Which Civic Auto?

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Fri 14 Mar 2003 19:59
Which Civic Auto? - steve t
I am currently looking to change SWMBO ancient Concerto auto and am looking to spend 6 - 8k pounds on a 5 door Civic - the trouble is which engine?

The Concerto has a 1.6 engine which works well with the autobox but a trawl through Autotrader\'s website comes up with several 1.4\'s - does anybody know if these are conventional or belt driven boxes and are as reliable as the 1.6. Have checked HJ\'s CBC breakdown but there is not much info on the 1.4.

The car will be used mainly for school runs, and local driving with the occasional motorway trip and cover approx 8 - 10k miles a year. It must have 5 doors and be automatic and be Focus /Astra size.

Is there anything else I should consider? SWMBO does not like the Astra, I consider the Golf overpriced, and have never liked Ford autoboxes - and I wouldn\'t touch anything French or Italian.

Any comments appreciated.

Steve
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Sun 16 Mar 2003 11:43
Which Civic Auto? - r_welfare
Steve,

I had a 1998 Civic 1.4 a few years ago. It was a manual and, while inoffensive enough, wasn't particularly rapid, so I reckon you should go for the 1.6.

As I recall, the autobox is a conventional one on either car (I presume from your price range you will be looking at the previous generation one).

I'd never seen an auto 1.4 until I came here to Guernsey, far more popular with the retired set was the 1.6. I reckon for your budget you'll get a nice late (V/W reg) 1.6ES auto which comes with niceties such as leather, aircon and alloys. This seems to be a popular auto model.

Generally a very reliable car - mine went from 17k to 35k miles in a year with nothing needing doing, other than servicing.

You could also go for the Rover 400/45 which is otherwise identical (I believe the auto 416 was the only one to stick with the Honda engine when the model was changed in 1995), but a friend had lots of problems with an early one.

Hope this helps.
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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?