2002 Honda Civic 2 or 4 door LX 13,999 and you can get 4.9%

[Princeman]

What about a used car with a power train warranty; are the GM certified used cars any good? Does Budget offer used cars with a warranty? The lower price for a 99 or 00, paired with a warranty would be a real hot deal!!

 

[rimoto]

I'm probably very lucky when it comes to cars. In 20 years we've owned 5 Big 3 cars all of which were money pits. I've owned 5 Hondas and Toyotas (most other Japanese cars are not as reliable) and none of the Hondas HAS EVER had a breakdown. Each car I've owned was at least 3 years old when I purchased it.

So someone please answer this question, if Big 3 cars are superior in Reliability, style, and warranty. Why would anyone EVEN CONSIDER buying Japanese nameplate car?? Why wouldn't we want to keep the profits in the USA and not send them back over to Japan. Japanese cars would have gone the way of the YUGO a long time ago if they weren't at least as good or better than American made cars.

IF AMERICAN-MADE CARS WERE SUPERIOR, NO JAPANESE CAR MAKER WOULD STAY IN BUSINESS EVEN IF THEY HAD MANUFACTURING IN AMERICA BECAUSE OF AMERICAN (sometimes blind) LOYALTY AND THE WIERD INHERENT CONNOTATION OF OWNING SOMETHING MADE IN ASIA.

The fact that Japanese cars always sell more on a per unit available basis than American cars even though they have inferior warranties and cost more should show that they are probably better made cars. Word of mouth is extremely evident here.

I could give a freakin' rip whos' nameplate is on my car, I just want a car that gives me the best chance of driving it inexpensively.

Oh, I'm not Japanese.

 

[Tacoma99]

The only drawback to the Honda's that I can think of is they have the HIGHEST theft rates of any make car in most parts of the US. The reason is obvious, they are highly desirable for parts and in other markets.

 

[Emulex]

wow nothing is more boring than a lemming driving a honda!!

 

[Stroke]

For those of you who think the 13999 deal is HOT, you are very mistaking. I bought my 2001 Accord 4dr LX new for 15999, thats way below invoice. DO You know why they sold it to me for so cheap? It's because the "INVOICE PRICE" is not the actual invoice price. I used to work for a dealership and theirs something called a "HOLDBACK". This holdback is an amount to money, pretty much several thousands of dollars, depending on the car, which is retained by the manufacturer or main financing company, which in this case is either Honda Corp. Or Honda Motor Credit. Once the vehicle is sold, the dealership recieves this check from either of the companies and that's how it makes it's profit, even though it looks like they are losing money in your eyes, they are actually making thousands off every purchase a consumer makes. My dealership that i worked for made 7 million last years, and about 85% of those cars sold for invoice or less. So don't say that this is a hot deal, because I am pretty sure u can get that deal for much MUCH better. You just need to stroke the car dealer the right way.

 

[kenkhanh]

<< For those of you who think the 13999 deal is HOT, you are very mistaking. I bought my 2001 Accord 4dr LX new for 15999, thats way below invoice. DO You know why they sold it to me for so cheap? It's because the "INVOICE PRICE" is not the actual invoice price. I used to work for a dealership and theirs something called a "HOLDBACK". This holdback is an amount to money, pretty much several thousands of dollars, depending on the car, which is retained by the manufacturer or main financing company, which in this case is either Honda Corp. Or Honda Motor Credit. Once the vehicle is sold, the dealership recieves this check from either of the companies and that's how it makes it's profit, even though it looks like they are losing money in your eyes, they are actually making thousands off every purchase a consumer makes. My dealership that i worked for made 7 million last years, and about 85% of those cars sold for invoice or less. So don't say that this is a hot deal, because I am pretty sure u can get that deal for much MUCH better. You just need to stroke the car dealer the right way. >>


more information on the dealer hold back from www.edmunds.com

 

[JimmyBoy]

Consumer Reports April Car issue just came out. And guess what?

The Honda Civic reliability isn't very good. In fact it's below the Pontiac Sunfire. Scary.

Maybe that's why Honda only has a 3/36 Warranty??????????

 

[TypicalSupraOwner]

<< I hate American cars. They aren't reliable as Japanese cars. Honda's suck too. I'll give it to them that they make pretty good family cars, but as for import racing? They suck as hell. Honda's can't compete with such dominating greats like Nissan, Toyota, Subaru. Cars such as the Skyline which has STOCK 400HP in Japan can beat any Honda car. Why do you think Honda is gearing towards making luxury/family cars? Cause they know Japanese racers don't buy Hondas.

Please keep in mind the only cars in which Honda gets props for is the NSX and the S2000. Everything else sucks.

Of course..this is just my opinion. >>



Sorry, i have to chime in here. Skyline comes stock with 400hp? Gee, thats funny. My best friend had a 96 R33 Skyline GT-R V-Spec, and it only came with 280HP. I know 2 other people, one with a 99 and one with a 2000 R34 GT-R V-Spec Skyline, and they all had 280 from the factory. I find it so comical the "Mystique" of the skyline by people who dont know a damn thing about them. I've raced my friend plenty of times, and i can tell you one thing about them. "OVER-RATED". The skyline is a nice car, no doubt. But it like a lot of other cars out there, is extremely over rated, and quite slow, to be honest.

What do i drive? Gee, as my username so well describes it. I have a 94 Supra Turbo 6-Speed that put down 418RWHP, near 485-500HP at the engine (which is what all cars are rated at from the factory). Oh and before you say it, all those skyline guys modified their cars to almost identical mods as i have, and i still beat them. All the time.

-TSO

 

[dirtrat]

<< hate American cars. They aren't reliable as Japanese cars. Honda's suck too. I'll give it to them that they make pretty good family cars, but as for import racing? They suck as hell. Honda's can't compete with such dominating greats like Nissan, Toyota, Subaru. >>



Uh, what thread have you been reading? We ARE talking about family cars here, not race cars!

 

[xDominator]

I know there are lots of Honda fanboys around these days who love to put big exhaust tips on their civics and slap vtec stickers all over their windsheild and fenders and they think they are driving a race car! I just laugh at these guys as I smoke them off the light in my 1974 Ford F-100 Pickup Truck!! Yah thats right, my 28 year old Ford still hauls a$$ and can take any little honda, despite the fact that it weighs almost 8000lbs! And I don't know why people say Hondas are so reliable because I see them broken down on the side of the road almost every day! As for safety, how could anyone feel safe driving around in a little Civic? Its practically a sardeen can with wheels! If I were to hit a Civic head on with my truck it wouldnt even slow me down! I'd just have to pry it off my bumper with a crowbar! My rusty old Ford has over 700,000km on it and, yes, I've had the engine rebuilt once, but it cost me only $900.00 CDN, which is about... what, $300.00 US? ... Fact is 5.0Litre ford parts are available everywhere and are very cheap because of the fact that Ford has made 5.0 Litre V8 motors from 1968 up until 1998!

Also, If Hondas are soooo reliable and last forever like all the fanboys tell me... then why is it that full time all day drivers like Cop cars and Taxis dont drive hondas?

 

[Nefrodite]

Consumer Reports April Car issue just came out. And guess what?

The Honda Civic reliability isn't very good. In fact it's below the Pontiac Sunfire. Scary.

Maybe that's why Honda only has a 3/36 Warranty??????????


um this i have to see, every year i've seen consumer reports put civic in the top 3.

 

[ChuckWits]

Yea, I was really surprised to see that the Civic was rated so low, too. Apparently it's because the 2002 ratings are based upon only one prior model year due to a change in the car in 2001, and due to the 2001 ones having some reliability issues. However, if you go to page 74, the used car guide still rates the Civic as having "better-than-average overall reliability."

As far as Dominator's comment goes, I would think the primary reason the police and taxis don't use Honda is because of their small size...they're not really well-suited for carrying lots of passengers (or prisoners) and luggage now, are they?

 

[weepul]

civics although isn't the best car around has several points worth mentioning. They are rated ULEV (Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) which is A LOT better for the environment considering that a recent report stated the emmisions coming out of cars were cleaner than the air around it in Los Angeles. It might be very light and if it did collide with another car, pretty sure it be smashed to smithereens, but because it's lightness and efficient gas usage, it has really good mileage (notice i didn't say best, i said really good). until eletric cars, hybrids, solar-powered or fuel cells become more reliable, civics is a really good choice according to the price. they also have really high resell value and i owned a cadillac before and lemme tell you they wouldn't take it for $1000 for a '89 fleetwood. the cadillac was a much smoother ride, but i personally like the civic better due to its size so i can practically fit in any parking spot.

And I don't know why people say Hondas are so reliable because I see them broken down on the side of the road almost every day!

that's cause so many ppl own it. -_^x In it's class of cars, civics is the winner in # of ppl that drive it.

 

[GnatGoSplat]

Ouch. $14k for a not very interesting econobox. Granted, it's brand new, but it's still a Civic.
$14k will buy a '99 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP or '99 Buick Regal GS, which are safer and a lot more fun to drive with the supercharged engine (invest a few hundred bucks and you get 13-second 1/4-miles out of a FWD family car, not bad).
$14k will buy a '92-94 Mercedes Benz S-class which is the same body style from 92-98, and a whole lot more car than even a brand new Civic. Not to mention worlds safer, far more luxurious, and a ton more prestige!
$14k will even buy a Delorean, for the sake of uniqueness.

With $14k, I could buy 14 of the cars I drive now, which I wouldn't trade for 14 Civics, even though my car now has 196k miles and is not yet broken in yet.

I just can't see spending $14k on a Civic, although I guess people do it all the time.

 

[hatexdv]

Nefrodite, where is the consumer report for cars?

 

[dman]

I think there should be a ban on posting a hot deal on a car. Someone always has paid less.

"Oh yeah, well, I did my homework and worked them so far down they paid me to drive the car away. In fact, I even financed their payment to me @ 8% over 5 years, so, by then I should have earned enough for them to give me a free trade in. And they are throwing in free oil changes for the first 60K miles. Yeah, that's it. That's the ticket."

 

[Thegonagle]

<< Nefrodite, where is the consumer report for cars? >>


Consumer Reports does not have free access over the web to their articles. They don't accept advertising (or products for testing) from any manufacturers, so they need to make a little money (to afford all those things they pay retail to test) by selling the magazine.

PS, Bump for the best economy car made. I'll take my HX (45 MPG) coupe in black with a 5 speed, AC, and keyless entry. Thank you.

 

[wsking]

<< Ouch. $14k for a not very interesting econobox. Granted, it's brand new, but it's still a Civic.
$14k will buy a '99 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP or '99 Buick Regal GS, which are safer and a lot more fun to drive with the supercharged engine (invest a few hundred bucks and you get 13-second 1/4-miles out of a FWD family car, not bad).
$14k will buy a '92-94 Mercedes Benz S-class which is the same body style from 92-98, and a whole lot more car than even a brand new Civic. Not to mention worlds safer, far more luxurious, and a ton more prestige!
q]

$14k for MB S-Class??? not bad
should i trade in my Civic?

 

[Jzero]

<< As for safety, how could anyone feel safe driving around in a little Civic? Its practically a sardeen can with wheels! If I were to hit a Civic head on with my truck it wouldnt even slow me down! I'd just have to pry it off my bumper with a crowbar! >>

If it were about "feeling" safe implied true safety, then you should be invincible in an SUV or full-sized pick-up
The Civic gets very high safety ratings (5-star front and side-impacts) from NHTSA. Of course you'd blow right over it in your F-100.....
But the driver would live!

 

[MoboN00B]

<< I think there should be a ban on posting a hot deal on a car. Someone always has paid less.

"Oh yeah, well, I did my homework and worked them so far down they paid me to drive the car away. In fact, I even financed their payment to me @ 8% over 5 years, so, by then I should have earned enough for them to give me a free trade in. And they are throwing in free oil changes for the first 60K miles. Yeah, that's it. That's the ticket." >>



i don't any dealer in their right mind will ever pay you to drive it away. i think they were blowing alot BS your way because they knew they would make the difference up in financing. just my 2 cents.

 

[maddmurph]

I just bought a 2001 civic because of hondas are a reliable car and when I saw it might not be, I went to the consumer reports site and I found that the honda civic is the top rate small car, its in the highlights section(it just gives the hight rated per class).

Link to highlights

And that is a hot deal, I paid 14,500 for my 2001 2 door LX.

 

[gerrick]

I can't believe this threads is still alive. Well it has been over a month and I love the civic. I feel I bought the best car for the money. I plan to have this car for a few hundred thousand miles. My experience with American cars tells me they won't make it that far without spending money every month. That does not mean they won't go 100k or even 200k. I just feel anything over that is pushing it and it will become a money and time sink sooner then later at that point. I like to look at the whole picture when buying a car not just how people perceive me. With this purchase I considered why I need a car, how much gas costs, how much insurance is, how long I will have the car (repairs, etc..), and how safe it is. not necessarily in that order. The Civic fit all those needs perfectly. It was inexpensive I just drive in it, 34 mpg is not bad and better then 27 with my old car, has en excellent reliability record, insurance is cheap, and it has one of the highest crash ratings in it's class. Not only that the I'm not against the styling ,it is fun to drive and better for our environment. The luxury nameplates have added costs like premium fuel, higher insurance and higher repair costs. That is not what I was looking for.


Let's go over my deal. I'm sure people have gotten them cheaper. I heard a radio ad while in LA for a civic LX auto for $150 less then my car. I don't care. I'm happy with mine and I didn't want an auto anyway.

The car was 13,999 minus tax and license. 13,999 is about $250 less then invoice. Dealer holdback at 3% of invoice is about $428. 428 -250 is $178. My car included color matched door and fender well trim all the way around. That is about $100 not counting paying a tech to install it .So lets say $150. $178 - $150 is $28. So by the numbers I'm aware of the dealership made $30 off me. Now I know that is a little low I'm sure. My car was not on the lot very long so the dealer could offer the car at a slight profit and try to sell you a different model which was not on sale. An automatic would cost a minimum of $900 then the car I bought during this sale. I also factor in how long the deal took me. I was at the dealer maybe an hour. I would have paid a few hundred more to be out that quick. My leisure time is priceless to me. I consider it an hour well spent. anything over that and I would have been upset. I think it is time to finally let this thread die.

You are reading the Consumer reports wrong by the way. The predicted reliabilty is based on that model Vs. previos models. So it would be the 2002 vs say the previous generation which was a 2000.

I think you are reading the Consumer reports wrong by the way. The predicted reliability is based on that model Vs. previous model (I think). So it would be the 2001/2002 vs. the previous generation which was 2000. I don't have the magazine in front of me but I remember the only thing that got worse was switch gear. First generation vehicles tend to always get worse. They just don't have people using the product so heavily. As a rule never by the first year of a car. the second and third usually have the bugs worked out. Honda did change quite a few things going into the 2002 model. So I would predict that the car will get substantially better from 2001.

I'm not what I would call a Honda fan boy. I do have a 2001 Accord EX (bought it 02/01 has 25,000 miles) and 2002 Civic LX (bought it 02/02 has 3000 miles). I've owned Nissan and fords before those. The cars sucked once they hit 100,000 miles. Before that it was great. I got sick of buying a new car every 100,000. that means I get a new car every 2.5 - 3.5 years. I can't have that. My cars are all stock BTW.

 

[tzengCS]

wow, i just spent 15 minutes of my finals week studying time, reading this thread. i don't have anything close to $14,000. im just tryin to save up $150 for a g3 ti300. anyone give me some extra money from their saving off the 4.9%?

 

[vinnyracer]

I don't know how I still have time to read this thread knowing that I have 3 Mid-term this week.

Anandtech's hot deals kill about 10-15 hours of my time a week just reading about hot deals. Not including the time at other site linked from Anandtech's hot deals.

If you want to read the past issue of Consumer reports, just go to your local library. They sould have it.

BTW, I love my CIVIC!