"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
03/07/2016 at 15:21 • Filed to: None
4
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"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
03/07/2016 at 15:21 • Filed to: None | 4
| 11 |
My mom has been on dialysis for 18 months (she lives just outside of DC), and I had yet to sit with her through a session. It’s at once horrific and soul crushing, but that’s not why we’re here.
My buddy has a pool servicing company. He has a lot of employees and a lot of vehicles. This is one of them. And he lent it to me for the weekend.
I hadn’t driven a manual transmission since 2001 (my then girlfriend’s Accord). I am pleased to report that it is, in fact, like riding a bike. I stalled it once, but after half an hour had to do a hill start, and I performed flawlessly.
This car has an odometer reading that’s wrong. My pal thinks it has 2 30K or more on it. When he bought it from a relative it needed new batteries, and he opted not to do it. He just put a new clutch in it and added it to the fleet. I thought at one point I moved away from a stoplight under just battery power, but I can’t be sure. The check engine light is on, and no one seems to notice or care.
Looks/Design
No. Not really.
Interior
It’s a Civic - I’ve rented more than a dozen of them, and they’ve always been well laid out and comfortable. Hell, I owned a ‘91 CRX Si, and you can see that lineage in the Hybrid. I have never driven a Civic where I couldn’t adjust the seat and wheel to where I was perfectly positioned. And it has a real handbrake.
Steering
Over-assisted with no good on-center feel. The Si was the opposite - manual steering with the wheel easily whipping back to the center position on turns. And the car has a very tight turning circle - never had to do a 3-point turn.
Brakes
Forgot to look - I think it has rear discs? At any rate, they hauled the little car right down when a soccer mom in a Durango slammed on her brakes for no reason that I could discern.
Transmission
Civic Hybrid manuals were rare when the car came out - my ex scoured Arizona for one, gave up, and bought the automatic. The throws are short(ish) and the feel is pretty good. It was difficult to get the car into reverse, but hell, it’s 12 years old. I did not have the same trouble I have with some manuals - cramping because I can’t get far enough from the clutch.
Handling
When mom wasn’t in the car I tossed it around a bit - I won’t play Fangio with someone else’s car however. It understeered mildly in the corners but stayed pretty flat. At least for my taste, Civics have always handled well for a FWD platform and are much better to drive than the few Corollas I’ve driven.
Utility
Easy to toss mom’s walker in the back, and we did a big shop for her (she can’t lift heavy things) and the back seat swallowed everything. I’m six feet tall - I wouldn’t want to sit in the back for a long trip, but I fit pretty well.
Visibility
No one will notice this car. One guy in a Home Depot parking lot remarked that the wheels were unique to the hybrid model. That was it. Of course he drove a Saab 9-5.
And you can see out of it just fine - nice narrow C pillar.
Fit and Finish
It’s a Honda. Nothing is out of place, nothing squeaks or rattles. Nothing. Some things don’t work (automatic mirrors) but it’s 12 years old, and it’s been driven hard and put up wet.
Overall (6/10)
If I pretend this car is new, it is as good as any rental car I’ve driven since 2001. If I recall correctly, the Volvo V40 was more fun, but again, I didn’t toss it around much.
So if you find a decent used manual Civic Hybrid (1st gen.) that’s priced right, go ahead and buy it. They are very decent little cars.
Slant6
> Steve in Manhattan
03/07/2016 at 15:29 |
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There need to be more manual hybrids.
CounterTorqueSteer
> Steve in Manhattan
03/07/2016 at 15:31 |
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Whereabouts in Maryland do you live? I used to work at the Porsche/Audi Dealership in Rockville two years ago. While I was there, we had this exact spec manual civic hybrid for sale as a used car. How crazy would it be if it was the same car?
Leon711
> Slant6
03/07/2016 at 15:32 |
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Someone needs to tell Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren that.
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Steve in Manhattan
> Slant6
03/07/2016 at 15:33 |
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Without looking, I’m guessing that you can’t get a new Civic Hybrid with anything but a CVT. Last Civic I rented had a CVT that, while not awful, sounded a bit strange.
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Steve in Manhattan
> CounterTorqueSteer
03/07/2016 at 15:37 |
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I grew up in DC and MD - mostly in Rockville, so I know the dealership where you worked. I live in Manhattan now, so I take a train down and rent a car, or just rent a car and drive. My buddy always encourages me to borrow one of his cars. His attention to maintenance is spotty, so I sometimes decline (a Blazer blew a RR tire on the way to Annapolis). But the Honda was solid.
I know it’s not the same car b/c he bought the thing directly from a relative, who bought it new.
CalzoneGolem
> Steve in Manhattan
03/07/2016 at 16:11 |
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What kind of mpgs do you get in a hybrid with a flat battery?
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Steve in Manhattan
> CalzoneGolem
03/07/2016 at 16:17 |
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If I had to guess based on the distance driven and the fuel consumed I’d say mid-30s. The fuel gauge still works.
Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
> Steve in Manhattan
03/07/2016 at 17:16 |
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I knew a guy who had one of these in that nice medium blue. It also had a 5 speed manual and was surprisingly fun to drive.
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Steve in Manhattan
> Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
03/07/2016 at 17:58 |
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Agreed - I’ve never met a Civic I didn’t like. Even the base models handle pretty well and are better than pretty much anything in their class.
Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> Steve in Manhattan
03/07/2016 at 22:09 |
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There are many new cars today that don’t look as solid as this. My civic’s interior was very well put together and crisp, if desolate and utilitarian.
flyingmetalbird
> Steve in Manhattan
03/07/2016 at 22:50 |
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I love Civics. Building a first gen right now. I cant think of one generation that I find a reason to dislike