It's gone LONG past non-essential parts. They're beyond cutting TO the bone, and are amputating entire limbs.
Honda is scared to death of Hyundai, and is busy *re*acting to that perceived threat. Their reaction is based on panic, not calculation. Honda has proven that they're chasing the Hyundai buyer who, for $5 less, would jump over and buy the Hyundai.
Bad move.
Unfortunately, this started back far enough (with the 98 and up transmisions) and has gone on long enough that they probably can't reverse the downhill trend.
One day, their reputation capital will be spent, and they'll be completely stuck.
yeah, but I would consider a Fit Si in a heartbeat (probably wouldn't buy it, but I'd go look). That would be the spiritual descendant of the original Civic Si. It doesn't have to be radical; put the 140hp motor from the stock Civic into the lighter weight Fit, do up the suspension, make it either black w/red interior or red w/black interior, and go.
Price it like a Fit.
Remember, it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.
Probably the very last car to bite the dust will be the ones equipped with 4 cylinder engines and manual transmissions. That is Honda's lifeblood, and it'll be awhile before executive management gets desperate enough to screw that up.
Well, they'll worry about brand loyalty later. Right?
As for uncomfortable, just those damn headrests alone would keep me from buying a Honda today. No, Honda, you don't have to jam them forward so far you make my chin touch my chest. And I refuse to recline the seatback like a gangsta just to avoid all of that.
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.
I wondered about that too-forward headrest, and for the first couple weeks I was driving with the seatback in its full upright position. That's the seatback position I've used in my previous Hondas. Anyway, with the Accord, my back was hurting. Then I discovered that by reclining the seat just one or two notches (not enough for a gangsta look), all seating problems were solved. I love the seat's depth, as it nicely supports my thighs. My Civics' seats were too short, so with the Accord I discovered luxury. I hope Honda hasn't shortened the seats on the new ones.
Ain't that the truth. I have more fun driving the hilly winding back roads in my ancient Civic(s) without worrying about the cops behind the bill boards on the main roads.
"Cameo" wrote in news:idur7l$ld$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal- september.org:
My Canadian province (Ontario) is an exception to the general rule that sellng the old car yourself saves you money.
Up here, selling the old car yourself is a very expensive, since the government rigged tax calculations to favor dealer trade-ins against private sales. That's why private sales have almost totally dried up, with a few exceptions.
Hmmmm. Well, down here the deal is that tax is collected against the net transaction--that is, if the car you're buying is $20,000 and the dealer shows a $10,000 trade in, sales tax is collected on the $10,000 difference.
Therefore, you need to sell your car for more than $10,700 (7% tax rate) in order to make a private sale be better than a trade-in. It's a very simple evaluation. Then there's the hassle factor of a private sale, the value of which is unique to every individual. That'll add to what a private sale price would be. But there's still a very wide gap between a private sale price and what the dealer will ask for it once he's put it on the lot, so private sales are still a good deal.
Is that kind of "rigged tax calculation" you're talking about?
It hasn't stopped or even slowed private transactions down here, not one bit.
Believe it or not, Hyundai (I think) if you're talking that level of market. Certainly Nissan.
If you're dead-set on a Honda, buy Acura--they still seem to care at that level (also see Infiniti). But Honda has turned into a big bag of shit over the last ten years, and what they're turning out today is pitiful.
Yes, I have some inside information on that.
I must say that the current offerings by Honda don't do much for me -- Crosstour for example & the Accord coupe is quite ugly. I currently drive an 06 I4 Accord coupe and have had very good service out of it. If I were to replace it I suppose Hyundai or Nissan (altima) would be the alternatives.
You will be sorely disappointed. Honda no longer makes cars that are intended to last, or be reliable.
Sucks, but that's the truth.
And think about it: they would rather you come back every five or so years and buy another one.
It'll take several cycles of that before people get the idea that Hondas are no longer what they were. But what the hell, by that time (20 more years?) the guys who invented this scheme have made their millions and are long gone, and have left the resultant GM-style mess to the new guys.
Believe it or not, Hyundai (I think) if you're talking that level of market. Certainly Nissan.
Indeed. Current offerings by Honda have led me to look at Hyundai/Kia and the Altima.
If you're dead-set on a Honda, buy Acura--they still seem to care at that level (also see Infiniti). But Honda has turned into a big bag of shit over the last ten years, and what they're turning out today is pitiful.
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