2008 Honda Civic Consumer Reviews

Laughable Build Quality

Written by: Patrick on 11/11/2009

Vehicle

2008 Honda Civic EX 2dr Coupe (1.8L 4cyl 5A)

Review

I bought this 2008 Honda Civic Ex brand new. Although the gas mileage is great I was averaging 33 mpg. Everything else about this car is horrible. I have been to the dealer countless times to fix suspension issues and rattles all over the car pretty much everywhere from the moon roof to the dash and pillars. The car only has 13k miles and most of the tire tread is gone. Also the road noise is really bad.

Favorite Features

Gas mileage, 2 tier dash.

Suggested Improvements

Increase your build quality by adding some sound deadening. Everything in the car rattles. Improve road noise. Improve interior panels and have them line up correctly.

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Style nice, reliability questionable

Written by: Richie on 11/04/2009

Vehicle

2008 Honda Civic LX 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5A)

Review

At 57,000 miles, overall the car has been ok, but, I have had both rear wheel bearings and the rear control arms replaced. This was due to a factory problem which caused a rear tire to severely cup. All OEM tires were replaced at 45,000. The past 10,000 miles the transmission is making strange clinking noises when accelerating from a stop. A low roar has developed in the exhaust system. The car handles well but road noise is still a problem. Comfort isn't too bad but the emergency brake handle needs to be relocated. Overall I like the car but I will be trading in for a new Accord as I no longer need a commuter car.

Favorite Features

Style, dash set up, handling and interior design. Excellent paint and finish. Good size trunk. 40 mpg on the highway. Good visibility.

Suggested Improvements

Move the emergency brake handle as not to press on right leg while driving. Honda needs to take another look at the running gear design. Need to improve road noise suppression. Roof metal needs to be strengthened (too thin).

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Good car, Good price

Written by: b13 on 11/01/2009

Vehicle

2008 Honda Civic LX 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

Great car, owned since new. Low cost of ownership; I have not spent any money other than for oil changes (20k on car). The cockpit design is great, more storage space than needed. Fuel mileage is a steady 29-30mpg, 40mpg is attainable on the highway. Very stable in corners. The stock tires (Bridgestone) do not last very long. Replacements with a higher tread wear should be purchased. The A-pillar blocks a greater portion of your viewable area, more so than a standard A- pillar. This can be dangerous in areas of high foot traffic. Acceleration in the lower RPM's can cause cringing. However, above 4.5k the car has plenty of power for acceleration. Road noise is pronounced.

Favorite Features

Design inside and out, fuel economy, reliability, and two-tier dash. All aspects of the vehicle were engineered to please.

Suggested Improvements

Reduce road noise and come equipped with higher mileage tires.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Car Stinks

Written by: mark primrose on 10/30/2009

Vehicle

2008 Honda Civic EX 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5A)

Review

This is my first and last Honda I will ever buy, I have had nothing but problems with the car from day one. Headlights fell out, interior is falling apart, windows have broke, power window motors went out, transmission is going out, had the cheapest tires money could buy on the car when purchased. Heater vent went bad, radio controls are barely working, the car is horrible, bought it for its good mileage and reliability. Haven't encountered either one.

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

1 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Good so far

Written by: mnms_79 on 10/24/2009

Vehicle

2008 Honda Civic LX 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5A)

Review

I have 12K miles and so far other than rough shifting during low speeds and vibration when idle and AC on, I have no other complaints. Of course I don't mistreat my car so perhaps I don't see any problems... so far. :-) Honda civic overall is a reliable and fuel efficient car.

Favorite Features

Most everything. :-)

Suggested Improvements

Improve shifting during low speeds. Why the vibration when idle and AC on?? Improve it .

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Best car I have owned

Written by: arcticracer on 10/21/2009

Vehicle

2008 Honda Civic LX 2dr Coupe (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

We bought our Civic at the peak of the gas prices in 2008 in Anchorage. The trip home a week later 350 miles, I got almost 47 MPG. Now with 15K miles, our overall MPG is over 33. That's with studded snow tires half the year which drop it to about 30. 20-50 below temps here are routine, and the Civic has a GREAT heater we really depend on. It is a blast to drive, ours has a 5-speed (hard to find), and it drives best if you short shift to use the ample torque of the smooth as silk engine. It doesn't lug or stumble even at 1000 RPM. Steering is nimble, sporty, and neutral. Only gripes: Poor radio, doesn't handle multiple strong stations well, and wipers-only 1 intermittent setting.

Favorite Features

Cool dash, sporty look, great engine, good handling.

Suggested Improvements

Add more intermittent wiper settings, improve radio-lousy performance.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Too many compromises

Written by: Shawn on 10/19/2009

Vehicle

2008 Honda Civic LX 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

After only 65,000 KM and 1 year, I traded this car in for a Corolla. First vehicle I have owned and not put more than 200,000 KM on. This vehicle, is poorly made. The rattles after only 15K are unacceptable, and everything is breaking. The throw out bearing went out at 40,000 KM along with the 4 disk breaks. The passenger window fell off the track 3 times. The fuel economy of my corolla in the real world is much better, 36 vs 42 MPG mixed driving even thought the civic is rated higher. There is so little low end torque, it is hard to drive efficiently. Also at 110 KM/H the car revs at 3K RPM in 5th. I really expected more! The car is very weak (poor starting/shifting) in cold weather.

Favorite Features

The car does drive very well. It has quick steering and firm and comfortable seats. The ABS works very well, and the car has lots of Air Bags and seems very safe. Also the car has never left me stranded once it has been started even though it has had many problems.

Suggested Improvements

Better standard stereo, better winter performance, stronger battery, synthetic transmission fluid. Fewer scratchable surfaces, higher quality materials, less road noise and rattling. More reliable design, the engine is great, but everything else is lacking! Everything rattles, and breaks.

0 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Buy a civic thinking it will b amazing...

Written by: Megh on 10/19/2009

Vehicle

2008 Honda Civic LX 2dr Coupe (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I bought this car in May of 2008, 8 thousand miles later I needed new brakes in the front. Got literally yelled at for driving the car too hard. 8000 miles later, need new brakes again, go into new dealership, they tell me my calipers are defective. 2 months later there is a creaking from my front right, dealer says defective axle. My experience with this car is that it has a lot of defective parts, and Honda just doesn't seem to care anymore. I also drive an 88 prelude si, and the old clutch felt better then the brand new one on the civic.

Favorite Features

The only thing good about it is it's sporty appearance, and when it wants to go fast, it does.

Suggested Improvements

Need better quality on parts going onto Honda's new cars.

0 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Seriously Indulging

Written by: Si Senor on 10/09/2009

Vehicle

2008 Honda Civic Si 2dr Coupe (2.0L 4cyl 6M)

Review

Bought this car a little over a year ago. Still just as pleased as I was then as I am now. Car drives very well for the function that it serves, can be driven as a fuel efficient commuter or racy sports car. I, on avg, get about 24-27 MIXED mpg and when driving more conservatively I can get this up to 31-32 mpg, believe it or not. As almost everyone else says, this car is fun to drive and master. The engine note at 6000 RPMS is really cool to hear, really feels as if you're driving a more exotic sports car. In this price point some of these features are hard to beat. I drove this car to its limits after the break in period and still enjoy doing so, though not as often, fuel efficiency. :)

Favorite Features

Engine note, exterior styling, LSD, aux. ports, cupholders (these are by far the best in any car I've seen), comfy interior.

Suggested Improvements

Make the paint job better, more torque, make sure the rattles are worked out before sending out!!

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Not all that

Written by: Deb on 10/07/2009

Vehicle

2008 Honda Civic LX 2dr Coupe (1.8L 4cyl 5A)

Review

I bought this car because of the Civic reliability and mostly because of resale value. I put a lot of miles on my cars and I need a good resale when I go to trade or sell them. I had 2 Hyundai Elantras prior to this car and my Elantra was a lot better car if you ask me. It was much quieter and felt more luxurious, even though it was still sporty and the gas mileage I got was the same. I also had an Accord at one time and it seems Honda cars have a "harder" ride, lots of bumps, lots of noise. Am looking to see what else I can get in 2010 since I'm not too impressed with this car. As someone else said, the struts are noisy, lots of creaks, cabin/wind noise, crappy stereo, etc.

Favorite Features

Zippy car, easy to pass other cars, can fit in small spaces.

Suggested Improvements

Better suspension, better cabin insulation, better stereo, less plastic inside.

3 out 5 people found this review helpful

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