[elhigh]

Hey,

A couple of summers ago I bought a 2003 manny-tranny Civic Hybrid. You'll see how well it does if you take a peek at my signature, it's "Tiptoe." It doesn't hold a candle to a Gen I Insight - few things do - or a properly hypermiled Prius, but it does pretty well.

The bad:

O2 sensors. It has three. It appears you can't let one go without it affecting the others. I don't know for sure if that's the case but I do know that as soon as I replaced one that had been bad for a while, the computer threw a code for one of the others. I'm saving up so I can have the job done at a shop.

IMA Battery. Yep, they have their faults. I got a grid charger and it helps, but really I need a new one. I might be able to wrestle a bit more life into this one if I could cycle it properly with a discharger to pair with the charger, but life interrupts the process. I work as much as 50 hours a week plus occasional weekend volunteer groups, so I guard my leisure time jealously.

The good:

Timing belt. It doesn't have one. GM invented the term "range anxiety" to help sell their Volt, but I already had it. How many miles left on the timing belt? How long before it snaps and destroys the engine? Better get it replaced. OR NOT since the Civic Hybrid uses a chain. You cannot know how liberating it is to not have that worry. I only wish it were timing gears, but you can't have everything.

Room. It's a compact car, but it's a pretty roomy compact car. Five adults fit. Four adults fit VERY comfortably. My 6'1" son fits in the back and has no complaints, and he sits behind me. I'm 5'10". He sits in back because I won't let him drive it. He ruins my mileage.

Manual transmission. Can't have one in a Prius but you can sure have it here. I've driven the Prius and yeah, it's kind of a spaceship for the road but the disconnected sensation of that transmission leaves me a little cold. Between the manual and the hybrid motor the Civic feels a bit like a compact car that has occasional access to a low pressure turbo - just a bit of extra oomph for when the hills get steep or you need to merge onto the Turnpike. If you're hardcore you can key off (or install a kill switch) for EOC (but key back on so the odometer registers the distance you cover). NOTE: there is an occasional hiccup when the auto-start lags a bit restarting the engine at a light. Just pop to neutral and back into gear, it'll start.

Mileage. There are Prii in the Garage listing that do better than me, but there are Prii that do worse, too. If you know what you're about, the HCH does pretty well without looking like you've just taken a shuttlepod to explore the surface of a strange new world. Except for the Hybrid badge, it looks like any other early 2000s Civic. NOTE: my Hybrid badge fell off earlier today. Anonymity here I am! Never mind the Ecomodder.com sticker on the window.

Two years ago my car was about $6000. If you can find a similarly equipped one you can probably find it for under $5000. I haven't had ANY mechanical issues whatsoever. I am showing a CEL but that's for the O2 sensors, and I have an IMA light - the pack is badly out of balance.

Please note that I'm getting over 50mpg even with these faults. I think if I could just scrape the cash together I think I could bump the average above 55mpg and keep it there.

Anyway. You asked, that's my experience. Hope it helps.