My 96 Civic with 300k miles is nearing retirement. I was thinking of the Civic Si coupe as a replacement for a daily driver.

After reading pages and pages of posts here on H-T, it seems that there are a few common issues with these cars.

1. The transmission appears to be fragile. I've read more than one post about issues with the clutch, gears (3rd), grinding, etc. Is this common - will we see more occurrences as these cars get older? At 300k miles, my current Civic is still on its original clutch! Can I expect the same longevity?

2. Drive-by-wire system sucks. I guess this will take getting used to.

3. Navigation system is not as reliable as units made for other Honda/Acura vehicles? Someone on another forum posted that his friend went through two units. Anyone else have this problem?

4. Excessive oil burning - I think the old B-series motors had this problem, but not to the extent of the new K-series motors. Will I have to keep an eye out on the oil level at all times, or will I be able to skate by until the 3000 mile oil change interval? Is this expected to get worse?

5. Warranty claims frequently declined by dealer. I guess this varies from dealer to dealer, but there appears to be a common theme here.

Can anyone provide their own experiences with the reliability of this car? I've narrowed it down to the Civic Si, Subaru WRX, Mini Cooper S, Acura TSX, Scion tC, Mazdaspeed3, or even the Nissan Altima 3.5 coupe. I would like some input from real-world owners before I make a decision.

Thank you!
-Brian.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MoogieBoogie &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My 96 Civic with 300k miles is nearing retirement. I was thinking of the Civic Si coupe as a replacement for a daily driver.

After reading pages and pages of posts here on H-T, it seems that there are a few common issues with these cars.

1. The transmission appears to be fragile. I've read more than one post about issues with the clutch, gears (3rd), grinding, etc. Is this common - will we see more occurrences as these cars get older? At 300k miles, my current Civic is still on its original clutch! Can I expect the same longevity?

Fragile, no... Notchy at times yes. A simple fluid flush fixed all my issues.

I don't know that you'll get 300k out of the stock clutch, unless you drive like a grandma, but I'm @ 20000 and will probably need a new clutch in a few thousand. (am am however; boosted )

2. Drive-by-wire system sucks. I guess this will take getting used to.

Not that bad, but not as good as cable.

3. Navigation system is not as reliable as units made for other Honda/Acura vehicles? Someone on another forum posted that his friend went through two units. Anyone else have this problem?

Don't waste your money... Get an aftermarket Nav + DVD player. More for your money.

4. Excessive oil burning - I think the old B-series motors had this problem, but not to the extent of the new K-series motors. Will I have to keep an eye out on the oil level at all times, or will I be able to skate by until the 3000 mile oil change interval? Is this expected to get worse?

I don't burn a drop and I drive hard... I do a change every 3000

5. Warranty claims frequently declined by dealer. I guess this varies from dealer to dealer, but there appears to be a common theme here.

I can't speak to this since I have friends @ the local dealerships.

Can anyone provide their own experiences with the reliability of this car? I've narrowed it down to the Civic Si, Subaru WRX, Mini Cooper S, Acura TSX, Scion tC, Mazdaspeed3, or even the Nissan Altima 3.5 coupe. I would like some input from real-world owners before I make a decision.

Out of all those cars, it depends on what you want. The civic and mini cooper S will be much more fun to drive. The TC sucks, the MazadaSpeed3 will be faster stock, and the WRX and Altima are just granny sedans

Thank you!
-Brian.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

My trans only grinds every once in awhile into third, but i've discovered its usually happens when I don't push the clutch pedal all the way in.

My engine doesn't burn any oil.

As for the warranty I've had no problem getting them to do work.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MoogieBoogie &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My 96 Civic with 300k miles is nearing retirement. I was thinking of the Civic Si coupe as a replacement for a daily driver.

After reading pages and pages of posts here on H-T, it seems that there are a few common issues with these cars.

1. The transmission appears to be fragile. I've read more than one post about issues with the clutch, gears (3rd), grinding, etc. Is this common - will we see more occurrences as these cars get older? At 300k miles, my current Civic is still on its original clutch! Can I expect the same longevity?

2. Drive-by-wire system sucks. I guess this will take getting used to.

3. Navigation system is not as reliable as units made for other Honda/Acura vehicles? Someone on another forum posted that his friend went through two units. Anyone else have this problem?

4. Excessive oil burning - I think the old B-series motors had this problem, but not to the extent of the new K-series motors. Will I have to keep an eye out on the oil level at all times, or will I be able to skate by until the 3000 mile oil change interval? Is this expected to get worse?

5. Warranty claims frequently declined by dealer. I guess this varies from dealer to dealer, but there appears to be a common theme here.

Can anyone provide their own experiences with the reliability of this car? I've narrowed it down to the Civic Si, Subaru WRX, Mini Cooper S, Acura TSX, Scion tC, Mazdaspeed3, or even the Nissan Altima 3.5 coupe. I would like some input from real-world owners before I make a decision.

Thank you!
-Brian.</TD></TR></TABLE>

id like to hear some feedback on all this stuff too

 

1. A Transmission will last as long as its owner allows it to last, this goes the same for any model/brand of car. Does a Honda have a good background in longevity..yes. Do they sell lemons like everyone else?....yes. So any car is a roll of the dice.

2. Drive by wire does not suck.... it honestly depends on the vehicle your coming from and if this car will be your daily driver. I personally have had zero issues with DBW even when supercharged.

3. Navigation on the Civics is superb along with any other Honda/Acura & they continue to advance. Ask any high end automotive dealer (audi,bmw, benz)

4. K-series are higher oil burners as well, any hi revving , high compression honda motor will always have to be watched.... however... this also depends on driving habits and how the car is broken in.

5. I had a warranty claim denied only due to me previously tampering with a part
there are about 10 dealerships in my immediate area (NY/NJ) and i found ONE that if good.

Here is the order i'd buy the below -

Mini Cooper - Great power, decently priced, handles like its on rails
Civic Si - see above
TSX - Decent car.. very "vanilla", not much fun to drive BUT free loanerss...however being replaced with a HIGH powered next gen & coupe so these will be WORTHLESS soon
tC - great car........... for the money
WRX - Transmission is made of porcelin
Altima coupe -FWD G35 wannabee = the suck

 

what is the drive by wire? and what does it do?


noob i know

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by iamtwan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">what is the drive by wire? and what does it do?


noob i know</TD></TR></TABLE>

It is the throttle control. Older Hondas used a cable from the accelerator pedal to the throttle body. The 06+ Si uses drive by wire, which is completely electronic. You push the pedal, and the computer recognizes this and opens the throttle.

Initially it was a bit buggy and would lag. So you push the pedal, it delayed, and then would respond.

I had issues at first, and then Honda released an ECM update which I applied to the car and it made it mush more responsive. It's not too bad, but I can tell the difference in throttle response when compared to a cable throttle.

 

whats ecm? noob

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SI 8UNSO6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">whats ecm? noob</TD></TR></TABLE> Your car's computer. ECM - Electronic control module. ECU - Electronic control unit. Same thing.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by COMplex. &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

It is the throttle control. Older Hondas used a cable from the accelerator pedal to the throttle body. The 06+ Si uses drive by wire, which is completely electronic. You push the pedal, and the computer recognizes this and opens the throttle.

Initially it was a bit buggy and would lag. So you push the pedal, it delayed, and then would respond.

I had issues at first, and then Honda released an ECM update which I applied to the car and it made it mush more responsive. It's not too bad, but I can tell the difference in throttle response when compared to a cable throttle. </TD></TR></TABLE>

It takes a bit of getting used to. When you hit the gas, there is a split second of 'nothing' before it responds. Also if you're coming to a rolling stop (for me at least) and you put the pedal down, the RPMs don't really go up unless you do it a few times. The worst, however, is shifting. Mine holds the rpms for what seems like.. a minute lol. This results in clumsy bucking when I shift unless I'm super careful.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by elohel &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

It takes a bit of getting used to. When you hit the gas, there is a split second of 'nothing' before it responds. Also if you're coming to a rolling stop (for me at least) and you put the pedal down, the RPMs don't really go up unless you do it a few times. The worst, however, is shifting. Mine holds the rpms for what seems like.. a minute lol. This results in clumsy bucking when I shift unless I'm super careful.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i think that would suck...alot...i guess getting used to it is the only option though. whyd they switch it? cheaper?