2013 and earlier-Honda Civic Prices Paid and Buying Experience

Sylvia

Or just click on the ad at the top of the page - so H&A knows you are coming from Edmunds.com.

isellhondas

Well...not so...the destination charges are charges are charged to every dealer on every car. We pay them so the buyer does as well.

Doc fees should be reasnoble. We charge 35.00 but I've seen them in these forums MUCH higher.

cptsesso

We purchased a 04 LX Sedan, Automatic, no Side Airbags in June and did not pay destination charges.

Break down:

2004 Civic LX Sedan $14700.00

Window Etch $ 199.00

Gap Ins. $ 300.00

Sales Tax $ 911.94

Tire Tax,Doc, Etc. $ 93.50

Online Reg Fee $ 26.00

Total $16230.44

Now here it comes. Window Etching and Gap Ins.? My wife picked up the vehicle when I was away on a trip and the finance manager layed this stuff on to her. She thought they sounded like a good idea. I was upset with her when I found out, but it was already done.

Anyway, the total out the door price would have been $15701.50.

Invoice price $14771. No destination charges.

anonymousposts

The destination charge gets paid regardless of whether it's specifically listed on your paperwork. Honda charges every dealer this amount.

You can probably cancel the gap insurance. I purchased it on a Mazda once but was able to get a refund when I traded the car.

isellhondas

That's true. The destination gets paid by the dealer. I suppose if they choose to eat it, that's antoerh matter. Never heard of this happening. I wish they wouldn't seperate it and just have the DC as part of the invoice amount.

Gap insurance? well, if the car gets totalled or stolen and a person owes a lot more than it's worth, they will be very happy to have it.

anonymousposts

Most gap insurance can be purchased cheaper through insurance companies. We had it on our Accord and it was $3 every 6 months. Much less than the $400 I paid with the Mazda.

pscott

Thanks for the information.I've waited so long now, I think I'll wait until September 15.. and see what I can find.

elsteef

Civic EX coupe, manual, NO SSRS

$15650.00
   651.00 spoiler
   399.00 doc,
   189.00 vtr
    28.25 state title fee
  1268.79 7.5% state tax
------------------------------
$18186.04 out the door

I cannot get a lower quote in Las Vegas. I have a similar quote from 3 dealerships. (all within $150)
It really irks me to pay that much in Doc Fees and window etching. I cannot get any of the dealerships to work with me at all.
I've even quoted the $400 marketing support incentive and didn't even get a blink from the dealer.
 Anyone have any suggestions??

thong24k

I've been quote for the LX, auto

1. $14761
      885.66 sale tax
       45 Doc. Fees
    Title&Reg as DMV charges

2. $14577
      874.62 Sale tax
       44.50 Plates
       10.50 Tire&temp fees
      118.00 Doc. Fees
These quote were over the net which I think is very good. Do you think I should bargain some more? Or should I wait till after Sept.15? If I wait will the special finance be the same?? But one thing I really want to have on the LX is ABS which is not an option for it, why not?

thong24k

So,Alpha01 what is your e-mail address?

thong24k

One of the dealer told me that it'll be better if I'm going to trade in my car rather than sell it myself if the difference not more than thousand because that way I will get the tax break for that. He explains to me that the amount of trade in will be subtract from sale price then taxes that amount instead of the whole sale. To be better explain, I give you sample. Let said the sale price is 14000-9500(trade-in) = 4500*.06(NJ tax) = 270 then the total that you need to pay will be 4500+270= 4770 plus other fees. or if you decide to sale it yourself and get for $10000 for cash down payment it would be 14000*.06= 840. 14000+840-10000=4840
   My question is: Is that true how the dealer do it? Other dealer didn't explain to me that. What is that called?

blueiedgod

It depends on the state. I know that in NY and CT you get taxed on the difference of the selling price and the trade in. If NJ has simlar tax law, then your dealer is correct.
If the dealer is offering you $9500 on the trade in and you could sell it for $10,000. I think the $500 difference is worth the fact that you don't have to advertize the car ($65-70) answer the phone and have strangers come over and kick your tires. Although, it is possible that if the dealer is giving you $9500 on trade-in, the car would probably sell for $11,000-$11,500.

thong24k

Do you know where or what sources can I find out about it? Other dealer never mention anything like it..Thanks

thong24k

I just got another quote for $13888, but didn't know other fees yet.

blueiedgod

You can start by calling DMV.

sf24

Hi, I'm an owner of a 99 civic ex coupe. sometimes i have 5 people in the car and needless to say, this will affect acceleration/power/handling of a civic. But i was wondering if this puts too much strain on a civic (ie. is it harmful for the car) especially going up the hills in san francisco. i know the car has 5 seats but i get paranoid that i'm overloading and killing the car, although i'm not too mechanically inclined and dont know what consequences it might have, which is why i'd like to hear from you guys.

bd21

First don't post in multiple areas. That's a sure way not to get an answer. Now for your answer. Yes you are putting more load on your transmission/clutch, suspension and brakes than someone that doesn't carry a heavy load, but you are not killing your car. It is made to carry people. The fact that you live in a very hilly city and carry a heavy loads will mean some parts will wear out quicker than someone that doesn't drive under your conditions. It's a car, so enjoy it and carry your friends or let them drive and carry you. Then you will save gas and wear on your car.

sf24

thanks bd21.
if it's just normal wear and tear i dont mind. just didnt want to overstrain it and kill something prematurely.

blueiedgod

Check the maximum load listed for your vehicle. It would be on the plackard in the door jamb. I believe it is somewhere near 700 lbs, so if you have 5x200 lbs people in it then you are overloading it. It is not the number of people, but the weight of the load that matters.

bd21

You are correct! Not exceeding your load capacity is the way to go. My 04 Civic is rated for 850 pounds for all passengers and cargo. Make sure your trunk is empty and that you are not carrying Jared before he started eating at Subway.

hdg

My husband and I just bought a 2004, LX 4 dr sedan, automatic this past Saturday. I bargained it down via internet and phone from the MSRP with destination of $16650 to $14,700 with destination. Invoice was $14,771 plus destination. Once we got to the dealership, my husband took over negotiations. They cut their dealer/doc fee in half to $250. The car already had pinstriping, mud guards, cargo tray and net and said they would give us all of those upgrades for $300 but thankfully my husband said no deal so they ended up just throwing them in. I would have liked to have gotten it the price down to $14,400 including dedstination especially with them still charging us a dealer fee but they ended up giving us $2000 in trade for my husbands crappy 1999 Taurus with 100,000 miles on it that we had to have towed the day before. My husband beat the heck out of that car and it was worth about $900 with nothing wrong with it and it needed $1200 minimum just to get it running again. I was pleased overall. We got to the dealership - Palm Harbor Honda in Palm Harbor, Florida which is in the Tampa Bay area - and we were in and out in less than 2 hours. We dealt with the internet manager and it was relatively hassle free. The beat every price in the area. Bummer that they only had 2 colors left in the LX sedan, auto - white and shoreline mist metallic so now I drive a Grandma beige car but I'm okay with it. I wasn't willing to pay $500 more plus lose the higher trade amount to get magnesium metallic. There was only one in that color in the area.

bd21

It's a great car and I haven't had any problems at all. I bought the exact same color and configuration in January for $14,700, which included all dealer fees and destination. Just had to pay FL state tax.

thong24k

What is your total cost included everything?

bd21

I didn't trade anything in and my final cost including car price, lead battery fee, waste tire fee, all dealer prep & processing fees, doc fees for using Honda's 1.9% financing and all state tax(6%) and tag, title & registration fees came to $15,732.52. Bought it on 28 Jan 04 from Marshall Honda in Panama City Florida. Had a very good straight forward experience there. I made the deal over the phone and I picked the car up. No surprises.

thong24k

Does anyone have any good experience with dealer in NJ? Where? How much did you pay for it in total?

hdg

Just as a side note, the finance manager DESPERATELY wanted us to get a high priced extended warranty and gap insurance but we refused both. I called my regular insurance company to update them with our new car purchase and got gap insurance through them for a whopping $1 extra per month. Yes, $12 a year for gap insurance was a heck of a lot cheaper than what Honda was offering it for! I got 174,000 miles out of my 1993 Civic EX, automatic, 2 dr coupe with nothing but regular maintenance so I felt no need to get an extended warranty with my new 04.

blueiedgod

Does anyone have any good experience with dealer in NJ? Where?

I have purchased a Civic in 1999 from D&C Honda in Tenafly, NJ. It was the most pleasurable experience out of all of NYC dealerships. If you don't mind taking a hike to CT, Fair Honda of Danbury took really good care of me and some other people on and off this site. I have heard good things of Mahwah Honda , in Mahwah NJ. Here is a list of dealers to stay away from:
1. Paragon Honda in Queens, NY
2. RT 23 Honda in Pompton plains, NJ
3. White plains Honda in White plains, NY (owned by the same people who own Paragon.
4. Bob Ciasully Honda in Jersey City, NJ.
5. Bay Ridge Honda in Brooklyn, NY

How much did you pay for it in total?
This should not be your only concern. You should lok at the overall picture as well.

civic2k

Stay away from DCH Academy Honda (in Old Bridge, NJ) as well..the salesmen there are as crooked as they come. I also just so happen to live next to the place they store the unsold cars, and you wouldn't believe how hard they drive those cars while heading to the dealership...

thong24k

Thank you all. I also got price quote form DCH, too since I read on the post. They gave me the lowest quote for 13887, but when I asked them about other fees they said that not included the frieght which will end up to 14377 still the lowest quote I got, but since they are too far away from my house about 45 minutes driving so I consider the one that near by. I look in the after sale service too since I have to be the one who will do all the work which have to tack along two young kids with me. So I went to check out the area of service. Today I went to one dealer which impress me. Their showroom is not big, but have the area for kids to play which can keep them busy while we're talked. Anyway to cut it short, they didn't give me the lowest price compare to other, but I'll considered them ahead of other if the price is not much difference(200-300). Thank for your input here..

timbergal

What is gap insurance?

anonymousposts

Gap insurance pays the difference between your car's actual cash value and the payoff in the event your car is stolen or in an accident where the car is totalled.

er3456

Bought a '04 Civic LX automatic without side air bags in eternal blue pearl color.

Was quoted $14,700 by carsdirect.com so I called the internet dept of every dealer in town to see if they could do better.

Bought from Robertson Honda with the following breakdown:

$14,562.00 for the car
$45 doc fee
Tax, Title, License.
Out the door was $15,812.08

No hassle, got the exact car I wanted, no BS. No pinstriping or dealer add-ons. They had a lo-jack type system installed for an additional $150 or so which they removed without any argument or BS. The car still had the plastic on it when I got there... nice!

The ONLY hiccup was that when it came time to work out the financing, they gave me this song and dance that as a first time car buyer I was ineligible for the Honda finance incentive of 2.9% for 48 months and tried to sign me up for 5.8% for 72 mos. I told them I would sooner get a more favorable loan from an outside lender before paying 5.8% and furthermore they were BSing me about the Honda finance incentive anyway and I could make a quick phone call to Honda corporate to sort the matter out. Needless to say they had a sudden attitude adjustment and gave me the 2.9% financing.

The F&I guy managed to sell me on the Honda Care extended warranty, 7 yrs/75k miles $50 deductible for an additional $1095. I got it figuring I had 30 days to cancel under California law. But now I am in the process of getting rid of it figuring that Civics are reliable enough to risk going without it.

little_blaine

I just bought a new 2004 civic LX 4 door sedan, manual transmission, no side air bags. I shopped around in the central/northern NJ area for about two weeks, and the best I haggled was $13500 including destination from two dealers: Metro Honda in Jersey City (first), and Route 22 Honda in Hillside (who said they'd match Metro Honda's quote).

I went to Metro Honda first because they're close to work. It's a very busy dealership, but they dealt me with courteously and respectfully. They appraised my trade in and negotiated a price that was $950 higher than the best price from two other dealerships that had previously looked at it.

They approved me for the 3 year 1.9 APR honda financing, and proceeded with the paperwork. Their fees are somewhat high: $159 documentary, $15 credit inquiry fee, $7.70 online registration fee (whatever that means), and here's the kicker: $129 mandatory Vehicle Protection Program (that's what it says on the order form, it's window etching). I told them that I didn't like this last part, but didn't fight them on it since I was quite happy with everything else so far and that's actually a good price for window etching (which also carries a $2500 theft insurance benefit).

A couple more things: The documentary fee is right in the middle of what I've seen other honda dealerships in NJ charge (best: $118, worse: $199). New Jersey state also has this new mandatory "tire fee" of $1.50 per tire when you buy a new car.

The car had 8 miles on it, still in plastic. No additional items were installed (pin striping, mud guards, etc).

So, to summarize:

Civic LX 4-door manual no side airbags: $13500 (destination charge included)
Documentary: $159
Window Etching: $129
Credit Inquiry fee: $15
NJ tire fee: $7.50
Online registration fee: $7.70
+ TTL of course.

Overall a good experience and a fair price, Metro Honda gets my recommendation. If you go there and don't want the window etching, let them know ahead of time.

lisab

What is the target price I should expect to pay for a 2004 EX coupe MANUAL at this time of year? I'm looking for total price, not counting taxes, and title or registration?

I'm a pretty good negotiator, having just bought a certified 2003 Civic Coupe LX manual with 4,000 miles in February for $12,500 +taxes and and registration. We started at 13,900. The way I did it was to know what the least I should expect to pay and sticking to my guns -- after knowing the car had been on his lot for 2 months. I actually got them to lower the price again after we signed purchase agreement because I caught them in a lie and said I would walk away from the deal. They quickly met my lowered price.

Now I want to give this one to my son and purchase a new one (but EX this time), also manual.

BTW, I'm in NYC and went about 50 miles away to buy the car after following a few cars on the internet and knowing they weren't moving -- probably because of the manual shift.

Just want a target to shoot for.

thanks.

rahul325

Hi,
I was thinking of buying a '91 CRX, wondering if they came with Airbags ?
thnx,
Rahul.

peterhk

Are Civics make in US or Japan ?

anonymousposts

The Civic didn't receive airbags until 1992.

edunnett

Varies by car. You can tell where yours was made by looking at the VIN number on the dash. If the first letter is a "J" it was made in Japan. If it's a "1" then it was made in US, "2" is Canada, There are some made in the UK, some made in the US, etc. This is a great site with more VIN decoding data: http://www.autohausaz.com/html/vehicle_identification_numbers.htm- l
elissa

edunnett

The Civic didn't receive airbags until 1992.

Sounds about right. My '93 Civic hatch had drivers side airbag only. The '94 came with drivers side and passenger side and a passenger side view mirror for the same price ;-) And my '86 Civic: no airbags.
elissa

dbl205

What do you think the price difference will be between purchasing a 2004 Civic EX now or waiting a couple of weeks and purchasing a 2005 Civic EX?

adamt

I am looking around at buying a new Honda Civic. Given the summers here, the A/C has to be powerful and reliable.

I am inclined not to get an extended warranty but I would appreciate advice on that as well.

Any dealers around the Tysons Corner, VA area that are better than others? Any I should stay away from?

(Was thinking of a Jetta, but the local VW place has a bad reputation, plus at least three people I've talked to have complained about problems with VW's they've purchased over the past 3 or 4 years.)

bd21

Civics do not have strong A/Cs. I live in FL and I have an 04 Civic and an 01 Accord. The Accord has a great A/C, but the Civic is just adequate in the summer. It takes a while to get cold and even then, it's not like my Accord. I drove several of Civics over the past couple of years and they all were on the weak side in the middle on summer. This shortcoming has been posted on this board several times before. I almost didn't buy the car because of it, but in the end I decided it was the best car for the money. Just be aware of this shortcoming before you buy. As far as an extended warranty, you don't need one. This is one of the most reliable cars made. Save your money!

sapphire10

I just purchased a 2004 Civic Coupe EX, manual, no SRS, in red for $15,700. (MSRP $17,350) I'm extremely happy with my experience and the deal I got. They are also giving me a great deal on my trade. I bought from Weymouth Honda in MA. I highly recommend them to anyone in the Boston area.

I was *this* close to purchasing a 2002 from another dealership for $14,000 but the salesman would not move on the price. So for $1,700 more, I'm getting a brand new car. I'm really very, very happy.

scapecoat

It is too hopeful for a person to want a brand new Civic for 1,000$ off invoice? I consider myself an excellent haggler. BTW, I am in the Seattle metro area.

kw_carman

I have the choice to either obtain a 2002 Civic EX coupe or remain with my current car, a 1998 Accord LX sedan. The Civic offers a lot more than what I already have (moonroof, keyless entry, better pickup) but my one concern is that I'm a 6'0, 180 lb student. The Accord has always been a comfortable car and I love the Civic, but the issue of headroom concerns me. Are there any other larger drivers that can advise me?

blueiedgod

I am 6 foot and 180 lbs, and Civic is the best small car out there for my size. Yes, accord is bigger, but, I happen to like the small car feel. You know what they say about men who drive large vehicles...
I think the 1998 accord has decent acceleration, and sunroof will diminish your headroom.

The best civic for guys like us is the new Si. This is the only Civic I am able to sit up straight, without the 45° angle in the seatback to clear the roof line.
And by the way, I was able to load up a 27 inch TV in the box into the hatch with no problems, plus I still had my junk in there as well.

polymorpha

Just purchased a Civic DX at Bernardi Honda in Natick MA. The experience was reasonable and efficient. The price was $12650 exclusive of tax and title and the only option was a CD player.

pscott

Thanks, I'll wait until 09/15.

Pat

zaza

I got a special quote from Honda East in Columbus OH for $14,799 + tax & fees. At this time of the year, what do you think of this quote? I'm supposed to give the Internet Manager a call later today. Do you think it's too much for me to ask him that for quote he gave me it should include mud/splash guard, cargo tray, door edge guard, and fenderwell trim? I was tempted to ask the Convenience Package to be included but I was wondering if I stretch it too far and lose the deal, which honestly is much better than what a local dealer here in this small town where I live gave me couple days ago.

johnddd

New 2004 Civic EX auto w/side airbags, black
paid 16273 +TTL = 17500.
Carsdirect price wwas 16650.

I'm presuming this was a good deal. Can you guys confirm?

Also, when I got the car, there was 80 miles on it, even though the paperwork said 15. Should I be concerned about this? I think its from dealerships swapping the car back and forth. It drives great. Gas peddle is a little loose and sunroof rubber seal sticks up a bit in the front, both of which the dealership says is a quick fix.