Considering a Civic but…

[guest6373]

I am looking to buy a used car at the moment. Budget around £3-5k. As little as possible. Have been looking at Civics from '07 onwards.

BUT when I look on Autotrader I notice quite a few Civics for the years 2010 and 2011 that are CAT C and D. Why is that?

What issue do they have that is causing them to be too costly to repair? All these CAT C and D Civics for sale set alarm bells ringing.

Besides the Civic I have also been considering an Auris, Mazda 3, 1 Series, Focus and Astra. After my last car which was very unreliable and costly to repair and had to be scrapped a few months ago I don't to get something more reliable this time and probably Japanese.

[guest1372]

If you like the Honda Jazz fold flat rear seats, then you'll find them pretty similar in the Civic.

The Civic forums may give more clue about repair costs.
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TG

[culzean]

Nothing wrong with the MK6 Civic 2006 - 11 ( I have 2011 MK6 model - didn't want new MK7 as IMHO  shape was no-where near as nice as outgoing model) - 1.8 petrol VTEC is a lovely engine,  don't expect same MPG as Jazz, but can get high 40's on a run and high 30's local stop-start cold engine mileage.  Don't be put off by rear spoiler,  it is actually great for keeping headlights out of the interior mirror, and you don't need a rear wiper as the rear screen stays remarkably clean - headlights are great as dip beams stay on when you switch to main beam giving you 4 headlights and a great spread of light.

The 2.2 Diesel isn't bad,  but I hate Diesels.

[guest5589]

Recently helped a friend buy a MK8 2007 Honda Civic 1.8 EX and it is quite a nice car. The 1.8 is a nice upgrade on the 1.6 of the MK7 EU8's D16.. Plenty of poke!

I think realistically you can get a nice 2007-2008 model for around 3.5-4.5k with around 68-88,000 miles on it. The reason you are seeing a lot of Cat C and D cars in and around your price range is because you are looking at newish cars .. 2010-2011 were the last years for the model.

In your price range you should be looking at 2007-2008 cars. Avoid 2006 cars as that was the first year and the car had a few issues that were resolved for subsequent years. If you do intend to buy the iCDTI diesel make sure its been serviced reguarly as with proper care these engines can do 250,000-300,000 easily in the Accord and have no DPF to worry about.. I am not sure but I have heard some later year Civics 'might' have the DPF

There are a few things you should look out for... I have noted them on another forum which you can find here:

http://hondakarma.com/threads/buyers-guide-needed.23639/#post-199592

[guest5589]

Nothing wrong with the MK6 Civic 2006 - 11 ( I have 2011 MK6 model - didn't want new MK7 as IMHO  shape was no-where near as nice as outgoing model)

2002-2005 = MK7 (EU,EV,EP series)
2006-2011 = Mk8 (FN series)
2012-2016 = MK9 (FK series)

[culzean]

Nothing wrong with the MK6 Civic 2006 - 11 ( I have 2011 MK6 model - didn't want new MK7 as IMHO  shape was no-where near as nice as outgoing model)

2002-2005 = MK7 (EU,EV,EP series)
2006-2011 = Mk8 (FN series)
2012-2016 = MK9 (FK series)

Oops seem to have lost a few 'marks' somewhere     unless you have  good reason to have a Diesel IMHO I would leave them alone,  although the 2.2 was quite a light engine it was still quite a bit heavier than the petrol and made car more nose heavy,  also diesels have a dual mass flywheel to stop low rev Diesel torque pulses destroying the transmission,  dual mass flywheel is a collection of sliding plates held together with springs and fairy dust,  every diesel has one and when they fall apart (which they do quite often) they are a major expense.  Pretty sure 2.2 did not have diesel particulate filter to clog up and fail.   Diesels run out of puff around 4K,  petrol keeps on right on up to 7K and sounds wonderful    power is the same at 140 ponies and 0-60 time and top speed identical (gearbox takes care of that),  but far less to go wrong with petrol and normally cheaper fix.

Look out for signs of water in boot,  normally coming in through seal between rear window and spoiler, easy to fix with clear silicon sealer (haven't had this problem on mine,  may have been fixed after earlier cars suffered).  Check 'Civinfo' website for information, warts and all,  on Civics.

[RichardA]

Early Civic specs were be erratic:

S trim had four electric windows but no radio(?)
SE added radio/CD and climate control (plus 16" alloys on 1.8/2.2)
Sport had HID lights and 17" alloys, some also had front fogs and leather steering wheel.
ES added cruise, dual zone climate, leather steering wheel, panoramic glassroof but had 16" alloys and no HID lights.
EX was an amalgamation of Sport & ES specs plus sat nav and bluetooth but minus the glassroof, although I think was available as an option for a short while.

No USB or even AUX until facelift (starting on 09-plate), even though the Mk1 Jazz had the latter at the time (?).
Some overlap between pre- and post-facelift due to the downturn in the economy.

No DPF on the diesel but they do have DMFs,  clutches can have a short life.
Service bulletin for the sticking fuel cap should be sorted by now.
Paint said to be thin, and I think there was some minor issues with rust under the door seals?
Rear suspension creaks, some owners had springs and/or dampers changed regularly under warranty.
Loads more info on Civinfo.

Which Mazda3 are you looking at? 04-09 cars can have issues with rust. '09-'13 in my opinion are very underrated and I considered replacing my Jazz with a used 2.0-litre petrol Sport back in 2012...if I could actually find one! Not sure if they fit in your budget. 
The 1.6-litre petrol is rather underpowered, only a little over 100bhp.
The 1.6-litre diesel is PSA Peugeot-Citroen sourced, not sure where the 2.2 diesel comes from - these have well documented DPF problems so best look elsewhere.

The BMW 1-series is very tight in the back, '07 facelift cars are said to be better made and were one of the first cars on the market to have stop-start before other makers followed. I always had a soft spot for 1-series coupe. 

I can't comment about the Focus or Astra or Auris.