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:

• 

  Perfect commuter car - 2012 Honda Civic
  By gerganank - November 27 - 10:28 pm

  PROS: Nice and sleek look, feeling of a full control of the car. Its nice to take sharper turns. Inside plenty of room not only or the front seats but for the back 3 passengers. Great gas mileage - makes up to 40 mpg even in congested traffic conditions. I have had it for 2 months already and very happy with the purchase. CONS: Compared to my prior car 2006 Elantra it is a little more bumpier and you can really feel every hole on the road and bumps on parking lots have to be taken at under 4mph.

• 

  @118,000 miles - 2005 Honda Civic
  By hiker8 - November 27 - 10:49 am

  Annoyances but not necessary to fix: brake pedal pops, creaking noise from transmission when clutch pressed (difficult to lubricate), drivers seat has a little play when rocked back and forth, brake pads shift in calipers and "pop" when braking forward after braking reverse. Major problems: Head gasket replaced at dealer for $950 @ around 115,000 miles. (If you heat goes out while idling and bubbles are coming from your coolant reservoir while idling you need a head gasket). Other things: Front pads at 90k, oxygen sensor around 90k, fluids, filters tires. The good: no electrical/accessory problems, drives pretty good and smooth with the manual. Solid and reliable despite head gasket.

• 

  Great car - 2012 Honda Civic
  By cliano - November 26 - 5:31 pm

  As soon as I test drove this car I knew this was the one I wanted. Honda has a great reputation for being reliable and great quality. It had every feature i was looking for. Handles great and could not beat it for the price. GREAT VALUE.

• 

  Blew Head Gasket in Early Life, Great Reliability After - 2005 Honda Civic
  By mrsheng - November 25 - 3:01 pm

  I purchased this vehicle used back in 2008 when it had around 30K mileage. My car was particularly unique because it had dealer installed custom interior seats and door panels (black faux leather vinyl). As far as reliability and build quality, I rated it 3 out of 5. My car blew a head gasket at 40K miles. I dont know what caused it, but my only guess was the thermostat. After much research online, it was a common problem. I wonder if Honda had irregular thermostats installed in their Civics. Anyways, after I took my car to the dealership for repair...the car has been working great ever since. 115K miles going strong and engine still sounds great.

• 

  01 civic for the long hual - 2001 Honda Civic
  By hondadriver01 - November 23 - 5:02 pm

  i own a 2001 civic lx coupe silver with a 4sp auto. i love this car, it has been very good to me and never left me stranded. i have heard about tranny problems but have never had any myself. i only have 78,000 and am easily expecting to get 250-300,000 out of it. the only complaint is the small wheels it comes with but that is all.

• 

  Long time used civic owner - 1999 Honda Civic
  By jjefrench - November 21 - 4:56 pm

  I have owned Honda Civics for 13 years. My first one was a 1990 and now I have the 1999, which I have owned for 8 years. It is a Civic LX automatic. Green. The mileage I had on it when I got it was 70,000. Now there are 150,000. I have spent more money on repairs for this car than the 6,500 it cost to purchase it. I am angry at the car for this purpose. At least three times something caused me to break down in the middle of the road. I have treated it well and it has not been reliable. I would love to sell it just because of the frustrations I have had over the years.

• 

  GREAT - 2006 Honda Civic
  By mendezaldo - November 20 - 2:20 am

  Bought the car in 06 and has had 130,000 miles. The car had yet broken down or had any signs of slowing down. The interior is comfortable with cool digital speedometer. Very smooth ride and great brakes. Unfortunately, I got in a car accident and totaled my civic completely. The car flipped over and landed upside down. Miraculously, I only came out with a few scratches and bruises. I did not break anything at all and was on my feet the same day! This car is a great, safe, car for any person. Good Job Honda.

• 

  great car so far for first 5 weeks - 2012 Honda Civic
  By yarruhs - November 18 - 5:40 pm

  I thoroughly enjoy this car. The fuel economy is far better than i expected. I have gotten as high as 40 mpg , and with each gallon of natural gas costing $2.05 , this has translated into an mpg equivalent of gasoline of 80 mpg ((when gas is at $4.00 for unleaded gas). I am waiting for the diamond lane sticker which will save me at least 10 minutes each way to and from work. One thing to note is in California there are many natural gas stations. The lowest price stations are the actual gas companies at 2.05 per gallon. Others will charge as high as $2.99 which is 33% more

• 

  Good ol car - 2004 Honda Civic
  By minitruckman - November 6 - 3:32 pm

  I bought a civc lx with 120,000 miles on the clock in early 2011. Before recently selling it, it had 155,000 miles on her. Never had a mechanical issues. kept up with the oil changes and brakes and a new set of tires and that was it. I drove it in heavy city traffic and got 31-33 mpg consistently. 5 or 6 mpg more than epa says. Overall, a great commuter car. This car is not comfortable for long 2 1/2 hr. drives, but going 400+ miles on less than 3/4 of a tank of fuel with speeds adveraging between 75-90 mph i couldnt complain!

• 

  Transmission fails at 93k - 2006 Honda Civic
  By cchlebek - October 27 - 8:19 am

  I purchased this car new in the fall of 06 to enjoy more than double the fuel economy of my pickup truck. I was not disappointed as most tanks averaged in the upper 30s. I was considering a cobalt at the time but went with something that was predicted to hold its value better as I wanted to drive it until it died. It died at just over 90k miles with a bad transmission solenoid. (cost $3k to fix) I just couldnt believe a "reliable Honda" could require a rebuilt transmission with less than 100k miles. Ive been driving the Cruze for almost a year now and the handling in snow is so much more secure than the Civic.