Eight Months Of Ownership - Advantages & Disadvantages

It has been eight months since I bought my new Honda Civic and all things considered, I would grade this vehicle with an "A".
Yes, as a lifetime Honda driver, I am once again thoroughly satisfied.

Below is a list of advantages and disadvantages with the Honda. If you are considering buying 2008 Honda Civic, maybe this short list will help.
(Keep in mind I own the coupe, LX, stick shift.) -Steve (June 17, 2008)

NOTE: Click any of the images to see them at a larger size.

	Advantages Great Handling and Sporty Look - Two major pluses, its great handling and sporty body, are due to the 2008 Honda Civic. No, the LX version I have is not have any sporty features to the engine (unlike the SI), but the acceleration is decent and I really love how it handles turns. I really do not speed much these days, but it is quite enjoyable to drive the Civic on tight mountain road turns. It handles them sharply! The sporty back end of the coupe design is also deserving of praise.
	Dashboard Layout - I really love the feature of the speedometer, oil temperature and gas level way out toward the windshield. It is much easier and safer to glance at one's speed and gas level, for example, without losing sight of the road. To see how helpful this feature is, when I drive an ordinary vehicle with a more conventional design, checking the speed requires a deliberate look down that takes my eyes almost completely off the road.
	Aerodynamic Windshield - The 2008 Honda Civic's is probably has the most aerodynamic design I have ever seen. Of course, this did not stop my rotten luck in getting a cracked windshield last year, but hey, the greatly slanted design should be a major plus in minimizing cracks from flying debris.
	Gas Mileage - When I drove round trip from Colorado to New Jersey, I averaged 35-36 miles per gallon and even a little more if I stayed in the 60 mph range. Not bad! No Mechanical Problems After 12,000 Miles - Of course, this should be no surprise considering this is a new car and a Honda. Hondas are always near the top of Consumer Reports rankings for reliability. And let's face it, I have heard many stories from people who foolishly spent their hard-earned money on piece of crap GM vehicles and Dodges only to have constant problems later on.

	Disadvantages Poorly Designed Spare Change Holder - The area for carrying spare change is below par. There is no door to secure items and the hole is not very deep. Sticking one's hand in there to grasp change is an unwieldy experience. And why no door? (My spare change compartment on my 1993 Honda Accord did a better job.)
	Poor Color Selection - If you buy the Honda Civic LX, you are stuck with just six colors and ohhhhhhh are you stuck alright! Choose between four "colorless" colors - white, silver, gray or black or two shades of blue. That's it! No reds, no oranges, no greens, no yellows, no beiges, no browns, no nothing! I chose the gray shade (called "Galaxy Gray Metallic") which I am generally happy with. Still, I will admit the interior color of gray can be a little boring from a driving perspective. With the exception of white, all of the other colors have a gray interior and dashboard.
	Ignition Area Prone To Scratches - Okay, okay, maybe I'm "pushing" here a little, but the area around the ignition already has quite a few scratch marks around the ignition. To be honest, I do not think I have been extraordinarily abusive with the key, but for what it's worth, maybe the designers can come up with something better that reduces scratches from common use.
	Small Glitches With Inside Integrity - There are a few spots on the driver side door, where one can see a certain level of "cheapness" in the design. For example, the door handle does not meet perfectly in a smooth edge with the door handle area. (See adjacent photo) I suppose things like this are not the biggest deal, but I think it is a sign that one owns a relatively inexpensive car. I will have to check other vehicles (especially pricier ones) to see if these kinds of small issues also exist. Also: More inadvertant scratches along the top of the door handle too!