Things Your Momma Never Told You About A Honda Civic Hybrid

[unhappycamper]

Yesterday I bought a 2010 Toyota Prius.

And yesterday I found out the resale value of Honda Civic Hybrids is much less than expected.

I picked up my new Honda Civic Hybrid at the dealer on January 2, 2009. My price was slightly over $22,000, delivered. I had been reading about how Hondas maintain their residual value better than other cars. That may be true of most Hondas, but definitely NOT true for the Hybrid models.

The first dealer I went to was the cousin of a friend in a Toyota dealership up in Nashua, NH. I got his name from my dear friends, Connie and Patrick - Pat's in my VFP chapter. I introduced myself to Mark to and told him a bit of what I knew about the Honda Hybrid problems, as well as what I knew about Hybrids in general. Mike called in one of his salesmen who is Hybrid expert, Ryan. (NOTE TO SELF - be sure to buy a good bottle of Holiday booze for both of these gentlemen.)

I talked with Ryan for a bit and told him what I was looking for: a 2010/2011 Prius, stage IV, no navigation system (I explained my feelings about GPS locators), heated leather seats and a sunroof. We took a 2010 Prius to a test drive for about 1/2 an hour. Naturally I was asking questions the whole time. Did you know that a few of the features in the navigation package include a CD changer, a kickass navigation system and a backup camera to see what's behind you when you're backing up?

When we got back to the office I said, alright I want a 2010/2011 Prius, navigation system, heated leather seats and a sunroof.

I told them my tradein was my 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. Ryan and Mark huddled a bit and told me the cheapest option was to get a stage III Prius with a navigation system. His dealership has been doing business with an authorized regional service dealer in the Nashua area. He said he could have the interior upgraded to leather seats (heated in the front) and could install a Honda sunroof w/o the solar option. I said "Great!"

Bottom line: You remember that $22,000 less-than-two-years old Honda Civic Hybrid that I though would retain it's value? Mark offered me $13,000 for it in the trade in deal. My cost for the new Prius would be my Civic and $12,800.

I thanked both him and Ryan profusely and promised I would call him Saturday with my decision.

On my way back home I thought I would swing by the Bock Toyota dealership. Bock has both Honda and Toyota dealerships that sit side by side on the Auto Mile in Norwood, MA. So I went in and told them a) I'm a Bock customer and b) that I'm shopping for a new Prius and know exactly what I want.

I had hoped that I would receive some consideration for being a Bock customer but that was not to be the case. Bock Toyota, the one that sits right next to Bock Honda, offered me a $9,000 tradein on my less-than-two-years old $22,000 Civic Hybrid with 34,000 miles. Their price for the automobile minus a Honda sunroof was $14,800.

I spoke with a sales manger during these negotiations and expressed my anger and frustration about the low residual value of the Civic Hybrid. I pointed out that I was a member of the 'Bock family' and felt they should throw a bucks my way for being a Bock customer. They lowered my delivery price to $13,800. :wooptiefrickingdoo:

When I got home I called Mark to seal the deal. I'm picking this thing up next Wednesday.

So, if any of you are interested in a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid in southern NH for a good price, PM me and I'll give you Mark's number.

I traded this thing because the gas mileage I had been getting (>45 MPH on the highway) was hovering in the high 30s for highway driving and low 30s around town after a May computer update. I have all the records of all the maintenance done at the Honda dealership. The car is somewhat smallish and should be an outstanding value for its next owner as I took a $9,000 depreciation hit for less than two years of ownership. I'm sure Mark would make it available at a good discount. The Civic has the obligatory VFP, IVAW and VVAW stickers on the side windows and the obligatory "War Is A Racket" bumper sticker underneath the license plate. Now that I've taken a major depreciation hit, you will be getting good value for your bucks.



Here's the thread I had previously put up on EE.

[madrchsod]

1. my 86 honda crx got 37+ at 75 mph.

if i kept it at 65 it would hit 40. i could rebuild a couple of crx`x and a civic coupe for around 15,000.

[unhappycamper]

3. With the Civic I got 47.8 MPG when I came back from GA this spring.

1,022 miles door to door.

[Jackpine Radical]

6. I used to routinely get 43 with an '84 Civic.

A great car, which we ended up selling to a friend after it crossed 200 k. She drove it for several years after that.

[txlibdem]

8. '95 Civic manual trans, 48 MPG, my wife's (identical) got 50 consistently

I don't know what the difference could have been but she always got a couple of MPG better than me. Highway, city, combination, it didn't matter.

That was a good car. I wish we hadn't had to sell it (years ago).

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. I test drove both of them

Liked the Prius much better. Smoother ride. Roomier on the inside.

[hlthe2b]

4. I bought a fully loaded 2007 Prius to avoid the depreciation on a new one...

and wanted to avoid spending too much money since I'd like very much to buy a plug-in when they become available in a few years. I have to tell you that I had been interested in a civic hybrid, but quite a bit of internet research yielded enough negative feedback information that I was scared off-- including forums dedicated to Hondas and their hybrids. I was quite surprised as I had thought that it would be a toss-up between the Prius and the civic hybrid, but when a few HC owners candidly told me to buy the Prius, I was scared off, though I liked the looks of the Civic. :shrug:

Sorry about your experience. I dread buying cars so much that I kept my 98 Subie Outback for nearly 11 years. Enjoy your Prius. I'm enjoying mine.

[txlibdem]

9. Plug-in option available

I'll summarize it for you. You can get a cheap conversion to plug-in on your '97 Prius that uses Lead Acid batteries. Run, do not walk. Those will last anywhere from 6 months to 4 years tops. Not worth the hassle and you'll be disappointed in it in the long run. Stick with the companies that will put in NiMH or Lithium Ion batteries; much more pricey but well worth it and will last a long time (most of the NiMH Toyota Rav4-EVs are still on the road).

Depending on the choice of battery types, PHEV conversions using lead-acid, nickel-metal and lithium chemistries are now available for $2-$13,000. Conversions are mostly for the second-generation (2004-2009) Prius. At these prices, people are buying the "environmental feature" -- they want to be among the first owners of the world's cleanest extended-range vehicles. They are early adopters, buying "Version 1.0" PHEVs with "Good Enough to Get Started" batteries. See Where PHEVs Are for a list of early conversions.

Tax Credits MAY BE Available: The Internal Revenue Service is developing rules for the 10% (to $4,000) tax credits for conversions put in service after February 2009, summarized at Vehicle Credits. The instructions for the required form 8910 remain a year old; we expect they will involve qualifications. A conversion company may say its products are eligible, but we haven't yet heard of any customers getting credits.

http://www.calcars.org/howtoget.html

The article goes on to list a bunch of companies that do the conversion for you or sell you a kit so you can hire someone to put it in your car.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=834454
10% Federal tax credit available now:
http://www.a123systems.com/hymotion/get_charged

[hlthe2b]

10. Wow... thanks!

I knew some enthusiasts were doing this, but hadn't realized it had gotten so nearly mainstream...;)

[txlibdem]

11. You're most welcome.

Before I became disabled I was going to buy a 2004/2005 or newer Prius (you can get them pretty cheap sometimes) and turn it into a plug-in...

[here_is_to_hope]

5. Exactly why I have never purchased a new car. n/t

[OnlinePoker]

7. Be thankful you don't live in Canada

I just went on the Toyota Canada website and the model and features you described are coming in at $37,000+, taxes not included. Right now, the Canadian dollar is almost at parity with the U.S. so we are paying a $12k premium for the same car. Dealers here bitch about people going to the States to buy their cars, but why not when there's this much of a difference.