Honda Civic

[Anonymous]

Does any of you own one? If so, do you think 2 car seats would fit? Love it or hate it? TIA!

[Anonymous]

Two carseats fit just fine. It's been a very practical car for us. We've had ours since grad. school, pre-parenthood, and although our friends have all "upgraded" to larger, more expensive cars, we'll replace ours with... another Honda Civic, but a hybrid next time. It's easy to park in Adams Morgan, easy to pay for gas, and easy to pass in tight streets and alleys, but has enough room in the backseat for our kid and a friend (or two in a pinch).

[Anonymous]

Thanks! I have a set of twins and I was worried the car seats wouldn't fit. The gas on our SUV is killing us. I was thinking of the hybrid actually. It is very affordable plus not having to buy gas every minute , I think we would save a little money! Thank you again for your input!

[Anonymous]

I have the Civic hybrid (2003) and love it, and will probably replace it if it ever conks out. At nearly 5 years old, it's held up very well, just routine maintenance and no major repairs (well, except when someone rear-ended me, but that's another story...) We only have one baby/carseat but there's definitely room for two.

[Anonymous]

I have an 04 Civic Hybrid and I LOVE it. We had planned on upgrading when our second child came along but 20 months later, we still haven't and I'm not thinking we will anytime soon. Our two kids fit fine and in a pinch I've fit three in the back.

[Anonymous]

For those PP who chose the Honda Civic hybrid, did you also take a look at the Prius? If so, could you let us know what tipped the scales in Honda's favor?

[Anonymous]

Funny that the Prius is so much more socially acceptable in my neighborhood than the Civic hybrid. Near as I can tell, they're comparable cars, but the Civic costs so much less and is so much easier to get one's hands on!

[Anonymous]

Same PP here (and 18:55): Is the Prius any bigger? If so, that probably wouldn't be an asset for my family, since we need a car that can squeeze into tight places. I sometimes even envy the Smart Cars that can wedge themselves into little gaps.

[Anonymous]

I am the OP. I have thought too about the Prius. I even test drove it but I felt odd driving it.I am not sure how to explain it. I guess maybe it was the windshield? The price was also a little daunting. It was about 4K more than the Civic.

The Civid Hybrid I enjoyed driving. It was fun. We just really need a car to scoot around Arlington, Tysons, etc for the grocery, mall,Costco,classes etc.

I am really trying to get away from the SUV. I hate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny that the Prius is so much more socially acceptable in my neighborhood than the Civic hybrid. Near as I can tell, they're comparable cars, but the Civic costs so much less and is so much easier to get one's hands on!

This is REALLY strange. How is one car socially acceptable over another? What neighborhood do you live in?!

I could not imagine putting much thought into what my neighbors drive, its just not something we talk about in our household or amongst our neighbors.

[Anonymous]

Make sure it is a four door civic (but you probably know that...)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny that the Prius is so much more socially acceptable in my neighborhood than the Civic hybrid. Near as I can tell, they're comparable cars, but the Civic costs so much less and is so much easier to get one's hands on!

This is REALLY strange. How is one car socially acceptable over another? What neighborhood do you live in?!

I could not imagine putting much thought into what my neighbors drive, its just not something we talk about in our household or amongst our neighbors.

Hmmm. Interesting observations and comments from both of the above prior posts. 11:14, are you saying that because the Prius is so obviously green, that it gives it cachet, and you can park in your neighborhood presumably surrounded by more expensive and fancy cars without taking any hit status-wise, whereas the Civic, hybrid or not, is still basically the car we drove right after college? And, I am curious, where exactly do you live?

13:12, I'd love to know where you live (and what you drive) as well. While I would like to think that my neighbors don't talk about, let alone think, such things as what other folks on the block are driving, having lived in Washington, DC for over a decade, I know better. Maybe "socially acceptable" was not the best phrase. But I certainly get the sense that people judge me in part by what's in the garage. That said, I'm still driving my 12 year old Honda in what is otherwise a block of fancy SUVs and European cars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny that the Prius is so much more socially acceptable in my neighborhood than the Civic hybrid. Near as I can tell, they're comparable cars, but the Civic costs so much less and is so much easier to get one's hands on!

This is REALLY strange. How is one car socially acceptable over another? What neighborhood do you live in?!

I could not imagine putting much thought into what my neighbors drive, its just not something we talk about in our household or amongst our neighbors.

Hmmm. Interesting observations and comments from both of the above prior posts. 11:14, are you saying that because the Prius is so obviously green, that it gives it cachet, and you can park in your neighborhood presumably surrounded by more expensive and fancy cars without taking any hit status-wise, whereas the Civic, hybrid or not, is still basically the car we drove right after college? And, I am curious, where exactly do you live?

13:12, I'd love to know where you live (and what you drive) as well. While I would like to think that my neighbors don't talk about, let alone think, such things as what other folks on the block are driving, having lived in Washington, DC for over a decade, I know better. Maybe "socially acceptable" was not the best phrase. But I certainly get the sense that people judge me in part by what's in the garage. That said, I'm still driving my 12 year old Honda in what is otherwise a block of fancy SUVs and European cars.

13:12 here

I drive a Honda CRV-2004. Plan to keep it until it quits on me. I actually opened this thread b/c my DHs 12yr old car is on its last leg and we were thinking of a Civic, but are afraid of the small size with 2 kids. I live in Faifrax in a bit of a "redneck" neighborhood. What people drive NEVER comes up and I don't feel any social pressure. This is not a cookie cutter neighborhood, but there are monster homes next to 1960s ramblers, its very mixed. Some homes have gone for a million + and some for 400K. My neighbors are more worried about who's providing the deck, the keg, and the burgers each weekend. We take turns. No drunk driving, just drunk stumbling home.

Of course if someone brings home a new BMW 740il, a brow or two gets raised, thinking SOMEONE must have gotten a nice bonus check, but that's about it.

You never know how much money someone has. We made an awesome real estate investment on a house we had owned and rented when the market was hot and we walked away with 300K profit. You would have never known, we just stashed the money away into new investments and forgot about it. No remodel, no new car, no new clothes...nothing. Its busy sitting collecting a modest 7%/yr.

[Anonymous]

You're right that socially acceptable was not the best choice of words... I should have written that the Prius is clearly fairly popular, but I don't know any other parents in my neighborhood who drive Honda Civics, new or otherwise. (There are other Civics around, but they belong to neighbors whose fresh faces suggest they are indeed just out of college!) Friends with larger families drive relatively modest SUVs, some friends have small but zippy European cars, and those who have decided, like us, to stick with something small, easy to park and green chose the Prius. I do get the sense that my friends and neighbors wouldn't consider ordinary compact cars like the Civic, but that the Prius benefits from a certain crunchy cachet.

I suppose that's not a problem, actually. Good for all of us that a small, modest hybrid is popular, and I don't imagine anyone particularly bothers to think less of Civic drivers. Just observing that the new hybrid Civics seem to me to be comparable cars, but I don't know a single grown up who owns one, though I know lots of Prius drivers!

[Anonymous]

"... I don't imagine anyone particularly bothers to think less of Civic drivers. Just observing that the new hybrid Civics seem to me to be comparable cars, but I don't know a single grown up who owns one, though I know lots of Prius drivers!"

I consider myself a grown up (at least my son thinks I am), and I drive a Civic Hybrid. I've had mine for five years (I bought it a few years after I graduated from college), and although it is not a flashy car, I still consider it the best financial decision I made as an "adult." I've had no issues with it; I've saved tons of money on gas; I've saved hours of time on the road with HOV; and, it's only lost $4K in value since I purchased it. I considered trading it in for a bigger car before I had my baby, but I am so glad I didn't. For some reason, people think you need to have a gigantic car to lug around a tiny little person and all of their "accessories," but in the past year, I can honestly say that there has never been a single day I have needed an SUV or minivan. And, as for whether driving a Civic is adult-like, I personally feel like I am doing something responsible for the environment, and, more importantly, for my kids. Sure, I could have afforded 4K more for a more "grown up"/trendy car five years ago (or a luxury SUV now, for that matter), but do I really need set an example of luxury/label worship for my children (even if every else in this area does?)?