Hi guys, sorry for troubling you but I need a bit of advice and this seems like the best place. I will try to keep it brief.
I have a Rover 200 at the mo and love it but its starting to rack up the miles and things are starting to fall apart (not through modding, just age, wear and tear etc).

I want to get a car that is more 'rare' - it seems every man and his dog has a Rover and stumbled accross a review of a Civic on a website that has got me thinking about going for one.
The reviews in Parkers etc are all great and today I went for a test drive in a Civic 1.5i VTEC (1998). It looked great to me on the outside (I think it is an attractive piece of kit) and was in good nick.

The thing is, I went for a test drive for 5-10 minutes but I was sort of dissapointed. I just want to know if the things which have put me off are things which you 'experts' on here have come accross and whether I am reading too much into them (possibly because I have had my Rover for so long that another car feels 'alien' )

The things that sort of put me off:
1) The clutch was SO sensitive (I dont know if this is due to me having a Rover at the moment as they have heavy clutches)
2) The initial acceleration did not seem too hot, almost sluggish, although the power in high gears seemed good.
3) The clang made by the passenger doors when closing them was reminiscent of my brothers Peogeot 106 and it felt 'tinny' and not solid.
4) The interior felt cheap especially the steering wheel - not like my Rover which has the most perfect steering wheel going.

Please dont think that I am having a go at the Honda Civic as I am not. I actually want to buy one but I need a bit of 'convincing' that my initial concerns are unjust!!!!

I suppose that I could always replace the steering wheel but the other things would be more tricky (Im not into modding in a big way and have only ever got as far as putting in speakers, cd player, alloys, ecotek valve etc)

Are my concerns above common to all HOnda Civics or could it just be the particular model I saw today?

Once again, thanks for any advice given.

If you want something rare don't get a Civic... they'r everywhere.

Also to my recollection there's no such motor as a 1.5 anything in a 98 Civic.

Perhaps you don't live in the US though.

Civics are everywhere, but they are cars that are built to last alot of miles if taken care of, that car starts off sluggish because it is a little 4 cylinder motor and it also is wether it is a straight drive or automatic transmission. but if tou want a car that will last a Honda is built to last.

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yea thats the truth. it seems everyone and their brother has 1 or 2 civics

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gone but not forgotten 98 civic lx sedan
RIP 3/23/05

current garage
04 nissan armada le
01mustang gt
blown, intercooled, and cammed
04 acura tl
98 4runner

I am on my 2nd civic and let me tell u the civics can take a beating....my old civic was a 92 and it had 185k miles on it and ran like brand new but i got tired of it so i bought a 04 civic.....my friend has my old civic and its still rolling around town with no problem....as long as u take care of the civic it will take car of u.....

buy a vw

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Yo man, here's my advice. You say you're after something "rare". Civics are not rare, they're a staple in the car world. They're like Marlboro cigarettes or Annhauser Busch. Go get a Delorean if you're after something rare, but most of the time rare cars are hard to maintain and are hard, and super f***ing expensive to get parts for. Civics on the other hand have the after market world on lock. You can fix that "cheap" feeling interior. As for it not feeling solid, yeah, you're basically going to die if you get in a car wreck at high speeds. Be man and sack up to the fact. In closing, Civics rock. You can assure you're getting a good car, because hey, why would so many have sold at this point? Long lasting when cared for properly, and insane gas mileage. Quality.

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Always one ear to reality and one to the music.
RISK!

This guy is on the money. But gravedisorder, the steering wheel is cheap, slippery and hard (thats the worst thing in my civic). The acceleration is sluggish with manual tranny but it does rev up pretty damn high for such a car. I have a 98 civic lx 4 door myselft and I love it

If buying a civic (and you are in the UK)... there is nothing better than the Civic Type R. Not the new shape one (I hate that one) but the old shape (96-00). You wont have to worry about the car feeling slugish. The type R is light and has decent power. I drive the 99 SiR and it's great.

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Well i have a 1.5 lsi vtec and its the best car i have ever bought trust me

u might have went a test drive in one but untill u own one u will never know what it can do, i have smashed mine twice and have fixed it cause to me i would never own anything else

I am starting to modify it now and want it to be different from anyone else

The next car i would get though is a honda integra type r but getting a civic is worth it

Go for it dont let anyone tell u different, Ull deff like it no worrys there

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The JapSir ;-)