Convince me to buy or not buy 2019 CTR. Am I making a dumb decision?

wildbilly32

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Threads
34
Messages
927
Reaction score
916
Location
Kneebraska
Vehicle(s)
05 Porsche C4S 19 CTR #24184 19 Volvo XC40 R
Country flag
I just need to hear opinions/voices of reason in my dilemma. I understand the bias of posting in a CTR forum, but maybe I'm just looking to hear what I want to hear. But I welcome all opinions

Just to get a full picture, just a little background

In early 30s, married, no kids (but planning for near future), sole breadwinner for the house. Monthly income of about 17k/month but only started the job 4 months ago after years of schooling and training so don't have a ton saved up (~70k) Don't want to necessarily get into all the money since its not a financial advice sub, but I spend roughly about 5k/month on essentials. I haven't finalized my refinance, but also looking to spend about 5k/month on loan repayment.

I want to buy a 2019 CTR. Best offer so far (in socal), 42k out the door (including warranty), my current plan is to put 12k down, already preapproved for a loan, monthly payments will be ~550/month.

But have 2 years left on lease (2019 accord manual), I'd lose about $4000 selling the lease at this point.

my current dilemmas

  1. I know I'm essentially wasting money to get what I want early- but is this completely irresponsible financially? Is waiting the only and right answer?

  2. Is this car even worth it at this point in my life...I can be spending that money on school loans, saving up for house, etc.

  3. Less of a financial dilemma-- should I wait for 2020 model (I like the honda sensing, but not a need need, but just feel like I'd be missing out; but also anticipating huge markups for 2020 on release esp in socal, so would I have to wait another year or so to see reasonable prices)
Thanks for reading, I know there are no "right or wrong" answers, lot of is personal preference and decision making, but just want to hear people's thoughts and opinions.
Dang! Tough questions without all the information needed to give an advised opinion. I understand about not throwing all financial info on the net. Why do you want the car? Would it be your only car or just a toy? Reason I ask is if just a toy I don't think one should finance a toy. Given that income depending on your other expenses you could pay cash and avoid all the finance charges.

At a young age(30)the financial "experts" would tell you to pay off your expenses first, save for the car and pay cash when you can. I'm not one of those folks and didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night so just an opinion which btw I did not follow when I was a 30 something. Only you can make the decision for you. There will be a zillion opinions here, but only you can decide for yourself and your situation.

Good luck with your decision.
 

TypeSiR

Senior Member
Joined
May 15, 2017
Threads
67
Messages
2,091
Reaction score
1,689
Location
On a Twisty Road
Vehicle(s)
1.5T Civic, Fit, MX-5, CTR
Vehicle Showcase
3
Country flag
I’d save up for a house while interest rate is still low. If you already got a house, you’re well within budget to get a CTR. PM me for a test drive if you haven’t driven one. Your 2.0T Accord is sweet too and more comfortable and spacious.
 

ExVTEC

Senior Member
First Name
Elliot
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Threads
42
Messages
806
Reaction score
605
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
2019 CTR
Country flag
Don't do it. Ride out your accord until the lease is over. When you're ready don't pay over sticker for a CTR. You can already find them under MSRP if you look hard enough.
 

TypeSiR

Senior Member
Joined
May 15, 2017
Threads
67
Messages
2,091
Reaction score
1,689
Location
On a Twisty Road
Vehicle(s)
1.5T Civic, Fit, MX-5, CTR
Vehicle Showcase
3
Country flag
You can probably spend $350 for a used KTuner v1.2 to spice up the Accord to tide you over. Good luck!
 


ExVTEC

Senior Member
First Name
Elliot
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Threads
42
Messages
806
Reaction score
605
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
2019 CTR
Country flag
I will tell you the CTR may not be what you think it is. I say this from experience. I have a 2019 CTR, Hondata 93 oct tune with improved throttle response, PRL HVI and PRL TIP. All that and my GF stock WRX is more fun in daily driving conditions. The only time I get a smile is the freeway ramp for about 2 seconds. Anything more than that and you are playing with fire. I'm hoping a custom tune will get me where I'd like to be. As I look around for my next mod I also toss the idea of trading my CTR for a WRX. As great as the CTR is it did not tick the boxes I was hoping it would. Also, our winter car 2014 Mazda 6 w 144,000 Ohio miles has dead center steering. All the rave reviews about the CTR steering had me so excited about that. It's pretty good but not what it was hyped up to be. The Mazda is better.
 

Zeffy94

Senior Member
First Name
Matt
Joined
Mar 26, 2017
Threads
77
Messages
1,850
Reaction score
1,486
Location
Doylestown, PA
Vehicle(s)
2017 Mazda3 GT Hatch 6AT, 2018 Honda Civic Type R (traded in)
Vehicle Showcase
1
Country flag
As someone who's made terrible financial decisions, I have to say sometimes those terrible decisions bring you a lot of happiness. For me, that's probably why I hold onto my CTR. The plus side is - let's say you couldn't keep the CTR for whatever reason - the resale value is sky high still, so if you sold it privately you probably would make back 85% of it's value.

However there's no denying that what I did set me back financially by a decent amount. It's a great car, but you pretty much have the junior version of the CTR already, so maybe it's worth seeing how much you could get out of it with some mods? For one thing, you could get a set of summer tires which should improve the handling by a fair amount. And with ktuner, you'd make more power than a CTR stock, so not a bad thing either. Plus - the CTR is a much less comfortable car than an Accord. It's livable for sure, but Accords are very compliant with most pavement types whereas the CTR is compliant on well paved roads (so basically nothing in my state of Pennsylvania) and a bit of a rough ride on terrible ones.
 

ExVTEC

Senior Member
First Name
Elliot
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Threads
42
Messages
806
Reaction score
605
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
2019 CTR
Country flag
There's no reason for someone in your position to not get a Type R if you want a Type R. Most places are still selling it over MSRP but you can usually get near MSRP now with some haggling.



Everyone's entitled to their opinion- I think suggesting that the non STI WRX or a Mazda 6 is comparable to the CTR is very far off base. If your method of measuring how good a car is comes from just pushing the pedal to the floor at a stop light the CTR is not the car for you. The Type R is a driver's car- it is meant for people who appreciate the shifting experience, the steering feel, the feeling of grip and control when braking, taking a corner as quickly as grip allows, and powering out at the end. The CTR is an order of magnitude better than the WRX at all of these.

Mazda 6? It's a big econo box. That's it. No, it doesn't have sports car steering.
I never suggested anything. I mentioned the mazda because as far as steering feel, being on center is concerned, it's better. Other CTR owners have mentioned the slight on center play the steering has on the CTR. Does sports car steering mean on center play in the wheel? That was my comparison. I never made a direct comparison saying the mazda/wrx was a better car, only stated my driving experience and personal preferences. Where I live speed limits are 35-50 mph so in my daily driving conditions this contributes to the WRX being more fun. I don't think you read what I wrote.
 

tinyman392

Senior Member
First Name
Marcus
Joined
May 21, 2018
Threads
14
Messages
3,265
Reaction score
2,082
Location
Illinois
Vehicle(s)
'18 Civic Type R (RR)
Country flag
I will tell you the CTR may not be what you think it is. I say this from experience. I have a 2019 CTR, Hondata 93 oct tune with improved throttle response, PRL HVI and PRL TIP. All that and my GF stock WRX is more fun in daily driving conditions. The only time I get a smile is the freeway ramp for about 2 seconds. Anything more than that and you are playing with fire. I'm hoping a custom tune will get me where I'd like to be. As I look around for my next mod I also toss the idea of trading my CTR for a WRX. As great as the CTR is it did not tick the boxes I was hoping it would. Also, our winter car 2014 Mazda 6 w 144,000 Ohio miles has dead center steering. All the rave reviews about the CTR steering had me so excited about that. It's pretty good but not what it was hyped up to be. The Mazda is better.
You've posted this statement a few times, but a CTR is actually going to be much faster than a stock WRX, even up to 50/60, the margin will depend on how well you drive the CTR. With the WRX, you simply mash in the pedal and it goes because AWD magic. With the CTR, you have to learn how to pull hard in 1st and 2nd gears and it takes a little while to learn and you'll be more prone to mistakes in the long run; it's not as simple as mashing in the pedal as you kind of have to do it just right. Have you used Hondata's traction control? That might fix a lot of the issues you're seeing with the CTR and its unusable power in 1st and 2nd gear since it has been said to eliminate most, if not all, of the wheel spin with its magical TCS sorcery. In this situation, you simply mash the pedal and it'll pull; and it'll nearly as hard as the WRX (after you've rolled off the line).

Also keep in mind that the CTR does have major heat soak issues which you may also be experiencing as well if you haven't done anything to mitigate this. It significantly lowers the power of the CTR (but this also, in theory, makes it easier to launch as the motor itself limits power). Fixing this will make the car that much more enjoyable.

I don't remember the CTR having its steering raved/hyped about. The major claims, which still stand true dead spot or not, is that the steering angle is aggressive, but not overly so. The thing that keeps it from being hyped about is that the feedback is not as strong as many reviewers want it to be. What is hyped about is the car's ability to corner extraordinarily well and not feel like an FF car. Honda did this one right and it is something that they most definitely didn't get wrong. This is due to the LSD, suspension set up, and torque vectoring, something that the Mazda most definitely doesn't have. The steering is exactly how it's described to be; it wasn't really hyped up. The handing characteristics of the car are also exactly how it's hyped up to be (assuming you keep some TCS on so the torque vectoring can do its thing).
 

VinRRR

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2018
Threads
16
Messages
541
Reaction score
365
Location
Empire State
Vehicle(s)
R16017
Country flag
Your Accord has the same engine as the Type R, except it is tuned for comfort as a family sedan than a performance track weapon. My opinion is keep the Accord a little longer and wait until you get a good deal in the refreshed Type R because it has all the nice bells and whistles. Also by that time, you will lose less or not losing at all with the lease. I also suggest test driving the Type R and compare it with your Accord so you don’t regret your decision later.
 


tinyman392

Senior Member
First Name
Marcus
Joined
May 21, 2018
Threads
14
Messages
3,265
Reaction score
2,082
Location
Illinois
Vehicle(s)
'18 Civic Type R (RR)
Country flag
Your Accord has the same engine as the Type R, except it is tuned for comfort as a family sedan than a performance track weapon. My opinion is keep the Accord a little longer and wait until you get a good deal in the refreshed Type R because it has all the nice bells and whistles. Also by that time, you will lose less or not losing at all with the lease. I also suggest test driving the Type R and compare it with your Accord so you don’t regret your decision later.
It's tuned and modified to provide more torque down low and be smoother (balance/counter shaft). The rods and pistons have been altered, the turbo is smaller and pulls less boost, a balancing shaft has been added back in. Those are the only changes I can remember off the top of my head. So the car has a lot less power as a result (nearly 10%) if memory serves, but is also much heavier (about 300 lbs). This leads to a power to weight ratio that is about 20% worse on paper. On top of that, it is also missing an LSD.

The Accord is a peppy sedan and it definitely is quick on its feet. All that being said, I do agree with the advice to simply wait out the lease on the Accord and get a 2020/2021 CTR when the time comes. Though an exception comes if getting out of the lease is < 800-1000-ish dollars as that seems to be how the price increases on the CTR have been for the past few years.
 

fatherpain

Senior Member
First Name
Tom
Joined
Dec 22, 2018
Threads
27
Messages
2,205
Reaction score
3,798
Location
SoCal
Website
www.civicx.com
Vehicle(s)
2018 CTR - CW, 1996 Honda Accord EX coupe
Build Thread
Link
Vehicle Showcase
1
Country flag
With the new Rlogging and oil temp/press readings I suggest waiting for a 2020
 

m3cosmos

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2017
Threads
6
Messages
141
Reaction score
62
Location
Michigan
Vehicle(s)
2021 CTR LE
Country flag
Just buy a 2020 or 2021 because of resale value and waiting a few month you’d have 40k saved. My 2020 should be built soon so 45 days wait till it’s out?

The truth is you will appreciate this car now so buy it now. If you don’t like or whenever u decide to have a kid u can sell it anytime. The car has good resale so its not the norm the financial advisor understands. I had a 2017 and trade it in for the same price I’ve paid. I just lost out on tax which I think was line item deducted before when that was worth some thing. With tires worn at 10k miles, it was basically a free car.
 
Last edited:

aldo

Banned
Banned
First Name
Al
Joined
Mar 12, 2018
Threads
22
Messages
606
Reaction score
362
Location
Midwest
Vehicle(s)
2018 Civic Si Coupe
Country flag
You’re making $200K annually I think you can afford the 2020 Civic
Sponsored

 


 


Top