Hello I am new to the forum. Before I ask my questions, let me first tell you I am not a Honda Hater. I've had 5 Honda vehicles, a Honda generator, Honda Mower, etc etc!

I just traded in my much loved 2005 Honda Civic EX for a 2014 Honda Civic Coupe EX. After 2 moths, I have a SERIOUS case of buyers remorse. Yep, and I've never had buyers remorse an any car I have ever purchased (well maybe that Nissan Sentra back in 1983).

So let me list out what I hate and what I like and maybe you can help me love Honda all over again.

What I like ...

1) Well built
2) Quiet, that was a real surprise
3) Good Suspension
4) Body Style - some people hate it, but I like it.
5) Moon Roof.
6) Gas Mileage - as high as 49 mpg, but mostly I get 43 mpg
7) Seats - Are comfy for me

What I hate ...

1) Stock tires and rims - I got new ones to fix that
2) The radio. OMG! The display is not very touch friendly. The sound out of the speakers is bad, really bad - actually quit tinny, and they say there is a subwoofer - I don't hear one! There is little or no integration with my new Galaxy S5. And the USB Port doesn't work - apparently it doesn't work on any CIVIC. So I am left with burning CDs to listen to my music. Honda admits that the USB port is useless, and there isn't even a bulletin out on it yet. And there is no date for a fix on the Galaxy S5. The Blue Tooth constantly cuts out when driving. Burning CD's as I type!
3) The CVT. Mine is livable right now. Power is everywhere but off the line; This is no dragster, its a golf cart in that area. Plus, I'm concerned how that CVT will act in the future. I've driven a Honda CVT Hybrid with 8K miles and it sucks.
4) My Dealer - Smith Honda of Idaho Falls. Man, those guys are horrible and useless. I have had better results with the Honda Rep in Idaho. At least they don't lie.

Possible Fixes:

#1 I did get 18 inch wheels with TOYO high end tires. I traded in my new stock wheels and tires, paid $1200 and got what I want.
#2 $1000 worth of speaker upgrades - Not sure if that's the best way.
#4 More power to the engine to help out this golf cart? Any ideas?
#5 I've already posted to every social website how I feel about my dealer.

Your ideas would really help! Thanks

 

i hear the header is cast to the block on those cars i guess thats an indication on were honda is headed for the future so as far as turbo or header upgrades go i guess your out of luck. the radio and tire option for stock civics were always pretty much **** so take that as you may.

 

Wow, ok, I will check that. Grrrr.

 

It is indeed cast into the block ....

 

I don't have anything to contribute to this; as I just got my first Civic about two weeks ago, but I'm curious how does the feel of that modern Civic differ from your 05? Does it feel agile and zippy compared to the older model? Or is it closer to the "spaceship" like standard that most cars possess these days?

My last car was an 09 Mini Cooper. That thing had so many problems. Before I hit 60K miles, I had to replace several components of the engine. I took pretty good care of that car, but it turned out to be an absolute lemon. A lot of problems with overheating due to the engine having to be crammed into its compartment. Melted thermostats, whole coolant systems being replaced, blown out engine coils, etc. I decided to sell the sucker off and get something that I can actually learn about inside and out. Nothing worse than having to feel at the mercy of the dealer or the mechanic.

 

The differences between the 2005 Honda Civic EX coupe and the
2014 Honda Civic EX coupe.

1) Suspension: The suspension seems to be stiffer in the corners on the newer model. Actually, I thought
the older model was pretty good too with the right tires.

2) Engine Power: The new car feels less powerful especially from 0-60 mph. Whether thats from the new car
being heavier I don't know. Passing a car seem to be similar however. Getting to the right ratio on the CVT
quicker than the old car with its automatic transmission.

3) Transmission: For everyday driving, I actually like the CVT better on the new car. And, they have made
the exhaust very quiet so you don't hear the engine nearly as much, which can be a bit annoying when
equipped with a CVT. However, since the CVT is the weak point in the power train, there is probably not
much anybody can do to make the car go faster. There is a sport mode that makes the shift positions quicker
to engage. Further, there are shift paddles on the steering wheel. Which can be used to override the normal
shift points in econ mode at anytime. Actually this is good when decelerating.

4) Interior Comfort: The new car is far superior on interior comfort than the old Civic. The car just seems
wider. The steering wheel is quite a bit smaller too.

5) Power Steering: The new car has fly by wire power steering. The 'feel' of the road is completely disconnected.
However, torque steer seems to have been eliminated with this enhancement. I prefer the new car in this area.

6) Audio Systems: The new audio system has some bells and whistels, but in the end, the actual sound is far
worse than the old car. The stereo monitor isn't very high definition. The the main volume control is on
the touch screen, which is slow to react and not very accurate. There is a redundant volume control on the
steering column. The USB function is non-functional. Nobody at Honda (corporate or dealer) can tell me
why. The Blue Tooth is ok, buy if it fails there is no USB port that works, and the car is not equipped with
a stereo input mini jack. Further, the screen does not tilt or move in anyway, there are times when the glare
is so bad that I can even see the screen. The stereo masterfully built to be used in conjunction with the
I-Phone. If you have an android phone, get ready to be disappointed.

7) Trunk: The new model has about the same amount of room as the old car.

8) Gauges: Much better than the old model. It has a digital speed indicator on the upper tier with an analog
RPM gauge on the lower tier. There is also a small monitor on the right.

9) Stock Tires: HORRIBLE! There was a lot of wandering on the freeway with the stock tires. I got rid
of them after one week!

10) Gas Mileage: I must say on the highway, I have had as high as 49 mpg with a normal 42 mpg on the average
with the new car. City Mileage seemed around 22 mpg. Highway mileage is much better on the new car, about the
same for both in the city.

 

Very interesting, thank you for taking the time to go through the differences between both cars. It's nice to hear the opinions of someone who has owned somewhat distant generations of Civic. I've met many folks who seem to feel they must stick up for only one set of gens or the other haha. Cool to see how Honda has chosen the progress the Civic line.

Anyways, looks like you got yourself a pretty awesome ride. Thanks for sharing.

 

Tower,

The fact is, I started off really liking the car, but I actually dont like it at all now. I will probably trade it in within the next 6 months. The stereo has been really disappointing along with the engine power. I really cant do much about the engine power, so Im not going to spend another $1000 in speakers since Im going to trade it in on an SI. Further, the dealer has been pretty lame too. Its documented by everyone, Honda, the dealer, and me, that the USB ports on these are non-functional. I had one of their sales people yell at me telling me that I was nuts and then he dropped an "F" bomb on me. So, I went into talk to the owner. I told him that his Honda/Chevy dealership was acting very "Chevyish". He said, what does that mean. It means that you dont care .... afterall, you guys did kill 75 people before you decided to have a recall right? LOL I was amazed he stayed in control after that. I may go do the next town's dealership and try to trade it in this weekend. We'll see.

 

yeah but civics were always and always will be slow eco boxes thats what they were designed to be slow economic vehicle's if you walked into this with delusions of it being some kind of sports car out of the box then thats your mistake if speed is what your looking for then get a V6 accord if MPG is what your looking for then keep the civic.