I've done some searching on this car and it seems many people think it's worthless but a lot of the other online resources are giving it a pretty decent rating. I'm looking for some input from actual owners of this generation car.

Normally I'm all about diesels but this is my wife's car and I don't feel like working on it all the time. I've also been wanting to try out a hybrid.

The car we are looking at is a 05 civic hybrid with 320k mi on it. A good friend of ours owns it and bought it new. He takes good care of all his vehicles and this one was not an exception. It's mostly all highway and I know a decent percentage of the car's life was in TX and TN.

I test drove it today and wow it's slow. I think my dad's 84 Jetta diesel is faster. I found the steering to be very heavy. Is that normal for this year car? I suspect the bad ball joint may have a bit to do with it but I can't see it making this much difference. I also found that the car doesn't want to go fast on the highway. It felt like it was asking a lot to go 65+. Is this some programming/design trick to try and get the highway mpg up on the highway?

Overall I liked the car but the miles do worry me a bit. The IMA light does flash sometimes and it has 3 codes, P0420, P1600 and P1433. My wife doesn't have any inspections where she lives so I'm not too worried about the codes but I will try and fix them.

What happens if the battery goes out on these? Will it still drive fine? What will my MPGs be? Can I continue to drive it while I look for a replacement battery if the IMA light comes on constantly?

 

If you're looking for a "fun" car to drive this isn't it, but the sluggishness is almost certainly due to a dying IMA battery

 

P0420 is either a failing cat or a needed ECU update that fixes marginal cat issues (original ECU program was too intolerant of minor loss of cat efficiency).

P1600 is generica IMA fault

P1433 is failing IMA battery

Steering heaviness may just be perception. I have an '03 Prius and 2X 06 HCH, and the HCH are notably "heavier" than the Prius, but not in any "something's wrong" way.

P0420 can be a clogged cat, so that could be restricting exhaust flow and robbing power.

P1433 mean the IMA system is barely functional or non-functional. If it's a manual, it will be particularly gutless. The CVT is marginally better.

Remember, this is a 1.3L 4cyl that needs an extra 13hp from the IMA to be effective.

You need a new battery now. IMA light on/off means it's toast. It's a potential candidate for a grid charge/discharge, but you won't know until you try.

You already know what it drives like w/o the IMA battery.

You can drive in bypass mode; however, you will only charge the 12V in the 1500-4000 rpm range or so. It will operate as an efficient 1.3L in this mode. mpg will be a little better than a non-functional/partially functional IMA system. When IMA begins to fail, it periodically attempts forced recharge, and that robs you of mpg.

As it stands the car will not pass emissions in any region that requires it.

Expect to spend $500 on the cat if you buy aftermarket and do it yourself (if it's not the ECU update fix). Expect $350 for a quality grid charger/discharger from Hybrid Automotive AND/OR Expect ~$2000 for a new battery from Bumblebee.

To me, that's a $500 car if it has good tires. If it has marginal tires, it's a $200 car.

 

Why do you never plug DIY grid charging anymore? Too much work explaining everything to people?

 

It's still in my sig, and yes.

I also tailor it to my perception of the user. If they've already pulled a pack, then convenience doesn't mean squat to them and I'll "plug" it.

 

True, pulling the pack IS a pain in the butt, honestly, the worst part for me, out of the whole thing, was putting it back in lifting and holding it still while my wife screwed the screws in was difficult

 

Thank you all for the input. Mr Kieth I've already read about your grid charger and briefly looked at your Google sheet. If we do get this car I'll definitely be giving it a try.

The car has had the CEL on for many years now but I think that was only related to the cat. I don't think that it's been reprogrammed. I'm not sure how long the IMA light has been coming on and off for, probably quite a while.

The car has been getting 40 MPG for the last many years, if I disconnect the battery, what change in MPG can I expect? I'm fine with a slow car. I want safe, reliable, cheap. Fast and fun do not enter the equation for this car.

I'm happy to hear that the steering heaviness is normal for this car.

What about the CVT? Anything I need to look out for? If it goes, what's fair to pay for a low mileage unit? Is it any harder to swap than any other transmission?

He is asking $2000 for the car. Looking at the local market there is one other 05 Civic (non hybrid) for $2500 and the rest of them are $3500+. I don't see how it's only worth $500 but if you have any leads on a $500 car I'm all ears.

 

three
hundred
twenty
thousand
freaking
miles

You are in the "rare" category. You don't see a lot of Hondas or any other car with that kind of mileage on it.

CVT is probably not any different/harder than any other car, but even used CVT will run you >$1,000. CVT are not known for their durability. Yes, they can last, but they are not a robust design.

KBB puts an 05 with 320,000 miles on it in EXCELLENT condition at $2800.

To qualify for ANY categories on KBB, "free of major mechanical problems."

The Cat from a dealer will run you OVER $1,000. An aftermarket battery will cost you about $2000. $3000 from a dealer.

Let's just say you do your own work... $500 for a upper cat and $2000 for a battery. BOTH of these are major systems.

In order to make this car "whole" with new parts, you need to spend $2500 and put in a lot of effort on your part.

That's why it's a $500 car.

If you're looking for cheap, reliable transportation, this isn't it.

 

Next time, get a long extension and put it in the space between the bottom of the battery and the cavity. You'll mar the cavity surface and maybe even deform it slightly, but you can pry the pack firmly up with one hand and secure the bolt with the other.

Spare your wife!

 

Thanks for your input. I guess I'm too used to diesels. 300k is no big deal if the body is still good, which this car is.

I'll move on, thanks again.