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2012 Civics to be sold out before 2013 arrives?
I am planning on buying a 2012 Civic later this year. I just stopped into my dealer who informed me that they will likely be sold out of Civics in late August. Does that seem right or the dealer just trying to get me to buy sooner? There were not many on his lot when I stopped there today. I'm concerned that if I end up having to buy a 2013 that I will not be able to get any where near as good a deal as I'm looking at now (an LX out the door for $19300).
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However, the 2013 Civic is supposed to be significantly improved over the 2012. So if you don't get a 2012, you might pay a little more for a 2013 but get a better car.
For some reason there seems to be this idea that cars will get cheaper as the inventories dwindle and that just isn't so.
The popular models and colors sell first and those who wait and wait end up with the leftovers and they don't pay any less money.
There isn't much profit in a Civic to begin with.
Change it too much and people won't like that either.
Some people want EVERYTHING on what is susposted to be a low priced car and then they complain about the price.
The verdict is in, and it's pretty consistent: the 2012 Civic is a big disappointment. Honda agrees. But some folks will buy (or sell?) anything Honda offers, without question, because it's Honda. Brand loyalty is a great thing--for the automaker.
Why add another speed to the transmission when it is so smooth and efficient as it is already. Why not give it ten speeds if "more is better"?
Road noise is less than before but could be lower, I agree.
Yes, it IS a Honda and ten years and 200,000 miles later it will show it's strengths as no other.
As for why add a 6th gear to the trannies... lower revs at cruise mean less engine noise, better fuel economy. And yes, in general, the more gears, the better. Even Honda seems to agree with me on that...
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/26/honda-working-on-nine-speed-automatic-transmi- - ssion/
And Honda isn't alone in thinking more gears are better...
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/01/hyundai-10-speed-transmission-under-d- - evelopment.html
I learned that what one person likes, the next person won't. No matter how bad a color is to the masses, there will always be someone who likes it.
Lower revs are fine up to a point. There comes a point where an engine will "lug" and that is very bad on an engine.
But, if people think the more gears the better, I'm sure Honda and others will make this happen.
A frightening thought to think Honda may use the same transmission as Chryslers!
Very true! Which is why so many Corollas and Civics are still being sold even though they are arguably two of the worst cars in their class.
There comes a point where an engine will "lug" and that is very bad on an engine.
Something known as "downshifting" will take care of that. Automatics do that... automatically. With a stick, well, you can lug away all you want.
As for the Civic's dash... other than looking and feeling cheap to me, especially compared to almost every Civic competitor except the new Versa, I have no problem with it. Problem is... seems as if a LOT of folks agree. Though not everyone, clearly.
YOU don't like the 2012 Civics but they are great cars! Like all Hondas, they will run well after 200,000 miles and they will have great reliability. they will hold their values as no other car can.
The critics didn't like the fact that Honda made few changes and I suppose this is true. Honda tends to rest on their laurels a bit. Look for some big changes in the 2013 Civics and especially the Accords!
Only things that seem cheap are the console sides, parking brake lever, and radio surround. No squeeks, rattles, loose parts or fading letters.
5-10 years from now, on used car market, buyers will say 'It's a Honda, they have good rep, I'm interested' not "Fan boys say the interior parts were cheap back in '12..." Who cares in the long run about some tiny bits?
People kept asking for V-6 Accord sedans with a manual transmission so Honda caved in and made some. They were dismal failures.
I tend to judge cars based on how they look and run after 150,000 miles.
Based on that, I'll take a Honda over anything else.
I did not drive aggressively and I religiously cleaned and treated the leather seats. I have very serious doubts about the quality of the 2012 models due to the cheapness of the car, but hope for everyone else's sake that mine was a lemon.
In any case, because of the rapid development of the aforementioned problems over the past month, and in light of how many miles I drive per year, I know that warranty would run out by May 2013 and I'd be stuck footing the bill for any new problems cropping up.
I ended up buying a new 2012 Buick Verano, and even though I gave up the great gas mileage of the Civic, the fit and finish, quietness, style, amenities, and length of warranty were worth it. Moreover, I ended up paying about $100 less than what I paid for the Civic new (I purchased both quite a bit below sticker).
I know some may argue about GM cars' reliability, but I think Honda's reputation may no longer hold water and I wasn't willing to stay in the car to find out.
Especially puzzling were your comments about the leather wearing. I have NEVER ONCE seen this happen on a Honda. I suppose it's possible Honda changed vendors on leather or something.
Good luck with your Buick!
The split in the back was the first issue I had and that was back in the early spring. Unlike the other problems which, yes, would have been fixed under warranty, the dealership took pictures of the split and sent them to Honda for them to approve. I never geard back so I tried contacting them on numerous occasions without success; the dealership had warned me that Honda would likely not approve the repair. I ended up fixing it with a leather repair kit, and my repair turned out pretty good, though no one sat in the back so the repair held.
The mechanical problems all started within a two week period which was also the one year mark since I had purchased it. The dealership said they couldn't find any problems with the car. The day after I got it back, I decided to treat the seats as usual when I noticed the excessive wear on the outside bolstering. Presumably it was just from me getting in and out of the car. I took it back to the dealer, pictures were taken and sent to Honda, whom I could still get no response from in the following weeks.
I suppose it was the excessive wear, compounded with the mechanical problems, the fact that it was only 1 year old and Honda's lack of contact (even saying it wasn't covered would be better than leaving me waiting) that convinced me to wash my hands of it as I didn't want to deal with it, nor do I have the time to do so as I work and am a full time law student.
With Buick (GM), I had a technical question regarding its telematics system and sent a message via there website and was called back the next morning and have been followed up with emails from the same person to insure my question was answered.
Again, I think my issue may have been due to the specific car I had and I hope everyone else enjoys there's, just keep an eye on the leather and be prepared for virtually no contact with Honda if you ever need to do so.
I will say, I did always beat the EPA estimates in the Civic, averaging in the mid 40s on the interstate.
Because I've driven almost every car in the class. Also I am not the only one with this opinion, e.g. in the March 2011 Automobile Magazine, an article points out that 15 years ago, the two cars at the top of the compact class were the Civic and Corolla. Now, the mag opines, the top two cars in the compact class are the Focus and Elantra. That article is mostly about those two cars, but they also briefly review most of the rest of the cars in the class and explain why they are NOT on top of the class, in their opinion. There's also CR's take on the 2012 Civic: Not Recommended because it scored too low in their road tests. Whodathunk THAT would ever happen.
Yes, Civics and Corollas have a great track record for reliability. If that makes them "great cars" in your book, great. It takes more than that for me to call a car "great".
And if the Civic were so great, why would Honda be making "big changes" to the 2013 Civic, one year after a redesign? :confuse:
For me, a "great" car is a car that drives well and doesn't give me trouble.
As far as CR, they aren't the same objective magazine they once were. They have become much more subjective and I think they should stick to testing toasters and lawn mowers. So much of what they write now is personal opinion. It didn't used to be that way with them but things change.
As I have stated before, Honda is faced with some damm good competition that they didn't have in the past. They are no longer heads and shoulders above the competition. They can't rest on their laurels and I do believe they have received this message loud and clear. I certainly hope so.
" Yesterday's hits won't win today's ball games"
The fact that Honda has scrambled to make the "big changes" on the 2013 Civics does show they have learned lessons. BTW the 2012 Civics that you think are so bad are actually selling at a brisk pace. Guess they can't be too bad?
Contrast with the Hyundai Elantra Coupe or the Kia Forte Koupe... In the Elantra Coupe you get Satellite radio in standard even in the most basic model. I imagine the Kia is the same. Honda is lucky that Nissan does not produce a Sentra Coupe. I am just using sattelite radio as an example, all Honda's lately are WAY behind in the option department.
Yesterday's hits CAN win ball games, for this season. But the lineup starts getting old, reflexes slow, the players rest on their old stats for too long. Pretty soon, they are gone, swapped out for the kid from the farm club who has no history in the bigs but can hit better, run better, and play better defense. And doesn't cost as much.
You can always add options, but you cannot make once bought an unreliable car, reliable.
There is a reason why Honda's always hold their value. There is a reason Honda cars keep selling despite all the press wanting all the bells and whistles. It is obvious that the press and rating agencies do not value the same things most drivers do.
Maybe because I always valued dependability I may not know what true luxury or performance is, but there are a lot of cars that wow people that end up in the shop more than on the road. All those bells and whistles are nice until they give out and give your dealer a whole bunch of repair business.
There is a lot of talk about how Honda is no fun. Fun to me is not having to go to the shop or the gas station as much. Fun is knowing that I won't have to look for cars for awhile. Fun is opening up the moonroof, listening to tribal music station from south america, and having all the passengers including yourself comfy.
I have to wonder about all these rating agencies it doesn't seem to be about reliability, durability, and efficiency anymore but gagets, style, and whether you can race with your car rather than get to work. They value style over substance and that is why they are telling people that Honda is worse in its class because they undervalue what Honda owners value. Personally, we are not gadget people, we actually prefer manual doors and roll up windows, but liked the Honda EX how it was laid out. I love my moonroof, iphone streaming, and bluetooth calls. I tolerate power windows and doors because that is just standard these days. This great for me, but then I can be happy with a stripped down Yaris but my husband loves the Honda too much.
What does it have to do with this discussion?
The "target audience" for Civic coupes is a small one since tha vast majority of Civics sold are sedans.
Still XM cuold appear in the 2013's I suppose.
Nissan has tested the market and they are well aware that Sentra coupes would be very poor sellers.
I mean BIG DEAL! When I do forget, that irrating chime quickly serves as a reminder!
Sure, I'd love to have had XM, but I got a poratable one to plug into AUX port for $79.
For years I drove Ford compacts and faced critics, and no problem facing picky, snarky, uppity, critics now.
Oh and BTW, the Canadian plant can't build them fast enough, per a factory worker online.