2013 and earlier-Honda Civic Prices Paid and Buying Experience

Karen_S

How does your Civic dealer rate? What did you pay?

KarenS
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devore

I bought a new 2001 Civic EX about 2 months ago.

I'm curious what kind of service other have gotten from their Honda dealer during and after the sale.

My experience so far has been nothing short of amazingly outstanding. The dealer here in Madison (Zimbrick Honda) allowed me to take a Civic on a half-day extended test drive over the weekend, and it really gave me time to get a good "feel" of the car. And even though I put over 50 miles on the car, I was able to purchase a different vehicle with only 16 miles on it.

When I sat down to negotiate the price, the salesman listened to the options I wanted, went away for a while, and then came back with a price about $200 over the Edmund's TMV. Nice.

When I picked up the car, the next day I noticed that the cruise control wasn't working. (Turns out this is a common problem after dealer installation of foglights - there's a TSB out on it.) I called my salesman, and he *drove out to my work, left me a loaner, drove my car into the dealer, had it fixed, and returned it to my work, all before I left for the day.

About two weeks later the alloy wheels I had ordered were ready; again, the dealer drove out to my work and picked up and returned the car for me. Very nice.

Is this kind of customer service the norm for Honda dealers? I'd like to think that it is, but I doubt it.

cwosigns

I bought my '97 EX at Jeff Wyler Honda on Colerain Ave here in Cincinnati. My salesman was great. He was new, but was very interesting. He used to play pro football for the Denier Broncos.

He worked out my financing, called me to let me know it was ready. He brought it around to me and left it running, but I turned it off to try all of my keys to make sure they fit. My car wouldn't start. The battery was dead. He took it down to service and ordered a new battery for me. He then served me a coke and let me know when my car was ready.

He then followed me to the nearest gas station and filled my car up for me.

I had an outstanding experience, and I bought a USED car, not a new one. I definitely reccomend Jeff Wyler Honda.

Chris
Cincinnati, OHIO

auntbea

I have bought two new Civics in the last three years and may soon be shopping for one for my daughter. The first time, I negotiated for the car price as it was on the lot and then had several things added such as a spoiler, cassette, etc.; By doing this, I knew exactly what I was paying for the car itself and how much I was paying for options. (Everything Honda was dealer add-on it seems). The second time, I negotiated for the out the door price with all dealer installed options added. However, I don't know what the mark-up was for the options, so I don't really know what I paid for the car alone. In looking at what other people paid, I don't know if I offered too much or not because my price was with several add-ons. Which method is the best way to go? A spoiler and security system are the two main things I have added besides the obvious mats, muds, etc.; I did buy the '01 for less than I paid for the '98 and was happy both times, but I would like opinions on the best way to deal on this next one.

civic2001

Bought my 2001 EX last weekend from Los Gatos Honda in Northern California. Paid (I believe) below the invoice price.

The dealership was pretty friendly. Since it did not have the combinations I wanted (silver color and side airbags), a manager actually went to another dealership in Oakland and drove one down.

koineboy

I had a great experience. Perhaps my guard was way down after I almost bought a Corolla from Wymouth Toyota in Weymouth, MA. At the Toyota shop I got screwed around for 2.5 hours. I felt like I was in a Turkish Bazarr bickering over a rug. I almost had an anxiety attack. THey lied about a price, dicked me on financing and made me wait. Went to Honda North, got a 2001 Civic DX for $12790. They threw in floor mats and some oil changes. I probably could have payed a little less elswhere, but it took 50 minutes, the sales guy was good the finance guy even better. They took a page out of the Saturn book by offering a New Owner's Clinic. THere they put a Civic up on jacks, toured the car, showed off the features and fed me. I guess I am a sucker for good marketing.

wishbone0717

I purchased a 01 Civic Ex with side airbags for $16,750.00 including destination charge in NW NJ in early June. After 3 calls to dealership to verify vehicle was correct color with sideairbags, drove 45 minutes. The vehicle did not have the sideairbags, but they did offer two others on lot-just not color I wanted. They were able to deliver my vehicle within the week tho...don't know if fact salesperson was brand new had to do with the mixup or just a way to get me in door -but they did sell vehicle for price they had quoted by phone and threw a couple oil changes in.

rgnmstr

Why would $200 over Edmunds be considered good. I thought the Edmunds price was supposed the be the fair price.

goody01

Does anyone out there know if there are any good web sites out there that rate auto dealers in terms of service, price, reliability, etc.? I'd like to research a few dealers. A good car dealer is hard to find.

jlcreasy

Baltimore, MD 9/1/01
We paid $14733 for 2001 Civic LX-auto, no side air bags, no floor mats or splash guards (car had not been PDI'd yet so we were not stuck with these). We basically got the car at invoice, only extra thing we got was keyless entry which brought the total up to $14925. I think we got an excellent deal. Found this dealer directly thru Honda's website. Also used Stoneage.com and Autobytel and were offered the car at invoice by one other dealer, the other was $200 above. Chose this dealer for location & nice salesman.

tatianamh

Hi,

Does anyone know if Honda offers a rebate to
college grads? If so, where could I find out the
info on it? I would rather not have to ask the
dealer.

Thanks.

jolenedicks

Hi,

I have been driving my 2000 Honda Civic se for almost a year now. The performance of the car is not a problem for me, it's all the things that have gone wrong on the exterior of the car.

The first thing was my front bumper... my boyfriend came in one day to tell me that I had a big crack on my front bumper (to the left), but no scratches. I didn't hit anything, I think I would remember... Since then the crack is after spreading significantly. A couple of months later, I noticed a dent on the hood of my car... that was big enough to damage the side panel on the front as well. Whatever was dropped on my car was heavy enough to scratch the paint and it has started rusting already. Also, my window has alot of scratches on it. How much do you think it is going to cost to replace the front bumper, hood, and side panel?

goody01

I bought a 2001 Civic LX for $100 over invoice. This was after spending hours and hours of poring over prices on websites (including Edmunds.com), and dealer websites. All of the prices were within a few hundred dollars from each other. There didn't seem to be a whole lot of room for negotiation. In the end, I went to the dealer recommended by a co-worker.

bostont

I have a quote on a 2002 Civic EX automatic with side air bags of $16,788. My friend says I can do better. Is she right?

jimcarr

Bostont

That is about $400 better (on 4dr auto EX) than I was able to negotiate in September.The only difference was that I got mudflaps installed.
Jim Carr

bostont

Yours was a 4 door sedan, mine's a coupe. Do they charge more for sedan than coupe? Coupe seems more popular around here.

bostont

Looking at the price I've been quoted on the EX I'm having second thoughts about it. Does anyone out there really notice the difference between the 2002 LX and the EX? Does the engine have tht much more power? I've tested them both and the EX did seem to have better pick up, but I'm not a racer.

jimcarr

In my case the choice can be answered with two words "anti-lock" brakes. Living in Nebraska, I believe they are a worthy investment.

abby70

I want to buy a 2002 Honda Civic EX Coupe Automatic (silver). I am having a difficult time making sense out of all of the numbers. What is the invoice price? What would be a good out the door price?

Also did anyone notice that Consumer Reports gave it a rating that was not as good as in previous years? Anyone know why?

raybear

Hi Lissa, the invoice is $16,260. Depending on where you live it can be had anywhere from $500 under invoice to $300 over. Add to that tax, registration and in some places, doc fees.

bostont

Abby70, the invoice price from Edmonds is, or was, $16,488 with side air bags, which is what I paid for my white one just like the one you want and that is the only difference. I believe they're worth it.

abby70

raybear,

Thanks for your help!

I live in Illinois....they are a hot commodity here. Where do you live that they sell them $500 under invoice? Any tips for getting a good price. I was told $49.00 over invoice and thought that was great.

raybear

I found a Civic DX for $618 under and an LX for $500 under this week. Both sales were concluded successfully.

thedeliman

hi all,

on the advice of friends and this web site, I managed to get a 2002 Civic LX (4dr auto, no side airbags) for $15,600 out the door (with 5% MA tax, registration, fees included)!

Of all places to visit, I decided to visit a high-volume dealership for my first car purchase ever. But hey, after 5 HOURS of lengthy negotiations, I am definitely pleased with the end result!

cavaldes

$15,500 out the door.. including taxes (6% NJ tax), title, registration, and other fees

hounddog69

I was thinking of getting a Honda Civic LX Coupe this weekend and got the following quote from Edmunds Free Quote, where a local dealer will contact you with a price. Total - $15,347.36 out the door. The sale price is $13,910 including destination charge.

I'm debating between the LX Coupe and the EX Coupe. Is the EX worth the extra $2000? Does the EX require premium gas?

raybear

Stick shift, I assume?

hounddog69

yes, 5-speed.

raybear

Heck, it's below invoice! I couldn't have done much better than that myself, and I shop cars for a living. The only places I'm seeing better, and I mean only a few bucks, is Southern California and the San Fancisco Bay Area. I've seen $400 under invoice there.

abby70

Thanks for answering my question.

Please send me any tips you have that allowed you to get them to go
under invoice. I am a first time car buyer and sure would appreciate
the help! Is $49 over invoice a bad deal? I thought before reading this board that it was great.

I live an hour South of Chicago, IL.

Thanks!

raybear

That is a good deal, we did see one today at $22 under invoice in Chicago. We use the blast fax-email and name the price offered. Dealers prefer this to bidding.

Keep in mind that everything's relative, your deal isn't bad for your region.

hounddog69

Well, I got a quote for an EX with 5-speed manual $16942.36 out the door. The car price is 15431 + tax and fees = $16,942.36. So thats $1595 more. I'm in San Francisco, California.

Basically I got quotes from Edmund's "Free Quotes" where a local dealer will e-mail you a quote. Car buying just got easier!! Its giving me more time to think and time to bargain.

raybear

I think you could shave a little off of that. I've got a dealer offering $400 under invoice on an LX, there's no reason another won't do the same on an EX. It's a strong buyer's market where you are.

hounddog69

Thanks Raybear, you've been helpful. I managed $15,331. I'm going to go look at it and test drive.

Cheers.

branco_f

Just got it. 2002 Civic DX 2 door w/o side air bags, dealer installed A/C (to get 3 years warranty):13,600.00 plus 6% sales tax (NJ), $150 MV fees,$ 149 Doc fees. I think I got a good deal.
Dealer: Bob Ciasulli Honda
Jersey City
Salesman: Leo Olazabal
Zero pressure, very pleasant. I will buy from these guys in the future

abby70

What is a blast fax email?? How does it work?

raybear

An offer to every dealer in a given area. Email and fax numbers can be found on Honda's website.

hounddog69

I bought the Civic EX Coupe. $15,331 plus 8.5% tax, $151 license, $5 ca tire fee. I pick it up in a day!

abby70

So you look at Honda's web site and what....make offers to a bunch of different dealers?

Raybear what is a good price for my area? What is realistic to shoot for (civic ex coupe automatic)?

raybear

The site lists the dealers. You can then email or fax them an offer. Start a couple hundred under invoice and see how that does. There are online services that do the same thing, but for a fee.

manualtrans

I just purchased a 2002 Honda Civic Ex Coupe (Manual of course) for $15200. This included floor mats, and I was also able to haggle for a free metal console kit. It took me a total of 4 hours at 2 dealers, but man!!! What a deal huh??? I suggest anyone looking to buy a car in the near future to go to several dealers, haggle them down, and then go to another dealer and ask them to top the previous dealers price. This strategy has worked extremely well for me! $15,200 for an EX Civic Coupe... WOW!!!! I'm loving my car by the way!!!

raybear

That's better than $300 under invoice.

boo25

I can't find a 2002 Hx 5 sp with AC (I know that's extra) in the southeast. Is Honda still making them?

tamugirl99

I want a 2002 Civic Coupe EX w/side air bags AND alloy wheels, but Edmunds didn't give me the option with a price for alloy wheels.
I went to the dealer today and they gave me a quote of 16,661 (EX w/automatic transmission) + 820 (mounting & balance of alloy wheels) + TTL for a GRAND TOTAL of 18,768.76. Is that good (considering it's an automatic w/alloy wheels)? Edmunds gave me a quote of $16,488 invoice without alloy wheels added.
I am not good at haggling, but does any one know if I can get them lower? How low should I counter considering the addition of the wheels? Thanks for your help guys (and gals)!

hounddog69

Invoice price $15,318 + $440 Destination + Automatic Trans $730 = $16,488. Add alloy $820 = $17,308 + tax + license

I haggled with the car price. I couldn't with the indash cd-changer, splash guards, fender trim, door edge guards.

Try the dealer quote option here on Edmunds. The dealer will e-mail you a price with the options you select. Use a different zip code so you're sure a DIFFERENT dealer contacts you. Between the two or more, pick the lowest price. If its a dealer you don't like, go back to your first and tell them that another dealer quoted you this lower price (show them the e-mail). See if they'll match or beat the price.

bostont

Why do you have to get the alloy wheels from the dealer? Why not buy the car and get them from a discount tire store? It's usually cheaper isn't it?

manualtrans

Yup, i agree with bostont. It is much cheaper to get all accessories from anywhere BESIDES the dealer. The dealer will try to make money off of anything you buy from them.

I just purchase a manual EX civic and also purchased alloy wheels. Try
www.handa-accessories.com. They have genuine honda parts and accessories at whole-sale prices. Even with tax and shipping costs added to the purchase, it is much cheaper than what the dealer charges. I got 4 15'Civic Si Alloy wheels for my 2002 Honda Civic EX. Then after receiving the alloy wheels in the mail, i made an appointment with my local Honda dealer to install them. I was able to install the 4 alloy wheels for only $50!

hounddog69

manualtrans, got any pictures?

klspencer77

Thanks for your advice everyone! I bought my Civic last night in Conroe, Texas after using one of those dealer quote services via the Internet--I got quotes from more than one dealer and picked the best. That gave me a MUCH better offer than when I asked in person.

I now have a 2002 Civic EX Sedan Automatic w/side air bags. I got it for $16,839 (that amount includes destination charge, side air bags, & automatic trans). With 4.9% over 60 months, I didn't do too bad, I think. Thanks for your opinions! I REALLY like my new Civic!

bjk2001

Hi guys, bought a Civic EX Auto without airbag (ES2672MW model) yesterday, We paid $14,988.- plus tax $1,240.22 + $45 doc fee $153 license=total $16426.22 out of the door. Also get 36 months 2.9 % from American Honda.
I can't believe EX comes with moon roof but no floor mats? Go figure.

abby70

Am I wrong or is 14,988 over a grand under invoice? Are car dealers in CA desperate? They are not that motivated in other parts of the country, especially not in Chicago!

Too bad for us!