I've been running 2.2 Ex Civics as daily drivers for the past 4 years (good tax choice for a company car) but redundancy beckons (it can't come soon enough actually ) and I'm planning on setting up a consultancy and running my own car.

I love Honda's and the 2.2 engine has been great in the Civics. Plenty of torque and even "getting a lick on" they are returning 40+ mpg. I know the Accord will drop a couple of mpg but I'll be claiming back costs for some of my mileage and that will compensate to a fairly large extent.

I don't want to spend more than about £8k so as to not make too big a dent in my pay-off. For this money though its going to be a high mileage example (maybe an '06). Probably be a 100k example that I'll run to 200k, whereas I've run the Civics from new to 100k (with no problems). The engine has a cam chain, and not a belt, so that's good from the MOT test perspective and I think it should be reliable for what I need but does anyone know different?

Also, I've never "chipped" a company car but if it's mine I might be tempted. I've heard this makes for an easy and reliable 190PS from the 2.2 diesel and again does anyone know the SP on this?

Thanks in advance for any constructive input

 

Only 2 real issues to look for with these - Firstly, the cam chain is great from a maintenance point of view, but they can stretch & fail with high mileage. Honda will cover up to 7 years and 125K, but if it starts rattling then get it checked early. If you have to pay it costs around £2800!

Secondly, the manifolds have a propensity to crack & leak exhaust gasses into the cabin. Again, Honda will cover up to 7years/125k, but after this it becomes an expensive repair.

Apart from these issues they are pretty much bomb-proof...

Oh...they chip very easily & reliably as well. I have run many with Steinbaur P-boxes over the years and never had a problem.

 

Thanks for the reply - I'll try to get as low a mileage as I can afford.

I'm guessing you can hear the cam chain rattle when its going wrong? If so, any idea how much to replace pre-failure?

 

The cam chain rattle is very noticeable and easy to diagnose. Unfortunately, there are a lot of parts to change with the repair including all the sprockets & tensioner, high pressure pipes & injectors. The parts alone are £2245.46 (to be exact!) including four injectors at £346 each.

Forgot to mention - make sure you roadtest and check the clutch operation. The pressure plates and (dual mass) flywheel can be weak links, and slip is most noticeable at approx 40-50mph when accelerating in 4th gear. A clutch is upwards of £600 and a flywheel, if needed, is £820!