2008 Honda Civic EX Reviews

I wanted a Black '08 Civic Si Sedan, but decided against that as it requires premium fuel and that cost $4.00/gal when I was in the market.  That was the deal breaker.  I did save $4k by going with an EX manual.

I got my '08 Civic EX manual on May 19, 2008 with only 9 miles on it; I got it for $1400 under dealer invoice (I noticed 6 months later it had a March inspection on it).  

I do mainly highway driving, and the worst mileage I got was 30mpg (at about 85).  I usually get 35mpg, and the best i've seen was 44mpg.  

The acceleration is decent, until you turn on the a/c.  I find myself switching the a/c on and off when starting from a stop in town, just like my first Civic.  The Drive By Wire throttle system is immediate and smooth. The brakes are great-you immediately feel the brakes working when you tap the pedal-so no tapping the brakes for tailgaters.  It handles VERY well-you can take exit ramps at 15over and not even feel like you're pushing it.

One year, 34xxx miles, and outside of routine maintence, has been trouble free.  The only problem I had was blowing the fuses for the aux jacks because I jammed the charger too far in.  I had to get the dealer to remove the fuses because I could not get them out myself.  

The is a squeak sound that comes from the sunroof when I turn into my driveway-it sounds like flexing or something.  My previous Hondas did not do this, but I've heard the same sound from the sunroof in my mom's Versa and a few other friend's cars that are new.  I was told by the dealer that it is "Flexing" that is associated with the ACE body construction.

It looks like a space ship and very futuristic, inside and out.  The slippery front end cuts through the air and the windshield is a mile away, making the cabin seem stupid large.  Inside, the dash is tiered-and the digital speedometer is right in your line of vision while looking out the windshield.  All the buttons are easy to understand and operate (unlike the texas instruments trig calculator setup for radio and ventilation system in the Accord), especially with Channel Select, volume and mode control buttons on the steering wheel, opposite of the cruise control.  I prefer hatchbacks and wagon bodystyles, which are not offered on the USDM Civic.  The Euro Civic looks great on the outside, but too busy on the inside.

The biggest expense I have had so far was the engine air filter-$38 and cabin air filter-$17, which you can change yourself.  The Honda dealer wanted almost $100 to change the filter-all to open the glove box, squeeze the sides to access the firewall, pull out the filter holder and change out the filter.  It took a video from Youtube and 3 minutes to save $80.  I average 35-38mpg  per tank with 25% city driving and 75% highway (at 75mph), and you can take it to Merchant's to avoid being screwed over by the Dealer.  Just document everything-I register each service on the HondaLink Owner's website, mark it in the log, and keep the receipts.  

This car is a blast; I admit I'm biased as I'm a lifetime Hondaphile, but if you are considering a compact car-drive it.  Drive the bland looking/dead to the driver feel of the Corolla.  If you want to blend into the world of being a commuter and really don't care about driving, you might find the Corolla to be your choice.  If you like driving and want to get the most for your money, you'll find yourself in one of the numerous variations of a coupe or sedan Civic, ranging from DX to Si.  The trim levels are defined by specific item upgrades; i.e. if you want an IPOD aux jack and sunroof, you start at the EX trim level, and so forth.  I thoroughly enjoy my first new Honda, and got a great deal plus 2.9%apr.  But I do miss my little red "94 Civic Si and regret selling that-it was an awesome daily driver and became a great second car for me, but I know it's got a great home up in New York.  

its a really good car and love driving it and its performance and interiors are ab obove its class. Its handling and preformance on highway is awesome. I love its headlights but she dont look at its best until some big chrome wheels are npt on cuz stock wheels are ugly and small. ...........

My first new car we knew would be a Honda-

it's got decent space, 38MPG and the only thing I had to add was an Infiniti Basslink subwoofer.  

Adequate acceleration, excellent braking and this corners and holds the road better than any corolla, it's a fun car to drive.  The adult side likes the safety features, mpg, Honda reliability of my Civic; while the kid side of me likes the futuristic design, the cool dashboard with digital speedometer, race track developed handling, stereo and creature comforts of the upper level EX model.

The only thing I don't like is there is not a hatcback or wagon model-i loved the wagonlike versatility of my 94 Civic Si (especially bringing that washing machine home) but don't have the option of transporting anything other than people and luggage.  Oh, and there were no shades of Green to select from.  

Well, we all knew my first new car would be a Honda.  I decided to join the real world and take on a car note because I wanted something new. Nothing was wrong with my red 94 Civc Si with 82k-outside of little dings, scratches, a clogged sunroof drain plug and the factory stereo.  It was just time to grow up and stop compromising and have a car less than 7 years old-and there wasn't much wrong with the Hyundalay outside of it being a hyundalay-i was just tired of constantly having at least 2 cars so I could have all the things i wanted in only 1 car.

the Civic is a benchmark and will always hold a special place with me-first car was a Civic 4x4 wagon.

It doesn't look boring like the Corolla-it's futuristic and like a space ship.  honda suspensions let you feel the road and offer whatever the japanese equivolent of fahrvergnugen would be whereas I would zone out completely while driving my old Corolla and Mazda323 because-although smooth-boring/dull/lifeless/diabetic comatose.  It's built in America so Americans were not put out of jobs because of my choice, it has all the power I need (I was glad that premium gas was $4/gal when I went to buy and this is why I didn't get the black Si Sedan I wanted-especially when I got my first speeding ticket in years this past August).  I get 36-39mpg per tank (90% of my driving is highway as i commute 25 miles each way to work) and I got the car for a steal.  (I paid 1350 under dealer invoice-but that's probably because nobody wanted a manual tango red pearl EX sedan-EXCEPT ME- (My inspection is March 2009; I took delivery of my car in the middle of May with only 9 miles on the clock...)and am guessing they were ready to let me steal her to get her off the lot...(I bought it from the Honda dealership I used to work for-but didn't mention during my internet wheeling and dealing-not til getting into the actual dealership and being recognized by 2 people 6 years later.  Plus I got 2.9%apr.

The only thing I don't like about my Civic is the fact that it's a sedan.  There's a coupe as well-with a rear end that looks squatty, but no 3 or 5 dr hatchback like the European Civic-check out www.honda.uk.co and see what we are missing.  I prefer hatchbacks due to their versatility-and would have bought a Civic wagon if one had been offered.  I don't know why-but I like the ability to fold the seats down and load crap to the ceiling, or be able to have easy access to items in the trunk.  But Honda America does not want anyone in the vehicle to be able to get into the trunk unless you don't mind driving the eyesore known as the new Fit, the out of my price range element or the chick scoring Odyssey.  I don't need all that space-except when moving-and the new Fit was designed by a computer with downs syndrome.  I liked the old Fit-and would have bought one if a sunroof was available and dealers weren't putting premiums on them.

I could have gotten a Fit Sport manual (28city/34hwy) for $15300 (best deal I was offered-MSRP was $15720) with cool microsuede/faux alcantra seats and NO SUNROOF.  Or I could get a Civic EX manual (26city/34hwy) that is larger and has a moonroof for $16020 (MSRP-$18710/dealer invoice $17221-but like I said, they were trying to move this one).  

The guy picked me up in Alexandria at my mom's apartment and drove me to Fairfax.  Instead of going directly to the dealership, we went to one of the off site storage locations-a random parking deck near a strip mall with crappy shops and foreign restaurants.  I didn't know which Tango Red Pearl Civic EX was mine-as the 2 shiny red sedans were parked together (they were all parked in sections by color) like a pair of twins sitting next to each other at a picnic table.  He handed me the key and i hit unlock-the parking lights flashed and i met my car.  

Covered in a light layer of dust, I felt like an adult.  I turned on the engine, the dash lights and digital speedometer came alive and I shifted into first and released the parking brake.  I followed Basky to the dealership and realized the mileage was only 9 miles.  

They cleaned her up while i did my paperwork and had me out of the dealership in less than 2 hours.  I drove back to mom's stuck the keys to my old hyundalay-her new to her matching hyundalay (her 99 Elantra wagon and my old 00 Elantra GLS sedan) into the mail slot and headed home in my new car-(I actually still had my red 94 Civic Si for a few weeks-so I had 2 red Civics parked in front of my red house.  

Oh yeah, I wish the Civic was available in either Forest or Emerald Green-but I like the Tango red pearl-I wouldn't have gotten Red if it was like the coupe's red.  

All in all, I love my Honda as always.  I still miss my 87 Civic Realtime 4wd wagon, my '86 Civic CRX S, my '93 Accord EX manual sedan (my first "newer"Honda-only 5 years old when I got it in 98), my '86 Accord LXi manual hatchback, my '94 Civic Si, my '93 Civic LX sedan, my '95 Accord EX wagon and yes-even that Navy Blue Accord LX manual sedan that needed so much work when I got it with 268k miles on it and all the trouble i had when everything started to need replacing when i hit 280k....

Where should i start? I always wanted to buy a honda, and it hasnt disappointed... Looks great, handles well, gives good mileage. I also own a suzuki alto, which is good on congested roads but is a terrible car. This however is amazing compared to my alto. Its got a nice looking interior, and has good performance. Im totally staisfied so far.