I still think Honda is a good car, don't get me wrong...
I bought mine new in 07 and overall I am satisfied with it, BUT I want
to warn people that they ain't quite the "greatest thing" that they
used to be. (But what is? right?)

Well, my biggest complaint and the reason for writing this is the
MILEAGE.

Remember when Civics were known for great mileage? Part of the reason
I bought the Civic was because I wanted to save on gas. And the window
sticker said something like 27mpg. But what I am getting is 21mpg,
yes, in town, I don't do that much freeway or highway driving. Very
disappointing to me, especially now in this gas crisis. So the point
of this post, mainly is, if you are looking for gas mileage, a Civic
ain't the way to go any more.

What Civic does have, and why I bought it, is the best safety features
of a lower priced economy car: side and curtain airbags on both sides
as well as the front airbags and was rated the highest or among the
highest (I forget which) for safety at Consumer Reports.

Now, what else don't I like about my Civic?
1) It's just too damned big. And that may well account for the lack of
good mileage. With my old Hyundai Accent I could get in and out of my
apartment garage with ease. With this thing I have already scratched
both rear side panels because a) it's so big and b) it's designed such
that it gives you the illusion you are not as close as you really are
to things. I'm an excellent driver with 38 years experience under my
belt but this car, I swear, I just can't get a feel for where the rear
bumper and sides are. Something about the way they designed it. Also
part of this is that it has a terrible rear view from the rear view
mirror. It just does not give you a good view - or "feel" - for the
boundaries of the car, and it's much more difficult to see everything
via the rear view mirror than most other cars I've driven.
2) Within the first 6 months I had to take it in because the automatic
gear shifter jammed up on me; it would not go into any gear. After
much messing with it I got it to go (I had to get to work!) and then I
called and found out about the little trick of placing a screwdriver
in the hole they put by the gear shifter for just this purpose.
3) It's already been recalled, for a problem with the brake lights. I
remember when Hondas were almost never part of recalls.

So I'm not saying don't buy a Honda. In fact, I would rate it as about
an 8 on a 10 scale. Quite frankly for ease of driving I liked my
Hyundai Accent much better. Where this Civic excels is in comfort.
It's much more comfortable than my Hyundai was. But the Hyundai was
just as reliable and I owned it for 10 years and put about 70k miles
on it (Yes, I am a low mileage driver! I live near my work and don't
travel a lot.)

All I'm saying is that this Honda wasn't what I thought it was,
especially in terms of mileage and ease of driving (rear view
problems, "sense of boundaries"...), and now a recall on top of it.

So while I can still recommend Honda, I can't quite recommend them as
resoundingly as I did before, particularly as it pertains to the
Civic.