Car shopping!

[EricBeau]

Hello all,

I'm a car geek and former car salesman who will soon have a 45 mile round trip daily commute. I'm shopping to replace my 143k mile 2001 Camry LE. My drive will be 55-MPH two lane hilly roads. MPG will be very important to me, but so is low cost of ownership.

I'm between a Honda Certified Pre-Owned Civic sedan, probably LX CVT trim, or a 2015 Prius Two with 36k miles.

So basically my question is CPO Civic or non-CPO Prius.

I will finance either vehicle with a 60-month loan. I will be working as a service advisor at a Honda dealer.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

You're better off buying a new Civic. Hondas don't depreciate much, and new car interest rates are usually cheaper than used car interest rates. You may also get a discount as a dealer employee

 

[Kjmack]

Heck I bought a new 2008 Accord and traded it in at a Ford dealer and only got 600 bucks less than I paid for it . O those seats were horrible .

 

[Ws6]

I'd look into maybe going full electric?

 

[carviewsonic]

Either one would serve you well as a commuter. How do things like seat comfort, driving position, ease of getting in and out, road noise, etc. compare?

 

[Skippy722]

Between those 2 I'd pick the one that is the most comfortable to be in. Creature comforts can go a long way as well... I'll never give up my heated seats!

 

[WagonWheel]

Unless you get a discount, I'd skip the Cvic CPO and get a 'regular' used one. Not worth the premium,
IMO. An Audi, maybe yes but no need on a 2-3 year old Honda.

 

[Nick1994]

Keep the Camry for a little bit, become friends with the guys at the dealership and see if you can get a screaming deal on a brand new Honda. Might be able to get it really close or break-even with a used one. Also typically a lower interest rate with a new car.

 

[dbias]

Dont get a 2016+ civic with the 1.5 as they are certified peices of [censored].

 

[skyactiv]

Originally Posted by Nick1994
Keep the Camry for a little bit, become friends with the guys at the dealership and see if you can get a screaming deal on a brand new Honda. Might be able to get it really close or break-even with a used one. Also typically a lower interest rate with a new car.


This.

Unless your dealer you'll be working at sucks, you should get a deal on a used whatever or new Honda. If the dealer is owned by a corp that owns other dealers with other brands, you might get a deal if you want
something other than a Honda. As an example, Sonic Automotive owns over 100 dealers in several states but most people who buy a vehicle from them see the dealer name they have on the building like
Toyota West, Hatfield Volkswagen, Honda of Santa Monica, which are all Sonic dealers.

 

[2010Civic]

Originally Posted by Nick1994
Keep the Camry for a little bit, become friends with the guys at the dealership and see if you can get a screaming deal on a brand new Honda. Might be able to get it really close or break-even with a used one. Also typically a lower interest rate with a new car.


I agree. Or have them find you a deal on a used car at wholesale.

 

[clinebarger]

Going from a Camry to a Civic....Good luck with that.

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted by clinebarger
Going from a Camry to a Civic....Good luck with that.

That's what I told my coworker who went from an older TSX to a brand new (Civic based) ILX.
She really got hosed a year later when she went to trade the ILX for an Accord.

 

[Rolla07]

Whats wrong with the Camry? The best option is to keep driving the Camry which will only cost you gas. Both options are fine otherwise, but you might be disappointed going from a camry to a prius or civic...even the newer 4 cyl Camry's are great on gas and you wont need to give up on comfort.

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by clinebarger
Going from a Camry to a Civic....Good luck with that.


Why? Is the Civic that much more exciting than the Camry?

 

[CharBaby]

Best of luck in your new position at the HONDA Dealership.
This is just my opinion here and nothing else. This is what my father would have told the younger me!

Unless the Camry is falling apart or a poor example of that model year, I'd keep it at least for a while to see how things go during your daily commute & new job. I personally wouldn't be in a hurry to spend umteen thousand dollars just to get better fuel economy.

I know these Camry's...actually, I should say that I remember these Camry's quit well and they are indeed a quiet, comfortable vehicle for a daily commute. And if your daily commute will encounter snow, some winter tires for the bad weather and the car is an animal.

And considering it's a 4 cyl LE, the MPG shouldn't be too awful bad considering the competition of the day(1997-01). Plus, if your Camry is a good example of what those Toyota's are capable of, you could easily put on another 100K miles. Then, get rid of the car for something else at your new dealership.

IMO(and I don't know your specific example) but, there is too much life remaining in that drivetrain, even if it has only been so-so maintained. As well as all of the other parts under the hood & chassis. I mean, those cars have great OE suspension parts, struts, wheel bearings, exhaust systems etc. And, they're an easy car to work on!

But again, IDK your example.

Not only those things I mentioned but, should you need some work done on your car, your new dealership service dept will certainly be the place to have it serviced while you're at work & establishing good relations with the folks there.

That's just me!
Best of luck,
CB

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog
You're better off buying a new Civic. Hondas don't depreciate much, and new car interest rates are usually cheaper than used car interest rates. You may also get a discount as a dealer employee

But they have one of the worst oil dilution problems in the car industry.

 

[Mr Nice]

No need for CPO vehicles.

 

[EricBeau]

I appreciate all of the (widely varied) responses! Keep in mind my Camry is 18 years old and is similar in size to the 2015 Civic; cars have gotten bigger over the years, not smaller.

The Camry is showing its age. It is by no means in rough condition but there are clunks from the suspension, a check engine light with P0466 error code for evaporate solenoid and several holes in the exhaust due to rust. It has served me well over the years but I'm ready for something newer with modern comforts and I think that's okay.

I bought my 2010 Odyssey as a CPO car in 2014 when I sold Hondas. I never had a powertrain warranty claim but I did have two claims under the comprehensive warranty (P/S pump and a TPMS sensor). Obviously those are relatively minor things but the CPO does give a peace of mind (especially with phone connectivity et al) and even qualifies for lower interest rates through AHFC.

Again I appreciate the suggestions! I definitely like the idea of 45+ MPG but I know the Civic would be a slightly more engaging drive.

We'll see how things shake out!

 

[joekingcorvette]

I would feel out the dealership and scope out the trade ins. I bet you will be able to get a super good deal on a used Civic. The Prius versus Civic is kind of a coin toss. A used 2016 Civic will cost three to four thousand less than a 2016 Prius with equal miles. If they were the same price I would go for the Prius and I have owned several Civics. The problem is you can buy lots and lots of gas with the $2,000 to $4000 difference in price and after that you still have to buy a battery for the Prius in about 10 years therefore if you are looking for the least expensive car to drive for 10 years the Civic wins every time. I really like the Toyota Prius but they are definitely more expensive up front than the Civic and it takes about 10 years to even try to break even and the you have to worry about resale and the Honda Civic wins again because of their high standard of reliability and resale. Most of the issues with the 1.5 turbos have been addressed and I know the brand new ones don't have a problem because my brother bought one only in a CRV and they told him this at the dealership.