This is my first (and last) new car, it now has 30k miles. We live in upstate NY so most of my experience with this car is in winter conditions. I'm an engineer in linear systems.
Cost: $20k minus approx. 3.5k in tax refunds = $16.5k

I'm an avid kayaker and have mounted a Yakima roof rack with twin sets of J-hook style sea kayak holders. This knocks several miles per gallon off the fuel economy depending of you speed. Given this the average for the past year has been 44mpg. Two kayaks on the roof and 70 mph drops the efficiency to around 20-25mpg. The lesson being to drive a little slower when carrying the yaks. I have been on trips w/o the roof racks and can get 50+mpg, but only on flat terrain and I would have to keep it under 60mph -drag being proportional to velocity squared makes every mph count.

Power has never been a problem. It's certainly not fast but I'm not 18 either, there has never been a time I had wished for more power.

Everything's relative, so if you are used to American cars I'll tell you this thing has been flawless, you'll be amazed at how well everything works, and it's so quiet! For those used to Japanese (and now Korean) cars I'll say that I'm a little disappointed in the build quality, it's not up to the Honda quality I've grown used to over the past 20 years. The dash rattles and creaks, the front pillar covers rattle, the rear window creaks and groans in its setting. I've never heard these things before in any Honda of any age. (Translated for American car owners: It's absolutely silent, no rattles at all.)

The hybrid portion of the car works very well. The only thing I've ever noticed is a little jerkiness in coasting to a stop around 40 to 20 mph. It feels as though the regenerative braking is kicking in and falling out in a self-induced oscillation. I suspect that the amount of hysteresis in the feedback is too little, not a big deal and it won't affect the car's life or performance.
It's quite roomy and very comfortable. The floor air vent in the rear are really nice. There's plenty of head and knee room in every seat.

CVT: I've owned very few automatics and prefer manuals simply because they're cheaper, more reliable, and more efficient. I'm very impressed with the CVT, it's very very smooth, even eery at times. You'll never know its there. Oh, there is a small, say 2 second, delay when shifting into reverse or back into forward. It seems like a good idea to let the transmission settle before applying any gas. -probably true of all automatics.

Here's the odd bit: The cable release for the gas cover has broken three times! Of course the only time you would find it's broken is when you're low on gas, which can be a real pain. At the shop I had them show me a way to open the cover if the cable failed again (it did). In the trunk simply remove some of the covers, reach in and twist the cable out of its socket. This takes very little force.

The only design flaw in the car is the elimination of the fold down rear seats. The extra storage space is sorely missed by this outdoor enthusiast. But I'll live.

US car owners: Every thing on the dash is set up in the most intuitive fashion imaginable. Everything is within easy reach, all the different devices function perfectly from the AC to the radio to the cruise.
All: I'm particularly impressed with the AC and heat. The heat is fast (required here in Yankee land) and amazingly, the automatic temperature control actually works!
I do wish they had the option of heated rear view mirrors and windshield wipers! They *are* on the Canadian model (50 miles away) but not here, what were they thinking?!?

In the end I know that buying this car makes simple financial sense when compared to almost any other *new* car you can think of, but I have doubts as to whether or not it really works out to be a solid environmental choice (for a car) when compared to others. It's ULEV which is good, but the new Camry and the 2001 Accord are both better, as is the Prius. But, it's carrying a whopping 144 D-cell sized batteries that will die one day and may end up in a landfill. I feel good about the financial side, the national security side (less foreign oil dependence), but the environmental side I'm not so sure about.

In 2003 this was the clear winner over the Prius. 2004 is a different story, the Prius got faster, bigger, and more efficient than the Civic. 2005 is shaping up to be another win by Toyota.
In any case, my next car... it's likely to be a small Japanese wagon with about 35k on it. :-)

Amount Paid (US$): 20100
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: CVT