Thinking of getting a Honda Civic, have a few questions I need answers to

[RossMAN]

Here's the stock of cars that Hugh White Honda has:

1999 Honda Civic LX $11,995.00 Hugh White Honda
1998 Honda Civic LX SILVER 41,719 $11,995.00 Hugh White Honda
1997 Honda Civic DX $9,695.00 Hugh White Honda

Here's the stock of cars that Honda East has:

1998 Honda Civic LX $10,780 73,486 Silver
1998 Honda Civic Coupe EX $11,480 42,484 Silver
1999 Honda Civic EX $11,780 56,300 White
1998 Honda Civic LX $11,780 32,491 Blue
1998 Honda Civic Coupe EX $11,870 41,829 Green
1998 Honda Civic LX $11,880 52,994 Blue
1997 Honda Civic HX $11,980 57,340 Red
1999 Honda Civic LX $11,980 47,089 Black

Here's the stock of cars that Roush Honda has:

362072A 1998 HONDA * CIVIC STANDARD 59,482 $10,995.00
762080A 1998 HONDA * CIVIC CX HATCHBACK STANDARD RED 56,983 $8,995.00
001829S 2001 HONDA * CIVIC DX TWO DOOR STANDARD RED 11,467 $13,495.00
002243Z 1998 HONDA * CIVIC DX TWO DOOR STANDARD RED 65,399 $9,995.00
002048B 1997 HONDA CIVIC DX TWO DOOR STANDARD GREEN 91,180 $7,495.00
002034Z 1997 HONDA * CIVIC DX TWO DOOR STANDARD RED 58,921 $9,495.00
001808B 1997 HONDA * CIVIC DX TWO DOOR STANDARD WHITE 68,866 $8,995.00
592141A 1999 HONDA CIVIC DX VP FOUR DOOR AUTOMATIC SILVER 44,885 CALL
002081W 2000 HONDA * CIVIC EX TWO DOOR AUTOMATIC SILVER 20,000 $14,995.00
002244S 1999 HONDA * CIVIC EX TWO DOOR STANDARD SILVER 32,787 $12,995.00
002134Z 1999 HONDA * CIVIC EX FOUR DOOR STANDARD SILVER 23,655 $13,995.00
002191Z 1997 HONDA * CIVIC EX TWO DOOR STANDARD WHITE 66,636 $10,995.00
001814B 1996 HONDA CIVIC EX TWO DOOR AUTOMATIC WHITE 87,529 $7,995.00
002236Z 2002 HONDA * CIVIC LX TWO DOOR STANDARD BLACK 5,665 $14,995.00
002217Z 2001 HONDA * CIVIC LX TWO DOOR STANDARD RED 13,350 $14,995.00
342011A 2000 HONDA * CIVIC LX FOUR DOOR AUTOMATIC SILVER 16,171 $13,995.00
002210S 2000 HONDA * CIVIC LX FOUR DOOR AUTOMATIC PLUM 13,420 $13,995.00
742016A 2000 HONDA * CIVIC LX FOUR DOOR STANDARD BLACK 40,280 $12,995.00
002241W 2000 HONDA * CIVIC LX FOUR DOOR AUTOMATIC GREEN 12,333 $13,995.00
592045A 2000 HONDA * CIVIC LX FOUR DOOR STANDARD PURPLE 11,221 $14,995.00
592117A 1999 HONDA * CIVIC LX FOUR DOOR STANDARD WHITE 38,316 $11,995.00
002170Z 1999 HONDA * CIVIC LX FOUR DOOR AUTOMATIC GRAY 34,832 $12,995.00
002057Z 1998 HONDA * CIVIC LX FOUR DOOR STANDARD GREEN 35,260 $10,995.00
002033Z 1998 HONDA * CIVIC LX FOUR DOOR AUTOMATIC GREEN 57,533 $11,995.00
592112A 1998 HONDA * CIVIC LX TWO DOOR AUTOMATIC SILVER 71,737 $9,995.00
002101W 1998 HONDA * CIVIC LX FOUR DOOR AUTOMATIC WHITE 51,015 $11,995.00
002242Z 2000 HONDA * CIVIC VP FOUR DOOR AUTOMATIC GREEN 19,630 $12,995.00
241026A 1999 HONDA CIVIC VP FOUR DOOR AUTOMATIC SILVER 88,293 $9,995.00
002164Z 1999 HONDA * CIVIC VP FOUR DOOR AUTOMATIC GREEN 43,084 $11,495.00
362079A 1999 HONDA * CIVIC VP FOUR DOOR AUTOMATIC GREEN 49,439 $11,595.00

I still think you're better off buying from a private party unless the dealer gives you a great deal on the car, good financing and best of all if it's "Honda Certified".

 

[Thegonagle]

<< I still think you're better off buying from a private party unless the dealer gives you a great deal on the car, good financing and best of all if it's "Honda Certified". >>

Trust me, those prices look like they're marked up about $4000-5000 over what they paid for them. That's not unusual. Make sure you actually pay a few hundred below the NADA book, or get out of there. The NADA book (www.nada.com) is the "official" book that dealers and banks use. I've found Edmund's figures to be pretty close to those, and Kelley Blue Book to be high on crack, in both trade and retail values.

 

[RossMAN]

<<

<< I still think you're better off buying from a private party unless the dealer gives you a great deal on the car, good financing and best of all if it's "Honda Certified". >>

Trust me, those prices look like they're marked up about $4000-5000 over what they paid for them. That's not unusual. Make sure you actually pay a few hundred below the NADA book, or get out of there. The NADA book (www.nada.com) is the "official" book that dealers and banks use. I've found Edmund's figures to be pretty close to those, and Kelley Blue Book to be high on crack, in both trade and retail values. >>



Damn $4-5K markup, really? That's pretty high, I guess they gotta make a buck, why not make a few grand

 

[Thegonagle]

That's the "asking price," which is always in the clouds. If some sucker comes in, they go for the kill. They really only hope to make on average about $1000-2000 per car. The trouble with used car buying is that you don't really know what they paid, you only know (hopefully) what you're willing to pay as a fair price for a given car, and hope they will play along. Sometimes they will sell for almost no profit if a particular used car has been there for a few months. Sometimes they will have aquired a certain car for a steal, and will still make $4000 off you.

You'll never know exactly what they make on a used car, only what you pay. The main thing is to not pay too much, and resign yourself to the fact that they might make $4,000 from your purchase, or $4.

 

[flavio]

<< That's the "asking price," which is always in the clouds. If some sucker comes in, they go for the kill. They really only hope to make on average about $1000-2000 per car. The trouble with used car buying is that you don't really know what they paid, you only know (hopefully) what you're willing to pay as a fair price for a given car, and hope they will play along. Sometimes they will sell for almost no profit if a particular used car has been there for a few months. Sometimes they will have aquired a certain car for a steal, and will still make $4000 off you.

You'll never know exactly what they make on a used car, only what you pay. The main thing is to not pay too much, and resign yourself to the fact that they might make $4,000 from your purchase, or $4. >>



That's not enitirely true. I used to sell cars on the used lot of Honda dealership. Our cars were typically marked up about $2500-3000 before any haggling. They would however sell a car for $50-100 over cost if they needed to meet a quota or a car had been sitting on the lot for awhile.

The best way to buy a car from a dealer is to be in a fairly comfortable zone on the price (haggle a little until you are if necessary). Then offer to pay $300-500 over their cost. Dealerships will typically keep a record of all the money they have put into any car on the lot. For example if they bought it for $8500 and put $300 in tires and $100 in detailing then all these costs should be in the file. Tell them you'll buy the car for $300 over their cost if they show you this file.

This is even easier on new cars since you can look up their cost online and barter from there.

 

[coolred]

I may not know much, but I know enough to haggle a dealer on price, and about the only way I will buy from a dealer is if it is a certified used car or if it is the exact car I want at a price i think will be okay after haggling. I just like the idea of it being certified, but hondas are so reliable that it's prolly not needed. So I will start browsing the classifieds(thanks again rossman for that link), I usually buy the dispatch on sunday anyway, but that will help. Like I said I will go look at the sedan and see if I like it and I will try to find a coupe I can test out to see how hard it is to get the carseat in. Like I said it won't happen to often that I have to put the carseat in the car, but I will take your advice and at least check into it more.

 

[StageLeft]

A guy at work has a '97 Civic with 170,000 miles in it. I was in it today at lunch and it still seems to drive great. He said all he's ever done of significance to it was the oil changes and basic stuff like brakes. No engine work, no transmission work, same original clutch etc. Now that's incredible reliability. I'm a nissan fanboy but damn!

 

[Jzero]

I just put a keyless entry in my '02 Civic LX. $120 from handa-accessories.com
This is the factory part that's in the EX. A 2-year-old could do the install. You literally pull off some panels, clip the receiver onto a tab that's already there, and plug a few things in.
The hardest part was finding a 10mm socket to undo the battery terminal

 

[coolred]

Can anyone give me a link to the best place to compare the differant types of civics, side by side. I know there are quite a few, but which would be the easiest? I am looking for specs and if possible package options

 

[Thegonagle]

I don't know about side by side comparisons of used cars, but you'll definitely want to check out cars.com. Under the tab called "car reviews," you will find more articles archived than you'll probably even care to read. The particular model you're probably interested in was made from 96-2000, so check each of those years. In reading many of these reviews, you might start to form a kind of composite idea in your head about what each trim level is all about. (This review archive is why Cars.com is my favorite car site.)

BTW, after the first review comes up, scroll to the bottom. There's a drop-down list of additional reviews for that year down there.

If you have more questions, ask them in the thread. I'm quite familiar with the Honda line. It's really pretty easy to understand, Honda only builds each trim level one way, with the only major options being the transmission and color. Any other options, like A/C on a DX or HX model for example, are installed by dealer at the time of sale.

PS, don't expect an immediate reply from me, I'm gonna be pretty busy for the next several hours.

PPS, for new cars, just visit www.hondacars.com.

 

[RossMAN]

<< Can anyone give me a link to the best place to compare the differant types of civics, side by side. I know there are quite a few, but which would be the easiest? I am looking for specs and if possible package options >>



What do you mean by easiest? Easiest for what?

 

[coolred]

I will check out cars.com

By easiest I mean like side by side comparisons of the specs and options

 

[goodoptics]

<< I will check out cars.com

By easiest I mean like side by side comparisons of the specs and options >>


There is no better way than physically compare them at a Honda dealer. JMHO.
good luck.

 

[coolred]

Well I checked out the 7 reviews of a 1999 Honda civic at cars.com and about 4 or 5 were about the Si model, but they were a good read.

 

[Thegonagle]

That's because the Si was (re)introduced in 99. Read some of the other years from 96-98. They will also apply to a 99. As I said, The Civic was mostly unchanged between 96-2000.

The most common coupes are the EX and the DX. The Si and HX were fairly limited production. The HX is the model with the available automatic CVT. It gets roughly 44 highway MPG with a manual.

The most common sedans are the DX, LX, and EX.

There were also hatchbacks (which I actually like) with a total stripper CX and a fairly basic DX. The hatchbacks weren't very common either, and their resale values are disproportionately high.

 

[Nefrodite]

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I just put a keyless entry in my '02 Civic LX. $120 from handa-accessories.com
This is the factory part that's in the EX. A 2-year-old could do the install. You literally pull off some panels, clip the receiver onto a tab that's already there, and plug a few things in.
The hardest part was finding a 10mm socket to undo the battery terminal


the 02 doesn't use stereo to handle that stuff? hm maybe its easier to add that feature to the new ones i guess

 

[coolred]

Can anyone tell me what sort of changes were made to the civic year by year from '96-'99

 

[coolred]

1997: For 1997, all Civic models wore 14-inch tires. Otherwise, except for the addition of standard wheel covers, changes were minor this year.

1998: Civic saw little change for '98.

1999: Honda spruced up the Civic for '99 with minor appearance changes front and rear, plus a revamped dashboard with amber lighting and rotary climate controls in place of sliding levers. Two additional models were added in midyear. The 4-door VP was produced in limited numbers and included air conditioning, keyless entry, and special paint. Also a limited-production model, the 2-door Si got a 160-horsepower engine, 5-speed manual transmission, 4-wheel disc brakes, a rear spoiler, and low-profile tires on 15-inch wheels.


Does that sound like about it?

 

[frazzled]

FWIW, I *just* traded in my 1992 Honda Civic 4-door LX 5-speed last week.

Served me well, virtually no problems....brought both my kids home from the hospital in that car .

Excellent choice, I also think the 4-door is the way to go with a little one. Getting that car seat/baby in there with a coupe can be a contortionist's dream. Also, a 4-door makes it easier (and faster) to yank the little one out should there be threatened car sickness .

The manual transmissions on Hondas are outstanding, BTW.

Kinda makes me miss mine....

Good luck,

fraz

 

[Thegonagle]

Coolred,

That sounds about right. The biggest noticeable exterior change you'll notice in '99 is to the tail lights. They went to a more modern looking style of lens.

Frazzled,

I have that exact same car. 153,000 miles on it and it still runs like new. (Mine looks like crap, but that?s not Honda?s fault, people keep running into it.) I agree, Honda?s manual transmissions are great. Many much more expensive cars don?t feel nearly as slick in the stick.

 

[coolred]

I don't mean to keep repeating myself, but I just want to be sure. So your saying about the only main differance I would notice from a '96 to a '99 would be the taillights? Other then that they are basically the same.

 

[CraigRT]

If you get a Civic, don't put a fart pipe on it and try to drive it fast.. no Civic is fast

 

[coolred]

I think I mentioned earlier that this will not be a race car, so you don't have to worry about me putting a fart pipe on it and trying to drive it fast. I didn't think civics were very fast either, I was worried about having good enough driving power. I was searching around autotrader and i found this.

97 HONDA CIVIC HX, FULL POWER OPTIONS, PW, PDL, SUNROOF, CD/6 DISK, TILT, 5SP, ONE-OWNER, BLACK/EXT, GRAY/INT, $5500 OBO; (614)237-0527 COLUMBUS

Link

There is a picture on the link, it looks alright, but the pic is kinda crappy. It's nto exactly what I was looking for, but it's pretty cheap and has a lot of power options, and only one owner. What do you think of this deal, it seems good to me, but I want other opinions, if you think it's good, then i will contact the seller to see how well the car was maintained.

 

[coolred]

98 HONDA CIVIC, EX, 2DR, RED COLOR, AUTO, FULL POWER, CD, MOONROOF, AC, 48K MILES, $8,200; (614)853-1093 GALLOWAY #

I also found this one which doesn't seem to bad

 

[coolred]

bump