Overview & Reviews

Since its launch in 1973, the Honda Civic has been one of the most popular compact cars sold in America. Its success can be attributed in large part to its consistently high level of quality inside and out and its long-standing reputation for reliability and low running costs. Impressive fuel economy and engaging performance have also played a role in making the Civic a top choice for many Americans.

The competition has largely caught up with Honda, though, and there are now many excellent small cars vying for your attention. Still, we continue to recommend the Civic due to its ergonomic interior layout, wide range of models and high resale value. For small-car shoppers in search of a solid used vehicle, the Honda Civic is certainly a smart choice, as its long production run and many variants make it easy to find what you want.

User Reviews:

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  Honda Civic DX Hatchback - 1999 Honda Civic
  By mjlong30 - April 14 - 2:00 am

  Weve put 73,000 miles on it. No major problems. Havent even had to change brake pads yet. Weve pretty much changed the oil every 4 or 5,000 miles, and recently did a coolant and trans flush. Minor problems are that it seems to get small dings in the body easily (we have three), either that or we have especially vicious people in our parking lots. Windshield wipers are poor design. They have never worked well. We may try replacing the whole wiper arms (front and back) It also sometimes takes a couple seconds to turn over, but it has never not started.

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  mpgs - 1997 Honda Civic
  By jb - April 10 - 8:22 pm

  Now that gas is 3.50 my 2001 suburban that gets 11 mpg sits in the driveway I bought the 97 civic from a dealer with 178,000 on it after I week the MPG were 36/40 all the sudden it ran like crap went to the auto parts store and 65.00 later and 15 minutes it was tuned up. It runs perfect and when I checked the MPG I was shocked. 80 on the highway and city driving hard like it was a v8 90% city 10% on the highway my MPG were averaging 43 mpg (The suburban was costing me 120 a week in gas at 3.00/gal) I am so happy with it we bought my wife a 2002 civic and she loves it.

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  Great Car inside and out - 2006 Honda Civic
  By Ph - April 10 - 9:30 am

  I have owned a civic before and decided to by another one and I have to say this is the most spacious interior on a compact car Ive seen. Both in the front and back there is enough room to be seated comfortably.The exterior is sporty and has unique features that bring life to the car. The materials on the inside and mesh well in order to give the the car a unique inside as well. the electronics are simple and top of the line. the digital speedometer and blue radio display are beautiful when lit at night and are easy the eyes. the steering wheel is also cormfortable and the brakes are smooth. There arent blind spots due the large windshield.

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  Reliable beyond belief! - 2006 Honda Civic
  By Greg Kubas - April 10 - 8:54 am

  Never had a problem; overall gas mileage was ~33 mpg (highway and city).

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  Heaven to drive; hell to park! - 2007 Honda Civic
  By William Ream - April 9 - 11:53 pm

  Ive had "Spunky" for less than a year now. Blessings and curses with this metallic blue 2007 Civic sedan are the topic. Inside & outside, this car looks and feels sweet. Sporty yet business worthy, family functional yet mid-life crisis soothing, fuel efficient yet spunky -- I thought this car had it all! The blessings are exactly what Honda would have you to realize...save a buck and fly like a buck through the woods! The curses? Wheel seals to rims: constantly failing while parked on slight lateral inclines. Major cost issue (not under warranty!): the under-carriage shield/bumper assembly fails to clear wheel stops in parking lots causing it to gradually break joints and disengage. Bad!!

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  DX Hatchback - 1998 Honda Civic
  By keotypes - April 9 - 10:00 am

  I purchase this car as a daily driver. It drives great and for such a small car, the ride is pretty good. I like to drive pretty hard and so far the car has taken everything Ive thrown at it with aplomb. It also gets great gas mileage, though at the expense of some performance. Acceleration is only average (especially on hills) and I find myself having to hold onto a gear during acceleration because the gears are so widely spaced, when I shift the rpms drop way out of the powerband. Overall the car drives great, and if Hondas reputation serves me right, it should for quite some time.

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  I cant believe this is a Civic! - 2006 Honda Civic
  By Michael - April 9 - 12:30 am

  I had a 97 Civic before I bought the 06 and in a space of nearly 10 years, its like driving two different types of cars. Honda has done an excellent job of evolving the Civic to a much smoother and enjoyable ride. This is the 1st Civic Ive ever seen that has some style to it and you dont feel like a penny pincher owning it. Ive received several compliments on the color (Galaxy Gray Metallic) and how comfortable it is for passengers in the back. I love my new Civic 06 and am ready for this one to last another 10 years.

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  What mileage? - 2005 Honda Civic
  By joefire - April 8 - 1:25 pm

  Bought this car for mileage. Told by dealer that it must be my driving. I have gotten as low as 16 mpg city and 23 highway. They told me it wasnt broken in yet. Kept driving hoping for an improvement. After 3 years my average city is 18 with highway going to about 28. Straight highway driving going 65 mph from one gas station to the next about 275 miles my best mileage was 38 mpg. That happened once. Most times it`s about 28. I dont speed or jackrabbit start. I never let it idle unless needed in traffic. I have gotten use to not using the AC to help. There is never extra weight kept in the car. On highway trips I am alone. Carrs honda has done all oil changes and required work. I was lied to.

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  North American 2002 Civic Si Disappoints - 2003 Honda Civic
  By RMC - April 8 - 2:00 am

  I have owned six Honda Civic hatchbacks including this one. This one pleases me because of its design, build quality and presumed reliability, but disappoints greatly in straight-line acceleration. Honda has no right calling this a performance car when it weighs 2750 lbs, has only 160 hp, and has such anemic 0-60 and 1/4 mile times! I finally broke down and bought it as a new one-year-old car because the dealer discounted it so heavily (sales must have been poor). I do not recommend this car to anyone who is looking for lively acceleration! I will have to add my own hp improvements.

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  Good car - 2000 Honda Civic
  By Honda - April 7 - 11:19 pm

  This is a good little car. There have been no problems with the car at all. The gas mileage is great, but only because it acceleration is somewhat slow. It would be a much better car if it had better acceleration and maybe ABS brakes. But overall it is a good car if you are looking for a good reliable car.