The 2004 Honda Civic - does it still provide bang for the buck?
Written: Oct 04 '04 (Updated Oct 04 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent fuel economy, resale value and reliability.
Cons: Pricy, looks bland, lacks power
The Bottom Line: Honda Civics are reliable, fuel-efficient cars, and the 2004 model is no different.
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| mycouponz's Full Review: 2004 Honda Civic |
THE FuLL ReView
Before I bought my Mazda 3, I test drove a 2004 Honda Civic. Prior to my Mazda I had been driving a little red 1993 Honda Civic which had perfectly suited my needs - great fuel economy, manual transmission, and very easy to drive.
Looks
The 2004 Civic isn't an eyesore, but at the same time it isn't pretty either. In my opinion, the Civic looks bland in comparison with the Mazda 3, although the Civic's front grille isn't that bad. Overall though, I think that the 3, the Corolla and the Optra all look better than the Civic. The interiors are a different story. For some people who buy Civics, looks are not as important as fuel economy and dependability. But, if they are a major factor in your purchase, you might want to browse other dealerships.
Interior
The Civic boasts a nice display panel in front of the steering wheel. When you turn on the headlights, the panel lights up and looks really fancy. Besides that, I found the controls to be nothing out of the ordinary, although it looks like they would be easy to get used to. The audio and heating/cooling controls were easy to adjust during the test-drive. The seats weren't as comfortable as they could have been - the model I test drove had just the regular cloth. I could not see myself sitting comfortably for a long drive in the car. Having said that, while sitting in the driver's seat in the 2004 model, I felt that I was considerably higher up from the ground than with my 1993 Civic. Although Honda advertises that the Civic can seat 5, I'd advise against having that many people at once. Nothing against the Civic, but I'd issue the same suggestion for the Toyota Echo or Mazda RX-8. Any adults in the back seat probably wouldn't be thrilled to be there unless you were going for a short drive. There is plenty of space for young children in the back though. Driver and passenger airbags are standard in the Civic, but side airbags are not available. I'm by no means an expert when it comes to cars, but if safety was a priority for my car, the Civic would not be my first choice, regardless of how much I had to spend. Even if I were in the market for a cheap, used car, safety-wise there are plenty of better options(such as a 10+year old Lexus,a Corolla,etc). Most other cars in the Civic's class feature slightly higher seating for the driver and passengers. Some other cars also come standard with ABS and air conditioning, whereas with the Civic only the more expensive models have those features. As far as I know, none of the Honda Civics come with steering-wheel mounted controls for the sound system or cruise control. Certain packages of the Mazda 3 come with such a feature. The Mazda's interior is much more luxurious - one might mistake it for a BMW's interior if they didn't know any better. In comparison, the Civic's interior has a much cheaper look and feel in my opinion. It's closer to that of a Pontiac Sunfire. Visibility in the car was excellent -I was able to see all around the car, and none of the car's construction got in the way.
Specs
For 2004 there are two engine choices in Canada - both 1.7 Litres with one pumping out 115 HP and the other a 127 HP VTEC engine. As you can expect from almost any Honda Civic, the 2004 has a superb fuel economy. This year, you can expect to get about 8 Litres per 100KMs in the city and 6 Litres per 100KMs during highway driving.
On the Road
The model I test drove had the smaller engine, and I found that unless I really floored it the car didn't pick up speed quickly. Once I did put the pedal to the medal, the car emitted an angry, high-revving sound. This may be pleasing for some people, but normally, I prefer to keep the car happy at lower RPMs if possible. My test-drive Civic had an automatic transmission - looking back, I would have much preferred to test the manual Civic SI. I'm now a firm believer that driving a manual is more fun, and the savings you get at Shell or Chevron are a nice addition to(not to mention the $1,000 less you pay for the vehicle to begin with!!!). Driving in the city during the test drive was no problem at all - the Civic easily got up to speed. When trying to merge onto the highway though I felt that the Civic took more time than I would have liked adjusting to the speed of traffic. The brakes brought the car to a halt quickly, although not quite as quickly as that of my family's Accord.
I think that Civics are best driven by safe, cautious drivers. If you're someone who likes to zip in and out of traffic or you enjoy racing other cars , this is probably not the car for you. That is, unless you have a few thousand dollars in the bank to modify your new car. Relative to other cars,trucks and minivans on the road, the Civic has very little horsepower. Many vans and trucks these days have 50% to 100% more horsepower. I highly discourage anyone from street-racing. Not only is it illegal, it's extremely dangerous. Every few months in the Vancouver newspaper,there's stories about teenagers killed while racing. Smarten up!!!
During my test drive I found that the car did not handle bumps and potholes well. I could really feel it every time I drove over a rough section in the road. Larger wheels might help, but I suppose after awhile you might get used to being jolted in your seat. Normal driving proved that the car handled well, making quick, precise moves as I changed the position of the steering wheel. In other words, it was nimble and reacted quickly. The car handled corners nicely at 20 and 30 kilometres.
Resale & Reliability
Another good thing about this Honda is the resale value. Civics are always in demand, and wherever I look in the newspaper I always see plenty for sale too. Even when the car is five or six years old, the Civic commands a higher resale value than several of its competitors. For example, I asked one of my friends what his 1993 Jeep was worth. We looked it online, and there isn't a whole lot of difference between what my old 1993 Civic and his Jeep were worth. He spent almost twice as much on his Jeep when he bought it, and it's given him nothing but hassles, whereas my Civic was almost trouble-free.
Civics are very well known to be reliable cars. In almost every study I've heard of recently, Hondas are always in the top 5 for reliability. With regular maintenance and a little tender loving care, it's not unreasonable to expect this car to last at least 10 years(or more!). Between my family members and I, we have logged over 350,000 KMs in 2 Civics - very impressive.
How much do they cost?
Pricing for Honda Civics here in Canada vary from $16,000 for a base model(DX) to $28,000 for a Civic Hybrid. The DX comes with a radio/cassette player and power steering. Slightly higher than the DX is the LX, which adds air conditioning, cruise control, power everything and a cd player. The LX retails for $18,500 for a manual transmission. Honda calls their luxury Civic the Si. The Si starts around $21,000 and features a sunroof, larger wheels and the slightly more powerful VTEC engine.
Obviously, the Civic is not the cheapest car on the market to purchase. It might have been 10 years ago, but these days you can get a Pontiac Sunfire, Chevrolet Aveo, Toyota Echo,Hyundai Accent or a Kia Rio for considerably less. In addition, the latter 4 cars all have a similar fuel economy to the Civic. Sunfires start at around $12,000 , and I'm willing to bet that the Sunfire comes standard with more interior amenities than the Civic.
CompetitorsThe Honda Civic competes with the following cars, among others :
Chevrolet Cavalier & Optra
Pontiac Sunfire
Mazda 3
Nissan Sentra
Toyota Corolla & Echo
Personally, I would probably get another Mazda 3 or a Sentra before I'd get another Civic. They offer a smoother ride, more power and better styling. Of course, having automatic headlights, a sexy interior and rain-sensing wipers on the 3 doesn't hurt either :) . Still, Honda has proven time and time again that their Civics are reliable, economical cars.
To Conclude...
Truth be told, I would be the proud owner of a 2004 Honda Civic if it weren't for a certain salesperson at the local dealership. My father bought his car from this individual, and he was ready to do business for a second car. This time though, the guy was not willing to negotiate on the price, and the amount that he offered my father for my '93 Civic was not near enough. Besides that, he stressed more than once on our visit that we were his best customers, yet he was intent on helping other customers - while we were served by a rookie. Not good. Having said all that, I am VERY happy that I'm driving a Mazda 3 today. I enjoy the extra passing power and the styling inside and out. For the price we paid for the 3, we could have almost(for an extra $1,000) bought a brand new Civic Si. I would have got a sunroof with the Civic , which I do not have in my 3. Also, I calculated with the amount of driving I do in a year, I would have had to fill up 2 fewer times in the Civic(22 times as opposed to 20). I am more than happy to pay for the extra gas - to me, it is worth it.
Recommended:
Yes
Model Year: 2004
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mycouponz
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Member: Cozmo Kramer
Location: North of the equator
Reviews written: 125
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