2008 Honda LX Coupe Review

[Braniff]

Ok,

In March 2008, I started having strut problems on my 1999 Prelude. After replacing the front struts, front control arms and front tie-rods and a new water pump and belt service, I started to feel Auto Transmission slippage. After reading Honda Prelude forums, I fiqured I would wait at least a few months for a decent tranny and spend $$$$.

So, I decide to buy a 2008 LX Coupe in June. I had owned Civics before, (1987 DX, 1991 LX, 2002 LX) and was happy with them.

I went for the Civic Coupe because it was "close" to my Prelude, but had much better gas mileage.

Went to Frank Kent Honda in Fort Worth. Walked in and was met with, "I don't know if we have one to sell you." I countered with, "I saw one on your website this morning." They had the one I saw, and it wasn't yet sold (It had 4 miles on it, and was right off truck).

I test-drove it, and was happy. Got a fairly good price (around 20K Tax, Title and License) plus it had a trunk liner, mud guards, pin-striping, fabric treatment. Got a 2.9% APR with my trade-in, and $2,500 cash.

I have put 1,000 miles on it since June. My impressions so far:

Exterior:

Very nice quality. Already know about Honda paint (other cars have the same enviornmental crap). Still, it looks good and hasn't chipped yet. (Keep wax on it after about a year, and it won't fade so much)

The Civic is HIGHER than my Prelude, so clearance is not a problem.

The wheels are not alloy, like my Lude, but can add those later. I bent three out of four alloys on the Prelude and replaced one at the cost of $500!

INTERIOR:

Love the layout of the stereo, and A/C controls. Typical Honda. Cruise on Steering Wheel is well placed. Wish I had audio controls on steering. Plenty of storage space, and the cover for the center cup holders is nice. Prelude didn't have a cover. iPod hookup is a Brilliant. No Nav, but I have a Garmin.

Interior fabrics not as pleasing as Prelude. Can see how they would wear more. Plastics could be less scratch-proof, but all cars now seem to have this type of light plastic. Armour-all does help. Plus a cotton towel with warm water takes hand prints off the rubber/plastic.

Like the displays. The "Blue Halo" glow is nice.

Never noticed the missing cover for the driver-side pedals. (I have seen Acura TLs missing these!)

Back seat seems ok, but I use that for storage. The Prelude had alot less space in the back.

Get a "Heat Shield" for the front windshield. Some Honda dealerships sell these, but you can type in "Heat Shield" into Google. They fit the front window like a glove, and keep the front visors away from heat.

DRIVING:

Really nice. No problems with "tracking." (let go of the steering wheel for six seconds on a straight area...if it goes left or right, get the alignment fixed). My car tracks well for way over six seconds. (this at 70mph)

No feeling of fear at 80mph. In fact got it up to 95mph on I-35 with no worries. Had a very "solid feel" even blowing past 18-wheelers. This with a 10 knot crosswind.

Road noise gets loud on some surfaces above 60mph, but so did the Prelude.

Turn up the radio if you don't want to hear it. (I did the test with the radio off)

Steering is sensitive, but not bad. If you are used to flying planes, you will find that it is quite like that.

Summary:

After reading all the complaints, I can't really find many. In fact, my friend who recently bought a BMW 5-series, was impressed by the car.

[webby]

very nice writeup and comparison. Welcome to the site.

[nayilsi]

good stuff man !

Don't let the complaints posted here not enjoy your car.

[lovecheese]

Steering is sensitive, but not bad. If you are used to flying planes, you will find that it is quite like that.


I always wondered what pilots drive!

[boltuprite]

What's this? somebody on 8th Civic who actually likes his car?

will wonders never cease? Seems all I read on here is people bitching about their cars.

good post. and welcome to the site

[Sean Newman]

If you lived in Canada your LX would have come with 16" alloy wheels (and a lip soiler, split rear seat, int wipers, EX fabric, trunk release, etc).

[bluespecv03]

I definetly agree with the OP. Ive had my 07 EX for just over a month and I love it. Everything that he said +1 here.

[r18lx]

i've had my car for about 7 months i racked up about 14100 miles thats because i just love driving it!

[ReutherMonkey]

I also agree with OP. Very good write-up. I've had my '08 Coupe since November '07 and have almost 17,000 miles on it already. o_0. Love the car just as much today as I did when I bought it.

[SapphireRaven]

I love my 07 lx coupe. just over 10,000 miles and i've had it for a year now. no problems so far and i still have soooo much fun driving it. I love my car. Great review!

[DraKhen99]

I too really like my Civic - it's an 08 Sedan 5MT, and I've had mine for 2.5 months now, with about 2,700 miles on it (1,000 from a road trip to Myrtle Beach and back - great road trip car!). The only issue I had with the car was the stock 160w 6-speaker radio ... didn't have the iPod integration I wanted (so I fixed that, and added some other stuff ), but other than that, 33/38 mileage is great, and it makes a good commuter car (which is why I bought it).

-John

[Braniff]

Originally Posted by Sean Newman

If you lived in Canada your LX would have come with 16" alloy wheels (and a lip soiler, split rear seat, int wipers, EX fabric, trunk release, etc).

My wheels are 16," but not alloy. I do have the lip spoiler and a trunk release (not on the key fob though).

The split rear seat is over-rated, as I have never used one on any past cars. I have int wipers (just not speed controlled like the Prelude).

Also, I did not want a moonroof. My prelude's rattled since new, and I only used it 2 days out of the year. It's just too hot to use in Texas.

I am planning on alloys in the future.

[Braniff]

Originally Posted by boltuprite

What's this? somebody on 8th Civic who actually likes his car?

will wonders never cease? Seems all I read on here is people bitching about their cars.

good post. and welcome to the site

Thanks!

[treal512]

/taggle

[FlyingBrickyard]

This with a 10 knot crosswind.

It was at this point I figured you were a pilot.

Steering is sensitive, but not bad. If you are used to flying planes, you will find that it is quite like that.

That's my feeling almost to the word, but I didn't think anyone else would get it.


Otherwise, agreed on all points. I've got an EX with a bit over 400 miles, but my experiences and opinions on it so far have been essentially the same.

[08LxCoupeMT]

I also recently bought a 08 lx I'm happy so far, a great car for the money for a daily driver. I had a 93 lx and the 08 is better in every way, except for a few mpg less fuel economy however the 08 has 50% more hp and is 300+ lbs heavier so its well worth it imo. On my wish list are some nice wheels and maybe install a gps nav.

[cospec]

I have had my 08 LX for about 4 months now and just over 6,000 miles and love it . Have so far gotten 38 mpg average for 15 fill ups.