On Dec 10, 1:56*pm, "Howard Lester" >
wrote:
> "Lynn McGuire" * wrote
>
> > I have a data point to dispute that. *I bought my wife a 2005
> > Civic EX coupe with a five speed 6 years ago. *It now has 55K
> > miles on it and the only thing that I have had to do besides
> > change the oil is replace the tires and the battery.
>
> > Excellent car and highly recommended.
>
> Same opinion here, same replacements (plus rear brakes at about 30,000):
> 2004 Accord EX sedan i4 auto, 62K, very comfortable. Knock on Formica, it'll
> be repair-free for another 62K. I've only owned Hondas since 1982, and will
> be open to other brands when the time comes for a new one.

Similarly, I am very pleased with my 2003 Civic LX Coupe at 98k miles.
I did not think I would like the 1.7L engine, for fuel-economy
reasons. But it turns out I am getting 40+ mpg on average year-round
(overinflating tires to about 40 psi, with no signs of uneven wear
problems, knock on aluminum), and the extra horsepower is great on the
highway. I do not notice a reduction in fuel mileage when using air
conditioning. The engine does not struggle (slowing the car) to climb
the hills here the way my 91 and 93 Civics did. I either found it a
little easier to change the timing belt etc. on the 2003 than my older
Civics, or I just have enough experience that every TB change is
easier. The distributor-less design (so one ignition coil per
cylinder) seems to work well, though if memory serves, I think honda-
tech.com folks are starting to report a failure now and then of these
for the 01-05 generation of Civic.

One drawback is the sidewinder design of door locks. Getting parts to
rebuild it is difficult. The design is such that it fails much sooner
than the older design.

I just bought a pair of tires over the internet for the first time. As
second owner, the Civic came with two fairly new Pirelli tires in the
front in 2009. The back tires were Firestone and are way overdue for
replacement, from how worn they are (uniformly) and cracked.

I own a little stock in Honda and it is doing nicely, with a nice gain
since I bought it in 2006. Not that stock price means too much, unless
maybe one wants to compare to GM, Toyota and Ford.