Which Civic

[Matthen]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a Civic come Christmas time. The older "new" shape ones (07 -08) are within my budget. Either the 2.2 Diesel or the 1.8 Petrol - I'd like to know firstly - What RPM does the petrol sit at at circa 80 mph (most of my miles will be done on Dual Carriageways + Motorways, Secondly: Is the in gear acceleration of the diesel massively better than the petrol (if i put my foot down at 2000 rpm, will it have the grunt to pass a MLM on the motorway, or will i have to change down) and lastly, are there any expensive faults should I be avoiding in the older models?

Also, real world economy of both engines would be great

Cheers.

[elbandito1980]

I've got the 1.8 petrol and 80mph is about 3500rpm ish. I get mid to high 40's to the gallon at motorway speeds. Drop to 60mph and 50mpg is possible according to the trip computer.

[Matthen]

Sounds reasonable enough in all honesty, thanks

[Ghostbhp]

elbandito1980 said:

I've got the 1.8 petrol and 80mph is about 3500rpm ish. I get mid to high 40's to the gallon at motorway speeds. Drop to 60mph and 50mpg is possible according to the trip computer.

Wow! you might be better off with a FN2 Type R... I get 36-38mpg doing mainly motorways and dual carriage ways out of mine!

[wuckfitracing]

Before you do go for a 2.2 diesel. I suggest checking out clutch slipping issues. Im thinking of buying the same as you. search Honest John for full info. It looks like a huge problem.

[bakerstreet]

Civic 2.2D is meant to be very frugal, but they have a fair few problems with DMF and clutch ware.

I wouldn't recommend a Type R for motorway work. 65mph is about 3k and the ride is a bit uncomfortable on motorways.

I've had my FN2 type R for three weeks now and my first tank averaged 34mpg (proper figures, not OBC). Mostly driving at sedate speeds and only using the VTEC a couple of times.

[Matthen]

wuckfitracing said:

Before you do go for a 2.2 diesel. I suggest checking out clutch slipping issues. Im thinking of buying the same as you. search Honest John for full info. It looks like a huge problem.

Yes, i've started to notice that its a pretty common problem. The petrol seems nearly as frugal in the urban/mixed cycle and presume its massively cheaper to maintain. I certainly don't want to be buying a new clutch every 25K miles.