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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  Best little car Ive ever owned - 1994 Honda Civic
  By Joyce in Ohio - March 19 - 8:23 pm

  My Honda has 288,000+ on the odometer and is still going strong. The steering on this car is phenomenal. I have NEVER lost control, even in snow ice, on crowded highways and ducking clueless motorists. What astounds me is that I continue to get between 40 and 45 mpg, even at 11 years later and the engine does not seem to burn oil. It has never let me down and has only failed to start when I left the headlights on. Normal maintenance for this car has been really minimal (i.e., I ignored it).

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  I love Honda - 2001 Honda Civic
  By ruff - March 16 - 10:00 am

  This is a good car that is reliable. Its great on gas and looks nice. Build quality could be a little better. But overall i love the car.

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  - 2007 Honda Civic
  By High Mileage - March 13 - 11:23 pm

  Purchased car for 30,000 miles/yr. Have put 32,500 miles on car in first 12 months. Great gas mileage makes it fun to drive. Slight "re-connection" jerk when going from electric to gas motor at traffic light in Autostop mode. Two tier dashboard prevents gauges from being hidden behind steering wheel. For me, seats are not very comfortable for 3 or more continuous hours behind wheel. I purchased separate back/lumber and seat supports which helped considerably. Highly recommend set of 4 snows for winter. Gas mileage dropped from 44 to 36 during cold months in the northeast. Youll get 44 mpg at 75 mph all day long. Only problem yet was a driver window that did not close correctly.

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  2009 Honda Civic Hybrid - 2009 Honda Civic
  By redflame - March 13 - 7:43 pm

  Best car purchase of my life x2. Had a civic back in 1995 - 2002 and loved it. Im so glad Honda came out with the hybrid. Looks a lot better than the Prius. I already have fallen in love with this car with 40+ mpg. Living 50 miles from my job helps me to save at the pump. This was the major buying factor for me other than I have always liked Hondas products.

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  Best investment ever! - 2005 Honda Civic
  By DFarrell - March 13 - 12:20 pm

  with gas prices going out of control the best investment I made was purchasing a hybrid. Normally I would got to the gastation once a week to fill up the gas tank, now I go to the gas station every 2 weeks to fill my tank. Oil changes were every 3 months are now every 6 months. You cant beat that!

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  Cant complain too much - 1996 Honda Civic
  By JOse - March 12 - 12:14 pm

  So far so good, Had to take into the shop for muffler work and a problem with the intake, but besides that it been a good little car. 96000 miles and still runs great, only problem is that it does hesitate when pushing the gas to merge. Can be scary at times. Looks great on the outside and the inside is not bad. Fun car. Hopefully it will treat me good, and still has a decent resale value.

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  best car ever made - 1990 Honda Civic
  By Marina - March 11 - 7:40 pm

  I love my Ruby Reliable. She now has 240,000 miles, is going strong, has almost no rust, and burns no oil. Im still passing most cars even going up hills. I had to write a review, because she deserves all the praise a car can receive.

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  What a Great Car - 1992 Honda Civic
  By beaker - March 11 - 3:15 pm

  With gas prices so high only Hybrids can do better for mileage. This car has high interior noise, the seats are not that comfortable and rust is showing up in the rear quater panels but that is about the end of the bad stuff. Almost 283K miles, no major engine work and average mileage is around 40 MPG. It handles well and keeps up in city traffic no problem. I have seen several civics customized but this one wont see that kind of work until the engine goes.

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  Wont Buy Honda next time - 1998 Honda Civic
  By MW2005 - March 11 - 12:30 pm

  First of all, I purchased the vehicle when its mileage was @ 21,000. Within the first year (and at the same "fix it" visit), I had to REPLACE the Exhaust Manifold (had a crack in it) and had the A/Trans. worked on. In 2002, I experienced probs w/the Electrical System. Ive purchased at least 4 car batteries since I bought the financial burden! Once again, my car hesitates/shutters, fails to start sometimes, AND appears to have a serious power drain somewhere. Last month I had the batterys charge checked (b/c my car had stalled at a stop sign!) and was told the battery was fine but that my Alternator needed to be looked at (AGAIN!). Also, I get TERRIBLE gas mileage - like 16 mpg.

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  Very nice used Civic - 2008 Honda Civic
  By CR - March 11 - 7:15 am

  Traded in a 13 Ford Focus with lots of transmission issues and several recalls. Happy with this 08 Honda with low miles and $100 lower per month car payment!