Civic stolen - What next? - Plug in Prius

[vskid3]

Originally Posted by j99civic

I went shopping today and saw many very nice Hondas parking. Are the gas ones okay, other than having lower mileage, or is it better to wait for a hybrid?

With you only driving 3k miles a year, it might make more financial sense to get whatever is cheapest to buy, insure, and maintain regardless of fuel economy. Gas will likely be the lowest expense of the car.

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by vskid3

With you only driving 3k miles a year, it might make more financial sense to get whatever is cheapest to buy, insure, and maintain regardless of fuel economy. Gas will likely be the lowest expense of the car.

Good point.

Cheapest to own might be oldest, with most of its depreciation having already happened.

[19bonestock88]

Might I suggest a Saturn Ion? The car is from an orphaned brand, so values are nil... could pick up a nice 06-07 car is good shape for just a couple grand...

With mostly just hypermiling, I’m averaging mid-high forties MPG, and there’s more in the table...

Early 03-04 cars *could* experience timing chain issues due to a faulty designed tensioner/oiler... like a $40 part

The cars have weak-ish LCA bushings, and rear axle bushings can fail as well... parts are cheap enough but the labor on the rear axle bushings will hurt a little...

Lots of bolt on performance upgrades are available, if you cross shop for its cousin, the Chevy Cobalt...

They *can* run for quite a while properly maintained...

[j12piprius]

I've been through Craigslist quite a few times. This is the updated list, with the cars removed that haven't been responding or available. Most attractive to me (and my gf) is the first one.

#1~ 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid automatic - 165,000 miles $3200
This was my first choice and still is my favorite, provided the car has miles left.
The hybrid IMA battery was replaced a 4 years ago.

#2~ 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid automatic - 98,000 miles $5400

I am perfectly willing and interested to do battery maintenance. I completely agree that the cheapest car to buy, insure and maintain makes the most sense for me, and that price of gas is not as much of a factor, provided the mpg is reasonable.

Is there any way to verify the CVT condition? If it went out, what would be the cost to repair or replace it? The current owner since 2009 appears to be a mileage conscious driver. Are there any particular questions I should ask regarding condition, and/or any other things to look for? Any and all comments are much appreciated. Thanks

[mpg_numbers_guy]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't all "automatic" Honda hybrids CVTs? I've seen a ton of Hondas in the junkyard whose fault alone is a failed CVT transmission...I guess it all depends on how willing you are to replace the transmission if/when it should fail.

[Ecky]

The 2nd gen Civic hybrids also have terrible battery packs. They cut the pack capacity significantly while upping the demands on it. Chances are good the 2008 is in its 2nd or 3rd pack by now. Avoid like the plague.

[j12piprius]

Originally Posted by Ecky

The 2nd gen Civic hybrids also have terrible battery packs. They cut the pack capacity significantly while upping the demands on it. Chances are good the 2008 is in its 2nd or 3rd pack by now. Avoid like the plague.

Yikes, thank you very much for that update/reminder.
~ ~ ~

From Wikipedia:

There are higher capacity non-OEM packs available for less than the OEM price, and many owners have achieved years-long extensions of usable battery life by utilizing a grid charger. A grid charger is a home-made or purchased charger that connects your car to the power-grid. These devices impart a long, slow "balancing" charge where all cells are gently charged to their maximum capacity. This can temporarily restore balance and dramatically improve usable capacity for months at a time.

Probably the non-OEM packs would still be quite expensive.
I'll focus on the 2005, and cross the 2008 off the list.

[Ecky]

I think the 2005 is a great car, comfortable, roomy and quiet. You can expect better economy than the newer Civic, and it won't eat battery packs in the same way, but I would still expect to need to buy one unless it was replaced recently, and don't hold your breath for more than 225k out of the CVT. Otherwise it should be highly reliable. My ex has a 5MT (which feels like one of Honda's better manual transmissions, smooth as butter) which has been incredibly reliable except for the battery, which is going to fail her on emissions/inspection this year. Pretty sure she's going to dump it for a Prius.

[Angel And The Wolf]

See if you can find a Yugo. NO ONE wants to steal a Yugo!

[j12piprius]

Manuals - I'm not excited about these.
There was a different 2001 5 speed that looked great but was sold.

2006 - Toyota Corolla 5sp- 192k miles - $3100

2008 - Civic manual 5sp - 85k miles - $5200
Salvage title, from dent on bumper(?) Fixed professionally.
Full size car, only gets 34 mpg highway.

1994 - Civic Hatch 5sp - 140k miles - $2200
Old, very small car. Looks okay but few photos. Rated at 45mpg highway.

2001 - Civic manual 5sp - 178k miles - $1200