2006 civic; MPG seeing and amount paid.

wrote:

> snip
>
> Keep the posts comming

Well, since you asked...while I think the Civic is a fine car your high
miles will make it a poor value. Right now Nissan dealers are selling
new base Sentras for well under $11K (to make way for the 2007s). Base
Corollas are cheap but hard to find (in my area).

Another way to go is to gather other used Accords of the same vintage
as your '94 and keep 2 or 3 on hand for parts or as alternates.
Generally, this is not a "family friendly" solution.

My experience with Toyota A/C is better than with Honda A/C so I'd
probably shop used Corollas and Camrys. I'd also have a chat with my
insurance agent. When I was doing lots of miles/year I found
significantly lower premiums for mid-sized sedans than for compacts,
pretty much offsetting the difference in mpg.

Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> In article .com>,
> wrote:
>
> > My experience with Toyota A/C is better than with Honda A/C
>
> Regarding its effectiveness, absolutely.
snip
>
> On the flip side, we replaced just about every part of that AC system in
> the Toyota during the few years we owned it.

I've spent $0 on the A/C of my Toyotas. Only owned the '99 Corolla for
a few years but my '98 Sienna's A/C still blows cold. Even in the
hottest weather the A/C works great.

My '89 Legend's A/C was so bad I simply gave up on it. My daughter's
'99 Accord has had a minor repair and recharge. The Accord's A/C is
better than the old Legend's but in really hot, humid weather it has a
hard time keeping the car cool.

YMMV

All ac's went down the tube in smaller cars when they dumped freon. Things
are just getting better now. Unfortunately the new refirgerant is very
corrosive and eats up evaporators.



"Elmo P. Shagnasty" > wrote in message
...
> In article .com>,
> wrote:
>
>> My experience with Toyota A/C is better than with Honda A/C
>
> Regarding its effectiveness, absolutely. Historically, Honda AC has
> been weak. They finally fixed it with the 98 Accord and up, but for the
> longest time it just sucked.
>
> My 93 Previa, on the other hand, had AC such that you could hang meat in
> there.
>
> On the flip side, we replaced just about every part of that AC system in
> the Toyota during the few years we owned it. (I got it used.) The
> valve that handled the rear AC broke, we put in a new condensor, a new
> compressor, and so on. Everything but the evaporator, it seems.
> Hardware-wise, it seemed a weak piece.
>

You are a candidate for a hybrid.


> wrote in message
ups.com...
> OK here is the deal, I am about to start commuting about 240 miles a
> day so I'm looking to buy a new car. My top choice is a 2006 civic LX.
> I also need to stay south of the 20 grand mark- so no hybrids. Used
> isn't out of the question but civics hold too much value. 15k for an
> 04 w/ 35k ... Buying new seems to be a better option. What I am
> curious to know is:
> 1) What kind of gas mileage are you really seeing with your civic? I'm
> especially interested in the LX. I typically drive 75 to 80 on the
> interstate ( a little more if I'm running late ). Pleas let me know
> what you are getting and give a clue as to how you drive. I became
> concerned when I sam people complaining they were only getting 26 to 28
> mpg, hence the question.
> 2) What did you have to pay for your civic and where did you buy it?
> Here in Alabama they will not come off the price. Best deal I know of
> was 17,100 out the door for an LX at Honda of Decatur.
> 3) Any other cars any of you think I shold consider? This would be the
> 4th Honda for my family. We are quite used to them. I am replacing a
> 94 accord with 200k.
>
> Any advice or help is greatly appreciated.
> Thanks,
> Paul
>

"Elmo P. Shagnasty" wrote:
>
> In article . com>,
> wrote:
>
> > Also
> > with the mileage I'm looking at, a 100k warranty caused me to think a
> > little.
>
> Well, you buy Hondas so that you don't have to worry about buying 100K
> mile warranties.
>
> Take the cash and put it away toward repairs, if that's what you're
> worried about. But I can tell you--you probably won't need it.
>
> > The more I think about it the more I'm leaning towards used.
> > It's just a pain finding one that is in great shape and a value.
>
> Yeah, no question. But it's worth the journey.
>
> I bought a 92 Si new; it's still going strong, at 145K or so. My nephew
> just sold it.
>
> > The commute is going to be for the next 4 years.
>
> You need to crunch some numbers, then. That's 240K of driving, just for
> the commute. That doesn't even count weekends.
>
> I work in an industry that involves driving. When I first got there, a
> colleague was driving a ****box old 4 door beater Chevy. Looking at the
> guy, and given his position, I really wondered about that. Then he
> explained it to me: the company paid a flat monthly rate to cover
> driving expenses. He'd pay $1200 or so for this kind of car, drive it
> until it dropped (three years or so), then go get another one. Then I
> went home with him one day. Beautiful house, and brand new full size
> conversion van--that was his wife's car and their weekend car.
>
> For work? He didn't care what he looked like. He just needed to get
> there at minimum cost. And minor repairs to that beat up RWD Chevy were
> cheap.
>
> 2.5 years ago my brother gave me his 125K mile Lexus ES. Good tunes,
> cold air, nice seats, comfy ride. I put 20K on it the first year (I
> covered a territory 2 hours away), and it now has 163K on it. In
> addition to oil changes and tires, let's see: I've put a starter in it,
> rebuilt axle (it threw a CV boot), couple of headlights, I went ahead
> and spent a grand on some stupid emissions parts that caused nothing
> more than the check engine light to come on (we don't test for emissions
> here), and last week I put a new window regulator in.
>
> I figure I'm putting $750 or so/year into it in repairs. $60/month in
> repairs vs. $400/month in car payment...as much of a Honda man as I am,
> I am seriously thinking the next time will be a high mile Lexus...


An acquaintance of mine has an '82 Honda Civic FE with 324K+ (that's
when the odometer broke) and he figures that it costs him an average of
$50 per month for maintenance/repair. That car runs sweet and is
absolutely dependable. But he does need to torque bushings to take the
slop out of shifting.

In my life, I have only bought one new car, a 1961 VW beetle. Never
again did I get into the payment trap...

JT

"Art" > wrote in message
.net...
> You are a candidate for a hybrid.

With that much driving, it will probably be a lot of highway. An standard
engined vehicle would get just as good mileage without the extra cost or
complexity of a Hybrid. I looked into it for my commute (160 round trip)
and it just didn't add up.

Seth wrote:
> "Art" > wrote in message
> .net...
> > You are a candidate for a hybrid.
>
> With that much driving, it will probably be a lot of highway. An standard
> engined vehicle would get just as good mileage without the extra cost or
> complexity of a Hybrid. I looked into it for my commute (160 round trip)
> and it just didn't add up.

A co-worker purchased a Prius not long ago and has been playing with
speed vs. fuel economy. At 70-75 mph the Prius doesn't make sense as it
delivers only about 42-43 mpg. However, at 60-65 mph my co-worker
reports 56 to 58 mpg (consistent with my cousin who reports even better
mpg (over 60 mpg) at 55-60 mph). Both reports of great mpg were
obtained on pretty flat ground with just the driver aboard.

How fast do you want to drive?

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Seth wrote:
>> "Art" > wrote in message
>> .net...
>> > You are a candidate for a hybrid.
>>
>> With that much driving, it will probably be a lot of highway. An
>> standard
>> engined vehicle would get just as good mileage without the extra cost or
>> complexity of a Hybrid. I looked into it for my commute (160 round trip)
>> and it just didn't add up.
>
> A co-worker purchased a Prius not long ago and has been playing with
> speed vs. fuel economy. At 70-75 mph the Prius doesn't make sense as it
> delivers only about 42-43 mpg. However, at 60-65 mph my co-worker
> reports 56 to 58 mpg (consistent with my cousin who reports even better
> mpg (over 60 mpg) at 55-60 mph). Both reports of great mpg were
> obtained on pretty flat ground with just the driver aboard.
>
> How fast do you want to drive?

I set the cruise at 71 in a 65. The mileage you report above doesn't seem
consistent with all the other owners reporting their mileage in this very
forum.

Me, I'm not buying anything till my current car dies. I have an '01 V6
Accord and I'm currently getting 28mpg. When it dies I'm gonna look into a
Civic or equivalent car. Based on my commute being all highway and what
people have posted as their mileage (as opposed to someone else's mileage)
vs. what the non-Hybrid civics and such are getting, for an all highway
commute it doesn't seem to justify the extra expense and complexity.

Now if I had a mixed driving commute or all town/city driving I'd be singing
a different tune.

Seth wrote:
>
>
> I set the cruise at 71 in a 65. The mileage you report above doesn't seem
> consistent with all the other owners reporting their mileage in this very
> forum.

Hey, I only know 2 Prius (not Civic hybrid assist) owners and both
report similar mpg at slow speeds on the highway.
What can I say?
>
> Me, I'm not buying anything till my current car dies. I have an '01 V6
> Accord and I'm currently getting 28mpg.

I'm getting 27+ mpg from my 03 Corvette (6 speed) while performing
commuting duty. Can't say I'm surprised that a Prius can get 2X the mpg
of a Corvette (ignoring for the moment my average speed of 70-75 mph vs
60 mph or so for the Prius).

YMMV

"Art" > wrote in message
nk.net...
> You cannot deduct commuter expenses off your taxes.
>

Thank you, Art, you beat me to the punch. Someone taking commuter miles off
his/her taxes could wind up behind the IRS 8 ball.

If I were Mr. Handley (op), I seriously consider the Honda Fit Sport also.
It has all the safety features of the LX, the essentially the same
transmissions (manual and automatic 5 speeds) and both are Hondas.

I buy new if possible since a) there is a warranty, b) Hondas don't have as
big an off the lot depreciation, and c) I always have that nagging feeling
that the previous owner got rid of the car for some reason.

> "Bruce" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
>>>
>>> Get used instead. You're going to tear up a car pretty quickly, so why
>>> do it with a new one that you'll be upside down on within a month?
>>
>> I concur. A new car depreciates drastically the second you drive it off
>> the lot. And to add to that depreciation, 1250 miles a week is a LOT of
>> mileage to be putting on a new car. I just bought a 2002 Civic EX
>> w/VTEC last Feb that some guy had for 4 years and put 100,000 miles on
>> it. I gave $7.5K because it was in supurb condition, upholstry looks
>> like new throughout, and it had a clean carfax report; no rental,
>> lease, wrecks, one owner, etc. Engine purrs like a kitten. I would
>> search high and low for a quality used civic and pounce on it. Get the
>> carfax report and have it checked by an independant mechanic you trust.
>> If the seller won't agree to that, move on to the next one.
>>
>> By the way, I average 32- 36 on the highway and 26-28 in town.
>>
>> And don't forget to deduct all that mileage on your taxes!
>>

The above advise is REALLY REALLY bad. Don't do dat.


--
Kent Finnell
From the Music City USA