2009 Honda Civic

I have always owned cars by one of the "big three" domestic automakers, but after driving their unreliable junk for years, I decided to do some major research, and for my needs, the Honda Civic LX seemed perfect. My last car was from GM (Goverenment Motors) and after only three years of ownerships, major problems ensued. I purchased my 2009 Civic LX about one month ago, It was used with only 4,500K on it. Crystal Black Pearl... very nice! So far, my combined gas mileage is 29mpg... my old car was 18. On the highway, I have gotten as high as 35 mpg so far, but not many trips taken yet.

The 1.8L motor is very peppy around town, sometimes a struggle on expressways but not a huge problem. I have read a lot of reviews on this car before I bought it and here is how I answer some of the complaints I have read about the Civic:

1) Engine noise -- yeah, there is some engine noise though not intrusive...it's a 4-cyl engine for god's sake, not a Rolls-Royce.

2) The parking brake gets in the way -- really? if you sit like a normal human being when you drive, you don't even notice it's there.

3) No trunk remote on key fob on the LX -- OK, how hard is it to stick the key in the trunk lid and turn it... people have done it for years and gone on with there lives!

4) Weird 2-tier dash set up -- It took me all of about 2 minutes to get used to it and I love it. You don't even have to take your eyes off the road to see your speed.

The interior has all the right controls in logical, easy-to-reach places. Little storage bins abound in the front. Back seat has no cup holders. Stereo system is a little lame in the LX but is not horrible. Not a lot of bass tones if this is an issue for you.

Overall, I am extremely happy with this car. Styling, gas mileage and best of all, Honda reliability! If you're looking for economy and reliability with out having to drive an econobox that looks like a shoebox with 4 wheels, you need to check out this car!

I did my homework on the car and knew a good deal from a ok deal. Have the car inspected within the first 30 days by a cerified dealer and a body shop to make sure of no hidden flaws. Use carfax to get a start but remember carfax is only as good as the information they recieve. If there is a fender bender reported "you must have a dealer or body shop review any repairs". The last car I got needed over $5,000 in repairs even though he stated the car was in perfect mechanical condition. True statement however the understructure was a mess. Don't believe everything the seller says about a car on any server. I was very careful the second time around.