Long Term Test of 2000 Civic LX
Written: Jun 20 '05
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Pros: Reliability, economy, did I mention reliability?
Cons: The Civic is one of the most stolen cars-even the crooks know it's good.
The Bottom Line: If you need good basic transportation, get one of these for your driveway!
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| rcragon's Full Review: 2000 Honda Civic 4 door |
General
I bought this car at the end of the model year in August of 2000. After driving this car for nearly 5 years, I can say for certain that Honda got it right on this version of the Civic. For those of you that follow such things, you know this was the last year before the body and engine change in 2001. This car excels at the commuter car game. It is reasonably quick and nimble due to the small size (unless you have some large carpool buddies) and gets consistently good fuel economy. I drive 25 miles each way to work in Atlanta with some suburban street driving and some interstate driving on Road Atlanta, I mean I-285. For those of you that know Atlanta, you know how fast everyone drives down here. Even with all the high speed daily driving, I consistently get 30 MPG with the auto transmission version of the LX and the 1.6L engine.
Maintenance
I presently have 80k miles on the vehicle. I change the oil every 3750 miles per the dealer recommendation. I have had the brakes done once and tires replaced once (both at about 70k). I think I replaced the transmission fluid and spark plugs at about 60k. Yeah, that's all I have had to do. I am planning on the timing belt at 90k in line with the standard duty recommendation of the owner's manual. There have been no recalls on this car. It has been virtually trouble-free.
Comfort
Okay, so it's not a Cadillac, or even an Accord. It does have cruise control, power windows and locks and lots of adjustments for the drivers seat. The front seats are a little small for someone 6' tall, but there is plenty of headroom. Although I have taken this car on long 6-8 hour trips, it's not the ideal car for a long trip. The road noise is kind of loud in this car. On the plus side, the AC works great in the hot Atlanta summers. The back seat is a little tight for tall people, but not bad for a car of this size. I also have an Accord EX in the family that has very comfortable seats, so if you plan to take long trips frequently, I would recommend a step up to the Accord.
Performance
For a commuter traveling alone, this car has adequate power. Don't plan on drag racing any vettes, though. The transmission is little rough in hard acceleration and the engine kind of buzzy, but I don't have trouble merging into the 70MPH traffic flow on my commute. When you load this car up with extra bodies, you can definitely feel the engine strain a bit. The brakes are fantastic in this car. This is a nice attribute in the Atlanta traffic-stopping fast is good. The car has given me up to 35MPG on a long trip at 65-70MPH, but I typically get about 30MPG with my driving mix.
The Bottom Line
Great commuter car. Excellent reliability. Good fuel economy. Low maintenance requirements. Good resale value from what I see on the car pricing websites, but why would I want to sell it?
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 13990
Condition: New
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: LX Auto
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Epinions.com ID:
rcragon
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Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
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