Civic Type S or Suzuki Swift 1.5?

Civic Type S or Suzuki Swift 1.5?

Author
Discussion

p8ddy

Original Poster:

2 posts

111 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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Hello folks! Need a little advice...

Firstly, with equalish mileage (74k Swift vs 86k Civic), which is likely to be the more reliable, an 05 Civic or an 07 Swift. I've read the gearbox horror stories with both, and frankly, don't know which one is the more likely to suffer this issue... Insurance wise, neither are a bother. However, this leads me on to my second point...

On the test drive of the Civic the MIL light came on. The owner is getting that fixed, which is really cool, but it does have a unsettling effect! smile

The other issue is the gearbox - With the clutch pedal down the engine is supremely smooth and quiet. With the clutch pedal up, there's a noticeable chatter from the gearbox/clutch. It's not super loud, and there's no whining or grinding, but I don't know if this is normal? When driving there are no odd sounds I can hear.

With the Swift, the gear shift is positive but definately not light. Likewise with it's clutch. Doesn't feel terrible, just not the light toytown clutch most Japanese cars I've driven have....

So, I need advice as to which will be the more reliable. Both are warmish hatches, without being sporty, but with my other half just passing her test, we can't get anything too crazy anyway. One joker wanted £193 fully comp for me only, but £6,134 for the two of us for the Civic. That said, both are insurable.

Thanks for any insight you guys can offer. Especially with the gearbox noise/swift slightly stiff shift issues...

Shnev91

179 posts

114 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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just my opinion. I have no experience with either car but I would be after the Civic all day every day. (Maybe go and test another one similar to see about that noisy clutch). Hope you get some answers and good luck with the purchase.

Shenanigans

2,964 posts

189 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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Have you tried the swift sport? Plenty for sale on the owner forums.

p8ddy

Original Poster:

2 posts

111 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
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I haven't, no. I reckon they'd be out of my budget though... Sadly.

I have very fond memories of my old heavily modded 106 gti. smile

NashGT

467 posts

183 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Can't speak for the swift, we owned a 2003 civic and it was bullet proof, it never asked for anything other than consumables, namely brake pads, wiper blades, oil filters, plugs etc.
Only sold it as needed/wanted a bigger car

Shenanigans

2,964 posts

189 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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p8ddy said:
I haven't, no. I reckon they'd be out of my budget though... Sadly.

I have very fond memories of my old heavily modded 106 gti. smile
You can pick up a sport in the £3k region. Very easy and cheap to maintain.

ZNSsupercars

976 posts

114 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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The S- Type is the fun one and the Swift is the sensible one. Depends on what kind of guy are you.

trickywoo

11,750 posts

230 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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At that age and mileage both could have problems. The swift will be cheaper to fix though and also a lot more diyable.

Civic noise could be a clutch release bearing.

I like the keyless system on the swift and it's a fun car to drive. I get over 40 mpg out of mine, usually brisk a and B roads.

JonRB

74,510 posts

272 months

Sunday 1st February 2015
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I've run both a Swift 1.5 GLX and a Swift Sport Mk1. Utterly reliable cars that have never missed a beat. Only thing to go wrong on the 1.5 was a failed lambda sensor that I replaced myself in 10 mins. Other than that, not a thing in around 30,000 miles of motoring.

The Swift Sport is an absolute hoot too.



BGarside

1,564 posts

137 months

Wednesday 18th February 2015
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Is this Civic the EP3 shape (previous model) with 2.0 engine and 160hp?

If so, then obviously it's a much bigger and more powerful car than the Swift, and pretty bombproof too. If the difference in insurance and fuel economy isn't a big issue then I'd take the Civic.

If you want a smaller car and running costs are critical then the Swift.

There's also the issue of which you and your partner prefer driving, and mileage/condition etc.

I'm guessing the Swift might hang on to more of it's value, in the current market, being a smaller and more economical car.

Tonto

2,983 posts

248 months

Sunday 22nd February 2015
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Civic, sounds like thrust bearing is failing. Also, MIL warning light could be serious. It needs someone to read the data from the ODB port to check the fault codes.

Swift, sounds like the clutch is on the way out..

You are likely to be putting your hand in your pocket very quickly!

Edited by Tonto on Sunday 22 February 06:24