I found this Civic in a Parking Lot in 90 degrees today. Can I eat it?

June 25, 2009 8:15 PM

05 Civic Hybrid, has you experiences?

I realize my question will probably get lost by posting it at night. Oh well, I work all day tomorrow, so here goes.

We're currently driving the car that eats mother nature. We need another one. We don't have a lot of cash, and my new job will require a fair amount of reimbursed travel. 50.5 cents per mile to be exact.

Today we were poking around car lots and found a Big Honda Dealership with some pretty decent deals. We were shown an 05 Civic Hybrid...but here's the kicker, it's a STICK! Never even heard of such an animal before.

Anyway, it's an 05, about 85,000 miles. The quoted price (while not set in stone) was $8,500-8,900. The previous owner bought it at this dealership and had all maintenance done there. Miles are commuter miles, she worked in a different town and drove home on weekends. Or So The Story Goes.

This seems like a crazy price, as 05 skivvies around here often go for 8-10k on their own if not higher. They had several late-model-low-price cars, my dad bought an 03 camry there last week for ~$7,000.

Anyone have any anecdotes? Advice? Caveats? Things I should know?

I'm thinking gas mileage plus a fairly reliable vehicle is a pretty good win. Fairly sure we're also in line for tax credits, and possibly for "Cash for Junkers" too, but maybe not.

posted by TomMelee to shopping (7 comments total)

Sorry I have no direct comparison, but I have an '03 Civic Hybrid (automatic) that I bought used in January '08 with 47k miles on it. I drove the crud out of it as I was in the first year of a job that required getting to know a number of sites, and am now at 79k miles. I love the car as much as I have ever loved a car. It is quiet, dependable, and comfortable. As you probably expect you will not set any land speed records but it is not ridiculously slow either. The mileage is about 47 in the summer and 40 in the winter. Good luck.
posted by AgentRocket at 9:17 PM on June 25

I'd buy it for that price in a heartbeat. =/
posted by Precision at 9:19 PM on June 25

85K miles on a standard transmission > the car will be due for a clutch replacement soon, if it hasn't already been replaced. $400 - 600 parts & labor. Also, you need to check major maintenance items have been done or will be included in warranty (timing belt change at 60,000 to 110,000 miles, depending on driving conditions is another couple hundred dollar item, usually done with a major tune-up service. "Cash for Clunkers" is aimed at selling new cars, not trading up to "newer" used cars. At that mileage, your next brake job is likely to require replacing rotors and possibly calipers, as well as pads, due to parts wear.

Pull a CarFax report on the vehicle's VIN# and check to see if there has been any major insurance claim/body work, and that it is, really, a 1 owner/lessee vehicle.
posted by paulsc at 10:43 PM on June 25

We have a slightly earlier Honda Civic Hybrid, also a 5-speed, and it's a really good car.
posted by amtho at 3:03 AM on June 26

Paulsc, I was thinking the same about clutch/timing belt. Brakes are easy-shmeasy, so they don't worry me. I'll tell the dealer I want a carfax.

Thanks for the input so far. Much appreciated!
posted by TomMelee at 4:14 AM on June 26

85K is (I believe) Exactly when the factory warranty runs out on the IMA system - definitely have that vetted before you purchase. Bought the exact same car at 90K and didn't have that opportunity (I paid 7.5k).

Love the 5 speed manual - I regularly get 50+ MPG up to 60 MPG depending on how OCD I am that week. I drive it in excess of 600 miles / week and it's a fun car to have.

The one thing that could be annoying to someone used to a regular car (as opposed to a hybrid) is that the pickup is much lower, unless you are trying to drag race you usually won't notice. The times when I really notice are entering the highway (this is where manual comes in handy - I just downshift and get the pickup) or going over a really big mountain (of which I go over two each way to work) - Again, I just end up downshifting when I need the extra kick.

carfax report++ I paid for the month long version of it so that I could put every VIN in of the cars I was looking at, definitely worth it.

Good luck!
posted by mincus at 4:31 AM on June 26

Not much to add to the comments above, but I have an 04 Civic Hybrid, manual, and love it. The only times I've taken it to the shop are for regular maintenance and when I do something stupid like knocking a side-mirror off. I don't have nearly so many miles, more like 50K, so I can't speak to how well it ages.

The one thing to worry about with the hybrid specifically is the battery. I think it comes with a 7 or 8 year warrantee, but I may have bought that separately. I remember worrying that hybrids were fairly new at the time, so we couldn't really know how well the battery would last. I haven't noticed any problems with mine in the 5 years I've had it, but it's something to be aware of.

My milage isn't as good as what mincus gets. I'd say for city-type driving, I get around 40-43 MPG, and I get 45-50 for highway. Maybe the 05s are better? Who knows: as they say, YMMV.
posted by hatsforbats at 4:26 PM on June 26