Honda Accord vs Honda Civic
I was set for a Civic LX for $17k OTD. Good lord, I had a look at the accord, test drove it and fell in love with it. I was quoted for $23k for the Accord 08 LX-P in Chicago, I know I can get the price lower. May be $21k $22k OTD? My question is, apart from the good look, is it really worth the 4 extra Ks for the Accord. The Civic just does not have the chick-magnet attribute. The Accord 08 is so classy, it may make up for my small..............wallet.
Anyone who recently purchased an Accord 08 LX-P or the Civic LX 08 in Chicago please let me know the OTD price and the dealer.
Thank you guys.
Anyone who recently purchased an Accord 08 LX-P or the Civic LX 08 in Chicago please let me know the OTD price and the dealer.
Thank you guys.
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I changed your title a little and fixed it so that this discussion will appear on both the Accord board and the Civic board rather than having two separate discussions. It's less confusing that way.
For pricing information your best bets are the Accord Prices Paid and Buying Experience and the Civic Prices Paid and Buying Experience discussions. I see you've already found the Civic topic. You might want to use the Search This Discussion feature for Chicago to see what others have posted in each one.
Good luck!
I have an Accord, but if the Civic fits better in the budget (it obviously does), get it, unless it doesn't meet your needs somehow (not enough room or something). As gas prices continue their climb, your car will be worth more and more as time goes on.
If you feel the Accord has little usable power, the Civic is going to feel even less powerful. With a low-amount of peak torque, the Civic really has to be wound up to high-rpms to get moving quickly.
Also, if you are doing more highway driving, the automatic Civic will offer you better highway mileage than the manual transmission version will.
If you are trading down to a new Civic for fuel economy, make sure you aren't spending more in the trade than you would by keeping the larger, more comfortable Accord (a car that is naturally better suited to the highway).
I assume the auto tranny gets better gas mileage because of different, higher revving, gear ratios in the manual? [Ultimately, slight differences in fuel economy won't get me to buy the automatic. I'll never buy an automatic transmission again - at least not one where you can't choose between the top gears. It's not a problem with the actual transmission, I just HATE not having that control when I'm driving on the highway. I will likely sell my Accord within a year just to get rid of the automatic transmission. I have never owned a car without MT and I thought I could live with a new Honda with AT. I can't!]
Which one do you like driving better? Do you carry adults or big kids in the back seat very often? Do you like the idea of having electronic stability control on your car? Do you need to park in tight spaces very often? Will the fuel economy difference be a big deal for you?
Those are the kinds of questions you should be asking yourself.
Now, the Accord V6, as was stated earlier, has a very smooth acceleration factor. I also found riding around in it much smoother and the seats more comfortable. My family responded very favorable to the rear seats as well.
So, I sacrificed a lot more money on the initial purchase and much better gas mileage down the line for something my family and I feel will serve us better on a day to day basis.
I was glad to get back to the torquey engines in the Accords, but the Civic was definitely a lot of fun, and a car I'd consider if it weren't for my 6'5" frame which causes my right leg to be up against that annoying parking brake handle when I let my leg rest and splay to the right.
I could really use some help form experienced Honda owners, since I've never had one, and am looking at 2 right now, from a local dealer.
I need to decide this alone, am 58, and really need a dependable car! Here are my choices:
2000 Honda Accord EX - 4 door sedan
Mileage: 99549.00
6 cyl. 3.0 - Automatic
Asking price: $6995.00
Alternator has to be replaced (that's being done today)
On down the road at 135,000 miles, he suggested the water pump & cerpentine belt @ $500.00.
Here it is: http://www.hondacity-cny.com/inventory/preownedcarsearch.jsp?ptitle=Search%20Inv- entory&listingperpage=25
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2001 Honda Civic EX - 4 door sedan
Mileage: 100,000
4 cyl. 1.7 - Automatic
Asking price: $6995.00
It's been in an accident, according to dealer, no damage to frame, just bumper (which is being fixed today).
Here's this one: http://www.hondacity-cny.com/inventory/preownedcarsearch.jsp?ptitle=Search%20Inv- entory&listingperpage=25
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He's telling me that the Civic with the 4 cyl. is a better buy .... since that's the engine that made Honda famous for being so durable, etc. Is that true?
Says the 6 cyl. isn't as good ... gas wise of course, but also because it's not the original engine of Honda, etc.
I don't like the idea of the Civic being in an accident, but how would I really know what damage was done?
I have looked at the CARFAX for that car, and it looks like it was in TWO accidents, unless I'm reading it wrong. Here's the carmax for it:
http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?partner=DSP_0&vin=2HGES26771H5- 21280
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Also, if he's telling me the Accord has to have work done on the water pump and belt, should I tell him I want that done now?
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Here's the CARMAX for the Accord: http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?partner=DSP_0&vin=1HGCG165XYA0- 81484
Sorry if things aren't in order here ... hope you can keep in all in perspective, when giving advice.
Which of the two .. would you consider? How is the 6cyl. engine on the Accords? As dependable as the 4cyl.?
How are the prices? Should I get him to come down? My bank has approved me for 6500, so I'd like to get a car down to that if I can.
Thanks ever so much for any help you can give. :-)
Diana
Your needs should come into play a bit too. If you need a bigger car, then the Accord will be your best bet. I'm sure you have driven both so you can tell how the V6 can move the larger Accord around. The Civic is smaller so the I4 is enough. I doubt if you will see much difference in the reliability of the engines. In reality, both can have issues or last a long time. If the Civic did have some other damage from the first accident, a reliable engine may not matter.
I don't know offhand if the Civic used a timing belt on it's engines in 01 but the Accord V6 does for sure... then and now. That may be what the dealer was talking about instead of the serpentine belt. One usually changes the water pump and timing belt at the same time. It's a pricey maintenance item but it's very costly if the timing belt breaks.
If you don't need a bigger car, if the accidents were both minor, if you don't mind the maintenance of a black car (I think I noticed that was the Civic color), then the Civic may be the better choice. The I4 is indeed a great engine and should last a long time. If gas mileage is important, the Civic comes out on top too.
There are many more folks around here that know price better than I do so maybe someone can be of more help. There is no harm in asking for less, however.
If it were me, I'd go with the Civic, realistically, for around $5,000-$5,500since it has had a minor accident. V6 Accords had issues with their transmissions from '98-'04. That's not to say every one of them failed, but they were a noteable problem, where Civics didn't have such an issue. I'm an Accord guy, but I'd personally avoid a pre-owned V6 Accord from those years, simply because of the potential for transmission problems being higher than that of a Civic, or a 4-cylinder Accord.
Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book are reputable websites to help you determine the rough value of a pre-owned car. It listed the Civic at approximately $5,600 from a private party, in good condition, with 100k miles, for my Birmingham, Alabama Zip Code.
Take opinions here (even mine!) with a grain of salt, but I hope you find the site helpful! :shades:
-TheGraduate
I really don't need a larger car .... it's just me and my son right now, and soon will be just me.
I don't drive far .... to grocery store and back, to doctors, etc... so not a big deal for gas mileage.
Actually, I've not driven either of them yet ... since the Civic was in the shop and the Accord was going tomorrow. When they're both done and ready, dealer will call me, so I can test drive. He actually tried to get me to put down a deposit today, saying folks who love Hondas, will do that ... sight unseen sometimes, to grab them up. Not sure about that, but I'd never do it, until I drove it, as I've never owned one before.
How does one know if the accidents were minor? And what's the maintenance of a black car, as opposed to other colors? I've never had a black car.
Also, the Civic had a sunroof I noticed. It looked pretty worn inside, and the Accord looked much cleaner and newer .. but I've found websites that talk of the 00's transmission problems, and they're were allot.
Could you tell me what you think of this though ... just ran across it:
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Civic/2001/transmission/index.shtml
Thanks ever so much!
So would you go in and test drive, if you liked it ... just offer him $5,500, and see what he says? And if he refuses ... what then? I hate bargaining ... I'd rather not, but I'd also like to get it as low as possible.
I'm still really leery of the accident(s) on the Civic ... not just one, but two. I just wish I could find out how to tell what damage was incurred, if there was a way.
Oh ... and you gave the 5,500 price for 'private' party, but this is a dealer ... price would be higher, no?
And I came across these:
http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Complaint/2001/Honda/Civic/Automatic+Transmission-
http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/honda/civic/r12079/comments/page-4/
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Civic/2001/transmission/transmission_failure.- shtml
Thanks for all your insight.
If you hate bargaining, perhaps you can do it via E-Mail? I have haggled this way before and find that it is less awkward when you can choose your words carefully and edit them before you hit send, instead of saying something you shouldn't in a flustered phone call.
I'm pressed for time, but tallman won't lead you astray!
A test drive is crucial and will help you decide. In the meantime, I sure wouldn't stop looking. I don't know if you really want to work with this dealer but I'm guessing you have more options out there. If you are in a hurry, you may not have time to do a lot of searching.
Whatever you do on the price, don't let the salesman know that you hate haggling! It never hurts to make an offer, especially if you honestly tell him your budget. I don't think the Civic is worth more than 6500 though.
I don't know that much about how carfax works. I'm not sure if you can get any further details out of them. I would at least ask the salesman to provide more info. I think that I remember both cars had just one owner. That kind of caution can sometimes lead to a lower price. Be skeptical.
The disadvantage of a black car is that they are hard to keep clean and they show swirl marks easily. If you will take it through a car wash, you may not like how it looks after a couple of years. When they are new and shiny, they look great though.
I may not recall the Accord correctly but I thought it was an EX model as well. That means that it has a sunroof too. Leather seats also, right?