What does MM think of this?

hoffse · January 2014

Hi all,

So H went back to school today (sad), and on the way his check engine light came on. He took it to a couple of places to see what was wrong, and it sounds like he's going to need a major ($1500 or so) repair. We've been planning on buying him a car in the next 12ish months anyway, so we're thinking we might just go ahead and do it now instead of paying for a big repair like that.

We've been thinking we're going to get him an Accord or a Civic. We started the process today, just to sort of get a feel of what the market is like. Out of curiosity I sent in a price request through Costco's auto program.

The quote I got back for a new 2014 Civic was around $16,200. My eyes popped. She told me that didn't include taxes, etc. but with all the extras added on it would be around $18,000. That's still below invoice.

What does MM think about this? Just browsing Carmax, their 2013 civics with 10K miles or so start at $18K. And I think taxes are extra (can anybody confirm?). I could probably do better than carmax on the used car market, but they're at least a baseline to start with. Obviously I would rather spend $18,000 for a new car than $19,500-$20,000 for a used car.

We know we want a car with side curtain airbags (H's car doesn't have this currently). We also want bluetooth so he can call and text hands-free. The 2013 Hondas have all of this in their base models. They also included rearview backup cameras in their base models, and that's really compelling for us too. So we might be looking at 2012-2013 or newer anyway. We're not going to buy him a clunker. His job in September will require him to drive 8-hour roundtrips probably once a week, and it needs to be able to handle that sort of abuse. We want to drive this car for 5-10 years.

Thoughts? What would MM do?

JuneMrs · January 2014

I would see what's actually wrong with the car and then shop cars that are 1-2 years used. 2013 is a leftover at this point but you may do even better with a 2012 model if it comes to car shopping.

hoffse · January 2014

Sorry - the quote was for a 2014. Any they had on their lot. Online there are 83 to choose from. That's just what they're selling them for to Costco members.

The upgrades started with the 2013 base models and have continued with the 2014 base models. I think you had to get a fancier model to get the safety upgrades we're looking at on the 2012s, though if we can do better than that on a fancier 2012 we would certainly consider it. I know H would love leather seats. Alas, the leather seats were what inspired him to buy the POS car he currently owns.

Ack I hate car shopping. I know you're supposed to buy used to save yourself the initial depreciation hit, but I'm sort of on the fence with this one.

Xstatic3333 · January 2014

Honestly, I love the idea of buying used to avoid depreciation, but I've been burned so many times even by lightly-used cars. I've had a long commute for most of my adult life, and I value reliability above all else. I'm also currently driving a Honda, and they have my loyalty going forward.

By all means I would take a few days to shop around and see if you can find a comparable used model, especially one with the features you H likes (mine likes the high trim package too, though I could care less). If, however, the right used fit isn't available right now, I don't see a problem getting the 2014 here. From what you've shared about your careers this sounds like a very affordable model for you, and you're planning to drive it long-term. You could probably get a great loan rate and pay it off quickly if you want to.

And by all means, definitely buy now instead of doing the repair. We hung in way too long to our last car and wasted a ton of money.

bparkhur · January 2014

We called about 20 Honda dealerships in the state of Florida when we were shopping for our crv. We said give us your best out-the-door price. They would quote us and then a few hours later call back with a lower price. Ultimately we bought at a dealership that was 3 hrs away because it saved us around $900. We made it clear we were buying with whomever quoted us the best price (we bought new).

hoffse · January 2014

Xstatic, that's just it - used cars kind of make me nervous. The car I drive I bought from my parents... but they bought it new. They actually bought two of them at once and get a hell of a price on it as a result. My dad and I were the only people who ever drove it.

My H's car was a lightly used carmax car - around 20K miles when he bought it - and that thing is really a piece of crap. It's an Altima, so it shouldn't be that bad, but it is. All I can figure is the previous owner must have really abused it, because my H is pretty vigilant about routine maintenance. And yet, his crappy car goes into the shop about once every 6 months. This one was really the last straw for me because it's such an expensive repair, that I'd rather just move our buy date up. Bonus: we're planning on rolling our car payment into our student loan debt snowball once the car is paid off, so we'll be able to do that a year earlier if we just buy now.

Anyway, buying used does kind of make me nervous, especially given our recent frustrations with this car. Buying new doesn't make me nervous, but I feel like I'm not being super MM with it if I go that direction. Sigh.

I've always driven Hondas. They are fabulous cars, and I'm super brand loyal because I just don't have to worry about their performance. Ever. Their upgraded safety features on the newer models make them that much more appealing to me, especially since H is going to be putting some serious miles on it beginning in September. In some respects, I'll burn money for better safety. Sounds weird coming from me, but there you go. That's a major reason why we're looking at newer models.

I'm not switching jobs for a couple weeks, so we will shop around at least until then. We're also looking at an Accord because we think we could probably drive it longer than a civic. We're sort of concerned that if we have children we'll feel squeezed out of the civic and might feel the need to trade it in sooner than we want.

As for trims, we will probably get him the base model since this is a year earlier than we planned. But I know he will wish it was leather. I admit, I'm a sucker for a sunroof... and the butt warmers that come with leather ARE rather nice. But I think we're going to have to suck it up and be minimal this time around

Xstatic3333 · January 2014

I know the traditional logic is that it's not MM to buy new, but I think when you can get a new car cheaper than the used version, it's a special exception to that rule. We looked at used Civics for H last year before ending up with a Subaru, and didn't see any late models for less than 18K unless they had some sort of major issue. I'm totally with you on safety being #1 with cars, too. It just makes sense! Good luck, and let us know what you pick!

Mom987 · January 2014

I loved my Civic so much, mainly because of the great gas mileage. I'd buy new for that price.

hoffse · January 2014

@Mom987, do you think a carseat would fit comfortably the back of a civic? What about 2 carseats? That's really my only concern with the civic. The accord also came in about $1300 below invoice, but it's a more expensive car to begin with. Since we're buying earlier than planned, I'd rather save the money and go with the civic if we aren't likely to grow out of it.

Of course, H could sit in the Accord and declare it "his car." In which case, I'll be overruled

But I'm still curious about the carseat thing.

irishfemme · January 2014

We just went through the same thing with my car. I'd had it in (on a tow truck twice) 3 times in the past 4 months for very costly repairs. While it was only 7 years old, I had put 120K miles on it, and we decided it was time.

I found a great deal at a dealership about 3 hours from us on a (new) 2013. We called around locally, but nobody could touch the $6K discount they were offering. So, two weeks ago, we went and got it. They got us great financing at 1.35%.

My dad was very much in favor of me getting the new car, as was my husband. He was insistent that I needed something reliable and professional for my job (good point, Dad). I have always shopped lightly used, but this was a better deal than much of what I would have considered in something lightly used (under 10K miles). I also figured that with something brand new, I might be able to get an extra year or two of driving out of it down the road.

Good luck--happy shopping!

vlagrl29 · January 2014

If we bought used the car would only have maybe a few hundred miles on it, not thousands. If the used price is pretty much the same as a brand new price, I would buy new. I bought my ford focus back in 2003, brand new at dealership for $15,000 with 0% financing.

Mom987 · January 2014

hoffse said:
@Mom987, do you think a carseat would fit comfortably the back of a civic? What about 2 carseats? That's really my only concern with the civic. The accord also came in about $1300 below invoice, but it's a more expensive car to begin with. Since we're buying earlier than planned, I'd rather save the money and go with the civic if we aren't likely to grow out of it.

Of course, H could sit in the Accord and declare it "his car." In which case, I'll be overruled But I'm still curious about the carseat thing.

That's funny you ask because the reason I sold my Civic was because I had a baby, and now we have two kids. We used my Civic while he was still in the baby carrier that would click in and out, but once we had to lean down and strap him in and out, we got a small SUV, Ford Escape. My Civic was a 2 door, so it was really hard to lean into the back seat since the carseat is rear-facing. My Civic was 10 years old and great condition, so I got above Kelley Blue Book value, but I was ready for the bigger car. Sorry for the novel.

hoffse · January 2014

Thanks for the input - the size is really our concern. I think that with just us, and maybe a tiny baby we'd be fine. But I wonder if we'd outgrow it before we wanted to sell it. We might look more seriously at the Accord.

cbee817 · January 2014

I have 2 kids (one forward and one rear-facing) and drive a 2003 4-door Honda Civic EX. We do have a larger car (2006 Subaru Outback) but for day to day stuff, the civic is fine. I bought mine used from a Honda dealership (certified pre-owned).. it had 1 previous owner and I have had no issues other than routine maintenance and 1 recall covered by Honda. This is actually my 3rd honda civic- had 2 1998's (one was totaled- all airbags deployed, the front bumper was completely ripped off, and I didn't have a scratch on me) and the 2003... I love Hondas- they're great cars.

hoffse · January 2014

Thanks, cbee that's really helpful. I don't want to overthink it - who knows what will happen when we start to try - but I don't want us regretting this a few years from now. If you can reasonably fit 2 small kids in a 4-door civic that might convince us.

I haven't heard from H yet re: the test drive - he gets final say of course, so I'm eager to hear what he thought!

MommyLiberty5013 · January 2014

Buy a certified used car, I know you pay a bit more for certified used vehicles. But, they have gone through more rigorous testing.

nicolen08 · January 2014

Just my 2 cents...

I have a 2 door Honda Civic, and we just bought a 2013 Honda CRV AWD because we want to start a family. I think we paid 24,000 after everything with a .9 interest rate for 60 months. . .this took some negotiating. I personally think a 4 door Civic is doable with 2 kids, but for road trips I think it's really nice to have a larger car. We bought a crossover because of their versatility and safety. We also have big dogs, so we need the trunk room to take them along, and the AWD is so nice for the rain and snow. The seats also fold down easily in the CRV, making it easy to transport larger items.

We bought new because finding a good used car was just too stressful; I was scared I'd buy a lemon. Hondas also have amazing resale value, so I felt we could get a good amount of money back with that. Also, to further praise the CRV, CRVs are cheaper to insure than Civics. That said, I've had my Civic for 4 years, and I love it. It's a great car. My brother has an Accord, and I really prefer the overall size of the CRV to it.

I also wanted a bigger car for safety. I'd rather my future kids be hit in a CRV than a Civic. Civics have great safety scores in their class, but not everyone on the road is in that same class.

JoanE2012 · January 2014

@hoffse - I always buy new! I love not having to worry about anything going wrong with the car for the first few years. I also tend to trade cars in right before they hit 100k......before things usually start going wrong and when I can still get a decent trade in value.

I had 2 civics in the past....they're great cars! Never bought through Costco but it sounds like a good deal. Let us know what you decide!

What does MM think of this?

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