I agree with many of the remarks here. I would love to have been able to hang onto my 1987 Civic Wagon. It was my dream car for all of the years (and over 209,000 miles) that I owned it. It was finally beginning to show its age, however, and I didn’t think I could reasonably count on it much longer. I knew for environmental reasons I wanted my replacement vehicle to be a hybrid. Both the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Prius were appealing to me. I particularly liked the adaptability of the Prius’ hatchback configuration, which reminded me of the cargo capacity of the old Civic Wagon. However, when it came down to it, I was able to find a used 2003 HCH in perfect condition that fit my budget. The test drive convinced me that this was a worthy successor to my trusty ’87 Civic. I’m very impressed with the quiet and smooth performance of this sedan. (It’s a CVT, and despite my years of preference for five speed manuals, I’m totally won over.)

It’s probably clear that confidence in the Honda name due to my past experience played a role in my decision. I did do a good deal of research on the available hybrids, however, and I was impressed by Honda’s simple, yet innovative engineering approach. Here’s a link to a nice article that sums up the achievements of the Civic Hybrid: http://www.greenercars.com/gbd3.html

I also find the Civic Hybrid’s design and ergonomics comfortable and elegant.

Bird