2008 Honda Civic LX

[Jamo]

Mine is a black, manual transmission LX. It has steering wheel mounted cruise control standard, which is a great advantage over a comparable Cobalt. It is very sporty to drive and always fun. The interior is very futuristic with a split level information display that is the dog's dangly bits.

MPG is exemplary, around 35-39 overall. With my manual transmission, the only way I would go, Civic is light and sassy. I do like it a great deal. Wonderful to zip into town to pick up dog food.

It does not have DRL's like the Cobalt, or any automatic evening lights. The chime ringing, if you leave your keys in the car as I prefer to do, is incessent and I hate it. The base radio is not as good as GM either. The sheetmetal is thin and the paint, thinner. AC is fine, but not as good as GM's.

Mine was $16,000 plus tax. A cobalt should be less but you have to piddle around with the option packages and you cannot get a cruise control for less than $19,000 MSRP, which is one of the reasons GM lost market share, at least MY market share.

Honda is a great car, and the manual transmission light and easy. But it is not quite as powerful as the base Cobalt. Still, with the VVT it is plenty peppy. Torque off the line is a little lower than Cobalt.

If Cobalt had come with an HD Radio standard, I would have bought the Cobalt. But the Honda is a fine product. I'll be trading it in on my new Camaro.

[eurohazard]

Sounds like a fine and truthful review. How may miles are on it? Have you had any problems?

[Jamo]

Originally Posted by eurohazard

Sounds like a fine and truthful review. How may miles are on it? Have you had any problems?

Yes, I have. The windows seep when they are closed and it rains. In the cold, the window gets frosted on the inside. There are no window moldings to allow the windows to remain open a bit for fresh air in the rain.

I drove into the branch of a shrub when I was pulling into a parking space and it damaged the condenser. The condenser is like tin foil and is expensive to replace. Rapairs on Japanese cars are more expensive than they are on Chevys.

I should also mention that, in my opinion, the real reason that Japanese cars are touted as the better of the American product is that they are more highly, more futuristically styled, both inside and out. I doubt that they are better cars.

In fact, I have two cars with 160,000 miles on them - not counting my 15,000 mile Civic - a 1996 Lexus LS400 and a 1996 Malibu. The Malibu is more reliable and less expensive to repair, if a little noisier. So I think it is shameful that GM and Ford and Chrysler have gotten such a bad rap over the years. I don't think they have been packaged and marketed correctly.

[Aura XR]

Sounds like Honda took their styling clues from first generation Saturns that also didn't have a drip rail and you got rained on inside if you left a window open even a crack.

Hope you enjoy your Camaro

[eurohazard]

Most new cars lack a good drip rail....and perosnally I am glad. The old ones were an eye sore anyway.

I think most air conditioning condesors are pretty weak FWIW. They are thin on purpose to disipate/exchange the heat fast.

[bradyholt]

"In fact, I have two cars with 160,000 miles on them - not counting my 15,000 mile Civic - a 1996 Lexus LS400 and a 1996 Malibu."

There was no 1996 Malibu.

[Buick61]

Originally Posted by Jamo

My first car, in High School, was a new, 1963 340 hp, Silver Stingray w/456. That was the 'hot' set-up, because you couldn't get the 456 w/360 hp FI.
But it's been down hill since then.

Um......I'm confused by this. What is a "456?" Can't be the engine, since that was a 327.

[eurohazard]

Originally Posted by bradyholt

There was no 1996 Malibu.

haha, I didn't even catch that one. They still have the Corsica then huh?

Originally Posted by Buick61

Um......I'm confused by this. What is a "456?" Can't be the engine, since that was a 327.

I had assumed it was a bored over big block.....but he does say it was "new". Strange. Another good catch.

[Jamo]

Originally Posted by Buick61

Um......I'm confused by this. What is a "456?" Can't be the engine, since that was a 327.

That's the axle, final drive ratio. With the four speed. On the fuelly you could only get a 411.

That damn thing could light'em up for a whole block and in 4th gear.

[Buick61]

Originally Posted by Jamo

That's the axle, final drive ratio. With the four speed. On the fuelly you could only get a 411.

That damn thing could light'em up for a whole block and in 4th gear.

AH, okay. Had it been written as "4.56" I'd like to think I could have figured it out. Maybe.

That thing must have topped out at 90mph.

Edit: used : instead of . in the gear thing. MY BAD

[Jamo]

Originally Posted by Buick61

.. Had it been written as "4:56" ...

That thing must have topped out at 90mph.

My bad.

I think it did, about 90mph.