looking at buying a hybrid.

[bigballer]

i'm planning on buying a used civic hybrid for my mom. i'm on a somewhat tight budget. how long do these batteries last? and maintenance? Is it any more different than a non-hybrid? I found a couple good deals. Why are all the interior colors....ugly? feedback? advice? I don't know much about hybrids in general.


2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID

[Tommyboy]

My 2006 has 113,000 miles on it and the battery is ok. I won't say it will last to 200,000 miles, but so far it has not been doing anything strange (at least from reading many posts on this forum my car is pretty normal).
I have a "galaxy gray" exterior with the ivory interior. I like it.
I did add an aftermarket moonroof (Webasto in Whittier, California did the work). It does look like a factory job and has never leaked.
the mainenancee is pretty straightforward. Just change the fluids at recommended intervals. The engine on the HCHII has 8 spark plugs, and they are not cheap (although they have come down in price). If you are a DIY person it takes about and hour and a half or so to change them. the back plugs are tricky. The valve adjustment is covered on this forum in another post, and I followed it (valves are easy to adjust).
Driving a hybrid is an acquired experience. It works just a little different that a conventional engine.
If she is going to be hauling around other folks or carry alot of stuff that adds weight to the car, don't get the hybrid. Mine does great for one person, OK for two and looses all gas mileage gains when you add the third person.

Good luck!

[DanLexani]

how much was the moonroof job?

[bigballer]

well, my mom's a floater so she can drive anywhere from 5 mins away to an hour away. just depends. 99.9% of the time it's just her in the car. the car just needs to be big enough so she can haul costco groceries in the car.

[streetlunatic08]

hybrid.

big baller

[GoHuskies]

I have the same exact car (color/year)

I'd check with Honda but I think in IL your only get the 8 year / 80,000 mile battery warranty. Depending on how much driving your mom does that may be well enough.

Interior colors for pre-09 models are either blue/beige combo or just the beige. Beige shows dirt and use much more than the blue. If I remember only the robins egg blue and white civic hybrids had the all beige interior. Those are not the color names obviously but you should be able to tell the colors when you see them.

Upkeep is mostly fluids, not really any more expensive than a gasser if you do the work yourself. Honda dealers and other shops will anal rape her to change her oil. CVT fluid flushes at 50K will cost $$$ at the dealers as well.

Tires and pads will outlast the regular civics, cost about the same to replace.

No belts that need replacing but thats a long way off in worry for any car.

12V battery will last longer.

[bigballer]

maintenance i'll just do myself. there's no accessory belt or anything? does the l13 use a timing belt or chain? i know the l15 for the fits use a chain.

fluids, brakes all that jazz, i'll just end up doing myself anyways.

i'm mostly concerned about the battery. that's the only thing i CANT service or do anything with. if i buy an 06, that'll be 4 years in the warranty with 4 years more to go. is the battery warranty prorated or what?

im assuming cvt fluid changes are the same exact thing for auto tranny changes?

my mom usually does 12-15k a year which is about average.

if i find a civic with barely any miles on it (for an 06) like the one i posted above, is that a bad thing? driving 14k miles on a hybrid over a lapse of 4 years?

man, the pre-09 interior colors are pretty ugly. i don't mind gray/black interior colors, but i can't stand beige. blue looks okay, but the other sides of the plastic moldings are beige, yuck. when beige gets dirty, its noticeable. when black gets dirty, you cant really tell.

[GoHuskies]

The hybrid runs other systems electrically. No AC belt and no timing belt.

Fluid changes are done from the same area. Under body panels keep it all clean.

[Tommyboy]

My moonroof cost me $950. I recieve a quote for $1300 and never responded. He called twice and dropped the price each time. He said his guys needed the work. It took him 2 days. What is really nice about this one is that the roof closes automatically when you turn the engine off (about 5 seconds). If you want it to stay open you push the open button twice before turn off the car.

the engine use a timing chain, so no maintenance issues there. The accessory belt is a serpentine belt. It looks easy to replace, but really is easier if you have a helper. To replace it you just push down on the idler pully (I used a rachet) and remove the belt. To get to the bottom of the engine you have to remove the inner fender. it is only a few bolts and clips. You just bend it out of the way.

[packratko]

Originally Posted by bigballer

i'm planning on buying a used civic hybrid for my mom. i'm on a somewhat tight budget. how long do these batteries last? and maintenance? Is it any more different than a non-hybrid? I found a couple good deals. Why are all the interior colors....ugly? feedback? advice? I don't know much about hybrids in general.


2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID

I was told that there was an independent study made on the new HCHII batteries that last more than 300K miles from a friend of mine who is in a Hybrid course for auto. I cant confirm that but either way they usually cover for a good amount (per government /state law). Maintenance is pretty much the same as your regular Non hybrid car, but dont go to a dealer, if you can, do it yourself or know a cheaper but reliable place to go.

If you can find one in the dark navy blue interior then you are good, rather than the tan, all of the civics except the si are practically the same interior.

at first i didnt like my hybrid because it lacked power compared to my s2000. heheh

But for reasons of mpg, comfort and maybe a future family soon, I opted for a wonderful car that exceeded my standards for those needs.

Besides the fact its a hybrid if you're into tuning your look of the car, its just like any other civic as well.

In the end its all based on what you guys prefer and like. try one out at your dealer.

[xvanwilderx]

check the warranty on where you live too. california has like a 10 year 130k mile warranty on the batteries