2004 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID LOADED BEAUTIFUL CONDITION ALWAYS GARAGED LOW MILES

2004 Honda Civic Description

2004 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID LOADED BEAUTIFUL CONDITION ALWAYS GARAGED LOW MILES
I ADDED MORE INFO AND PHOTOS ON 3-6-2017 AND LOWERED THE INITIAL BID PRICE
THE RESERVE IS LESS THAN THE BUY IT NOW PRICE
EBAY FEEDBACK
Ebay feedback is important . I have received excellent comments from others whom have bought cars from us and most of the cars we listed have sold prior to the auctions scheduled end date to buyers that used the "Buy It Now" feature . I am not a dealer . I am merely selling off a large collection of cars we have had for years and some of our relatives and friends cars that don't have an Ebay account.
VEHICLE HISTORY
This is loaded with options . See detailed list at bottom of page . It was was owned by the state of California Transportation Division and was only driven by a manager whom was based in Orange County . Most of the miles are freeway miles . It has been regularly serviced every 6 months whether it had been driven much or not during this time period so it has been serviced around 2 times more frequently than it would have if it was privately owned.
The car was never exposed to salted roads or a lot of humidity or stored near the ocean etc so all the hardware still looks nearly new.
It was frequently garaged when not in use so the paint and interior are not faded or sun baked.
It has never been smoked in so it does not smell like an ash tray or have cigarette burns everywhere.
Because it was used by a manager it almost never had any passengers so the interior is in xlnt condition.
THIS VEHICLE CAN NOT BE REGISTERED IN CALIFORNIA
Because it was a government owned car, it received emissions exemptions from the state of California and therefore can never be registered in California even though it has all the factory emissions equipment on it . If you try to register it in California the Department of Motor Vehicles will not let you, however, if you register it in any state other than California you can still legally drive it all you want in California or any other state . Yes, this may seem odd but that is California for you.
STATE EMISSIONS TESTING AND EMISSIONS EQUIPMENT
This vehicle has all the required emissions equipment to pass the emissions test in any state in the US.
All the emissions equipment works properly and the check engine light works properly and goes off and stays off just like it should immediately after the engine is started . If this light never comes on or stays on all the time, a vehicle will fail the emissions test in some states so make sure this light works properly on any vehicle you are considering buying . If it does not it could cost over $1,000.00 to fix it the emissions system.
CARFAX ACCIDENT AND MILEAGE REPORT
It shows no accidents or other problems and confirms the mileage on this car . I don't know how to attach a copy but I will gladly email it to anyone that is interested in seeing it . I would suggest that if you are looking for a vehicle, you get one of these reports prior to purchasing a vehicle you are interested in if the seller doesn't have one as any documented accidents will greatly affect the value.
MANUALS
It comes with the all the original manuals as seen in the photos.
ENGINE OPTIONS
These Hybrid cars were only available with one size engine which was a 1.3 Liter 4 cylinder in 2004 . This engine was so good and reliable that Honda used it from 2002 all the way thru 2011 which is nearly 10 years.
FACTORY OPTIONS
Power steering, power windows, power door locks, power mirrors, tilt steering wheel, air conditioning, cruise control, vanity mirrors, rear window defroster and aluminum wheels.
RIDICULOUSLY GOOD FUEL ECONOMY
In actual real world driving (not the EPA estimates), the live MPG display in the dash has never read less than 45 MPG on flat ground on the freeway at 70 MPH while we have been driving it and it sometimes reads 50 MPG on flat ground . This is at 2000 feet above sea level . The mileage will be even higher closer to sea level . The EPA estimated mileage for all hybrid cars is higher for city driving than it is for freeway driving because this is when the electric motor operates the majority of the time which means that this car will in fact get even better mileage in the city providing it is driven conservatively and not like drag car racing away from a stop.
INTERIOR
Other than a couple very minor marks on the side of the drivers carpet which I haven't tried to clean yet, the rest of the interior looks virtually unused . There are no wear marks whatsoever in any of the seats including the drivers seat . The dash is extremely nice and not scratched up . The floor mats are the correct factory type and are brand new and spotless.
BODY AND PAINT
The paint still has an excellent shine and is is in excellent condition with no lifting or peeling or obvious fading etc . There is a scratch or wear mark in the front bumper on the lower right side which I posted a photo of, however, the bumper is not cracked or otherwise damaged . There are a couple extremely small nicks in the paint on the door guards but these are very minor and don't stand out enough to affect the overall appearance . There are only 2 tiny dings around 1/2" in size which again are very minor.
MECHANICAL CONDITION
The engine never smokes even when first starting it after it has been sitting for a few hours or more . There are zero unusual noises . All the gauges lights and features work.
The heater blows blazing hot and the air conditioning blows ice cold even on 90 degree days, not just moderately cool like it does on many other cars.
The transmission shifts properly.
The car does not pull to either side under braking
There is zero free play in the steering and no loud klunks or rattles in the suspension when hitting bumps etc.
It drives smooth and straight as an arrow at 80 mph.
To sum it up, it runs and drives like new.
CVT (CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION) SHUDDER/JUDDER
If you buy ANY automobile that has a CVT transmission, you need to understand exactly what shudder, which is also sometimes referred to as judder, means and you need to learn to live with it because it is a phenomenon that occurs in around 95% of CVT transmissions to some degree and it can NOT be permanently, completely eliminated . This is a slight vibration or chatter that only occurs when first accelerating from a complete stop and it typically lasts for around 1 second or until the vehicle is going at least 2 to 3 miles per hour . It is mostly caused by the drive belt vibrating slightly when the planetary discs first engage it . This vibration in the belt can actually be seen on off road vehicles that use a dry type CVT system.
This phenomenon even occurs in many brand new cars with CVT transmissions sometimes within as little as 2,000 miles and it is NOT a sign of a transmission problem unless it is extremely pronounced and last for several seconds when accelerating with light throttle on level ground . The phenomenon is always a little more pronounced under heavy load like when accelerating hard from a stop on an uphill.
The way to nearly eliminate the vibration is to simply accelerate fairly slowly until you have reached anywhere from 2 to 5 miles per hour, after which the clutch and CVT belt will both be fully engaged at which point you can floor it even on an uphill with a ton of bricks in the vehicle and it will not have any sign of a vibration as long as there are no issues with the transmission . The amount of this vibration in this car is similar to the amount I have felt in several other hybrid vehicles I have driven so it is not unusual or excessive . In fact, it is barely noticeable when accelerating from a stop the way I drive which is not overly conservative . With the exception of this minor, momentary vibration, the transmission in this car shifts as smooth as butter and works absolutely perfect in every way.
Just because no one else mentions this phenomenon in their ads, it does NOT mean their transmissions does not do this, and I can guarantee you that most of them do but they simply failed to mention it for some reason.
OIL LEAKS
There aren't any.
ACCELERATION PERFORMANCE
Some people have the belief that Hybrid cars accelerate slowly because of the small engine size, however, this is absolutely wrong . In fact, they accelerate much faster than a similar size car with the same size engine because of the type of transmission they use and because the electric motors produce a huge amount of torque when they are active, which they are when the accelerator pedal is pushed down more than usual . Even though this car won't roast the tires, I have floored it from a stop a couple times just to see how well it could accelerate and I left the cars behind me in the dust . When flooring it from a steady 40 mph, the engine instantly revs up and the car almost flies past traffic.
RECENT PARTS AND SERVICE
BATTERY ................................................. Recently replaced
AIR FILTER .............................................. Brand new
TIRES ........................................................ Replaced in 2015 and used very little since so the tread is like new.
FRONT SUSPENSION INSPECTION .... It was just done
CV JOINT INSPECTION ......................... It was just done
ENGINE OIL ............................................ Changed around 6 months ago with very little driving since then
TRANSMISSION FLUID ........................ It was just changed
INSPECTION
We are available to show the car virtually anytime during the day and encourage you to come see it or have it inspected . If you send an inspector we will make him drive the car to verify the engine temp and driving condition . We live only a few feet from hiking trails and a few miles from Lake Elsinore where they rent Jet Skis and boats so feel free to come over and bring your kids if you have any and make a day of it.
STORAGE AND SHIPPING
If you need us to keep it here for a couple weeks until you can pick it up we can do that but it still must be paid for in full within 72 hours of the end of the auction unless other arrangements are made with us before the auction ends.
I know several very reliable shippers that have very competitive rates if you nee a shipper.
THANKS FOR VIEWING MY AD