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Sedans Honda Civic Honda Civic vs Toyota Corolla vs Mazda3
879 messages, Last post on Nov 25, 2008 at 2:57 PM
You are in the Honda Civic Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: nube (Aug 09, 2006 12:09 pm) Not only were the honda dealers willing to go well below MSRP, they gave me a great deal on my trade in. My current dealer offers free loaner cars for service, a heated waiting area to drop off your cars, free drinks/coffee and 23 dollar oil changes. All of my dealing, at several dealerships was done over the internet. Got a great quote and didn't have to haggle much. Depends on where you are. I would keep looking a travel a bit if you like one car over another. There are good and bad dealerships for every brand. Marc
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Replying to: nube (Aug 09, 2006 12:09 pm) The Honda dealer was trying to "throw" in a normally extra cost extended warranty, probably by inflating the price of the car to cover the cost of the warranty. You do not have to worry about the reliability of the Corolla - it is the best (or maybe tied for first place.) That's why I have always had one. And I never bought the extended warranty. If I would have bought the warranty, I would have lost money due to not using it!! |
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Replying to: mcap56 (Aug 09, 2006 3:36 pm) Where in the new York area are you talking about. I'm in Brooklyn. Phil |
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Hi Phil: I am in Brooklyn also!! The dealerships I have had the best luck with were Honda of Nanuet and Brewster Honda. Brewster consistently had the lowest prices and Nanuet is the most professional dealership of the group. My friend seemed to have gotten a good deal over in Queens. Worth a little drive to get a good deal. Marc
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Replying to: nube (Aug 09, 2006 12:09 pm) If the Civic is truely at the top of your list (and your only issue appears to be the sales experience), you might try what I did when my wife and I were in the market for a new '05 Odyssey when they first came out. Go online and check dealer inventory. Find 3-4 dealer's with vehicles in-stock that would meet your requirements. E-mail those dealers BUT INCLUDE YOUR BUY OFFER ON THE CAR. Don't just e-mail asking what their best price is. Also, explain HOW you arrive at your asking price. Explain that you know what the dealer invoice price is (you can get this info from Edmunds), that you know what the dealer holdback is (I can't remember what it was with Honda's but I think it was 2% of the MSRP). Then explain that you understand the dealer must make some profit on the car (perhaps 4%) above the dealer's true cost. This would be how you might arrive at your buy offer. Then explain that you've located suitable cars at OTHER dealers (you might even name the dealer's; they can check inventory online to see that you are telling the truth) and that you've sent similar e-mails to their competitors. You might be surprised at just how fast an agreement can be reached. |
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"The standard warranty on the Corolla is 3/36 bumper to bumper, 5/60 powertrain. Honda is the same now, only recently matching Toyota's warranty. Only Hyundai/Kia have better" This is not true. Mazda's standard warranty on the 06 models is 4yrs/50k miles. I think this extra year or 12k miles would reduce TCO dramatically, if endums would include it on their comparisons.
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Replying to: stinkyreefer (Aug 10, 2006 6:36 am) Why? How many things do you think will really go wrong with these cars between years 3 and 4? 99% of these cars will have nothing but routine service done to them during that time (and those costs are not included in the extra year of the warranty, so they won't change the true cost of ownership). |
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I don't know where you got your mpg figures from, but my 2005 Mazda3 hatchback (5-speed, the only way to buy one) has averaged 27 mpg city, 33-34 highway for a year and a half and 25,000 miles. And that's while driving like a maniac. Still beats your 28-30 Maxima numbers. Meade
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Replying to: mcap56 (Aug 10, 2006 5:42 am) Phil |
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Replying to: mdaffron (Aug 10, 2006 8:57 am) How are you getting 28-30mpg on a 1990 Maxima (6cyl)? I think that engine is rated 19(city)-26(highway). I drove the same cars you mentioned in your comparison and while some of the Honda dealers in my area are snobbish, others are not (I purchased a Honda Odyssey in April 06). I thought I was all set (before I drove the 3) to buy an 06 Civic in June but I found that local dealers had little inventory and were not willing to budge much off MSRP. I then drove the Mazda3 back-to-back against the Civic and really liked the 3 better. I did not like the sloping windshield or the dashboard layout of the Civic. I also never try to buy a first model year release (or new major release) of a car. Honda is Honda, but I do not like being the guinea pig. I felt that the 3 had more responsive handling, braking and was much more fun to drive. The interior was more to my liking and I was able to get a lot more car for my money. I also wanted a manual and there were zero Civic manuals in the area for me to test drive (let alone buy). I was a little surprised when the Honda dealer I bought my Odyssey two months before would not go more than a few hundred under MSRP. But, it all comes down to supply and demand I guess  As for the Corolla.. Well, it is a solid car that is tried, true, and tested.. But it was not for me. It just felt a little too vanilla and the 3 felt like it drove circles around the Corolla.. To date, I have had zero issues or complaints with my 3i Touring and would recommend it to anybody.. I am getting close to 27mpg in about 90-95% city driving (heavy stop and go). For comparison sake, my 2002 Nissan Altima (6cyl) averaged 19mpg in similar driving and my Mazda Tribute (6cyl, AWD) averaged 16mpg...
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