Buying a 2007 Civic LX tips?

Hello all,

My 94 Saturn SC1's life has been nice, but it's time for a new car and I'm
leaning towards a 2007 Civic LX coupe. I was going to get a DX, but
would've had to add a CD player, and since more nice stuff comes with the
LX for not much more than the CD player would've cost, I figure I'll go
with the LX. Any reason for me to *not* get a 2007 Civic LX (aside from
the digital speedo )? Wife has a 2004 Civic EX sedan and is very happy
with it. Probably planning on using carsdirect.com to get it (wife did
that and was pretty happy with the results, and I don't like dealing with
dealers)

Thanks in advance...

brian

 

Don't be scared by the digital speedo. It is phenomenal. It tracks well,
and s more accurate than any speedometer I have had in any previous car.

The 2007 Civic is a fine automobile.

 

I had 2 1991 Taurus's with digital speedometers and liked them.

 

I should be more specific. I liked the digital speedometers. The rest of
the cars were crap.

 

I was lukewarm on the digital speedometer at first, too. But it has
really grown on me, due to the *placement". The Civic's dashboard is
very deep. The speedometer is mounted at the base of the windsheld,
i.e. far from the driver, so that it is almost like a heads-up-
display. You barely have to move your eyes from the road to see it.

 

Yeah, I'm just a Luddite - I like the needles on the gauges... At least
they do have gauges for temp, etc. instead of idiot lights...

From everything I've read/seen, I agree - the digital speedo is just a
personal (non-)preference...

brian

 

They are not old-fashined needle gauges, though. But still very usable.

I used to agree with you, until I got my Civic last year. The digital on
this car changed my mind.

 

That's OK - they're still gauges.

Guess we'll see how it goes on a test drive tonight. Thanks.

brian

 

I love the 07 CIVIC personally. I have had no regrets so far

 

Test drove one last night and I agree - from the website pics, I had no
idea it was that far towards the windshield (and has a nice overhang so it
won't reflect on the windshield). It's much better than the ones I've
seen in other cars...

Thanks to all for your responses, it does seem that it's the car I'll
probably be getting.

Hadn't specifically asked this, but wondering if there is anything weird
about maintenance, the car itself, etc. that would be nice to know? I
already know about the crush washer for the oil pan drain plug (wife has a
2003 Civic), but is there anything else along that line that I need to
know? Noticed the wiper blades (and inserts) are completely non-standard,
but turns out the inserts aren't too bad of a rip-off ($5.11 each, but I
still hate it that you really can't go to Autozone and get a pair and have
them work). I hate Honda horns (too wimpy), but this one wasn't too bad
(better than my wife's, but worse than my Saturn)...

Thanks again to all repliers (that looks strange, but m-w.com says it's OK
)!

brian

 

Anybody got the extended warranty. Do you think it is a good idea. After all
we get a honda for the reliability. Also , to not incur any price penalty,
you have to buy it with in 30 days,
Thanks

 

Wife got it on her 2003 Civic EX, but it was pretty cheap (don't remember
the exact amount, though), so she went ahead and did it, but hasn't used
it in 50K miles (and it expires at 75K miles). General sentiment seems to
be that it's pretty much pure profit for Honda if you buy one because
their cars *are* so reliable (there are always exceptions, though).

brian

 

Regardless of the overhang, there is a little bit of reflection off of the
windshield from all of the gauges, due to the extreme angle of the glass.
It isn't bad, though.

Maintenance is almost nothing. I have had my 06 Si for less than a year
(July 1), and have over 17k on it. I have changed the oil every time the
MM tells me to, and nothing else has been needed to be done.

My only recommendation: Use the dealer for any maintenance you will not be
doing yourself. I had a pretty bad experience with a local oil change
place that has a very good reputation, and will use nothing but the dealer
from now on.

 

I don't see it mentioned often, but I use Geico for auto insurance. On new
cars, they offer an extended warranty program for 7 years/100k. It has a
$250 deductible, but the cost of the warranty is very cheap, and covers
everything the manufacturers warranty does. It is obviously only used for
major repairs, but those are the ones you need the warranty for, anyhow.

If you do decide to get the HondaCare warranty, search the web. You can buy
it from a couple of Honda dealers on the internet for far cheaper than your
local will charge.

 

One reason to buy an extended warranty is for resale value. I bought a 8
year 120k mile Hondacare with zero deductible for about $1200 each on a
Accord Hybrid and Odyssey and it should make selling the cars a breeze when
I'm ready.

 

I did get the extended warrenty, so far I haven't needed any work done
though, its just peace of mind for me. As for the wipers, I have seen
them in auto parts stores already, they aren't the standard yet, but
this is not the only new car that is using them. As for the horn,
there is a fix for the wimpy horn as well that can be done at the
dealer. I haven't personally done it but there are plenty who have.
The dealer can install a Odyssey horn for a really cheap price and you
will have a much fuller sound. I Have heard that its only about 40
bucks in parts and only about an hour labor, that is if its that
important to you.

 

OK, I did read about that and some folks said that lowering the brightness
a bit at night on the panel helped. I drove it during the day, so didn't
notice. I figure it won't be a big deal...

Yeah, that's something I'll have to get used to (the maintenance minder),
but it sounds cool.

I used to do maint on my CJ7, but not on my Saturn, so I expect I'll do it
all at the dealer (and since oil changes are about the same price as at
Jiffy Lube, et al, and they use the right washer, *and* wash your car, I'm
going to go that route). After warranty expires, though, maybe not *all*
at the dealer.

Thanks again, and I just got off the phone with the salesguy (who gave me
a decent deal) and will probably pick it up tonight, assuming they don't
screw around with anything we agreed on by phone (yeah, right ).

brian

 

I figure they'll be in parts stores eventually, but if the inserts are
only $5/ea, that's not *too* bad...

The horn sounded a bit better than my wife's 2003 Civic, so it might
suffice. Hers is *totally* wimpy, but this one was just *sorta* wimpy.
I'll see how it goes (people pay attention to my Saturn horn, but not
to my wife's Civic horn) and decide later - thanks for the tip!

brian

 

I live in Buffalo, so doing my own maintenance is only viable for about 1
oil change per year, since I don't have a usable garage. I used to do it
all when I was young, but there is no way in hell I am climbing under a car
through snow and slush when it is 10 degrees F outside, when I can pay
someone $30 to do it for me... ;-)

But my dealer doesn't wash the car. Bastards. ;-)

Congrats, in advance, on your new toy. The civic is a nice automobile.

 

When I sell the car, at 5 or 6 years, it will likely have over that in
mileage anyhow. So it wouldn't help me a bit, and Honda resale values are
better than just about anyone else, anyhow.

It is a gamble, IMO. If you have something major go wrong under the
extended warranty, you win. If you never use it, it is a waste of cash. I
have full confidence in Honda's quality and reliability, so I stuck with
the inexpensive option for insurance.