Why I'm hesitating to buy a Civic

Min28 said:

Hey Guys
Just wanted to give you all another review to think about. In short, I bought my 2016 Civic EX-T at the very end of May and have put about 5,500 miles on it. I have had no real issues and love the car. Feels very nice while driving and no issues with the screen. One little annoyance would be one out of 30 (or so) times I start the car, it has turned the WiFi off so I will have to turn it back on before using it.

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I agree! They always work the bugs out and don't do it with a lot of publicity. My civic came off the line on May 16 and I haven't had ANY issues, in fact I expected some and the car has far exceded my expectations. I feel sorry for those who have had legitimate serious issues and I hope Honda deals with them quickly.

Longtimehondafan said:

I agree! They always work the bugs out and don't do it with a lot of publicity. My civic came off the line on May 16 and I haven't had ANY issues, in fact I expected some and the car has far exceded my expectations. I feel sorry for those who have had legitimate serious issues and I hope Honda deals with them quickly.

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I bought mine back in November. The biggest was the 'no audio' issue, which my dealer fixed by replacing the amp, months before the software fix came out. I've also had a couple of other minor issues which will be corrected at my first oil change. I have absolutely no regrets with this purchase. It is a beautiful car, loaded with features, and drives like a dream. Given the opportunity, I'd definitely buy it again, although I'd probably wait 3-4 months into the production run (unfortunately I needed a car in a hurry and didn't have a choice at the time). I believe they've ironed out all the issues at this time.

gtman said:

I considered an Impreza but I can't get past the slow acceleration. That's the thing, the Civic X is the best car in it's class. The Mazda 3 is nice on the road but it's way overpriced. The Golf scares me on repair costs. The Focus is ancient. The Sentra and Corolla are slow and boring. The Korean stuff... the new Elantra and Forte are close but no cigar. No doubt, the Civic is now at the top of the class and it's most likely my next car. I just am a bit nervous reading about some of the first year issues.

Then again, most of the issues do seem isolated like you mentioned, Rawnerve.

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Everything you said is spot on in my opinion. Even though I'm having a bunch of issues with my car I still love it. And there's no other car that intetrest me in this price range. I do have the one buzzing/rattle issue that's externally annoying because it will be there for the first 5-10 minutes when the car isn't warmed up. By the time I would get to the dealer the buzzing is gone. And I really don't want them to take the dash/center area apart because who knows what that will cause down the road. So I'm pretty much stuck.

gtman said:

I really like the 2016 Civic and was thinking about getting one as my next car. But, the more I read, and the more I see them in person, the less sure I am. Don't get me wrong, the car looks great and has nice performance and gas mileage.

Some of my reasons for doubt:

The panel gaps on a lot of the cars I've seen is awful.

The leather seats on many cars I've seen (EX-L, Touring) on dealer lots looks loose and baggy.

The lack of a volume knob.

I've never heard of a car using cloth on the armrests before (EX-T). Seems like a definite wear problem waiting to happen.

Many members here talking about A/C problems.

Top of the line Tourings with rattles galore (subwoofer).

Why isn't the glovebox damped? Seems like a cheap oversight.

Why is there no true blindspot monitoring for both sides or rear cross traffic alert?

I know this is an economy car but it seems like Honda cheaped out in quite a few areas. It also seems like the fit and finish isn't up to the usual Honda standards. I've owned 2 Hondas and an Acura before so I'm used to Honda making a quality product.

Having said all that, I probably will get a Civic but I'll wait to see if the 2017's iron out some of these issues.

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gtman said:

I really like the 2016 Civic and was thinking about getting one as my next car. But, the more I read, and the more I see them in person, the less sure I am. Don't get me wrong, the car looks great and has nice performance and gas mileage.

Some of my reasons for doubt:

The panel gaps on a lot of the cars I've seen is awful.

The leather seats on many cars I've seen (EX-L, Touring) on dealer lots looks loose and baggy.

The lack of a volume knob.

I've never heard of a car using cloth on the armrests before (EX-T). Seems like a definite wear problem waiting to happen.

Many members here talking about A/C problems.

Top of the line Tourings with rattles galore (subwoofer).

Why isn't the glovebox damped? Seems like a cheap oversight.

Why is there no true blindspot monitoring for both sides or rear cross traffic alert?

I know this is an economy car but it seems like Honda cheaped out in quite a few areas. It also seems like the fit and finish isn't up to the usual Honda standards. I've owned 2 Hondas and an Acura before so I'm used to Honda making a quality product.

Having said all that, I probably will get a Civic but I'll wait to see if the 2017's iron out some of these issues.

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So far, all is well after 7500 miles. My advice, since this is the first generation CivicX, is to lease it and not buy it right away. My issue is that I've had two of the factory tires lose air pressure on the highway for no reason at all...I think it was just a bad batch of Firestones...not Honda's fault. My concern is the CVT, which is awesome, but I would not want to see the bill for repairing it if anything went wrong. Leasing this car to me is the smart move at this time. On the good side...awesome ride...the most luxurious Civic I've ever owned...and I should know...I've had four of them before. This model is a big improvement from the tin cans we used to ride in....but those tin cans were very reliable.

My parents have owned a couple of Sonatas, and I test-drove a 2015 while shopping my last car. The only bad thing I had to say about it was the 'sewing machine pedal' accelerator. Otherwise, it was the Accord's peer in initial quality.

The Accord suffers few of these fit and finish issues, but it's 'upscale' as nice as the Civic is, it's still an economy car. Since 'good' companies tend to make fancy stuff 'overly cheap' when cutting costs, I'm surprised they got it this good.

When buying any car, you're taking a chance. First year concerns aside, the chance I'd get a 'bad' Civic were lower than others, and aside from the sub rattle, which the dealer is on top of, I've had none.

seanguy said:

DO NOT BUY ONE. I'm currently getting the run-around by dealership ONE DAY AFTER SALE with my A/C issues.

At this time, I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT AT ALL. I should've just gone with an Accord.

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Many people don't realize that A/C is proportional to how hot it is outside. If it's 100 degrees out the A/C at the vent might only be 65 degrees. ( maybe I don't know specs). But that aside if they have the cars ECO button on this is making the compressor not run at 100 percent. They must shut off ECO mode then there A/C might be cooler on those very hot days. I didn't read the link but that's all I can think of with A/C issues that they might experience with a new car.
If I had to do it again today with my touring. I would buy it again! No doubt. I love it

A list of issues will always present with first year releases. If you are really worried about the woes you see in 2016, 2017 is probabaly a better bet.

Cars will always have issues, a massive amount of civics are produced every week and even a small percentage of defects will be a large number compared to other brands. Not to mention the since the car won car of the year there is a surge of new owners.

My EXL has been great so far, no issues and I am very happy with it. The leather is not sagging and I don't have any specific vibration issues. I got mine in December so I am a few of the first set of owners on here.

Agree, love this car. I paid 24,500 for my touring and she has exceeded my hopes with 48mpg average city and hwy miles. Screen mpg said only 43 but did the math and averaged 48

"The panel gaps on a lot of the cars I've seen is awful."
- Maybe I'm just not obsessive, but I haven't noticed it. Mine is not a Canadian build so I don't know if that makes a difference or not

The leather seats on many cars I've seen (EX-L, Touring) on dealer lots looks loose and baggy.
- I have the Cloth (EX-T) and love it. I have heard of no such complaints about Leather. Most people seem very happy with it

The lack of a volume knob.
- Steering wheel controls are great even with Spotify in AA. Volume, next/previous track. Why would you need to touch the screen anyway? I have it in Google Maps while doing a playlist.

I've never heard of a car using cloth on the armrests before (EX-T). Seems like a definite wear problem waiting to happen.
- I don't get the complaints. Sure, its not super soft, but I rest my elbow there with no issues. I see no visible wear after 2 months

Many members here talking about A/C problems.
- I live in the South and no problems for me that I notice. Air flows less in Eco mode if that makes a difference

Top of the line Tourings with rattles galore (subwoofer).
- Have an EX-T so I can't comment

Why isn't the glovebox damped? Seems like a cheap oversight.
- Honestly, who cares. Mine is a $20k vehicle. I never got upset with our $34k Pilot not having some smooth motion. Its a glovebox.

Why is there no true blindspot monitoring for both sides or rear cross traffic alert?
- Agreed, maybe in a future version. The Lanewatch is surprisingly helpful (can turn it on easily) for changing lanes to the right.

I know this is an economy car but it seems like Honda cheaped out in quite a few areas. It also seems like the fit and finish isn't up to the usual Honda standards. I've owned 2 Hondas and an Acura before so I'm used to Honda making a quality product.
- This car feels far more polished and luxurious to me compared to our 2013 Pilot EX-T (again at nearly 2x the price). Instead, I've more often heard the reverse that it gives both the Accord and Acuras a run for their money.

Having said all that, I probably will get a Civic but I'll wait to see if the 2017's iron out some of these issues.
- Can't fault that, however, I'd say that I would personally choose a much better deal on a closeout 2016 rather than near MSRP on a 2017. That being said, if you can wait a year or two, that'll ALWAYS benefit you...

My early Touring has gaps where the rear bumper meets the fender. They will have to adjust it. Otherwise, this car is simply amazing especially for the price. Everytime I drive by any Accord on the road I feel I have more care than they do especially with all the bells and whistles and 0 to 60 in 6.9 seconds!

I am also peeved at my wife getting 50.1 miles per gallon in a 120 mile round trip where I get 44. 5 for the same trip. Could be the 100 pound weight difference in me and her.

gtman said:

This video is making me squeamish...

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My Coupe is just fine. I doubt I would call Honda and request a recall based on a YouTube video from a disgruntled owner.
That makes no sense.

There is an old saying, if a handful of people complain of something, there must be something wrong with it. Those who blame people talking about rattle, other problems, etc, YOU WON'T believe if someone tells you he/she got a lemon, because...hey? my civic is running perfectly fine so yours must run just fine. Nothings wrong with your car, it is just you expecting too much out of that cheap $22,000 econobox toy. I really think this is what you guys will say.

Please have some sympathy. If your car is great, great you got a well built car. I have noticed honda doing tricks and putting in cheapt quality parts in handful of cars, most noticeable things being the poor resolution lanewatch camera and rearview camera. A lot of variation in fit and finish too.

Just wait until your next honda, or maybe your wife's honda happen to be this inferior quality, but not quite a lemon car. You are going to convince yourself this car is cheap econobox and you will be satisfied.

Many hate trolls without knowing they could be acting like one.

If the shoe fits, js! LoL! It goes both ways... 'Low resolution' cameras? I want to know if there's a car in my blind spot. Don't need to know if it's a '67 Chevy or an '83 Escort! The cameras work well enough for what they're meant to do.

js2275 said:

There is an old saying, if a handful of people complain of something, there must be something wrong with it. Those who blame people talking about rattle, other problems, etc, YOU WON'T believe if someone tells you he/she got a lemon, because...hey? my civic is running perfectly fine so yours must run just fine. Nothings wrong with your car, it is just you expecting too much out of that cheap $22,000 econobox toy. I really think this is what you guys will say.

Please have some sympathy. If your car is great, great you got a well built car. I have noticed honda doing tricks and putting in cheapt quality parts in handful of cars, most noticeable things being the poor resolution lanewatch camera and rearview camera. A lot of variation in fit and finish too.

Just wait until your next honda, or maybe your wife's honda happen to be this inferior quality, but not quite a lemon car. You are going to convince yourself this car is cheap econobox and you will be satisfied.

Many hate trolls without knowing they could be acting like one.

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First of all, no one is trolling. Also, you're assuming that people are going to tell you not to have high expectations for an "econobox" that they bought themselves? This community has always been super helpful and a great place to discuss anything, including occasional issues and concerns. It's only started to become crazy recently because people are describing their civics as lemons. Also, don't forget new members are starting to feel they have the right to talk about a car even before they actually own it.

Longtimehondafan said:

I like my civic and have had no issues......none. I don't get it though, it's a piss pot, an econo box, an economy car, if you expect more quality and features just spend more money. If not having a damped glove box is an issue buy a car that has one, if you want a different armrest buy a car that has one you like.

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It's pretty awesome we're getting compared to luxury standard now though...that has to mean something! Ha