I'm shopping for a used Civic for my son. Most of them for sale are automatics. We have had many 4 cylinder Honda's but they have all been sticks. I would prefer a stick but there are not many for sale.
I'm wondering if there are any Civic Automatic owners on this newsgroup who can tell me how the power is in their cars.
Thanks.
Paul
depends on what year/model your looking for, the HP could be between 115 and
200hpthe automatics r just as poweful as the stick shifts. i've had both and they seem about the same. get one thats been well maintained and you should be happy with it. the trans fluid is very simple to change also.
I've got an 88 dx, with the slushbox.
Runs great, shifts are still sharp, just the engine isn't hugely well suited for a slushbox (not tuned for low-end torque) so there's a fair bit of kickdown needed. Newer ones might be different. I've had no problems with mine though, except the insides have come off the D's on the shift indication (didn't mind when it was the d3, as i could then tell from the corner of my eye which i was in - yes i'm one that prefers to use the shifter to kickdown, rather than the throttle, found it gives a smother and sharper change if timed right)
Compared to buying a small car twenty years ago, most every Honda sold has more than adequate power, and with modern computer-controlled engines you might as well go with the auto anyway, I don't think there is such a thing anymore as down-tuning the engine to spare the auto, as was done once upon a time. Maybe the auto ups the price a couple of hundred bucks, but if that's all you find, I guess you just have to cope.
It's very hard to find modern stick Accords, I thought a fair number of Civics still went with sticks, but maybe the owners tend to drive them into the ground instead of selling them!
J.
Paul,
I know what you mean. Well, it maybe a great idea to look at other sources for cars that are sale. Try using autotrader.com, ebay, and your local news paper (which I know you would have looked in) sometimes it is best to wait. I notice more people start selling their cars in the summer, so you may even want to wait till then.
I live in Georgia, and could not find a decent manual myself, so I bought mine through eBay from a women who just had twins, and the family had to sell it, because they needed more room. Anyways, they bought a new dodge, and sold the car to me for cheap. I paid just 1800 for a 93 Civic LX with 158k miles, now this year I will have had it two years, and only put in about $400 worth of new parts, and it runs like perfect. Now with the older civics they do have lots of road noise, etc... however, it is very reasonable when it comes to repairs, great on insurance, and has impeccable gas mileage. These are all things your son will need. So, do not give up on your search.
Good luck in your search.
the power on honda automatics is just fine. no real difference compared to the sticks. only thing different is shift point choice, but even then, the modern autos whose shift pattern is entirely electronic, are just fine. and the older ones with a kickdown valve can be made fine if adjusted correctly.
Be aware the automatics are not very forgiving of abuse, if that is an issue. The lazy habit of shifting into drive from reverse before the car comes to a complete stop will cause progressive damage and eventual failure with a Honda automatic. The same probably holds true for many modern automatic transmissions. The question about power makes me concerned that the tranny might be subjected to hard use, in which case the balance definitely tips to the manual. Call me sexist, but I would be less concerned if the car were for your daughter than your son.
Mike
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