We are 103,000+ car owners sharing real-world car information.

Join Us

2008 Honda Civic Pros and Cons at TrueDelta: Great car overall, be careful if it snows where you live. by glennfabf

Member6467

2

Sign in or join to like this review.

Reviewed: 2008 Honda Civic

4dr Sedan 140-horsepower 1.8L I4 5-speed automatic FWD

Why the 2008 Honda Civic?

Reliability & durability

Over 180K on the odometer, and I've had only one non-wear item to need repair. That being said, that one problem could have been a huge issue -- it was adefective engine block that suddenly developed a small crack that leaked coolant. Fortunately, it was 100% covered by Honda as an extended warranty item on my 7-year old car -- they literally replaced the engine block including labor.

Fuel economy

Excellent fuel economy, nears 40 MPG if strictly lower-speed highway driving. Even in winter city driver, never belowe 30 MPG

Controls and instruments

Everything is east to reach, read and follow. Climate control has features that work exactly as they should. Radio controls areexcellent as well. Split instrument panel with LCD spedometer is nice.

Handling

Goodhandling for such a small non-sporty car -- not amazing handling mind you, just better-than-avrage for a car of this type.

Why Not the 2008 Honda Civic?

Tires

Specifically, WINTER handling. Excellent handling in summer, lousy road manners in winter. Never had a FWD car that acted so twitchy in the snow. This was withsnow tires of the samestock tire size. When I replaced the tires with a narrower 15" snow tire, handling improved to acceptable -- but the low ground clearance and other factors still make it less than ideal in the wnow.

Front seat support & comfort

It took me a long time to find a comfortable driving position in this car. It may because of the low seat. I was finally (mostly) successful, but it took a long time to find it, and it is very different than my typical driving position. Also, not great on long trips -- the seat is generally supportive, but it starts to break down a few hours in.

Quietness

Lots of wind noise -- car is loud! Put on snow tires and it's worse.

Exterior styling

Specifically, paint durability. Paint is fading and chipping after 8 years. (Otherwise, I'd say this is a handsome car)

Return to top

Sign in or join TrueDelta to post your own thoughts.

Return to top

See TrueDelta's information for all Sedans, Coupes, and Hatchbacks.
See TrueDelta's information for all Honda models.