[MPD78]

Afternoon all,

My commute is soon going to increase dramatically to about 30k miles a year and I don't want to put those kind of miles (or pay for the fuel!) on my 335i so need a diesel 2nd car. I'll be doing mainly motorway miles.

I've been looking at getting a Civic diesel, probably in EX spec (satnav, folding mirrors, parking sensors etc.), 2006-2008, 70,000 to 120,000 miles on the clock for between £3.5 and £4.5k.

I've done a bit of quick research and had a look on the civinfo forum and the big issue is the clutch/flywheel so I'd look for one that's been replaced in the not too distant past.

Anyone have knowledge , experience and/or buying advice for one of these?

[makkan00]

Not sure if it helps. I have gone down the same route except I sold my beamer.
And I went for Accord Ex Saloon purely because it turned out to be better value for the money. Not sure what engine you are going for but I have 2.2 CDTi which is considered bullet proof up to 150-200K. It is nippy when you put your foot down.

Weakest link is DMF as you mentioned. Hardly heard about timing chain sapping on these. Stability on accord >70mph is crap and that is where civic may do better.
Civic looks better and bit smaller.

Other thing which you should consider is price for the parts and hondas do not like after market parts. For example you will have to use genuine fuel filter and genuine glow plugs. My car had after market glow plugs and it gave me light on second day. Errors on the diagnostic machine and bit of reading online directed toward after market plugs so I took it to the dealer and they changed them.

Engine / road noise in accord is better but no where near to what we have in beamers. Civic may have more road noise due to poor noise insulation.

Accord EX came with
- Leather interiors
- Heated seats
- Sat nav
- Folding heated mirrors
- Premium sound system

And I could not resist and done following:
- Xenons fitted in projector headlights
- Front door cards were rattling on moderate volume so sound deading improved the sound.
- ipod kit fitted which worked flawless but as soon as I updated iphone to latest firmware, track change from the steering wheel has stopped working
- Reverse camera fitted today

I am sure that somebody with first hand experience of civic will chime in.
If you go for one, make sure that you get one with full honda dealer service history. This is what I have done except last service was done locally where they changed the glow plugs!

[DanTheManc]

I owned a 335i and now own a 2.2 Civic Type S diesel which I bought in April whilst I save to move house.

I'm averaging 51 MPG with mixed driving a it's nippy enough. They are 140bhp but can be mapped to 190bhp but the clutch would need upgrading.

I bought mine from a honda main dealer with 78k miles on the clock and a full honda service history. I've had the Airton compressor replaced under warranty but I've not had any other problems.

Things to look out for are

Clutch as the know.
Aircon - Check it's blowing cold
Rust on the roof above the windscreen.


The interior materials will feel cheap and plasticy compared to your BMW but there is plenty of cubby holes and storage.The boot is huge so it's a very practical car.

The insurance surprisingly is more expensive than both my M135I and 335i which is mind boggling, but not by much.

The standard head unit and also the factory satnav is poor. I upgraded mine to a pioneer double din which suits the brightly illuminated dashboard.

I chose the Civic because it has decent performance, reliability, cheap to run and they hold their value very well when you come to sell. As and economical daily run around they tick all the boxes.

[gangzoom]

I used my wife 2.2 8th gen Civic for a daily 80-100 mile commute for about 18 months.

We bought it as a pre-reg for £13K, it was an EX so fully loaded, sat nav/xenon/folding mirrors etc. Apart from one dead battery, in 90K didn't have a single issue - Though I suspect the clutch would have needed doing in another 10-20K.

Returned a true 50mpg even in cold weather, over 500 miles to tank, and enough poke to keep pace with traffic. The boot is HUGE. We sold it for £4350, after 7 years of ownership, so pretty damn good residues all things considered.

Only real compliant it the diesel engine rattles like a tractor at idle, so didn't make sitting in traffic jams any more pleasant. At least the OEM stereo/speakers is better than the ones in the 335i. As a reliable commute car to get from A to B and the need to do big miles, you cannot really go wrong with the Civic. Though it's not a car I ever came to love, despite spending 2-3hrs a day in it for 18 months cannot remember ever looking back at it after parking it up, but that's not the point of it

...oh front fog light lens cover is prone to cracking, but its an easy fix and you can get some clip on covers on eBay for £5.

[mojobmw_e90]

I know your talking about diesal cars and all, but my brother has a 7th gen civic and it's not all that on gas. He can barely get 300 miles out of a full tank. No nothing wrong with the car.bought it brand new with 2 miles on it, currently has 20k and I can say the bmw gets better mpgs due to using less gas peddle to reach the same speed

[MPD78]

I did look at the Accord. As you say Makkan, you do get more for your money with the Accord but my girlfriend really likes the Civic and I can fit it on the drive with the beemer!!

I've been looking at the Civic for the same reasons you chose one Dan; reliable, a bit of poke and relatively cheap to run. Thanks for the input everyone, time to start car shopping

[OGM2LCI]

My mum used to drive me around in the 2.2 diesel 8th gen civic and it was nice enough.

Felt fairly quick back then as well, she had premium sound system fitted which was also pretty good and managed to average 50mpg with general driving and very little long distance stuff.

We had issues with DMF and clutch very early on and also had issues with the rear shock absorbers although I'm sure this was covered under an early recall?

Overall a good car with the impressive folding rear seats that allow for large things to be stored on the floor in the back however even as a 16 year old at the time sitting in the back of the car had very little headroom against the roof near the back windows.