Used 2003 Honda Civic Consumer Reviews
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Best Car I've Ever Owned!
energist, 07/08/2012
2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 4dr Sedan (1.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
71 of 72 people found this review helpful
I bought the car new in 2003 and it's been great. I see many complaints about gas mileage, but mine averages 49 MPG with snow tires on. This has been the most trouble free and economical car I've ever owned, and it's fun to drive.
2.5 years of love for my ep3
kingchristo, 10/11/2014
2003 Honda Civic Si 2dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
26 of 26 people found this review helpful
My Civic Si looked new when I bought it 2.5 years ago with 55K (totally stock). It's now at 90K, and it's been really great. The handling is a dream, it's comfortable as can be up front, and I get 30MPG+ even while having some fun on the mountain roads I drive daily. Its quick enough to be fun, though there are *now* a lot of faster cars for everyday use. I had to replace an O2 sensor and a door lock actuator (both of which are relatively easy to do yourself, luckily, and thus done for < $300 total). The backseat is a bit tight, but much better than what many similar cars have. The biggest shortcoming of this car is the lack of a 6th gear. 5th at 75mph=3700rpm.
2003 Honda Civic for sale near you
Showing 3 of 72 listings
- LX Sedan w/Side AirbagsMSRP: $5,99964 mi away
- LX SedanMSRP: $7,995129 mi away
- LX CoupeMSRP: $4,600147 mi away
See all 72 listings
Status Report- 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid After 200K
auburngbb, 05/19/2011
2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 4dr Sedan (1.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
40 of 42 people found this review helpful
Total 2003 HCH Cost- HW Items purchased from 79k to 200k miles as follows: 2 sets of tires 1 speed sensor (drove thru deep puddle) 1 set of spark plugs 1 set of ft brake pads 1 fuel filter Fluid change maintenance from 79K to 200k miles as follows: * Several 0-20W/0-30W oil/filter changes (8k mile intervals) * Two CVT fluid changes noting I assumed to change oil every 100K miles until I noticed the transmission was slipping and read my OEM operators manual stating to change trans. oil every 30K. After changing the oil the first time THE TRANSMISSION QUIT SLIPPING and I make sure to change this fluid at recommended intervals. * One Antifreeze change Car runs good(mildly abused)
Buy one for reliability
carterpuma, 06/19/2013
2003 Honda Civic LX 2dr Coupe (1.7L 4cyl 4A)
29 of 31 people found this review helpful
I struggled with constant repairs on domestic cars for years before purchasing this car. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Bought at 47K miles in 2007 and now have 120K. In that time only ONE thing has ever gone wrong and that was a sensor that only cost $150. It just blows my mind how reliable this thing is. This car is such a smart choice and can be found for under $5K atm. Will be one of the best vehicle investments you ever make.
Good car
manfrombklyn23, 08/10/2010
2003 Honda Civic LX 4dr Sedan (1.7L 4cyl 4A)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
Great car! After 7 years of owning this car, I have only replaced the struts, mirrors, gas cap lid cable, change draw spring and replaced washers underneath driver seat to stop it from rocking back and forth. Besides that I have done 1 tune up, change tires twice and the obvious oil changes. I figure thats all pretty normal stuff considering I am at 93,000 miles. This car has never stalled out, overheated or not started up. I would def purchase a Honda again.
Decent but not great
McSteve, 05/09/2010
2003 Honda Civic DX 4dr Sedan (1.7L 4cyl 4A)
21 of 23 people found this review helpful
This vehicle has been a pretty good day to day driver but the attention to detail is been lacking. Fuel economy is great and 7 years later feels tight and drives like new - but it is not without its issues. After two weeks of ownership, the interior fabric fell off the doors and need to be reglued. Stabilizer links failed at 80,000 km. Air conditioner failed at 90,000 km (55,000 miles). Exhaust manifold was cracked at 100,000 km (63,000 miles).
The battery is a disaster!
loring, 08/24/2013
2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 4dr Sedan (1.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
43 of 49 people found this review helpful
The IMA Battery on the 2003 Civic Hybrid is/was a flawed product. My first battery failed at 42,000 miles ( at 7 years) and was replaced under warranty. The second battery has failed with less than 27,000 miles ( at 11 years) and the dealer says it will cost me $3,684 to replace it with a rebuilt battery with a 3 year, 36K warranty. So far, Honda and I have spent more on batteries than I have on fuel for this car. With a 3 year warranty on a $3,684 battery, I'm planning on $1,000 per year battery cost going forward.
Not worth the premium
kamikiaze, 06/02/2011
2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 4dr Sedan (1.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
I bought my 2003 Honda Hybrid new. All told I think it was $35k. Paying a premium on the car because it was a hybrid, the tax deduction and the gas savings would make up for the extra cost; right? Well, for the past year it has been sitting in our driveway with a busted transmission. $4500 to replace it. This is the latest in a long string of recalls/replacements on this car. Luckily, our other fixes have been covered by Honda; but this fix is not. We look at the blue book value of this car, and seriously question if it is worth fixing especially when we read other reviews of cars that have gone through multiple transmissions and other fixes. For the price, I expected better.
Honda reliability is just a catch phrase
stingrey13, 12/06/2016
updated 06/16/2020
2003 Honda Civic EX 4dr Sedan (1.7L 4cyl 4A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
Unfortunately, this car's motor went out despite my meticulous maintenance of the car. Also, it burned a significant amount of oil. It might have been lack of care from the previous owner. The car was great while it ran. This was my 4th Civic (2 of which including this one had motor issues), all of my Civic's owned burned oil. I thought it was normal for older cars to burn oil but my 2005 Ford Focus and 1999 Ford Escorts do not burn oil at all. Plus they run great aside from electrical issues in the Ford Focus. Despite all it's praise and glory, I don't think I'll ever own a Honda again.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
A Convert
Lockemup, 10/27/2010
2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 4dr Sedan (1.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
I recently purchased a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid, though I had to get rid of my ever so fun to drive G35 the car is remarkable with respect to fuel efficiency. The layout of the car is simple, just like all Hondas. The power is on the low side, but lets face, we buy these cars for one reason and that's fuel economy. I wouldn't care if I had to get out and push the car up a hill (which it almost seems like I have to do living in Upstate NY), as long as I'm getting my 50 MPG let every other car pass me on the road. I'm purchasing a new set of Cooper GFE (LRR) tires and I'm hoping to eek out a few more MPG.