Used Honda Civic Buying Checklist

What to check on a used Civic: its known faults, what it is advertised for, its service interval and the paperwork.

Check a Civic by rego

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The Civic checklist

  1. Before you go 0/5
  2. Inspection 0/16
  3. Test drive 0/5
  4. Paperwork 0/7
  5. After you buy 0/6

  1. Before you go

    0 of 5

    What a 2017 Civic is advertised for

    Asking price
    $17k to $24k
    Odometer
    65k to 140k km

    Asking prices, not sale prices: the middle 60% of the 563 advertised in the last 12 months, one listing per car.

  2. Inspection

    0 of 16

    What to check on a Civic

    The Civic's known problems, in full

  3. Test drive

    0 of 5

  4. Paperwork

    0 of 7

    Money owing and write-offs on the Civic

    4% had money owing
    18% were recorded as written off

    Of about 1,200 used Honda Civic checked on Carify since November 2023. Every car checked: 9% had money owing and 13% were written off.

    These are cars people chose to check before buying, so they are not a share of every Civic on the road. Money owing is what was registered against the car on the day it was checked.

    Where to find the VIN on a Honda

    Civic sedan (FC) · where to find the VIN
    Line drawing of a Civic sedan (FC), numbered where the VIN is
    1. 1. Centre door pillar. Open the front door to see the label.
    2. 2. Floor, under a cover. Driver's side, by the door sill. Lift the cover to see the stamp.
    3. 3. Base of the windscreen. Where fitted. Read it through the glass from outside.

    Drawn on one Honda model: others may differ, and the owner's manual lists the places. Reading a Honda VIN

    Older cars also carry a compliance plate, usually under the bonnet or on a door pillar. A car supplied new since mid 2021 may have none: it is entered on the Register of Approved Vehicles instead.

    Run these checks in one go

    The history report checks for finance owing, write-offs, theft and odometer rollbacks.

    Average rating of 4.9/5 on ProductReview.com.au

  5. After you buy

    0 of 6

    What it costs on top of the price

    It opens on $20,500, the middle of what a 2017 Civic is advertised for. Put in the price you're offered for the stamp duty, the transfer fee and a year's rego.

    Is the car worth more than the price?
    Stamp duty (motor vehicle duty)
    $615

    Up to $45,000: $3 per $100 or part of $100 of the whole value

    Transfer fee
    $42
    Rego, 12 months (estimate)
    $375

    A private car of 1,151 to 1,500 kg tare, less the $100 private vehicle discount on renewals. CTP insurance (the green slip) is bought separately from an insurer and is not included.

    On top of the price
    $1,032

    Duty at Revenue NSW rates as at 27 October 2026 (revenue.nsw.gov.au).

    How stamp duty works in NSW

Questions

What should I check when buying a used Honda Civic?

On a Civic, check airbag recall (all years MY2002 to 2011); coolant system (8th gen R18); aTF service history (auto models), on top of the checks for any used car: the body, tyres and engine, a test drive, and the paperwork for money owing, a write-off and the odometer.

How much is a used Honda Civic?

Most 2017 Civic are advertised at $17,000 to $24,000, with 65,000 to 140,000 km on the odometer. Prices depend on the year, the kilometres, the badge and the condition.

How many used Honda Civic have money owing or a write-off?

Of about 1,200 used Honda Civic checked on Carify since November 2023, 4% had money owing and 18% were recorded as written off. Across every car checked it was 9% and 13%.

About these numbers: the asking prices and odometer readings of Civic advertised for sale in the 12 months to November 2026, one listing per car. They are asking prices, not sale prices. The checklist for any used car.