Hi everyone!
About a year ago I started looking for a really efficient car for my family. I really wanted an original 2000-2006 Honda Insight but being that it was only a 2 seater my wife and kids wouldn't be able to ride in it together. After researching a bit I figured I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a prius with a ton of miles on them so I kept looking and found out that the honda civic hybrid came in a 5 speed so I checked out ebay,craigslist and the newspaper. I had a road trip coming up in february from pennsylvania to georgia and wanted to get something for the drive but eventually ran out of time searching and had to drive our 08 Honda Odyssey the 743 miles each way.
It averaged 26 mpg with me keeping it at 65-70 the whole way there, which was 12 hours-Ugh. Used 2 tanks down, 3 back including the driving around while I was down there.
I was down there for about a week and then drove home but knew I would be going back 3 weeks later. So my goal was to find a hybrid in 3 weeks...and I did 2 days before I left
I bought a 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid 5 speed in late February 2012 with 155,000 miles on it for a really good deal locally. The seller claimed the battery was replaced less than 2 years ago under warranty by Honda but other than that it's all original- including the spark plugs, clutch and honestly, I think the air filter too
(I noticed that once I brought it home) The day before I left for the PA-GA trip I replaced the air filter and cabin filter and changed the oil and filter with OEM Honda goods. I went to check the tire air pressure and noticed something weird. They were MUD & SNOW tires! Who puts M+S tires on a hybrid? I didn't know how much air to put in them so I just kept them at 34psi front and rear. I filled the car with my luggage and took off at 6am the next day. My goal was to make it to Georgia on 1 tank of gas.
I had a 2000 Acura integra 5 speed that I use to take on long trips and was always able to pull 40-42 mpg out of it by keeping the speed at 62mph and under so I decided to do the same with the civic. Traveling from Pennsylvania to Georgia at 60 mph takes a looooooong time but it was comfortable and fun watching the instantenous MPG guage and trying to keep it at 80-100-120 when coasting down long grades. The best of all,
I made it all the way there on one tank of fuel!! The computer mpg showed I was at
65 mpg at the beginning of the trip and
71mpg when I went to fill up and after calculating it, turns out it was accurate.
I was SUPER excited that I would be reimburst over $800 for using only 36 bucks!