My Pre-Worshipped 2010 Honda Civic V MT
Although it has been over a year since I sold my Civic, I thought of sharing my brief experience with it.
I bought a 2010 Honda Civic in May 2022 for weekend drives. I'd always dreamt of owning one and I wanted the facelift, manual, single-owner, in white. The day I found her, I knew she was the one and there was no end to my joy! I completed my Engineering in 2020 and 2 years later, when I was in a position to afford a second-hand car, I realised that it was time to own a Civic. I did not "need" a car, but I "wanted" the Civic. We already had 2 other cars in our garage and it made absolutely no sense to buy a 3rd car which was 12 years old, but not every decision needs to make sense in life anyway right?
The car was in mint condition but was not serviced in the recent past. The first thing I did was, I took it to Magnum Honda (as it was close to our house and we had recently purchased the 5th gen City from them) for a regular service. No major issues were reported and regular oil changes were done.
After a week, we planned for a Wayanad trip from Bengaluru in the Civic, it was an absolute blast driving through the ghats! The trip went well, but while returning, the clutch cylinder went kaput and we were stranded in the middle of the road in Mysore as the clutch was dead and we could not change gears. Since it was a Sunday evening, we could not find any mechanic, so we called GoMechanic and they took it to a workshop nearby. They informed us that since it was a Sunday, they would be able to source the parts only the next day and it would take a couple of days to get the car up and running. We booked a cab and left for Bengaluru.
Went to Mysuru on Tuesday by train, paid the bill of 12k and got the car back. There was no problem for a couple of days, but later, the same issue reappeared. When we called GoMechanic, they arranged a tow truck and took it to another workshop (with which they would have tie-up), but this workshop fellow told us that the clutch cylinder had gone again and we had to replace the entire clutch assembly along with the flywheel. When we asked GoMechanic to refund the 12k, they asked us to get the repairs done at their workshop and they would waive off 12k from the bill. Since we already had a pretty bad experience with them, we thought of letting it go after a lot of negotiation and getting the repairs done by Honda itself. The total bill came to 30k, which brought back some piece of mind along with confidence.
After all these hurdles, I finally had the Honda Civic and I could finally enjoy driving it without the worry of break-downs. The next 1 year was an absolute blast filled with multiple trips! Sharing a few pics below which I would preserve for my lifetime.
"If you park your car and don't look back, you've bought the wrong car!"
The heart of the topic, the 1.8 i-VTEC which would rev past 7000 RPM
The cockpit, sitting LOW, quite literally on the floor with the digital speedo in the line of sight, what a driving position!
The major drawback of the Civic, the notorious ground clearance. The worst thing you can do is fit 3 people in the rear seat and put a 25-kilo rice bag in the boot! It was the scariest drive in my life to date, I was literally sitting on the edge of the seat, spotting potholes and speed breakers!
Casually cruising at 120kmph in the Mysore-Bengaluru expressway sometime in March 2023, back when there were no speed restrictions! The high-speed stability was absolutely brilliant (the rear suspension is a bit of a let down though) and 120 felt like 80!
When you and your cousin have the same mental disorder
The 2 i-VTECs! Why would we have 2 white, naturally aspirated, manual sedans from the same brand? Are we crazy? Maybe it's in the blood!
Btw, the 5th gen City belongs to my dad and though they might look similar from the outside, they are drastically different! Driving them back to back, you'd realise how soft and sane the cars have become over the past decade.
I was so in love with my Civic, I actually went ahead and got a "Mugen" tattoo. I had plans of sourcing Mugen parts and modifying it at a later stage, but Destiny had other plans!
Finally, after 1 year of redlining the VTEC, in May 2023, considering the running and the maintenance along with me not finding enough time to take good care of her, I decided to part ways with her. It was not an easy decision, but eventually, for her good as well as my good, I had to let her go with a heavy heart! Whatever money I got after selling the Civic, I saved it for my next car. This time it is a brand new Mahindra Scorpio N Z8L D MT 4XPLORE which I will be taking the delivery in the next week. Civic to a Scorpio is not an easy transition, but a BOF SUV is a different kind of fun!
Do I regret buying the Civic? NO! Do I regret selling the Civic? No. Both were impulsive decisions and I am happy for whatever has happened. I've spent a lot of money on the Civic within 1 year which might not be worth it, but the memories and the very thought of having owned the OG Civic for a year are priceless! Everything happens for a reason. So if you have regrets about an impulsive decision you took, trust me and give it some time, you'll feel better!
This was my short stint with my Civic, hope it was a fun read!
Cheers,
G13BB
10th September 2024, 20:05
(43)
Thanks
