Hi,

I'm considering buying a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid with a 120K on it. Owner says they hybrid battery was recalled in 2014 and has been fine since. Owner hasn't needed to do any other repair or maintenance. Are there any major repairs that I should be worried about coming up soon? Kbb says its worth 3500 to 4500, should I go for it and should I pass on this because some major repairs may be coming? Thank you.

 

I've owned 2X '06 HCH2.

I will never own one again even if it's given to me.

They have the second worst hybrid battery ever made. The worst battery is its replacement, the 09-11 HCH2.

I have 11 packs worth of battery guts for those cars, and I can build ZERO good packs from that.

CVT start clutch failures are a somewhat common problem and are a very expensive repair.

YMMV

 

 

I actually love the cars. For me the ergonomics were excellent, and I enjoyed the handling for what they were, but the batteries are just too unreliable.

Both needed engine mounts.

One needed a new upper cat (magnaflow aftermarket), new A/F (upstream O2) sensor, new A/C compressor and a few other things I can't remember. I do remember the parts total being $1600 with me doing all the labor.

Both had symptoms indicative of a failing start clutch (slipping and catching).

I now drive an '08 Prius. My wife has an '07.

 

 

Well, maybe if you can get it for free. Fixing the CVT or replacing the battery is going to run $2K-4K. Not for both, for each. Let's say you have to do both repairs, add $6K to whatever you paid for your real cost. Do you still want the car?

 

 

It's not necessarily that it's bad. It's a used hybrid. Used hybrids have more risk than used ICE-only. You basically have 2 propulsion systems and a unique transmission that can have some issues.

With ANY hybrid, you need to ask yourself if you're okay with a possible $2-4K in unexpected repairs in the next 30 days. If not, move along.