Buying: Civic 2008 (Gen8?) 2.2d GT
Discussion
2.2 i-CTDi Type S GT Hatchback 3dr 2008
Looking at this for my son - local garage has one with strong history, new tyres, new brakes and two wheel bearings. Underside is treated / sealed and pretty much rust free. Starts and runs really well. No knocks or creaks, no smoke.
Despite higher insurance, it's cheaper on VED than many other cars which are smaller and less well built feeling than the Honda.
Inside is very good. Externally it's rough - bumper has had a knock or three, missing wheel arch liner, rear 3/4 has been badly repaired.. Plus red paint fading. Plus someone painted alloys black and that is peeling. Nothing a bunch of polish and some repainting of bumper cannot sort to a better standard. At the end of the day, it's a cheap 16 year old car...
He needs a car to do 15 miles each way up A road to work for a year before he goes travelling.
It's £1.1k
A couple of questions:
Anything else I need to know about this model and engine?
Can he connect phone to stereo to listen to Spotify?
Looking at this for my son - local garage has one with strong history, new tyres, new brakes and two wheel bearings. Underside is treated / sealed and pretty much rust free. Starts and runs really well. No knocks or creaks, no smoke.
Despite higher insurance, it's cheaper on VED than many other cars which are smaller and less well built feeling than the Honda.
Inside is very good. Externally it's rough - bumper has had a knock or three, missing wheel arch liner, rear 3/4 has been badly repaired.. Plus red paint fading. Plus someone painted alloys black and that is peeling. Nothing a bunch of polish and some repainting of bumper cannot sort to a better standard. At the end of the day, it's a cheap 16 year old car...
He needs a car to do 15 miles each way up A road to work for a year before he goes travelling.
It's £1.1k
A couple of questions:
Anything else I need to know about this model and engine?
Can he connect phone to stereo to listen to Spotify?
Edited by POIDH on Monday 5th May 18:48
Edited by POIDH on Monday 5th May 18:56
My brother still runs around in mum's old Y reg Civic. Bought as an ex demo from the dealer in Letchworth.
It's only a 1.4. I drove it from Bedfordshire up here to Scotland when they (parents) relocated.
It's a world of SLOW.
It's certainly not looked after, quite the opposite but still seems to go on and on.
The 07 plate CRV I had was ok. Needed that clutch and the wiper motor had a mind of its own. I think they can get water in.
Other than that it was tough.
It's only a 1.4. I drove it from Bedfordshire up here to Scotland when they (parents) relocated.
It's a world of SLOW.
It's certainly not looked after, quite the opposite but still seems to go on and on.
The 07 plate CRV I had was ok. Needed that clutch and the wiper motor had a mind of its own. I think they can get water in.
Other than that it was tough.
Worked for Honda for many years so know these well. Congrats on the purchase of the 1.8 vtec. Just replied to your other thread about the bluetooth audio too and noticed you've bought an EX spec according to the audio photo (which was the top of the 5dr range at the time). By any chance is your one in Silver and was being sold privately on Autotrader about a week ago?
Common issues on these:
Air con - most nowadays at this age have no working air con. Many think its just a regas, but its usually not the case. Very common is that these have issues with the condensor not working (which gets holes by stones flying into it). Occasionally its the air con pressure sensor that needs replacing. A test for this - switch the car on, on the climate control section, press the AC button on/off every 5 seconds or so. If you don't hear the compressor kicking in, its highly likely to be the pressure sensor. My suggestion initially is to take the car to KwikFit (even though I really dislike using those guys), and ask them for an air con regas. Why them - they don't charge a single penny if the air con regas doesn't work. If it does work, great. If it doesn't, you haven't shelled out a penny for no AC.
Shock absorbers - these civics eat through shocks as the factory/oem ones don't last very long. When they need replacing, change them for Bilstein B4's (which are not dear at all). Remarkably better quality and last a lot longer and better handling too.
Electric folding mirrors - these are prone to not working properly. They will fold in fine, but when they fold out, they end up going all the way beyond its normal point of stopping. The plastic gears inside the mechanism are prone to falling apart. Easier and cheaper to just leave them, and fold them in manually.
Subframes - very common - prone to rotting out quite easily due to cheap metal. Always a good idea on these to prevent this early, get it on a ramp, wire brush these and coat with some rust prevention stuff.
Brake discs/pads - do not buy aftermarket brakes. Common issue where most aftermarket pads don't fit properly in the calipers/carriers by a few mm (even though they are supposed to be correct), causing constant squealing when braking. Spend a little extra, and buy original brake parts from Honda. Not that much dearer.
Air/fuel filters - again, same as above. Aftermarket ones do not fit properly by a few mm, and end up either leaking, or air filters causing droning noises. Go for original Honda parts for these.
EX model Xenon headlamps - self levelling function stops working. Common issue, a pain in the backside to sort. Most people leave it and just manually adjust the headlamps under the bonnet.
Battery/immobiliser - if you leave the car unused for more than 2 weeks, its highly likely the battery will drain. Known issue that the immobiliser on these takes quite a bit of power (which is silly), and if the car isn't used for about 2 weeks, the battery drains and needs jump starting.
Bluetooth - known to be an issue for battery draining very quickly (as in within 24/48 hours). If this happens, simply need to unplug the bluetooth module. This means no bluetooth, but also means no battery drain.
No spare wheel - these didn't come with a spare wheel from the factory, it was a dealer option. There's clearly space in the boot for a space saver, so my suggestion is find one on ebay and stick it in there. The tyre gunk that comes with the car is rubbish and most likely out-of date.
Trip computer - does NOT tell you when your service is due or if any bulbs are not working. Servicing is every 12.5k miles or 12 months, whichever first. Bulbs, check them yoursef every so often.
Happy to answer any other questions you may have.
Common issues on these:
Air con - most nowadays at this age have no working air con. Many think its just a regas, but its usually not the case. Very common is that these have issues with the condensor not working (which gets holes by stones flying into it). Occasionally its the air con pressure sensor that needs replacing. A test for this - switch the car on, on the climate control section, press the AC button on/off every 5 seconds or so. If you don't hear the compressor kicking in, its highly likely to be the pressure sensor. My suggestion initially is to take the car to KwikFit (even though I really dislike using those guys), and ask them for an air con regas. Why them - they don't charge a single penny if the air con regas doesn't work. If it does work, great. If it doesn't, you haven't shelled out a penny for no AC.
Shock absorbers - these civics eat through shocks as the factory/oem ones don't last very long. When they need replacing, change them for Bilstein B4's (which are not dear at all). Remarkably better quality and last a lot longer and better handling too.
Electric folding mirrors - these are prone to not working properly. They will fold in fine, but when they fold out, they end up going all the way beyond its normal point of stopping. The plastic gears inside the mechanism are prone to falling apart. Easier and cheaper to just leave them, and fold them in manually.
Subframes - very common - prone to rotting out quite easily due to cheap metal. Always a good idea on these to prevent this early, get it on a ramp, wire brush these and coat with some rust prevention stuff.
Brake discs/pads - do not buy aftermarket brakes. Common issue where most aftermarket pads don't fit properly in the calipers/carriers by a few mm (even though they are supposed to be correct), causing constant squealing when braking. Spend a little extra, and buy original brake parts from Honda. Not that much dearer.
Air/fuel filters - again, same as above. Aftermarket ones do not fit properly by a few mm, and end up either leaking, or air filters causing droning noises. Go for original Honda parts for these.
EX model Xenon headlamps - self levelling function stops working. Common issue, a pain in the backside to sort. Most people leave it and just manually adjust the headlamps under the bonnet.
Battery/immobiliser - if you leave the car unused for more than 2 weeks, its highly likely the battery will drain. Known issue that the immobiliser on these takes quite a bit of power (which is silly), and if the car isn't used for about 2 weeks, the battery drains and needs jump starting.
Bluetooth - known to be an issue for battery draining very quickly (as in within 24/48 hours). If this happens, simply need to unplug the bluetooth module. This means no bluetooth, but also means no battery drain.
No spare wheel - these didn't come with a spare wheel from the factory, it was a dealer option. There's clearly space in the boot for a space saver, so my suggestion is find one on ebay and stick it in there. The tyre gunk that comes with the car is rubbish and most likely out-of date.
Trip computer - does NOT tell you when your service is due or if any bulbs are not working. Servicing is every 12.5k miles or 12 months, whichever first. Bulbs, check them yoursef every so often.
Happy to answer any other questions you may have.
Edited by ads_4116 on Wednesday 7th May 22:35
Thank you - this thread and the other...
It is silver, but I found on Gumtree in Denny.
Wing mirrors seem ok.
Subframe is Ok - I think the low miles means it hasn't been on salty roads *too* much, but plan is to get it treated anyway.
Shocks - rear ones look relatively new, and I note MOT said they were misting on 2023 but not in 2024...
Headlights - it's too soon to know as we've not been in the dark. It's parked up on the drive for 10 days to keep the insurance cost down by over £200 compared to immediate cover....
Stereo - we can sort a bluetooth broadcast thing, but I've seen a few posts suggesting there is a plug in the rear which can accept an external aftermarket adaptor to 3.5mm, USB or Bluetooth so might whip stereo out and investigate...
Thanks for tip on AC - it blows cool, not cold, even in the 20*c+ we've had, so I'm fingers crossed it's just a regas...
It is silver, but I found on Gumtree in Denny.
Wing mirrors seem ok.
Subframe is Ok - I think the low miles means it hasn't been on salty roads *too* much, but plan is to get it treated anyway.
Shocks - rear ones look relatively new, and I note MOT said they were misting on 2023 but not in 2024...
Headlights - it's too soon to know as we've not been in the dark. It's parked up on the drive for 10 days to keep the insurance cost down by over £200 compared to immediate cover....
Stereo - we can sort a bluetooth broadcast thing, but I've seen a few posts suggesting there is a plug in the rear which can accept an external aftermarket adaptor to 3.5mm, USB or Bluetooth so might whip stereo out and investigate...
Thanks for tip on AC - it blows cool, not cold, even in the 20*c+ we've had, so I'm fingers crossed it's just a regas...
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