Questions Buying a civic as first car?

[Matux]

Hi! I'm one of those who probably has done an error... I'm a 19 years old boy, and my endless love for the Civic brought me to buy one in october 2006 (when I got my licence)...
I'm driving it every day since then in Rome, where traffic is one the main problems, and despite the lack of any kind of space to leave the car parked (fortunately I have a garage...) and VERY narrow roads (especially in the center of the city) I can say that I absolutely don't regret my choice!
The "power issue" is relative to the mind of the driver, and also to experience with it! For example, for the first time I drove on a highway, the speed of 130 Km/h (the limit here in Italy) was a bit scary for me... so I automaticlly drove at 110-120 Kmh... Now that is passed more than one year, i can say i got used to the civic, and when i have to drive a relatively big car (my father has a Merc C220 CDI SW) i'm not scared! I think also that with all those airbags and electronic security systems, it's better to drive the Civic than a Fiat Panda (a really cheap car here)!

Greetings to everyone, and please forgive my english!
Bye

OOps.. I forgot to say that I have a 1.8l Sport Galaxy Gray Civic...

[HappyMan]

I think the thing to remember, even with all the cautious advice given to you, that it is your choice to buy the car that you would like. Personally I would choose the Civic but then i am biased as I have one. The joy of looking for a new car is the test drive.

Have fun checking each car out on your list, but only choose the civic in the end!

[Unknownsoldier]

1.8 is actually a seriously quick car - 10 years ago, a golf gti: I agree, I left one of the last gen models for dead the other day.....don't think he was expecting that

Why not try the 1.4 model (or the Jazz as has been suggested), that's 4 door, exactly the same as the 1.8/2.2 but without the inusrance and the emission, plus you'll get better MPG, I don't think the Civ, 1.8l is a good first car, especially if you want to be 100% safe, the visibility if I'm brutally honest at the front is occasionally limited (those pillars get in your way), and at the back is also limited, despite the crap the dealers give you abnout the lower window being there for extra visibility (I have more visibility in my Escort Van!!!). AND Whilst I understand what your saying, daughter, older etc. etc. I know that when I passed my test (same as you, first time both tests, we have two here now, soon to be 3, possibly from what I've heard), I did my pass-pluss ('advanced' driving course, country lanes, night, wet, town, motorway etc. etc. you get IIRC two types of marks, pass and something like exceptional [someone will know, there are basically two marks one good, one better], I got higher on all of them), Advanced driving lesson (with IAM instructor, although never took their test, hopefully my Ambulance licence [soon, fingers crossed] will be on it's way), I started with my Corsa Breeze, 1.2 16valve, quite a quick car at the time and the power to weight ratio (faster than the more common 12 Valve thats for certain ), then I went to my BMW 3 series saloon (my prized posession, I loved that car), after 3 weeks of if I'm honest, driving fairly fast (before anyone get's on at me, yes I did speed, but I was younger (4 years younger than I am now!) and I know it wasn't sensible), I pranged it at 15 miles per hour parking in a Carpark at night! Because it had lousy rear vision (no rear wiper ). So even those who think they are experienced, are not always......also, driving on your own is a lot different to driving with someone or your instructor..... my cousin for instance passed 2nd or third time, she has no idea on the laws of physics in that two cars cannot occupy the same space at the same time.......

So my recommendation is, try the 1.4 (identical looks to the civ, just less powerful) or the Jazz........

Tom

[sambuca2907]

I agree with some of the comments here... don't get a French car! Pugs, Renault, Citroen... no no no...

And again... with some of the other comments also - you really need to get an older car for you 1st one - just incase something happens - you never know.

[thorns]

Just an update on this thread, I test drove the Mazda3 1.6L today and it was really fun to drive. The car felt very quick and responsive. It felt much more agile than my current car (the '94 Golf TDI SW) and the brakes were like 10x stronger. I might actually go with that since it's a quite a bit cheaper than the civic.

[civicfan]

Originally Posted by thorns

Just an update on this thread, I test drove the Mazda3 1.6L today and it was really fun to drive. The car felt very quick and responsive. It felt much more agile than my current car (the '94 Golf TDI SW) and the brakes were like 10x stronger. I might actually go with that since it's a quite a bit cheaper than the civic.

You might - 2 warnings about the Mazda, however
- expensive to repair in the event of an accident
- relatively frequent reports of rust problems
It's hard, I know...

[Courant]

Originally Posted by civicfan

- expensive to repair in the event of an accident
- relatively frequent reports of rust problems

Don't know about the first one, but surely this will be covered by insurance most of the time? I can't believe the 3 is much worse than any other car on the road. On the plus side, in the UK at least, Mazda servicing costs are much lower than Hondas (about a third cheaper).

On the second point, have you got any references for that? I did some serious research on the Mazda 3 (because it was a serious rival to the civic for me!) and I didn't really find any quality/reliability issues with it (other than minor niggles, like the civic ). There was a "rust" non-issue, in that people kept on finding "rust spots" on their bodywork and wheels. Turned out not to be rust at all, rather brake dust from the trains they use to transport their new cars had stuck to the paint and wasn't properly cleaned off. This dust then oxidised over time... a quick polish later and all was back to normal.

The mazda 3 is a seriously good little car, and very good value for what you get. It would make an excellent choice.

Courant

[pjr]

Originally Posted by Courant

Don't know about the first one, but surely this will be covered by insurance most of the time? I can't believe the 3 is much worse than any other car on the road. On the plus side, in the UK at least, Mazda servicing costs are much lower than Hondas (about a third cheaper).

On the second point, have you got any references for that? I did some serious research on the Mazda 3 (because it was a serious rival to the civic for me!) and I didn't really find any quality/reliability issues with it (other than minor niggles, like the civic ). There was a "rust" non-issue, in that people kept on finding "rust spots" on their bodywork and wheels. Turned out not to be rust at all, rather brake dust from the trains they use to transport their new cars had stuck to the paint and wasn't properly cleaned off. This dust then oxidised over time... a quick polish later and all was back to normal.

The mazda 3 is a seriously good little car, and very good value for what you get. It would make an excellent choice.

Courant

The corrosion of the wheels on a Mazda is a common problem (And it would seem on some Hondas as well). I had a Mazda 3 for 3 years prior to owning the Civic, and had all 4 alloys replaced twice under warranty because they were corroding.

Had other minor niggles, but what was more annoying was the poor response by my Mazda dealer. I can accept that cars can have problems but they were hopeless in resolving them. That's not a slight on Mazda dealers in general, just the one I had to deal with.

My Mazda drove really well (2.0 Sport Saloon), but after nearly a year in the Civic I much prefer the Civic.

[Guitaralmond]

Have you checked how much the insurance willl cost yet?? my first year in my first car (2005 Ford Fiesta 1.4) was £2,500 and i was 20 at the time with pass plus!! so the civic (as gorgeous as it is) might be more than you would think.

why dont you have a cheaper (ie have it paid off in one year) car then after one year have the Civic?? you will be -

• one year older
• have one year's more experience
• have one years no claims (hopefully)
• plus will be able to save for a full year towards the car of your (and all of our ) dreams

which will have a big impact on how you will be able to drive and afford (cheaper insurance) the Civic.

[thorns]

Hello again,

Thanks for all the replies. Now I have bought a Mazda 3 1.6L Exclusive model. I'll get the car on Monday. The insurance won't be much of an issue, since here it's mainly based on how old you are then how long you have had your license for.

[civicfan]

Originally Posted by Courant

...On the second point, have you got any references for that? ... There was a "rust" non-issue, in that people kept on finding "rust spots" on their bodywork and wheels. Turned out not to be rust at all, rather brake dust from the trains they use to transport their new cars had stuck to the paint and wasn't properly cleaned off. This dust then oxidised over time... a quick polish later and all was back to normal.

Courant

Well, here in Germany it keeps coming back in the motoring press like AutoBild and such, especially with the Mazda 6 old model, but also the 3. It should be said, however, that the Germans are extemely sensitive to rust issues after a nightmare series of the Merc E class with cars literally rotting away (a guy I know had 8 doors replaced in 8 years, along with suspension parts on his E-class).
So maybe it's hype (with the rust on Mazda) but caveat emptor

[civicfan]

Originally Posted by thorns

Hello again,

Thanks for all the replies. Now I have bought a Mazda 3 1.6L Exclusive model. I'll get the car on Monday. The insurance won't be much of an issue, since here it's mainly based on how old you are then how long you have had your license for.

Have fun with it