I checked out a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid yesterday at my local dealer. It has 89,000 miles and has been religiously serviced at the Honda dealer ever since it was purchased. The Carfax was clean and it has had only 1 owner. I had an 06 Civic Si that was deemed a total loss and wanted to get a commuter to replace it and put the rest of the money in the bank.

What questions should I ask them? What are the chances that the battery will fail? Can I drive the Civic Hybrid with a bad battery?

Will I end up paying more in maintenance? Any other things I should consider before I pull the trigger?

A different option would be a 2009 Civic Hybrid with 34k miles for $13.5k... Should I just get the gas equivalent?

Thanks in advance.

JP

 

I can almost guarantee you won't be happy coming from an 06 Si to an 03 Hybrid. Ready for some 14" wheels and a rough ride and low power?

09 Hybrid would be better. But even that would be quite the transition for you (about half the power of your previous Civic). You might be better served by an 06 or later regular Civic.

Plus at 89k miles and that old you're not going to get a warranty on it for any length of time and the batterys tend to fail around that mark (likely within the next 40k miles).

 

I bought an 04 two years ago for $6000 from a dealer for $6000 it had 125,000 miles on it and a few minor dings.

AMS battery light went on about 10,000 miles later. I couldn't afford to replace the battery - so I didn't. I now have 194,000 on car. Only negative side affects I have seen is a steady drop in fuel economy down to 35.9 (avg).

Battery seems to discharge faster and recharge faster - which makes sense if battery cells are failing (the total capacity of battery drops).

I did drive to yellowstone nat park (high elevation) and noticed that my battery would deplete in minutes and take longer to recharge.

That with the drop in fuel econ, pushed me to change the battery. I ordered a rebuilt one from Greentec Auto (near Sacramento California) for $1495 (free shipping). It is scheduled to arrive today. I'll post my experience later.

I drive a lot. 35,000 miles a year so the gas mileage helps pay for the battery replacement. (I was driving a newer F150 averaging 18 - so this cut my fuel costs in half - I save 200 - 300 a month on gas.)

The car price sounds high and yes, you will likely have to replace the battery soon - at least you will get an error code on your car telling you to.

The honda and battery people tell me that the battery fails sooner in hotter climates. (Heat apparently degrades batteries.)

While my car is not a rocket - it has very poor off the line power and passing power, it does feel like a go cart when driving due to its low height off the ground.

If you do not drive a lot of miles - you should consider a standard civic for better performance.