I really don't enjoy buying new cars. This summer, however, gas prices are supposed to go crazy, and my income will probably stay the same, so common sense prevailed, and I decided to trade in my beloved minivan for a more fuel efficient beast.

Immediately, I started to think of a Honda. I owned one back in the early nineties, and remembered that it was a wonderfully reliable car, with a very nice feel, and quite a bit of pep, considering that it was 6 years old when I got it.

I wondered, though, if Honda could possibly have kept up their standards for such a long period of time. People I met uniformly agreed with me that the Honda I drove (a 1986 Accord Coupe) was a great car; it was sleek, efficient, and its plain design meant that while it was never really in style, it never went out of style, either. Still, I believe a tradition of excellence doesn't mean a whole lot when technology changes so quickly; cars have changed since the 80's, and I wasn't sure Honda was nimble enough to keep up with the changes and still retain their legendary refinement and reliability.

So I started researching. The first thing I did was eliminate a whole bunch of cars based on things I knew I wanted. I really wanted at least 31 MPG or better on the highway, I wanted ABS, and I wanted a manual transmission with a 4-cylinder engine. I also wanted a compact, but not a sub-compact car; I have to be humane to my backseat passengers.

Amazingly enough, this narrowed the field quite a bit. Most cars in the compact class don't come with standard ABS. Now I had a list of 8 cars, most with a coupe and sedan version.

Based on price, I had to eliminate the Acura Integra, Volkswagen Jetta, and Pontiac Grand Am. The total I could pay for this car, including taxes, delivery, and fees was $16,500, and these cars exceeded that margin.

I took a look at the Cavalier, which was the lowest-priced car on the list. I didn't like the clunkiness of the manual transmission, and felt that the steering was too stiff for my tastes.

I was scared away from the Dodge Neons, because the only models with ABS were the ACR and R/T's. These cars are designed for performance, not comfort; they were just too loud for me.

The Daewoo Nubira was also loud, and I didn't have much confidence in Daewoo, since they are so new to the field.

The only remaining cars on the list were the Ford Focus, and Honda Civic EX.

Since I was already a Honda fan, and the Ford Focus with the ABS package was more expensive than the Civic, the choice was easy.

I bought the car; it was the only thing that made sense based on the criteria I had set. Then my emotions kicked into overdrive. The 2001 Honda Civic was entirely re-designed for this model year. According to all the sources, this was a completely different car, inside and out. Would it still have the superb qualities I remembered from my Accord of so many years ago?

The U2 song "All That You Can't Leave Behind" was playing on the radio when I started up the car. It was appropriate; for all its innovations, the newest Honda redesign didn't depart from many of the old things I held so dear. It was also nice that in idle, I really couldn't hear the engine. It's extremely quiet.

The interior design is lovely, simple, and clean. There's not one flimsy bit of plastic to be found, and I was immediately comfortable in the adjustable driver's seat. The first distinct difference I noticed was a nice, elevated kickplate for the driver's left foot when it's not on the clutch. This is a very thoughtful feature, and leads me to believe that a little innovation is a good thing now and then.

Then I shifted into first gear. This is the Honda manual transmission that I know and love; apparently they decided not to tempt fate by tangling with perfection. The gears are close together, and the stick glides in and out of them smoothly, silently, yet firmly. I started to smile. I turned U2 up, and immediately felt pretty good about this purchase.

Then I touched the gas pedal and let out the clutch, for another reaffirmation of Honda quality. This car is very responsive. Every tiny tap on the accelerator results in a delightful and immediate engine response. The steering is equally responsive.

My new car and I rolled off the lot, and within a block, I'm rejoicing that 5th gear is still a nice short reach, and I've begun to notice the nice detail work on the interior. There's tasteful metal here and there as an accent. The cloth is plushy and velour-soft. The instruments are exactly where I remember them, and easy to read as ever.

Wow, the turn signal lever even has a nice, refined action to it. No clunky clicking noises there; within two blocks I've opened the power moonroof and am thoroughly enjoying the drive, without a care in the world. In my first trip from first to fifth gear, I was absolutely sure I had bought the right car.

As you can tell, I am still writing in a euphoric frame of mind. I've now driven the car 210 miles (in one day) and can tell you that it handles very well. The ride is very smooth, and quiet. At about 80 MPH there's a pretty significant hum from the road, but no air or engine noise. I haven't snuck out onto the back roads to try any higher speeds yet; but the speedometer goes up to 150 MPH! Yikes!

The last car that I drove was a V6; I thought I'd miss those extra two cylinders; but I must say that the Honda's VTEC 4-cylinder engine has plenty of power for this little car. I've been enjoying a liberating amount of zippiness, and have every reason to believe that I could cause quite a bit of trouble with this car, if I were so inclined. The car is said to generate 127HP with that tiny, single cam engine; I didn't believe the statistics when I read them, but I am now a believer! It's amazing what Honda can do with such a small engine.

The headlights are very bright and aimed very low, for excellent night visibility. The cruise control isn't pretty to look at, but seems to work very well, and the CD stereo blasts me right out of the car at half volume, with reasonably good quality sound. I ran the air conditioner for a while, and the heat for a while, and am convinved that the cabin temperature can be changed in a very short period of time.

There is an amazing amount of space in this little car. The trunk is far bigger than I thought it would be; there's plenty of room for a couple golf bags back there, and all of our martial arts gear, to boot. Sensibly, the interior of the trunk is black, instead of the beige of the rest of the far. Hooray for forward thinking.

There is a also a lot of room for passengers in the Civic. The new design has removed the 'hump' from the floor of the back seat; it is now completely flat, making for quite a bit of footroom for backseat-dwellers. I'm 5'8 and Forest is 6'1, and we're both comfortable in the front seats. I might not recommend the car to a seven-footer; but short of that, I think it's a fine fit.

The critics' main beefs about the new design were complaints about the 'boring' exterior styling. The Civic style is basically barely changed from that of ages past; however I find that its simple, clean lines are very appealing. I've had many compliments on what a beautiful car it is, and particularly about the 'eternal blue pearl' coloring. This might not be the most stylish car on the block, but it's not going to be the laughing stock of the neighborhood in 5 years, either.

Under the hood, my mechanic friend informs me that almost everything has changed. Instead of traditional tie rods, the Civic has longer ones that extend all the way to the center line of the car. This is intended to stabilize the steering of the car on bumpy corners; and it does. The steering wheel remains steadfast despite the frightening potholes of our city street corners. The ABS panel is in a strange place; right under the hood next to the engine; easily visible and accessible from the topside. There is a complex exhaust system attached directly to the engine; the car is an Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle, and I'm assuming that all of these complex contraptions are working hard to make it so tree-friendly.

Some of the gearheaded critics have complained that Honda dropped the dual-wishbone suspension on the front end in favor of a MacPherson strut system. My understanding, though, is that the strut system increases crash test performance to a 5-star rating, and allows for a bit more cabin space in an overall slightly smaller body. I these are improvements.

I can't give you a lot of technical detail; but as a driver, I can tell you that I love this car already, and would highly recommend it. It is a little economy car in fact and in price, but I feel like I'm driving around in a luxury car with spunk!








Amount Paid (US$): 15275
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: EX Manual 2-Dr.