2008 Honda Civic EX

I’m thinking about buying a 2008 Honda EX for $6,000. It has 110,000 miles, but I read that this model might have a problem with the engine block cracking, which costs around $2,000 to fix. Has anyone had this car? Honda extended the warranty for 10 years because of the issue, but that ended in 2018. Should I ask for a big price drop because of the risk? Also, the clutch usually gets replaced around 100,000 miles. Some people say they’ve had no issues, but others stay away from this year. What do you think?

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OP, I have a 2007 and haven’t had any problems at all. Any engine can crack, not just this one. You can always ask for a lower price—the worst they can do is say no. By the way, you mentioned a clutch, so is this a manual transmission? What clutch replacement are you talking about at 100,000 miles? Our car is older, and the clutch is still working fine.

It’s a standard transmission

I’ve had that car (coupe automatic) for over 6 years. As long as you keep up with basic maintenance, it’ll run great. I had to replace the alternator, AC compressor, and starter, but that’s normal. It’s also easy to install your own sound system if you’re into that.

Edit: Some things I don’t like are the loud cabin noise, and the stock headlights aren’t great. I also had the stoplight switch actuator break, which was tricky to figure out but easy to fix.

Okay, cool. One question: did you drive it up to around 200,000 miles?

I have a 2008 Civic EX with a manual transmission, and it’s the best car I’ve ever had. I’ve put 255,000 miles on it and bought it with 102,000 miles nearly 10 years ago. The clutch is still the original one and feels fine even at 255,000 miles. This generation does have problems with the AC compressor, so be ready for that. I’m on my third AC system, but I did the work myself, and replacing the compressor only takes about 20 minutes (not counting the time to evacuate and recharge the system). Other than that and regular oil changes, the only thing I’ve replaced is the starter. The 8th generation Civic is a great value, just make sure it’s rust-free and well-maintained.

That’s exactly what I’m getting, a manual ex. Hope these hold out better than some of the other ones

The only concern is that it’s been kept outside its whole life in New York State. I’m getting a mechanic to check it and see what condition it’s in.

I have an '08 EX with a manual transmission too. It has 288,000 miles, still has the original clutch, and even though it sounds surprising, it’s been used a lot for towing trailers.

Sometimes the engine block can crack, but this problem was fixed in the 2009-2011 models.

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Do you think I should try to lower the price because of this? A possible $2,000 repair worries me, especially since it seems it could happen around 110,000 miles.

If the block cracks, you’ll need a new one, and it won’t just be a $2,000 repair. But generally, if the block was going to crack, it probably would have happened by now.