2004 Honda Civic Sedan User Reviews

Cons

noisy inside when on freeway

Purchased As New

No problems except cracked exhaust manifold at 76000 miles. I called Honda Corporate and they said it was out of warranty and I was out of luck. This is a welll known problem with this vehicle. I am dissapointed, this is my 8th Honda. I will probably buy a Toyota next.

Pros

Excellent fuel economy. Good power. Flat rear floor. Good room. Respectable design.

Cons

Road and engine noise. Steering is delayed. Why put plastic on the trunk latch?

Purchased As New

Five years and 128000 miles, I still love my 2004 Honda Civic EX 4 door, 5 speed manual. Main features include the 1.8L inline four cylendar V-TEC engine, sunroof, and 15" 5 spoke alloy wheels. Accelleration was satisfactory, and gave the needed push. Newer styled headlights, tail lights, front and rear lower additions give this car a nice, mature, and respectable look. The interior is nicely designed. Not extravagant, nor did it look cheap. The driver and passenger bucket seats are very comfortable and supports the sides, which prevent any sliding on a hard turn. The rear seat seems more appropriate for two people. The flat floor in the rear was nice and allowed legroom or cargo. My son was the main occupant in the rear seat using three different car seats which were installed with ease.
This car was driven daily to and from work and to the beach as it was my surfmobile. Very fuel efficient. Adequate power from the 1.8L four. Averaging 31 MPG with a roof rack,32-33 MPG with the use of A/C, and 34-35 MPG not using A/C. My only compalints were the road and engine noise. Steering was good, but there was a slight delay, which took a bit of confidence when driving at the limits. Braking is very good and responsive. On turns, there was minimal lean, and turning radius was as wide as three lanes.

128,000 Miles Later...
She still drives just about as good as new. Only a bit louder. I experienced NO engine problems. NO major malfunctions. the only listed malfunctions included the lighting on the sunroof button and air selection buttons. The plastic part of the trunk latch came out of place forcing the closing of the trunk a tedious chore. I had to always make sure the trunk was closed. The lining in the trunk is cheap. I wish Honda included a trunk mat similar to the included floor mats. The windshield wipers could be better as the wipers tend to skip ever with new wiper blades.

For those looking for value, and utility, with aesthetics, spend the few extra thousand dollars you would save on a small car from GM, Ford, VW or Nissan, and you will be glad to have chosen this highly reliable, very affordable to operate sedan.And the right care and maintenance will last for many, many years!...read morehide

I bougt a civic 03 in mexico city and drived all the wey to san diego, it was very economic and secure.

Honda civic is one of the best cars... No dicuttion about it... I would perefer to have a civic with leather interior.. hopeing to c it soon.. And thouse looser who had a bad luck with hondas, it's not the car, it's you.. make sure that everything O>K> with you, then rate the car...

This car has a nice image and a better way of style, but the performance along with the handling when you stop is not so good. The performance, when the car gets going, you pretty much have to floor it to get it up to a desired speed, not unlike the 2002 cavalier you barely press it and it moves. This car is 1 car I wouldnt pull out in front of anyone or you wouldnt make it out alive. Make sure no cars are coming and you have enough space to get up to speed because this cars accleration is terrible. #2 is the braking, when you slow down from speeds of 60 mph and calm down to 30 sometimes the brakes will lock up and make the car pull to the left. Very dangerous in the rain, if you ask me. Not a good car in any kind of wet weather.
I used to have a 2002 cavalier 2.2L DOHC, and the performance as well as handing with the brakes was good, this car has its weakness in that manner. The looks of the Civic is very stylish and a eye catcher even though how the paperwork states that the 2004 EX gets 31/38 per gallon and the 2002 cavalier gets 23/32. Thats not all true about the civic, it all depends on the roads, traffic lights, etc. I feel like the car gets the same amount as the cavalier, but maybe thats me. When I test drove the car I thought it was fine, but you cannot put the car to the test when the associate of the dealership is with you in the car, therefore its hard to feel how the car is. I should've kept the cavalier afterall!!...read morehide

It is the best car I have ever owned!! I love it. I had to trade my 2000 Olds Alero in because I lived in the shop. I wanted a good and reliable vehicle that didn't leave me stranded. This is the one. It drives so smooth and handles like a dream. Honda is the way to go!!

I bought my 2003 Civic LX coupe, white with beige interior, automatic, brand new from Duval Honda, Jacksonville FL, Feb. 1, 2003. My wife and I have driven a total of 10,000 miles and have experienced no problems. We plan to have this car for a long time to come. (My other car is a white '91 Civic hatchback with 4-speed manual which I bought new, has 97,000 miles, and still looks great.)

Somewhere around the late 1980s - early 1990s I suspect the EPA relaxed the standards for calculating gas mileage estimates. My '91 Civic is rated 33/37 and with careful driving I average 38 mpg. I drive the same way with my '03 Civic (rated 29/38) and achieve only 34 mpg. After all, my '91 Civic has 70 horsepower and the '03 LX has 115, and is as big as the first Accords, so of course how could I expect it to achieve similar gas milesage?

I had considered the Mazda Protege, but it's rating of only 25/30 (or 25/31 for 5-speed) seemed a bit of a gas guzzler in comparison.

Sadly, hatchbacks are not as common as they were in 1991. The coupe's trunk makes it difficult to judge where the back of the car ends when driving in reverse. The sharply-raked rear window makes lots of reflections which distort the view to the rear. Honda came up with a new Civic hatchback in 2002, but only as an expensive guzzler Si model, with a stubby minivan-like front end and cartoonish- large headlights. I believe if Honda mated the Si's attractive hatchback rear to the coupe it would be a popular-selling model.

One feature that Honda made standard to the '03 LX is driver seat height adjustment, formerly available only with the more-expensive EX. I enjoy this feature, as I like to sit tall and see over the hood. However, when I sit tall there are noticeable dashboard gage reflections on the windshield. Also, the beige colored dash makes more reflections on the windshield. This can be solved by applying a black dash cover. It is a wonder that black dashboards are not standard on all cars.

The 2004 LX couple has only minor changes which include revised headlights, grill, tail lights, and 15-inch wheels (versus 14-inch). This will result in more expensive tires.

I had considered the Civic sedan. Four doors are more practical than two doors, especially with children. But I just didn't like the look of the sedan, and noted that both coupe and sedan have the same wheelbase and interior room. One thing I like about a coupe is the "B" pillar is several inches more to the rear. On a sedan, the "B" pillar right next to the driver's head somewhat blocks the view to the left-rear. It's one of those things that are not easily noticed, but once it's noticed, it's hard to UNNOTICE.

Overall I am extremely pleased with my '03 LX Coupe. The only other model I might consider more is the HX Coupe with CVT. I wanted white paint, and it wasn't available on the HX until the 2004 model. If my wife didn't have back problems (with left leg numbness), I would have preferred the 5-speed manual.

I notice from numerous sources that Hondas retain their value much better than some other cars. Some cars, such as Ford Focus, Chevy Cavalier, Dodge Neon, Hyundai, and Kia will lose more of their value in 2 years than it takes a Honda 4 years. This is important when another motorist wrecks into your car and their insurance sends you a check for the "book value" of your car....read morehide

I love my new 2004 Civic Coupe EX 5spd. Everything is perfect, styling, interior is roomy. all the controls are in their place. but the only thing is that it's VTEC engine kicks in at high RPM, some people like it, some dont... i guess its more fun this way. at low engine speeds its too sluggish, and not as responsive. One way to fix this problem is to upgrade the exhaust system... but then you wont have as much power on the freeway because the RPMs are high.

I remember i had an 1985 civic, it had a 1.5 carb 12valve engine that had about 92hp. it was also 5spd manual, but it accelerated through its gears easier because of its low end torque. my new car is the oppisite...

And one more thing... gear ratios are too close... its missing the 6th gear. the RPM is too high on the freeway, 4000 at 75mph. the only good thing about it is that its very responsive at that speed, at a cost

In other words... it is the best for its price, and if you are planning to buy a small economy car, go check it out, you wont be disapointed. Everybody who is giving bad ratings doesnt own one. I test drove other cars and i liked this one most. when it comes to reliability, quality, and economy, Honda is the best!...read morehide

I've had my GX for about 6 months and I have no complaints. Fuel is cheaper, I drive the LA carpool lanes by myself and the car is solid; it's the perfect commuter car.
Finding natural gas pumps in LA is not a problem (plan ahead if you're leaving the area) and the home fueling pump is supposed to be available next Spring....read morehide

I am leasing this car as my commuter/beater for winter. Just can't beat the low monthly payments vs the value you get on the car. I was pleasantly surprised by the smooth shifting AT, A/C and CD player all part of the 'value' package. The stereo unlike previous Civic models actually sound pretty good.

What I like most about the car's performance...read morehide