[shancz]

Originally Posted by saket77

cockpit like interiors

I had the exact same words when I first saw it parked at a Honda showroom during college.
I had gone with a friend to check out the City, which his father was planning to buy but the moment I saw the Civic I lost track of things. The gentleman there was kind and professional enough to let a college kid, with no scope of buying, get a feel of the Civic. That day I didn't just have a benchmark for the car I wanted to get but also the benchmark of how car showrooms and personnel should feel like.

Congrats on living your dream, can get a feel of your delight with the Civic in JH in 2014

Originally Posted by saket77

- Car always feels planted to the road- given any speed.
- I paid ~63K through my nose just to renew the registration for 5 years- which I believe is unjustifiable amount charged (& most will agree)

- One of those cars which tell what they're about the moment you look at them.
- That hurts! What rate are they going with ? Seems higher than new registration!

Originally Posted by saket77

This was the charisma of the Civic.

Agree. Looking at the pics the age his hardly believable, owing to the design and your maintenance.
I have occasionally seen a silver Civic over the years, last was a WB registered one within the last 3-4 months in MECON colony so I am assuming at least one of them was yours.

Was a delightful and crisp read. The pics say a lot more than is visible.
Kudos to a great ownership and journeys

You've already made a strong statement of handling focussed cars with the Zen and the Civic, what's next ?

[shabih]

Originally Posted by saket77

The Beginning.


Let me start from the very beginning. I saw the 8th Gen Honda Civic closely in 2008 when I was 25. This was the time when I had taken up my first job assignment in Delhi after completing my masters. I usually commuted to work by the Delhi metro and sometimes even by the infamous DTC buses.

During one of these commutes, my eyes got fixated on a beautiful shining car in a dark shade. NOTHING, and I mean every letter of it- NOTHING- on the road looked like it- even on Delhi roads.
.

Saket, my name is Shabi and I am from Jharkhand as well, Ramgarh specifically. I graduated from St. Xavier's Ranchi in 2008 and moved to Delhi for post-grads and a job afterward. When I moved to Delhi, I stayed with my relatives in Hauz Khas during my studies. My commute to college was also in a DTC bus / Metro and like you I felt there was NOTHING as beautiful as a Civic on the road (followed by Polo perhaps which I own currently). Hauz Khas neighborhood had a lot of Civics around at that time and I would find excuses to stroll around just to soak in all the beauty. I have itched and yearned for a Civic all my adult life. Unfortunately never could realise that dream but reading your post brought back fond memories and to know that there was someone else from my state/city feeling the same feelings at the same time is just remarkable. I know parting with your loved car is painful but as they say "Abhi aasman aur bhi hai".

God bless you, wish you a happy life.

[Tempelhof]

Originally Posted by saket77

The Story of Our Civic
With a very heavy heart, I had to let go my Civic after almost 10 years of amazing ownership experience.

That must have been tough.

My 2007 model Civic 1.8V MT is still running as good as new (16th year running) - and I'm using it even today.

During these 16 years, I've NEVER opened the hood - there was never a need.

And in these 16 years, there was NEVER a flat tire while on long road-trips.

Let us see ... !

[saket77]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Short and sweet ownership thread that is similar to summarising a 3 hour movie in 30 minutes, without missing out on key details; straight from the heart.

Thank you Sir! I wish I could turn back time and write this ownership report from the time I bought the car where in I could have got into more subtle details of the ownership through the years. Some instances are bound to have slipped from my mind and some details lost when summarizing 10 years into 5 posts. But thank you for the nice words.

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Honda could launch this generation of Civic today and it would not look "old" amongst 2024 designs. It looked so radically ahead of its time, but still had Japanese reliability and tried and true mechanicals underneath.

The early 2010s was the golden era for the segment. The Jetta, Octavia, Civic, Corolla, and Elantra were all pretty amazing cars.

So true! The design was indeed 'radically ahead' as you correctly underline and this is a testimony that something can be radical and still be beautiful; unlike some hideous designs that manufacturers have doled out in recent past in name of 'modern design'. Isn't it a wonder that despite such a design, the opinions were not polarizing.

Originally Posted by ex-innova-guy

Better late than ever, eh, saket77? A short and sweet review. We had a Civic in the same shade in our society, and the owner always used to come drive it out whenever we were playing. Not a day went by when we didn't ogle at those digital speedometer readings.

PS: Just yesterday, I read your post on how high the reregistration tax is in JH, and despite that, you bit the bullet, and today I read this.

All the best for your next steed.

Thank you! So, I was not the only one smitten with the console

Regarding the sale, it happened too fast for me to sink in. There was no real plan to let it go. The car just went before we could make up our mind completely. To get out of it, it will take time for sure.

Originally Posted by eccentric

Most would agree that this is one among the very few cars that the buyers acquired with their heart rather than their head! Am damn sure everyone has a story to tell. It's like meeting your soulmate; You go weak at your knees!

Again true! This is a car with which the owner connects straight from the heart. The car was unique in so many ways that it carves a niche- both on roads and in their owner's heart.

Originally Posted by eccentric

Thank you, @saket77 for your inputs via various posts on the Maintenance thread; They continue to help relatively new owners like me. Wishing you the very best for your new ride!

I will keep stalking the Civic thread- and will be a participant for life there even if the car is gone for whatever little wisdom I have gained from TBHP and the car.

Originally Posted by razor4077

Posting on Tbhp after ages! Beautifully narrated, Saket. Happy that my Civic found such a loving owner. Sadly, most of my other cars were not so lucky! The car looks mint even after a decade!

Life came a full circle. About a decade back, you were the young lad and my son was handing over the keys (not too willingly!!)

Razor!! So good to see your post. So well articulated- yes indeed life came a full circle. 10 years passed like a flash!

I must thank you for the car. This was one of the better things that shaped our lives at that time. Writing this thread made me remember our meetings in Kolkata and feeling nostalgic. Though we lost touch after 2016-17 I guess but we often remember you and your son. Our best wishes to you and your family.

Originally Posted by Axe77

What a fantastic story of an absolutely iconic car. I owned a Civic A/T from 2009 - ~2017/18 and run for about 65k kms IIRC. Even after buying my 3GT in 2015 it took me a couple of years to be able to let the Civic go.

That car really was something else and I still miss it. It was just such a handsome design and what a hoot to drive. Thanks for penning down a review for this beauty. I’m glad you got around to it and the Forum has yet another thread with another Civic story.

A 3GT in the garage and still taking time to get over the Civic- speaks something about the car. Would love to read your experiences. Thank you so much for the nice words.

Originally Posted by //M

The is such a beautiful tale of one amazing machine. I have a fond memory of driving this Civic down the Harmu bypass road when it arrived in your garage.

The Civic still looks like a modern design despite its age. The interiors specially were way ahead of its times. Except the ground clearance issue which poses a challenge in some of our roads, there is very little that goes against a Civic. Knowing you personally since more than a decade now, I have been witnessing how well you keep your cars. And now I am quite envious of the new owner who just picked up such an immaculate example.

Thanks for this wonderful read. Looks like you and your family were quite smitten with this member during the entire ownership period. Wishing you all the best in finding a worthy replacement to this gem of a car.

Hello Arunabh! Yes, I too remember the test drive! Couldn't believe that 10 years passed! Yes, ground clearance was an issue especially with pax in the rear. That is one of the rare weaker points the car had.

Regarding the replacement, it is still not finalised. Me being me, not able to find a car which can be as aesthetically pleasing as the Civic which apart from dynamics will also be a deciding factor. Currently using the Zen and wife's new i20 automatic as a stop-gap arrangement.

Originally Posted by sarathlal

You did take me back some good 10-12 years back, when a similar love story unfolded here with the Civic as thoughts do resonate

The love for the Civic is beautifully captured and thanks for sharing the decade long relationship with us. Lucky lad who got the beauty and wishing him the very best of drives ahead!

Thank you Sarath. We have interacted a few times in the Civic thread and you can expect me to be there always. Your posts, along with many other's in that thread helped more than I can even remember in keeping the car in top shape. Thank you so much!

Originally Posted by shancz

I had the exact same words when I first saw it parked at a Honda showroom during college.
I had gone with a friend to check out the City, which his father was planning to buy but the moment I saw the Civic I lost track of things. The gentleman there was kind and professional enough to let a college kid, with no scope of buying, get a feel of the Civic. That day I didn't just have a benchmark for the car I wanted to get but also the benchmark of how car showrooms and personnel should feel like.

- One of those cars which tell what they're about the moment you look at them.
- That hurts! What rate are they going with ? Seems higher than new registration!

I have occasionally seen a silver Civic over the years, last was a WB registered one within the last 3-4 months in MECON colony so I am assuming at least one of them was yours.

Was a delightful and crisp read. The pics say a lot more than is visible.
Kudos to a great ownership and journeys

You've already made a strong statement of handling focussed cars with the Zen and the Civic, what's next ?

It is always nice to see a fellow BHPian from Ranchi as there aren't many. Yes, I do visit the Mecon colony frequently and crossing each other is a probability, however, my car is carrying JH plate since last 2 years.

Would love to connect. Pls DM if you reside in Mecon colony.

Also a nice experience that you shared about the Honda Showroom. In fact I had a similar one with Maruti (though it was the new 800 MPFI which was launched) when the General Manager himself explained me about the new 800 in person knowing fully well that I was not the target audience. I would have been barely 18 or 19 then.

About your other question- they are charging renewal road tax @~ 6% of the invoice value even for older cars. For 5 years.

Originally Posted by shabih

Saket, my name is Shabi and I am from Jharkhand as well, Ramgarh specifically. I graduated from St. Xavier's Ranchi in 2008 and moved to Delhi for post-grads and a job afterward. When I moved to Delhi, I stayed with my relatives in Hauz Khas during my studies. My commute to college was also in a DTC bus / Metro and like you I felt there was NOTHING as beautiful as a Civic on the road (followed by Polo perhaps which I own currently). Hauz Khas neighborhood had a lot of Civics around at that time and I would find excuses to stroll around just to soak in all the beauty. I have itched and yearned for a Civic all my adult life. Unfortunately never could realise that dream but reading your post brought back fond memories and to know that there was someone else from my state/city feeling the same feelings at the same time is just remarkable. I know parting with your loved car is painful but as they say "Abhi aasman aur bhi hai".

God bless you, wish you a happy life.

Hi Shabi! Good to learn about you especially being graduated from the same college and having a similar story. Thank you so much for your kind words and I wish the same for you. Though it is tough to beat the benchmark the Civic has set with the budget I have.

Originally Posted by Tempelhof

That must have been tough.

My 2007 model Civic 1.8V MT is still running as good as new (16th year running) - and I'm using it even today.

During these 16 years, I've NEVER opened the hood - there was never a need.

And in these 16 years, there was NEVER a flat tire while on long road-trips.

Let us see ... !

That was really tough. If I had time to think, I may not have let it go. I wish your car many more miles ahead. If you are happy with the equipment levels, then there is actually no requirement for a new car. It will be very dificult to fill the shoes of Civic.

[Dippy]

What a beautiful writeup Saket and I can relate to every word you said.

Even we bought our Civic preowned in 2014. It was a 2012 V AT spec run just 15000 km with extended warranty in place. The car served as my dad's daily commute to work and was was chauffeur driven for him for about 4 years.

It was flawless to own and I do agree the spares were expensive. However my great rapport with the dealership ensured I got a good discount on parts and labour always.

I gave it a complete makeover including new suspension, tyres and uphosltery after we let go services of our driver in 2020. After that it was only driven by me and my brother.

One issue I faced was malfunctioning of the digital instrument cluster that would stay on even after I switched off the car thereby draining the battery.

Love the car to bits. Sadly had to let it go when I bought the Thar last year. I would not have have sold it if I had extra parking. Selling the Polo GT was not an option because it was the newer car.

At the time of sale, the odo stood at 94xxx kms. Was extremely said to see it go.

Your thread brought back a lot of memories. Here is a picture of my car:

[Safedriver2023]

Great write up.I too had a pre owned civic. Drove for approx 85000kms before selling.the service was not good enough with periodic change of steering oil, clutch oil etc.they made the car strand twice in an awkward situation. Other than these service problem which made it strand I never faced any issue on road. Saw high 180s emergency brake from 150s.. it's a 'you take care of me I take care of you car'

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by saket77

A 3GT in the garage and still taking time to get over the Civic- speaks something about the car. Would love to read your experiences. Thank you so much for the nice words.

For one, I used to LOVE the back seat. It had pure leather seats as opposed to my 3GT with MUCH nicer back seat under thigh support, seat recline etc. As a chauffeur driven car it was definitely much more comfortable. I also loved that it had paddle shifters which my 3GT did not originally have (I later changed the steering to an M Sport one).

The 3GT of course is another beast altogether to drive without a doubt but the Civic was always very rewarding in its own right. Not to mention, the car looked contemporary from the day I bought it right till the day I sold it - speaks a lot to its timeless design.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Dippy

What a beautiful writeup Saket and I can relate to every word you said.
It was flawless to own and I do agree the spares were expensive. However my great rapport with the dealership ensured I got a good discount on parts and labour always.

I gave it a complete makeover including new suspension, tyres and uphosltery after we let go services of our driver in 2020. After that it was only driven by me and my brother.

One issue I faced was malfunctioning of the digital instrument cluster that would stay on even after I switched off the car thereby draining the battery.

Lovely car there Dippy! A 2012 car bought in 2014 must be a very neat example.

The issue that you state was probably a fault with the Gauge Control Module or what they say as GCM which houses the RPM counter. I believe once BHPian Sumeet also faced this issue in his Civic. Also gained from the same thread that there are BHPians in Mumbai who got them repaired from outside for a reasonable sum.

Originally Posted by Safedriver2023

Great write up.I too had a pre owned civic. Drove for approx 85000kms before selling.the service was not good enough with periodic change of steering oil, clutch oil etc.they made the car strand twice in an awkward situation. Other than these service problem which made it strand I never faced any issue on road. Saw high 180s emergency brake from 150s.. it's a 'you take care of me I take care of you car'

You bet the braking on the car was awesome. But Sad to see a car like this one being stranded because of service issues.

Originally Posted by Axe77

For one, I used to LOVE the back seat. It had pure leather seats as opposed to my 3GT with MUCH nicer back seat under thigh support, seat recline etc. As a chauffeur driven car it was definitely much more comfortable. I also loved that it had paddle shifters which my 3GT did not originally have (I later changed the steering to an M Sport one).

The 3GT of course is another beast altogether to drive without a doubt but the Civic was always very rewarding in its own right. Not to mention, the car looked contemporary from the day I bought it right till the day I sold it - speaks a lot to its timeless design.

That is great. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I probably never sat on the rear seat of the car. Front passenger side, yes, but don't remember travelling at rear. But definitely it was super spacious. Someone like you who is reviewing cars day in and day out, and with first hand experience on both the cars, I would take your words at face value

[shancz]

Originally Posted by saket77

In fact I had a similar one with Maruti (though it was the new 800 MPFI which was launched) when the General Manager himself explained me about the new 800 in person knowing fully well that I was not the target audience.

Such experiences were special but increasingly rare these days. Somehow I've found a lot of latest cars missing the feeling which cars like the Civic or even the City gave. Or maybe its just nostalgia.
Hence I am very interested in knowing your next purchase

BHPians in Ranchi is a rare sight indeed.
I stay in Harmu, not very far from Mecon. Will DM my contact.

[Siddj38]

What a beautiful write up!

The prologue perfectly describes the love story of all the young people when The Civic was launched. I had a similar story when I first saw the Civic, gleaming in a Honda showroom while we were checking out City. It was love at first sight, with the heart break of not being able to afford one (I was just 10 :P ).

Fast forward to 2021, I was able to pick a clean 2012 Civic when our plans to buy a new car was shelved. This was probably the best decision I have ever made till date. I have modified it to my taste and have learned so many things while performing the DIYs.

PS: This is too late now but the lack of autolock you mentioned in the cons is actually present in civic and the car does lock itself after 20 km/h. it is can be disabled which it probably was in your car

[jjp@chn]

In early 2007, I came very close to owning a new Honda Civic (silver) as it was on the top of our shortlist. I had previously owned a 1998 Honda Civic (preowned) between 2005-2006 while I was in the US and was always in admiration of the quality and reliability of the car, so when it came to decide on a new car in India, the new generation Civic with its refreshed looks made it an easy choice. The exterior design was so futuristic and even the interiors, including the dashboard and steering wheel was very modern for the time. Simply awestuck by how it looked, we were almost ready to book the car without even a test drive. Very few cars have ignited that kind of feeling for me - almost akin to love at first sight.

However, the ownership never materialized as we changed the decision and opted to go with the 2007 Skoda Octavia L&K (silver) with a diesel engine instead, based on the suggestion from family and friends, as we were threatened into submission, with the fuel efficiency of the petrol motor on the Civic. This decision to pivot from the Civic to the Octavia was the beginning of our inexplicable bond with VAG - owning multiple VW and Skoda in the family over the years... Octavias, Jettas, Rapid and now the Kodiaq.

Even now, after 17 years, whenever I see this model of the Civic anywhere on the road, there is a tug on the heartstrings that seems to say "what could have been"...

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Siddj38

Fast forward to 2021, I was able to pick a clean 2012 Civic when our plans to buy a new car was shelved. This was probably the best decision I have ever made till date. I have modified it to my taste and have learned so many things while performing the DIYs.

Your car looks lovely in the pictures. Please share a few more shots of the beauty.

Originally Posted by Siddj38

PS: This is too late now but the lack of autolock you mentioned in the cons is actually present in civic and the car does lock itself after 20 km/h. it is can be disabled which it probably was in your car

I could never find the setting to turn on autolock in the 2007 Civic. So, I doubt that it had it. If you can share it here or on the Civic thread, it will be helpful for the owners. Thanks.

Originally Posted by jjp@chn

However, the ownership never materialized as we changed the decision and opted to go with the 2007 Skoda Octavia L&K (silver) with a diesel engine instead, based on the suggestion from family and friends, as we were threatened into submission, with the fuel efficiency of the petrol motor on the Civic. This decision to pivot from the Civic to the Octavia was the beginning of our inexplicable bond with VAG - owning multiple VW and Skoda in the family over the years... Octavias, Jettas, Rapid and now the Kodiaq.

Even now, after 17 years, whenever I see this model of the Civic anywhere on the road, there is a tug on the heartstrings that seems to say "what could have been"...

Thank you for sharing your story. List of your cars is a treat for enthusiasts. Wish to read more about them. Thanks!

[Siddj38]

Originally Posted by saket77

I could never find the setting to turn on autolock in the 2007 Civic. So, I doubt that it had it. If you can share it here or on the Civic thread, it will be helpful for the owners. Thanks.

I'm not surprised that you didn't find the setting as it's not a simple on or off toggle

The video below might help folks

https://youtu.be/p2w_91ct-jg?si=Kqji3IVqd6d-UUk5

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Siddj38

I'm not surprised that you didn't find the setting as it's not a simple on or off toggle

Wow! Thank you but unfortunately I cannot check it now.
However not sure how to use these techniques in manual transmission. But thank you for sharing. Hope other civic owners will check and may benefit from this trick in the video.

Regards.

[Merc_Freak]

Your thread brought back some great memories that we had with our civic. It was a manual S variant in habanero red shade ,which was quite rare to see on the civic in those days. It was bough brand new in 2007, and in over 15 years of owning it, we had only clocked 62,000 odd kilometres on it. The smooth revving engine, svelte looks, and the digital gauge cluster were some of its highlights for me. Sadly, we had let it go against our will due to the stupid 15 year rule in Delhi.