I bought the Civic LX in January 2001 just when they came out. It was my very first brand new vehicle I owned in the USA. I still own and drive it every day but I am getting ready to buy another car.

In the almost 3 years I have owned the car I put a little over 60000 miles on it and I must say the car held up very well. Actually better than that.


The Exterior after 60000

I purchased the Civic in a loud Inca Pearl color - for those of you unfamiliar - it's the liquid gold metalic. Somehow the bizzare paint jobs seem to hold up better. And it is true. The paint still looks new appart from the usual wear and tear. I wash the car about 2 times a month and it looks great. You can't say the same thing about the Honda red which dulls out after just a few months.
The lights are just as bright as I remember them the first night. I had to replace 2 burned bulbs at $5 each.


The Tires after 60000

The original Firestones actually did great. I understand that if you are looking for a performance tire you aren't going to buy Firestones but for my everyday commute the Firestones were great.
I replaced them at about 45000 with 4 brand new Yokohamas and those are probably the most horrible tires I have ever purchased. I had to replace 3 of them for a radial pull. I still have to go for another replacement. I will probably pay the difference and get the Michelins which seem to be the "only" tires.


The Interior after 60000 miles

The interior is my favorite thing to clean and with the Civic it wasn't a hard job. The interior still looks great. Nothing has broken or stopped working except for the express down button on the driver side. That happened probably 8 months ago and I don't know the repair costs because the warranty paid for it. The seat material looks brand new and so does the dash and carpets. I see no manufacturer faults in craftsmanship. There are occasional creaks inside the plastic dash but I heard those when I bought the car. The A/C is still ice cold and I run it all the time - I live in Houston, TX. It never faultered or not worked. The same goes for the heater.


The "Engine" parts after 60000

The engine runs strong although I can hear some engine noise now. I don't drive the car to the death but I am a pretty demanding driver. I have red lined the car several times and still the good engine keeps on ticking well. The clutch is original and doesn't slip or malfunction. I should probably do more maintenance on it than change the oil but that's all I've done so far and have absolutely no problems.

The Gasmileage after 60000 miles

This is something hard to believe for me but I still get 37/38 miles in mixed driving. On the highway the car get between 39/41! I consider myself lucky.

Problems

No problems except for one morning when the car seemed to be unable to get enough gas to run. After I dropped it off at the dealer, they called back to tell me they were unable to recreate the problem. It hasn't happened since and it happened at about 56000 miles.


Annoyances

The annoying part is the fact that to replace the rear speakers with an aftermarket alternatives my husband had to take appart the entire rear plastic parts. It took almost the whole morning to do the simple job of replacing two speakers.


Overall

Overall I am VERY satisfied with the way the vehicle held up and performs. I would probably end up with another Honda if I didn't like driving different cars for a change.
I recommend the vehicle.
Amount Paid (US$): 16000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: Honda Civic LX, MT