Honda Civic-4 door
 

ok, i'm reluctantly writing this, but here goes:

was CONSIDERING trading for a honda civic. there are several stipulations:

1 scangauge compatible
2 four doors w/ enough rear seat room for 3 kids, one being adult size(5ft tall)
3 be able to gain enough in FE to cover insurance increase AND then some
4 priced $4k or less(this may go up as more $ is saved)
5 cannot be a major fixer-upper(minor repairs only)
6 would like to buy from a reputable dealer-so i can trade and possibly get a short term warranty(90 days maybe?); also i can let my wife do her thing in case we get a lemon
7 must get $1.5k(or more) for '95 olds trade-in
8 need safety equipment: anti-lock brakes, multi-airbags, etc

looking @ accords, there is not enough of a gain in FE to warrant that trade(even 4 cyl). i do not trust car reviews in print. i'm interested in what our members(especially civic owners) think. can my stipulations be met? what years meet my size and price range? '96-'99?

If you want to buy from a dealer vs a private party, then a 1996-2000 Civic is going to cost MUCH more than $4000.

actually there were accords and civics(very few) in that price range @ a honda dealer here in orlando recently. i'm just not sure what the condition of them were as well as warranty options.

rather than just start looking @ civics, my thought was to ask here to see if it was worth the time and gas to do so first.

I would say that it is worth it. Especially if you buy one of the more economical Civics (like the HX). Also keep in mind that Civics are going to be MUCH more reliable than a 1995 Olds. On the other hand, rear seat room could be a problem. Civics are not really meant to haul around lots of people.

much thanks. does the HX come in 4 doors? kbb.com and nada.com only differentiate between 2 and 4 doors, not HX,DX, etc i think.

perhaps i need to google to learn more about the different models. and even find someone i know that owns one to see the backseat room for myself.

hopefully it is understood, why going to a dealer w/ 3 kids to find this out is not desireable. thanks again.

97 civic LX
 

I have a 97 LX model which is power windows and power locks.
It's a very good and reliable car. Three in the back might be a sqeeze.
There's plenty of room back there for two adults, I guess it will depend on the size of your carseats. My gaslogs are using no AC, mostly highway miles.

Good luck!

very good. my kids are all fairly small and i do not anticipate them getting too much bigger. afterall, i was ~110-120lb when i stopped riding w/ my parents. thanks!

Your not going to be happy with a Civic and 3 growing kids in the back seat. That would be a late model Accord. My wife gets good mpg in her Accord. Seems to stay around the 32 mpg mark. Its a no brainer for her to turn in epa numbers or better.

I had two adults in the back seat of my 06 civic sedan. They did ok back there on a 400 mile trip. But t third person was out of the question.

There are 4dr, 4cylinder accords out there, and I'm sure they could pull off some very good MPG numbers.

I agree that 3 kids in the back of a civic will be a squeeze. THey are roomy, but not 3 kid roomy. They'll be bumping against eachother and screaming in no time. Then again, my parents had a late 80s cutlass fwd 2dr, and I remember the back of that being about the same as the back of a 4dr civic, or maybe even smaller.

I'd recommend a 1994-1995 accord 4 door 5-speed. dx.lx have 130hp, ex's have 145hp. I actually used to own a 1997 accord 4 door SE (auto), and used to get so so gas mileage, but when i bought my second accord (1995 ex 5speed with vtec engine), i would average 30mpg mixed, although i did replaced many engine parts, and worked on weight reduction. That car was amazing..... i miss it :(.