Manual transmission rare?

[Brony2012]

So I've been taking with a few dealers in Charlotte, NC and once point that one dealership made is the rarity of the 2017 Honda Civic EX-T manual transmission is difficult to find, thus justifying a higher price tag. On Honda's website, there is an $800 price difference between the manual and automatic transmission, but this dealership is saying there is only a $200 price difference. Any ideas on what I should do?

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[LoveToDrive]

I am certainly not an expert on this, but one way is to expand your search. Either they are not being allocated to the right places or Honda is not making enough manuals, or both. When it comes to dealers, sometimes it's worth it to travel further to find one that will be upfront and work with you. You might be surprised to find a decent dealer who is willing to have you take it off the lot at a reasonable price.

 

[RetroJR]

I am certainly not an expert on this, but one way is to expand your search. Either they are not being allocated to the right places or Honda is not making enough manuals, or both. When it comes to dealers, sometimes it's worth it to travel further to find one that will be upfront and work with you. You might be surprised to find a decent dealer who is willing to have you take it off the lot at a reasonable price.

Yup, the manuals are hard to find and it will be hard to get a really great deal on them due to the supply/demand.
I had to travel a bit to find one, but got lucky enough to find one in state while it was still in transit to the dealer. (used cars.com to find it)
I paid a little more than i wanted, but also am very happy I held out for the 6-speed.

 

[VarmintCong]

I still see only 27 manual Sport hatches in the entire country (cars.com), that's even less than when I bought mine in November.

There's 133 manual EX-T sedans however, so certainly not as rare. You should be able to get a good deal. Dealers will tell you their poop is rare.

 

[paid2play]

Had to order mine

 

[Brony2012]

Had to order mine

Yeah, they want me to put down an extra $1,000 just to have it ordered to their store as there are only 2 available in cosmic blue in the southeast.

 

[LoveToDrive]

Yeah, they want me to put down an extra $1,000 just to have it ordered to their store as there are only 2 available in cosmic blue in the southeast.

That sounds like they are playing with you.

 

[RetroJR]

Yeah, they want me to put down an extra $1,000 just to have it ordered to their store as there are only 2 available in cosmic blue in the southeast.

Be careful. I ordered one too and a month later they told me Honda would not allow the order to be processed. Make sure it's fully refundable. Then, keep looking elsewhere in the meantime.

 

[dannyo67]

I got a manual Hatch but I had to wait 4 months for it, and I couldn't exactly pick the color or trim (wound up lucky), and I didnt have too much negotiating power. YMMV.

 

[1.5CivicEX-T]

So I've been taking with a few dealers in Charlotte, NC and once point that one dealership made is the rarity of the 2017 Honda Civic EX-T manual transmission is difficult to find, thus justifying a higher price tag. On Honda's website, there is an $800 price difference between the manual and automatic transmission, but this dealership is saying there is only a $200 price difference. Any ideas on what I should do?

I had the exact same scenario happen to me. The dealer incorrectly gave a quote for a CVT. I emailed back pointing out I was interested in the manual and gave him link to the car I wanted in his inventory. He emailed back a price for the manual only $300 less than the CVT. When I pointed out that building a manual online is $800 cheaper than a CVT he replied that's not how it works. In reality, once he knew I wanted a manual, (and yes they are rare) he knew he didn't have to discount that much. So he didn't. His price was $1000 more than a few quotes I had and the color was not what I wanted so I never contacted him after that email. He did call about 90 minutes before closing last night and left a message. IF it was a color I was interested in, I'd probably see how low I could go. But don't want to waste his time nor mine.

In the future I may just avoid emailing about the manual cars and just "pop" into the dealership and look at CVT's first. Then see what they can do for a manual price wise.

 

[Brony2012]

I had the exact same scenario happen to me. The dealer incorrectly gave a quote for a CVT. I emailed back pointing out I was interested in the manual and gave him link to the car I wanted in his inventory. He emailed back a price for the manual only $300 less than the CVT. When I pointed out that building a manual online is $800 cheaper than a CVT he replied that's not how it works. In reality, once he knew I wanted a manual, (and yes they are rare) he knew he didn't have to discount that much. So he didn't. His price was $1000 more than a few quotes I had and the color was not what I wanted so I never contacted him after that email. He did call about 90 minutes before closing last night and left a message. IF it was a color I was interested in, I'd probably see how low I could go. But don't want to waste his time nor mine.

In the future I may just avoid emailing about the manual cars and just "pop" into the dealership and look at CVT's first. Then see what they can do for a manual price wise.

It's it worth it to get the manual, or should I just get a CVT? I don't know how to drive a manual, but I could learn, however, I hate the rev hang and lag when you push the pedal to the for and it takes a second or two for the rpms to respond. I hear a lot of great things about manual transmissions, but I can't really relate since I haven't driven one. I'm more so leaning towards manual because of the driving experience as well as saving money when I purchase the car, but your opinions would be appreciated.

 

[LoveToDrive]

It's it worth it to get the manual, or should I just get a CVT? I don't know how to drive a manual, but I could learn, however, I hate the rev hang and lag when you push the pedal to the for and it takes a second or two for the rpms to respond. I hear a lot of great things about manual transmissions, but I can't really relate since I haven't driven one. I'm more so leaning towards manual because of the driving experience as well as saving money when I purchase the car, but your opinions would be appreciated.

Oh, boy, don't get me started on the benefits of manuals! Kidding aside, the choice between a manual and a CVT is really up to the driver. Everyone has different needs and they both serve those needs extremely well. I will say that Civic manuals are very easy to learn for first timers. If you are already curious and interested, I don't think you will regret acquiring this skill.

Rev hang can be annoying, but @VarmintCong has also said in the past, you just have to adjust your driving technique to the car, and just because you have to doesn't make any car inferior or not worthy. For example, compared to my '15 Si, I have to REALLY blip the throttle to rev match in my '16 LX. It's the characteristic of the LX. Can it be annoying? Yes, but I still like the car for what it is.

 

[shire123]

Oh, boy, don't get me started on the benefits of manuals! Kidding aside, the choice between a manual and a CVT is really up to the driver. Everyone has different needs and they both serve those needs extremely well. I will say that Civic manuals are very easy to learn for first timers. If you are already curious and interested, I don't think you will regret acquiring this skill.

Rev hang can be annoying, but @Varmint has also said in the past, you just have to adjust your driving technique to the car, and just because you have to doesn't make any car inferior or not worthy. For example, compared to my '15 Si, I have to REALLY blip the throttle to rev match in my '16 LX. It's the characteristic of the LX. Can it be annoying? Yes, but I still like the car for what it is.

As lovetodrive states it's totally up to the driver and their wants/needs.
I ordered my manual EXT in Cosmic Blue the day they were released by Honda (1st week of October). Got it on News Years Eve. I've driven manuals all my life. As to rev hang and response from my experience their occurrence is TOTALLY dependent on how a person operates a manual. I have NEVER experienced rev hang in my Honda manuals (have had 3 of them). I'm 65 years old so that's a lot of experience.
Absolutely love my 2017 EXT. At this point it's the best car I've ever owned.

 

[shire123]

I am certainly not an expert on this, but one way is to expand your search. Either they are not being allocated to the right places or Honda is not making enough manuals, or both. When it comes to dealers, sometimes it's worth it to travel further to find one that will be upfront and work with you. You might be surprised to find a decent dealer who is willing to have you take it off the lot at a reasonable price.

It seems to be pretty much supply and demand. Dealers have always told me they can't sell the manuals. But then they don't have any so how can they sell them? I also think HOnda pushes the CVT's to get more money. They cost more and will not last as long. So basically Honda is pretty much assured of replacing a CVT transmission in most of their cars sometime in the future. I've always found it interesting that in Europe manuals far outsell any automatic. But in the US it's the other way around.

 

[SHIFTY]

Had to order mine. They had one in Western Canada. So my car should be fairly unique.
He couldn't give me a deal on the car itself, so he never charged me the delivery fee. I was happy with that.

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