Which of the following should I pick as my first car?

[Helicobacter]

With 70% likelihood, I will need a car to drive 1.5h daily until it becomes unusable
With 30% likelihood, I will need to drive a car 1.5h daily for the next 5 months, afterward only use it sporadically or sell it.

All are Honda Civic LX Sedan:
2010 with 0 miles for $16000 drive-out (3 year/36000 miles warranty) from a Honda dealership with bad reputation (ranked 8th out of 8 Honda dealerships in my state in customer satisfaction)
2007 with 66000 miles for $12200 drive-out (3 month warranty) from a Honda dealership with good reputation (ranked 1st out of 8 Honda dealerships in my state in customer satisfaction)
2007 with 33000* miles for $11700 drive-out (no warranty) from a used car dealership with bad reputation (run down used car dealership with an aggressive seller who curses around, 1 positive, 2 negative reviews online)

*there has been an inconstant odometer reading in the CARFAX. Within a period of 8 months it went from 8k miles to 2k miles.

I have enough cash to pay it all at once, but I want to minimize my costs.
I have no connections to car mechanics and poor understanding of mechanical car issues.

Please rank the three options from best to worst.

 

[Spicedaddy]

A new one is $16000 and a 4-year old one is $12200? LOL, get the new one and sell it in 4 years...


But as a first car, I'd recommend getting something used. So look at other brands that don't have ridiculously high resale values like Honda and Toyota. Mazda 3, Nissan Sentra, VW Rabbit, etc.

 

[HarryLui]

Have you factored in insurance cost for full coverage, gas, reg, title?

 

[Helicobacter]

insurance costs are all pretty close together

 

[fr]

Do you live the SF Bay Area?

http://autolicio.us/new/2011-civic-lx-sedan-auto-15888-18-off-msrp/

 

[Helicobacter]

im in georgia

 

[MovingTarget]

Is there any reason you have settled on those three only?

 

[Helicobacter]

i have my mind set on a civic because of their reliability and the satisfaction of their owners (based on consumer reports).
ive bargained with all honda dealers in my state, and option #1 is the lowest quote ive gotten from a set constructed for new 2010's and 2011's.
option #3 was found by looking at <50k miles on Autotrader and finding the lowest prices that are not scrap/totalled.
option #2 i found without much orientation or clear goals, but it is from reputable dealer, which is important in case something goes wrong

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Lol consumer reports. Look at a ford fiesta, just picked one up for my uncle, a very well sorted and well engineered little car.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Look at a 2006-2007ish Ford Focus. You should be able to grab one with relatively low miles dirt cheap, and their reliability is quite good.

Limiting yourself to one make / model is like shooting yourself in the foot intentionally.

 

[satyajitmenon]

Limiting yourself to one make / model is like shooting yourself in the foot intentionally.

This.

OP, there's nothing wrong with Civics. But for both your scenarios (the 70% & the 30%), you might be better off just getting a 2-3 yr old Focus or Mazda3 since this is your first car.

a) will be cheaper to get than equivalent Civic
b) can purchase extended factory warranty (I think) if you're worried about reliability
c) lower initial outlay = less loss if you sell it soon. (the 30% scenario in your OP)

 

[SearchMaster]

Definitely not #2 or #3 (#2 is too expensive relative to #1 and #3 is too shady to even consider).

#1 is a good deal especially compared to the other two. I rarely feel like buying new is a good idea but if you are only considering those three options, I'd choose #1. Also, assuming they honor their price, I wouldn't worry about customer satisfaction and dealer quality. You can always go to another dealer for service.

 

[exar333]

I would also suggest either a used Mazda3/Focus or a new Civic. Buying a used Civic just doesnt make a lot of sense since the price difference is so small between brand-new and one with <75,000 miles. The used Mazda3/Focus would be cheaper and still be very reliable. You also could get a more "comfortable" car with this option (tech, comfort package, etc.) than with what you would get in the Civic. The Ford Sync system is really slick...

 

[kornphlake]

You should use this as an opportunity to hone your bargaining skills, you've got a good price from a dealership you don't trust, a dealership you do trust should be able to give you the same price on a new vehicle. I wouldn't consider the used vehicles since the depreciation seems insignificant in your area.

Don't let the others BS you into buying something you don't want, this forum has a hard on for a couple cars in each class and the Civic isn't one of them in the econobox class. A Civic is still a good car, I'd probably buy one over a Mazda 3 or Ford Focus for myself if I were comparing new cars.

 

[Arkaign]

Civic are historically good, but Honda sits on their hands for a very long time between gens. The current Civic came out in '05 as the '06 model, and it's VERY close to being replaced with a totally new generation in less than a year's time for the '12 model year.

I say get a decent cheap used car, then look at the '12 Civics when they come out if that's what you really want. It would suck to get a '10 Civic now and then be blown away by how improved the '12s are.

The current Civic is mostly meh, and is mediocre in most areas while still commanding a very high price. It has low hp/torque even for an economy car, and the fuel economy is surprisingly average.

Don't forget that Honda's high theft rates increase insurance costs somewhat.

If we were in the year 2000, Civic was definitely a class leader at that point, now they're middle of the pack riding on their historic reputation to demand unreasonable $.

 

[cheesehead]

I'm going to highly recommend a Subaru Impreza.

The reasons:
1. All wheel drive. I don't know where you live, but you likely have to deal with either rain or snow at some point during the year.
2. The car is a little bigger, and a lot more practical. The 5-door hatchback is basically a small station wagon.
3. 170HP > 146HP.
4. Honda reliability is good. So is the Subaru's.
5. The Subaru is actually cheaper. Around here, the cheapest Civic with air conditioning is $17,000. The Impreza is $16,200.

NOTE: I own a Civic.