I bought the civic at carmax in 1/08 and have no problem with its performance. My problem is I can’t see the hood. At first it seemed cool. I felt like I was in an airplane (not that I know whether you can see the hood). It seemed exciting. It’s not exciting anymore. It’s very hard to judge where the car is when you pull into a parking space and other places. I feel I fit perfectly in the seat. I tried pillows and they only crammed me next to the steering wheel. I still couldn’t see the hood. I had a ford escort and never had this problem. Has anyone else had this experience? I am wondering whether I should have bought the car at all.
I Can’t See The Forest For The Trees.
You might have to attach little vertical rods (plastic or fiberglass) to the front corners of the car, just like they do on some snowplows. I suppose, so that you don’t screw up the car, someone could fashion brackets underneath the front bumper that extend out just in front a bit. Remember when working in that area that there are sensors under there that are designed to trigger your air bags and you wouldn’t want to do that.
Other than that, the only thing I can think of is installing an angled mirror out there, like a school bus has or a video camera, like some motor homes have on the back, both of which would be more difficult and expensive.
Another “Attractive” Idea,
What about sticking magnets to the front corners of the hood or fenders? You would have to thoroughly clean the area to get it free from dirt to avoid scratching the paint. Also, you might have to put duct or electrical tape on the base of the magnet so it won’t scratch.
Click the link below to have a look at some powerful magnets, (tall enough to be seen I think) although not very attractive on you car. I offer this as a suggestion to maybe get you thinking along these lines. Maybe something else would work.
I have seen these in stores, like maybe a farm or tractor supply, auto parts, etc. You could even attach little rods to them.
Whichever you do, you probably won’t need to leave them on forever. Before long, you’ll get a feeling for where the corners of the car are, and can remove the markers.
I can’t see the hood or the back of my 02 Saturn either, and I’m 6’ tall.