Would it be expensive to maintain a civic?

[hattedchimp]

I'm planning on keeping the vehicle until it rusts out (I hope it doesn't) but I had a question of roughly how much the big components would cost. For example, a new engine, trans, etc. Not that I'm trying to get my motor blown or my CVT, but I'm trying to see if it would be worth to replace any of those components whenever they give out from normal use. Granted I'm tuned, and I'm at 154k miles (just hit it this weekend), so those things may happen sooner, but I want to know how much it would be to keep the civic alive or would it be "cheaper" or more convenient to get a new vehicle. Not looking for a set number but a ballpark.

It feels nice to finally pay off the vehicle so I'd rather not burden myself with a new payment, and I'd like to postpone an upgrade for as long as possible.

I've gone through the forum and seen most people just swap out their vehicle rather than try and repair it in most cases whenever the CVT starts slipping or motor gets blown out, so I'd like to know reasonings as to why people end up trading in/selling their vehicles.

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[gtman]

Plenty of people repair their cars when they have a major issue. I don't think it's any different with 10th gen Civics. My best recommendation --- do proper maintenance and enjoy driving your tuned car and not having a car payment.

 

[KensBlueGenX]

Short of a major collision that renders a vehicle un-repairable, it's almost always less expensive to repair a failure than replacing the vehicle with a new one.

Say for example a really (REALLY) major repair cost you $8000. That's still only 20% of the cost of a new similar one (@ $40,000 for new).

People replace cars for a lot of reasons, but it's rarely because it is cheaper to buy a new one. (if they are being honest with themselves at any rate.)

 

[speedyserg]

I've gone through the forum and seen most people just swap out their vehicle rather than try and repair it in most cases whenever the CVT starts slipping or motor gets blown out, so I'd like to know reasonings as to why people end up trading in/selling their vehicles.

Most people don't have the available funds for a large repair nor do they have a mechanic they trust to accomplish the job properly without charging a ridiculous amount in labor.
Much easier for them logistically to trade in and move to a 100% reliable vehicle than one with hidden issues that can pop up at any time while costing them thousands in repairs they don't have.

Granted this is why people choose hondas as they have reliability on their side as well as relatively inexpensive repairs when needed.

It's another reason I chose an R - if I'm going to sink money into a car ill upgrade jt at the same time and enjoy the car forever. I don't think anyone enjoys a cvt civic that much so alot less attachment there to justify sinking thousands on new parts/upgrades

 

[hattedchimp]

Short of a major collision that renders a vehicle un-repairable, it's almost always less expensive to repair a failure than replacing the vehicle with a new one.

Say for example a really (REALLY) major repair cost you $8000. That's still only 20% of the cost of a new similar one (@ $40,000 for new).

People replace cars for a lot of reasons, but it's rarely because it is cheaper to buy a new one. (if they are being honest with themselves at any rate.)

Yeah I figured a major collision might warrant a new vehicle depending on the severity. I mainly just figured in the case I threw a rod, or the trans blew, etc.

 

[hattedchimp]

Most people don't have the available funds for a large repair nor do they have a mechanic they trust to accomplish the job properly without charging a ridiculous amount in labor.
Much easier for them logistically to trade in and move to a 100% reliable vehicle than one with hidden issues that can pop up at any time while costing them thousands in repairs they don't have.

Granted this is why people choose hondas as they have reliability on their side as well as relatively inexpensive repairs when needed.

It's another reason I chose an R - if I'm going to sink money into a car ill upgrade jt at the same time and enjoy the car forever. I don't think anyone enjoys a cvt civic that much so alot less attachment there to justify sinking thousands on new parts/upgrades

that’s also another reason. it’s much harder to find an honest mechanic, at least in my area. my vehicle has taught me many things, from an oil change to figuring out how to put on an intercooler. But I’m limited on time most weeks so if I got a major failure, I’d have a hard time to get around to do it myself, so the cost of labor would be added to the repair cost.

I’ve thought about a CTR because I’ve wanted to learn how to use a stick shift, but they’re also very expensive with the high interest rates. That’s also another reason; I’ve wanted to get a manual car to have as a weekend rider and leave my
CVT as the dependable driver for longer trips, or quick errands, etc.

I’ve also poured a decent amount into my CVT. it’s not the fastest but I enjoy driving it all the time, and I’d love to make it last as long as possible so I wondered how much a major repair would cost me in the future.

 

[yaom1ng]

it depends if you need to pay parts and labor or just parts or parts and tools.

 

[RookieOfTheGear]

Don’t be a quitter! Civics are an easy n cheap man! It like picking up a drunk girl at the bar easy theirs no way u can lose unless you give up. It’s a common car the junk yard will always have cheap parts constantly from car wrecks and the dealers will always have expensive fresh pure virgin parts . The aftermarket has a decent selection granted most aftermarket items are performance enhancing products like u are not gonna find a timing belt or special nuts n screws that the civic uses. A new car will always be more expensive than replacing a few things that have worn out over time. Try to take care of it the best you can and everything will last you as long as possible and when something is starting to give up the ghost replaced it before it breaks and makes thing’s worse, if you start hearing or feeling a weird new noise investigate it before it turns into a problem ya know. LIVE TO CIVIC! CIVIC TO LIVE! Bro!

 

[hattedchimp]

it depends if you need to pay parts and labor or just parts or parts and tools.

tools could be looked at as an investment for future car problems/issues, and not just on my car but for other vehicles down the road. But there's a few things that wont makes sense to get, at least for me, like a car lift with the amount of space it would take up or an engine crane

 

[hattedchimp]

Don’t be a quitter! Civics are an easy n cheap man! It like picking up a drunk girl at the bar easy theirs no way u can lose unless you give up. It’s a common car the junk yard will always have cheap parts constantly from car wrecks and the dealers will always have expensive fresh pure virgin parts . The aftermarket has a decent selection granted most aftermarket items are performance enhancing products like u are not gonna find a timing belt or special nuts n screws that the civic uses. A new car will always be more expensive than replacing a few things that have worn out over time. Try to take care of it the best you can and everything will last you as long as possible and when something is starting to give up the ghost replaced it before it breaks and makes thing’s worse, if you start hearing or feeling a weird new noise investigate it before it turns into a problem ya know. LIVE TO CIVIC! CIVIC TO LIVE! Bro!

I'd love to have this car be the car my kids get to see as the car I drove in my 20s, so that's why I'm trying to gauge an amount of how expensive repairs can get. I love this car and I'm so glad my intuition told me to pick the civic to be my first vehicle over a sonata, elantra, or jetta before I even knew how to change my own oil.

 

[gtman]

I just think you're over-worrying and overthinking things. You say it's your first car, right? Well, the following advice comes from a guy who's owned cars for 40+ years...

You love your car. And when you love something, you take care of it. That's step 1, stay on top of maintenance. Step 2: keep it nicely detailed inside and out. And finally there's step 3: driving your car...

You're tuned and you have a high mileage hatchback. You know about your car's weaker rods. So be mindful of that. Don't be some asshole maniac speed demon out there on the roads. Enjoy your new found power but don't abuse your daily.

In all the years of car ownership (and mind you, I can have a heavy foot) I've had one catastrophic failure. My beloved 1st gen Integra 3 door. The thing is, it was all my fault. I kept putting off getting a new timing belt. "It'll be fine" I naively thought. Well at 114,000 miles the belt gave out and my engine was shot. Since then, I properly maintain my cars.

tools could be looked at as an investment for future car problems/issues, and not just on my car but for other vehicles down the road. But there's a few things that wont makes sense to get, at least for me, like a car lift with the amount of space it would take up or an engine crane

Don't worry about getting a car lift and expensive specialty mechanics tools and engine cranes at this point. Life's stressful enough as it is. You've got a nice car. Enjoy it, maintain it, keep it shiny.

 

[hattedchimp]

I just think you're over-worrying and overthinking things. You say it's your first car, right? Well, the following advice comes from a guy who's owned cars for 40+ years...

You love your car. And when you love something, you take care of it. That's step 1, stay on top of maintenance. Step 2: keep it nicely detailed inside and out. And finally there's step 3: driving your car...

You're tuned and you have a high mileage hatchback. You know about your car's weaker rods. So be mindful of that. Don't be some asshole maniac speed demon out there on the roads. Enjoy your new found power but don't abuse your daily.

In all the years of car ownership (and mind you, I can have a heavy foot) I've had one catastrophic failure. My beloved 1st gen Integra 3 door. The thing is, it was all my fault. I kept putting off getting a new timing belt. "It'll be fine" I naively thought. Well at 114,000 miles the belt gave out and my engine was shot. Since then, I properly maintain my cars.


Don't worry about getting a car lift and expensive specialty mechanics tools and engine cranes at this point. Life's stressful enough as it is. You've got a nice car. Enjoy it, maintain it, keep it shiny.

you’re right. I’m just thinking of the possible things to happen rather than enjoying the car now. I’m just trying to be proactive that I forget the type of car I have. that’s why this forum exists, to get help and to give help!

 

[KensBlueGenX]

Yeah I figured a major collision might warrant a new vehicle depending on the severity. I mainly just figured in the case I threw a rod, or the trans blew, etc.

Well of course repair cost vary by region and shop, however in general terms a whole engine replacement cost say$3000 and a whole transmission replacement $1000 in these cars. So even in those extreme situations you would be out 1000s and 1000S of dollars less than the cost of new.

 

[hattedchimp]

Well of course repair cost vary by region and shop, however in general terms a whole engine replacement cost say$3000 and a whole transmission replacement $1000 in these cars. So even in those extreme situations you would be out 1000s and 1000S of dollars less than the cost of new.

yeah I figured it would be a lot cheaper. Just wondered since I've heard stories where one thing falls apart and the rest of the car does too and people end up rebuilding the car from the bottom up. On the other hand it would be nice to learn to build a car, replacing parts/upgrading. But I think I was only looking at the bad side of it rather than realizing I own a honda and they have a reputation of lasting forever

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