Shopping for a Civic...Things to Look For

shabadoo25

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Hello, everyone. I'm a brand new member and owner of a Mazda6 shopping for my first Civic.

I'm looking at both used 10th Gens in the EX-L or Touring trims or possibly just buying new.

Can you give me any issues I should be aware of? Improvements from 2016 to present? Would you take the savings of a used 2016-18 over a new model?

Any advice would be appreciated.
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Mae22

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One small thing that's major to some is the fact that the 2019 and 2020 have a physical volume knob, as well as physical fan controls for heat/AC. 2016-2018 have neither of these, which many find inconvenient.
 

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Hello, everyone. I'm a brand new member and owner of a Mazda6 shopping for my first Civic.

I'm looking at both used 10th Gens in the EX-L or Touring trims or possibly just buying new.

Can you give me any issues I should be aware of? Improvements from 2016 to present? Would you take the savings of a used 2016-18 over a new model?

Any advice would be appreciated.
16 was the first model year for this gen. A lot of bugs and stuff,especially with the head units. I had a 17, had issues with it, and finally I have an 18 and don't have anywhere near the issues.
I'm no expert,but i wouldn't go with the 16 at all and would stick with an 18 at least.
 

NotSerious

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If buying used, avoid any car that has had any performance or electrical mods. Especially if they have a CVT.
They always seem to cause problems down the road and the drivers of these cars are harder on them.

Get the car analyzed at a Honda dealership to see if there has been any "reflash/tune" done to it and make sure that there is no exhaust/intake mods. Very often owners "flash back" to stock and replace exhaust/intake mods with stock parts to hide the damage that they have done.

The 2016 to 2018 Civics have flawed air conditioning systems that leak coolant and are very expensive to repair.
The infotainment system and the electronic safety features (like collision avoidance and lane keep assist) are clunky on all years.

I recommend that you buy new to avoid most problems.
 

xcivicx

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know what they cost. buying used you could pay so close to new, its not funny. get a good deal if its going to be used,best advice i can give.
 


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shabadoo25

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Thanks for all the great advice. I am leaning towards new unless I find a great deal on something used.

Are there any more specifics on problem areas I should be checking?
 

latole

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Can you give me any issues I should be aware of? Improvements from 2016 to present? Would you take the savings of a used 2016-18 over a new model?
All turbo engine have issue with oil dilution.
 

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All turbo engine have issue with oil dilution.
They made some changes to minimize the oil dilution issue. If you get a used '16 or '17 it may have had some oil issues prior to the fix (assuming it has been reflashed for the fix).

I am leaning towards new unless I find a great deal on something used.
When I was shopping for my Si a couple of months ago the majority of the used were only about $1-2k less than new, which made new the way to go for me. Not sure about savings with non-Si Civics. For me there was also the peace of mind knowing that the car hadn't been abused.
 


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I purposely bought a 2018 LX so I could avoid Sensing issues, oil dilution issues, keyless issues, and head unit issues. I'm assuming that you want more bells and whistles. But this option exists. The 2018 LX, I believe, was the last model year Civic that you could buy without Honda Sensing. I believe it became standard in all Civics in 2019.
 
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shabadoo25

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They made some changes to minimize the oil dilution issue. If you get a used '16 or '17 it may have had some oil issues prior to the fix (assuming it has been reflashed for the fix).



When I was shopping for my Si a couple of months ago the majority of the used were only about $1-2k less than new, which made new the way to go for me. Not sure about savings with non-Si Civics. For me there was also the peace of mind knowing that the car hadn't been abused.
Yeah, I'm with you. However, 2016-17 EX-Ls or Tourings can be as much as 10k off of current sticker.
 

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I purposely bought a 2018 LX so I could avoid Sensing issues, oil dilution issues, keyless issues, and head unit issues. I'm assuming that you want more bells and whistles. But this option exists. The 2018 LX, I believe, was the last model year Civic that you could buy without Honda Sensing. I believe it became standard in all Civics in 2019.
Almost true, the si and type r did not have sensing for 2019, but do for 2020.
 
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shabadoo25

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Looks like the oil dilution issue was primarily a problem up north. I'm in Florida.
 

Bail

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I purposely bought a 2018 LX so I could avoid Sensing issues, oil dilution issues, keyless issues, and head unit issues. I'm assuming that you want more bells and whistles. But this option exists. The 2018 LX, I believe, was the last model year Civic that you could buy without Honda Sensing. I believe it became standard in all Civics in 2019.
Not in the Si's, Honda sensing wasn't standard till 2020.
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