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Comments
Backy...well, either way, those miles are a killer but, yeah, I'm surprised they don't just buy rther than lease.
It's probably just easier for them.
I just bought a used 2002 Civic DX Coupe from a private party here in Arizona. I paid $10,500 for it and the car just turned over 10,000 miles. No tax and no dealer fee. The only optional items it has is A/C and tinted windows (a MUST in Arizona!). I am going to use the car primarily as a commuter car as I recently took on a new job that requires a 35 mile trip. It will be my second car (other car is a 2002 Ford Expedition - had it only 10 months and already have 23,000 miles on it!). Although I really had my heart set on an Si or EX, I think I will be happy with the DX, especially considering the price I paid for it.
Here are some initial observations:
PAINT: My DX is Silver in color, and the quality is fine. I have read comments from other owners of silver Honda's who have had problems with paint quality (shading, chips, etc.). No paint problems here.
TIRES/ROAD NOISE: My DX has the standard Firestone tires, which I have heard are known to be noisy. The car itself is fairly quiet, however, you do here some road noise coming from the tires. Overall I must say that the car is pretty quiet inside. I plan on upgrading the tires & wheels fairly soon. Those plastic wheel covers need to go! Considering getting some new 14" or 15" factory Honda Alloy Wheels ($350 - $500 on EBay). I have heard that the Yokohama Avid Touring tire is a good tire. Any comments on upgraded tires???
I actually think the stock Honda wheel covers look ok. Sometimes aluminum wheels actually weigh more than steel wheels. Most aftermarket wheels are now made in China; I am not sure I trust the ultimate quality and safety of aftermarket wheels anymore (except for the very premium makes). I am sure Honda brand wheels are fine, but sure wouldn't buy a DX and then spend the price differential between a DX and an LX on wheels ($1500-$2000 was what you mentioned).
Originally I had wanted an Si or EX Coupe, but the DX price $10,500 (for only 10k miles) was hard to pass up. For this reason I don't really mind paying $600 or so for new alloy wheels/tires.
I really enjoy driving the Civic. It has a real sporty feel to it. The interior/seats are awesome. I still can't beleive its an economy car. I just think the stock wheels don't do justice on the DX/LX. I do think the plastic wheel covers look OK on the EX however.
For a very short time.
The tires wore unevenly and wore out very prematurely. I fought with Dunlop over the warranty (50,000 miles treadlife), but they insisted that I had an alignment problem even though their own local dealer did a four-wheel check and everything came within specs. I finally ditched the tires in disgust for a set of BF Goodrich Touring T/A VR4s based on the real-world experiences of a few friends with the same car I have and the same tire.
Funny, since the SP Sport A2 is a new tire, it seems the reviews I read at Tire Rack a year ago were all first impressions. Going back and reading them lately, I've seen quite a few of the early praisers come back to add that they've turned out to be short-lived, uneven-wearing, and some of the poorest tires these folks have ever owned.
Take note, Dunlop. You've got a shoddy tire.
And good luck, Brian. Even rotating mine every 5,000 miles and keeping the car in perfect alignment, the insides of all four tires were worn to flat bald in 19,000 miles.
Meade
You'll see. I guarantee it!
Meade
MSRP 16,300
Dealer Markup 2,995
Total 19,295
Should I offer $500 below MSRP?
This is my first time buying a new car.
THANX
TIA
In the course of another discussion, I did some net research and found that you can ship a car from the mainland for about $2K.
I'm curious. What's TMV for your area?
In your situation, where there is only one automatic LX Coupe, you want to be sure the dealer knows that you are not in love with the Civic LX Coupe and that you are shopping several other car models, which have lower prices and greater availability than the Civic. Now, that may or may not be 100% accurate, but the one thing you don't want the dealer to know is that you have your heart set on that one Civic Coupe. Then they have you by the, well, you know; you have zero negotiating leverage at that point.
Were it me and were it TN, I'd offer $13,650 and walk if they came back higher than $14K, making sure they had my e-mail addy and asking 'em to email if they can do better.
Kumho tires are pretty good from what I hear as well, although I don't have any first-hand experience with them yet.
BTW, the Civic's dash looks really cool at night when it lights up too, just like the VWs kinda. Nice touch.
Honda has had "dumb-proof" lock since the early 80's. In order to lock the doors form inside while the driver's door is open one needs to pull on the inside driver's handle and activate the lock. Most people lock their keys inside by pressing the lock button while they are getting out, forgetting their keys either in ignition or on the seat. Honda thought that by making people lock their car with keys they will be less likely to lock them-selves out, but by pulling on the door handle de-activates the "dumb-proofing"
So I guess you are saying that not getting keyless on a car is cost savings so do you think that the Civics 5 star rating and good side-impact ratings were free? Not to mention they increased the size of the Civics engine but increased the MPG. Then they developed a suspension that allowed them to give the Civic a flat floor in the back. Then they reduced gap tolerances to an insanely low number when the 96-00 Civic was already better than most. And you are complaining about keyless entry?
Thanks,
Wm
2002 Civic Sedan DX
The Sandman :-)
The one for the Accord has had a dead battery for a month...ho hum...
I mean, I've got to have the key out anyway in order to start the car!
But, I guess it's a big deal for some people!
~alpha
Keyless entry is a godsend. I would never buy a car without it.
Keyless is nice to have. I personally like it. But some people could live without it to save a couple hundreds bucks, also some other people think power window/door is not necessary either. FYI, some other much more expensive cars than Civic LX, like Toyota Avalon XL $27K Highland SR5 V6, don't come with Keyless entry either.
Regards,
bjk
The Sandman :-)
BTW, I have been gettin 3,000 mile oil changes at the dealer's drive through lane. I guess they haven't been resetting the maintenance indicator light.
I have a 2003 Civic.
Funny that Honda doesn't document this in the manual...
At least it's simpler to do than the hoops Chevy owners have to go through, with their stereo controls, to reset their reminders....
Re the "keyless driver side power door"... have you noticed that keyless power doors are becoming an extremely popular option on minivans? I don't have it on my minivan, so of course "I don't need it." But if I get that feature on my next minivan, I'm sure it too will become a necessity.