys!

I made a purchase yesterday, went for a 1.4 in the end, to be honest having come from a '98 Starlet (from which I guess many horses bolted a long time ago) its peppy enough for me. Its like stepping out of a go kart and into a spaceship!!



Its a 2008 SE model (despite the standard steel wheels but with very good tyres so they'll suffice for another while) high enough on the mileage front but only a couple of owners and a good service history. Few little jobs to do on it, chief among them tackling that horrid faded grey trim! Might take it off in time and spray it. The front light acrylic in particular will need a good compounding and polishing up also. Otherwise the body is in very good nick, a couple of tiny little bumps on the passenger side rear and a few stone chips, but amazingly few given the milage. Love the color though!!


Toyotafanboi, the Spitfire is, or at least was going grand when I drove it last (which was my wedding day in October just gone ). Unfortunately with the turn of events last year and to date I've not had much chance, or time for that matter to get out to where I have it stored but fingers crossed I'll get to stretch her legs this year and make up for lost enjoyment!!

colm_mcm

Congratulations!

For the trims, there are a few products you can get to have them looking like new. I used to use Polytrol, which is a liquid you rub in. You’d usually get at least 6 months out of it. Costs around €10

Made by a company called Owatrol Ireland, so if you ask them on Facebook theyll tell you who stocks it locally, think you can buy it on their website but my local motor factors does it.

They do a few other products too for woodwork.