YACT: UPDATE: Whipped out the checkbook.

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bamacre

bamacre

Lifer
Jul 1, 2004
21,029
2
81


I promised :camera:.
I did NOT promise to be a good photographer. :thumbsup:

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With a few options, and two visits to the manager, got the price down to 18k even, and $1300 for the trade. (2.9APR/60)
The car is great, I love it. They were out of black in the SE, and IMO, the "magnesium" looked just as nice.

Acceleration is significantly better than the Corolla, although not quit as good as the Grand Am GT when it was new. Gas mileage is MUCH better though. With the standard 6-disk in-dash mp3 player and sunroof, this Civic was maybe 1300 more than the S Model Corolla I test drove last weekend. It also has 15in wheels, the Corolla was 13in. It's just a better car IMO. Plus they offered me $500 more in trade, although I wanted $1500, I kind of took off some of the difference when I asked for less than they were offering for the Civic. I probably didn't get the hottest/bestest deal, but I was happy with it.




It's a big purchase ;)

Linky to car

4-Speed Automatic (City/Highway) = 31/38 (this is a big factor to me)

6-Disc In-dash CD Audio System with MP3 capability (this is also a nice feature)

Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
Immobilizer Theft-Deterrent System
Power Moonroof with Tilt Feature

Anything negative I should know before dropping 6500 in cash, trading in my current car (98 Grand Am GT), and financing over $11K ??

Also, if anyone knows what the markup is on these, please let me know. found, thanks
 
Perknose

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
46,871
10,662
147
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Automatic? That is a crime.
Click to expand...
You're going to get a lot of comments like this, and worse. Ignore them. A real man gets wtf he wants and decides suits his purposes. Real women do the same damn thing.

It does seem to me you could do a bit better on the price, though. There are numerous tools on the net to determine dealer's invoice (which is still a mythical moving target). Perhaps someone else here will detail them for you.

But, I, too, like the batteries not included or needed (think hybrid) gas mileage, and general Honda competence and re-sale value. A good mainstream choice, and huge upgrade, IMHO, over your Ponticrap.

 
bamacre

bamacre

Lifer
Jul 1, 2004
21,029
2
81
Originally posted by: homestarmy
If gas mileage is a big factor, get a manual. Do you know ANYONE who drives manual who wishes they had automatic more than 5% of the time?
Click to expand...

Manual Transmission for this vehicle is 32/37, automatic is 31/38. Not much of a difference at all.
 
A

alent1234

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2002
3,915
0
0
trading in a pontiac for a honda is a good idea. You would be surprised how well the resale value holds up
 
bamacre

bamacre

Lifer
Jul 1, 2004
21,029
2
81
Originally posted by: alent1234
trading in a pontiac for a honda is a good idea. You would be surprised how well the resale value holds up
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was only offered $500 for my grand am from a Toyota dealership. I walked out. It has 84k miles, it's a 4-dr GT (only 4 cyclinder though), in good shape under the hood, and even has an added mp3 cd player. The Honda place I am looking at supposedly will give me $1900 as a trade-in, however I am assuming it will be less when I get there. I'm hoping for $1500.
 
bamacre

bamacre

Lifer
Jul 1, 2004
21,029
2
81
Originally posted by: Perknose
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Automatic? That is a crime.
Click to expand...
You're going to get a lot of comments like this, and worse. Ignore them. A real man gets wtf he wants and decides suits his purposes. Real women do the same damn thing.

It does seem to me you could do a bit better on the price, though. There are numerous tools on the net to determine dealer's invoice (which is still a mythical moving target). Perhaps someone else here will detail them for you.

But, I, too, like the batteries not included or needed (think hybrid) gas mileage, and general Honda competence and re-sale value. A good mainstream choice, and huge upgrade, IMHO, over your Ponticrap.
Click to expand...


Thanks. But my grand am did me pretty good for the past 7 years. :)
Although there were a few minor problems (mirror, window stuff).
 
S

SuperTool

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
14,000
2
0
I would get the Mazda3 SP23 if I were you. This civic is on the way out. Sales have been lagging and Honda is considering rebates.
 
Perknose

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
46,871
10,662
147
Originally posted by: bamacre
Yeah, I was only offered $500 for my grand am from a Toyota dealership. I walked out. It has 84k miles, it's a 4-dr GT (only 4 cyclinder though), in good shape under the hood, and even has an added mp3 cd player. The Honda place I am looking at supposedly will give me $1900 as a trade-in, however I am assuming it will be less when I get there. I'm hoping for $1500.
Click to expand...
If you can stand the hassle, you'd do better selling your Pontiac privately. Dealers don't give much TRUE cash on most trade-ins. A big portion of that $1900 probably represents the discount off the Honda.

It can be important is to separate the deal on the Honda from what they are TRULY giving you for your trade-in. So, ask them alternatively what the deal would be w/o your trade-in. Then, you'll know exactly how much they're giving you for your old car and how much is the discount off the Honda's MSRP.

 
bamacre

bamacre

Lifer
Jul 1, 2004
21,029
2
81
Originally posted by: SuperTool
I would get the Mazda3 SP23 if I were you. This civic is on the way out. Sales have been lagging and Honda is considering rebates.
Click to expand...


It's more expensive, doesn't come in black, and has a "cassette player" for $200 more :(

The Civic EX SE comes standard with moonroof and mp3 cd player. I'd go with a Honda Accord LX before the Mazda. Am I missing something?
 
H

homestarmy

Diamond Member
Apr 16, 2004
3,528
2
0
artwilbur.com
Originally posted by: bamacre
Originally posted by: homestarmy
If gas mileage is a big factor, get a manual. Do you know ANYONE who drives manual who wishes they had automatic more than 5% of the time?
Click to expand...

Manual Transmission for this vehicle is 32/37, automatic is 31/38. Not much of a difference at all.
Click to expand...

Those are EPA numbers that are calculated by measuring exhaust gasses, not real world numbers.
 
A

alent1234

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2002
3,915
0
0
Originally posted by: Perknose
Originally posted by: bamacre
Yeah, I was only offered $500 for my grand am from a Toyota dealership. I walked out. It has 84k miles, it's a 4-dr GT (only 4 cyclinder though), in good shape under the hood, and even has an added mp3 cd player. The Honda place I am looking at supposedly will give me $1900 as a trade-in, however I am assuming it will be less when I get there. I'm hoping for $1500.
Click to expand...
If you can stand the hassle, you'd do better selling your Pontiac privately. Dealers don't give much TRUE cash on most trade-ins. A big portion of that $1900 probably represents the discount off the Honda.

It can be important is to separate the deal on the Honda from what they are TRULY giving you for your trade-in. So, ask them alternatively what the deal would be w/o your trade-in. Then, you'll know exactly how much they're giving you for your old car and how much is the discount off the Honda's MSRP.
Click to expand...



It evens out in the end. The big advantage of trading to a dealer is you save on sales taxes and in NY it is pretty good savings.

Last October the wife and I traded in our 2003 Civic LX for a 2005 Toyota Matrix XR. I forgot the exact numbers but the final out the door price was $20,745. We got a bunch of options and dealer installed leather. We got $10,800 for the Honda which decreased the sale price of the Matrix by the trade in value and reduced the sales tax by more than half.

If we had sold the Honda private party then the extra money we would get would be eaten by the higher sales tax we would pay.

From personal experience my advice would be to find a big dealership that sells a variety of brands. The Toyota dealership we bought from also sells Hondas and they gave us a better trade in value. My wife and I called around 10 dealerships in the NYC area and this was the best price we got. Even the dealer that was part of the Costco Auto program couldn't beat the deal we got. Talking to people I found out that if you trade a car to a dealer that doesn't sell that brand of car then they sell it to a third party who sells to someone else. Of course that means you get less for your trade in.
 
M

miri

Diamond Member
Jun 16, 2003
3,679
0
76
The spoiler and the wheels are ugly. I like the wheels on the EX much better.
 
NFS4

NFS4

No Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
72,636
47
91
I'd wait for the new models to come out in the fall. Totally new design, larger interior, better interior quality (thank God), more powerful (and hopefully quieter) engines, better fuel economy, etc...the usual refinements associated with a complete redesign.

My GF has the exact same car you are a looking at. She has a 2004 Honda Civic EX with the 4-speed auto. For one thing, the interior quality is nothing to write home about with flash from the plastic molding phase still visible on some trim pieces, the cheap-looking sparkly black/gray plastic surrounds around the radio/HVAC controls, the cheap silvery plastic around the shift knob, crappy seats that are uncomfortable for a 2-3 hour trip, and the noisy engine and lethargic acceleration is enough for me to stay away. You step on the gas and the engine shreiks like a poodle getting his nuts tasered (yes, yes, I've used this phrase before but it is SOOOO true).

If gas mileage is a big factor for you, then the Corolla is a more refined choice IMHO. It's uglier (IMHO), but it's the better built car and gets just as good gas mileage.
 
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