I've heard terrible things about the CVT on the Civic HX, so get the manual if you're gonna get one!

It sounds like you look for Civics most of the time, so why not check out the ClubCivic forums? Its where I go for techincal info.

Did a Memorial Weekend road trip. First 143 miles all highway at 65 mph with A/C on / off every 5 miles - 46.3 mpg. The 6 hr trip gave me a sore ankle because of no cruise control. I wish I had the 01 - 05 HX M/T but these are so hard to find! Never saw a used one yet in manual!