Best Way to Buy Your Civic? Look Here for Options...

Design

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I am going to do this just once in the hopes this helps the community in getting the car and price they want. There are three general items to consider:
- Purchase price
- Financing %
- Trade-in value

General rules for getting a fair price:
- Negotiate the above items separately.
- Let the dealer make a buck (just don't let them gouge you)
- Do your research in advance (test drive, financing, trade-in value, etc).

Many dealers like to throw in extras (tint, clear coat treatment, gap insurance) for what appears to be a bargain. In truth, many can be had elsewhere for cheaper. But often it's more convenient to get them financed through one place. If they offer an option you want for a fair price, take it. Otherwise, there's no obligation to buy with dealer installed options.

Here are some options for getting the car you want at a fair price:
- Show up and negotiate with dealer directly (can be time consuming but can result in the best rock-bottom price).
- Email or call dealers in your area for the trim/color you want.
- Go through a fleet dealer in partnership with your bank/credit union (Usually the least amount of time involved).

I generally go through Costco or USAA's fleet pricing program. Here are the current Fleet Dealer prices in my area (So Cal):
- LX MT: 18,740 (735 off MSRP)
- LX CVT: 19,488 (787 off MSRP)
- EX CVT: 20,984 (891 off MSRP)
- EX-T CVT: 22,069 (966 off MSRP)
- EX-L CVT: 23,472 (1063 off MSRP)
- EX-L CVT with Navi: 24,407 (1128 off MSRP)
- Touring: 26,090 (1245 off MSRP)

**Pricing and availability will obviously vary by location.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of what a "fair" price might look like. You should expect pricing to continue to drop the longer the model is available in the market. Here are some helpful links:
- Kelley Blue Book: http://www.kbb.com/
- Edmunds Appraisal: http://www.edmunds.com/appraisal/
- Car Loan Calculator: http://www.cars.com/go/advice/financing/calc/loanCalc.jsp?mode=full
- New car valuation: https://www.truecar.com


Good luck and happy hunting!
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amalgamate

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Thanks for the info. It looks like Costco car buying site doesn't have the new civic on there yet (at least not in my zip). I'm having a hard time justifying buying a civic for $30K (after tax, touring). I'd love to be able to negotiate it down at least a grand to help my accounting brain feel better. I'm not a veteran and with Costco out of the picture for now, think I could negotiate directly with the dealer $1,000 off MSRP? If I recall, dealer invoice on the touring is about $2500 below MSRP.
 
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Design

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If it were me and a fleet dealer was unavailable, I'd email the dealers in my area asking for a price on "Trim/color X" and see what they bring back. Let them know you've knocked out the test drive and, hopefully, have financing lined up.

The idea is to prevent the dealer from trying to sucker you into the dealership to pressure you. Not all are like this; but at the end of the day they are all trying to make buck. :)
 

firstblud

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How did u get the Costco pricing? I checked online and they dont show the 2016s. Thanks for the writeup.
 
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Design

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It varies by region. They have it available to members in So Cal (last I checked). The pricing above was pulled from USAA.
 


C Note

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Thanks for putting this together. How do you find out which dealership is a fleet dealer?
 
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Design

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A fleet dealer is generally someone who specializes in locating cars that are either on order, in transit, or sitting unsold on a lot. Every dealership has a fleet dealer on site or works with one locally, depending on volume. Cars are generally cheaper through a fleet dealer since they never really sit on a lot (or are sitting unsold on a lot due to lack of demand). Talk to your bank or credit union; almost all of them leverage fleet dealers.
 

CdnColin

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Thought the US list price on the Touring was US$26,500. In Canada it is Cdn$26,990. Can't believe dealers are asking over list. These are Civic's and they're rolling off the lines in big volumes. Inventories will be building soon.

I bought a Touring White Orchid Pearl today. Delivery is about one week. Dealer has identical car in the showroom but they added some bling.
 
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Design

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Dealers set price to whatever people are willing to pay lol.

I'm hoping my current car holds out long enough the Si to drop to a reasonable price (and allow Honda to work out first year bugs). I'd consider paying a small premium vs settling for something less reliable and/or refined.

Regarding pricing, I'll double check. I think USAA factors in the delivery cost as well.
 
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pgears

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Dealers set price to whatever people are willing to pay lol.

I'm hoping my current car holds out long enough the Si to drop to a reasonable price (and allow GonnHonda to work out first year bugs). I'd consider paying a small premium vs settling for something less reliable and/or refined.

Regarding pricing, I'll double check. I think USAA factors in the delivery cost as well.
Im also in SoCal, can you please tell me which dealer in your area will offer those USAA price?
 


pgears

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Np, but i also cannot see 2016 civic listed in costcoauto.com. i tried several zip codes in the socal area. None had it.
 
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I checked the site and it does. Those quotes are a few days old but do include the $835 destination fee.
 
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Design

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Np, but i also cannot see 2016 civic listed in costcoauto.com. i tried several zip codes in the socal area. None had it.
I'd suggest giving it a week. Or pricing a 2015 through Costco's car buying service (then asking about 2016s once in touch with the fleet dealer).

EDIT: Looks like some have reported Costco now shows the 2016s.
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