Test drove a Civic Hatchback Sport 2.0 Manual transmission Boost Blue Pearl - Excellent vehicle, but outrageous dealer markup!

[maracuch0]

I went to a Honda dealer today in South Florida and they had one Hatchback Sport Touring coming next week and they were asking close to 34k before TTL. That’s just too much for a CIVIC… I do one want though xD.

Sponsored

 

[ValkenDnB]

I went to a Honda dealer today in South Florida and they had one Hatchback Sport Touring coming next week and they were asking close to 34k before TTL. That’s just too much for a CIVIC… I do one want though xD.

I wonder how much dealers will be asking for the si in a month or so now…. Any guesses

 

[jtrader]

I wonder how much dealers will be asking for the si in a month or so now…. Any guesses

Yes, $5k to $10k over MSRP.

 

[Lazyturbo]

Yeah, my advice is move to Canada. They're required by law no higher than MSRP. Also, I feel the 2.0 is not a dream car, but the 1.5T Sport, ahem also available in Canada, sure could be!

Do you have a source where it says dealers can't charge higher than MSRP in Canada? I live in Canada, and am not aware of this. ?

 

[CastorX]

3) I really want to buy this car. The Boost blue pearl looks amazing too. But the dealer markup price is insane (USD 5,000). Dealer also had installed some other unnecessary stuff like Xzilon, etc, so the total price was USD 33,000. Absolutely ridiculous. The best the salesperson could do was reduce the markup to USD 4000.

Pretty sure in Europe it will cost about 35.000 Euro. The 10th gen 1.5T with the only trim available costs currently 33,000 Eur msrp.

 

[KIKUTWO]

Not paying a markup on a Civic LOL!!!!! What dealer? NAME AND SHAME.
Just wait. Wait until these are in the market from Carvana, Rodo, etc.
Wait until they NEED you. Do not buy this car now and if you do, don't pay a penny more than MSRP.

 

[peterZ]

We're still amazingly happy with our ($22K out the door) 2018 HB Sport 6MT, getting consistently 44MPG and not a problem yet! We're sticking with it!

 

[TypeSiR]

We're still amazingly happy with our ($22K out the door) 2018 HB Sport 6MT, getting consistently 44MPG and not a problem yet! We're sticking with it!

? A perfect car to drive thru the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.

 

[maracuch0]

Not paying a markup on a Civic LOL!!!!! What dealer? NAME AND SHAME.
Just wait. Wait until these are in the market from Carvana, Rodo, etc.
Wait until they NEED you. Do not buy this car now and if you do, don't pay a penny more than MSRP.

Yeah definitely not paying over MSRP for a civic… can definitely wait but how long is the question xD. The new hatchback is really nice but not worth the asking price from the dealers in SouthFL. I definitely would’ve gotten it at MSRP.

 

[Dj_fridgelamp]

Just got back after test driving the 2.0L manual Civic. Pretty sure I'm one of the first people to get to test drive the manual. So here are my first impressions.
1) The vehicle is just amazing. 2.0L engine is powerful enough for me, and with the stick shift it drove like a dream! Suspension, ride quality felt great too, even with the 18" wheels and low profile tires. Steering felt very direct and quick.
2) Lots of space in the hatch, especially with the seats down. Rear passenger space is great too, it's amazing how Honda has designed the interior space.
3) I really want to buy this car. The Boost blue pearl looks amazing too. But the dealer markup price is insane (USD 5,000). Dealer also had installed some other unnecessary stuff like Xzilon, etc, so the total price was USD 33,000. Absolutely ridiculous. The best the salesperson could do was reduce the markup to USD 4000.
4) Something interesting that I just realized. I didn't pay much attention to the instrument cluster while test driving. But if I remember correctly, the whole instrument cluster (speedometer as well as engine RPM) seemed to be digital, even on the Sport trim. I could be wrong though.

So, I just drove my dream car, but I have decided to wait. Any suggestions on how to avoid dealer markups? Or is that something unavoidable as long as the shortage continues?

PS: This will also be my first ever car owned. So any other first time car buying tips are welcome!

I had to go very far out of state to get one at a reasonable price and it took a while to get someone who was honest enough to make the deal happen over the phone. But I got one for msrp. Not a manual though. Be patient and check any distance on Autotrader. Maybe in half a year or so the prices will be more reasonable country wide

 

[jtrader]

Do you have a source where it says dealers can't charge higher than MSRP in Canada? I live in Canada, and am not aware of this. ?

No, I just read that bit from a Canadian resident on this site and took their word for it. However, I just googled it and the only thing I could find was the MVDA in Ontario which might limit dealers ability to mark up. If you're not in Ontario you might be SOL.

 

[ebhaynz]

Do you have a source where it says dealers can't charge higher than MSRP in Canada? I live in Canada, and am not aware of this. ?

I'm also pretty sure Canadians pay a lot more for Civics than we do in the U.S. Because Honda sells less cars in Canada than the U.S. they insist on charging more. What's really horrible is this means less money in Canadians pockets for Tim Horton's coffee!

 

[coo1rim]

Yeah, "powerful enough for me" I said. I have driven (and thoroughly enjoyed driving) multiple cars (Gasoline, diesel, and turbo diesel) in the past with power outputs below 120 BHP. But all of those had a manual transmission, and that's what made them fun. The few auto-transmission cars I have driven till now were all 200+ BHP, but very boring to drive. CVTs are even worse (though i have never driven the Civic CVT).
Stick shift does really make the difference for me personally to enjoy driving. I really don't care about going superfast.

I've driven tons of cars. Worked at a Lexus dealership driving every single car they owned from inception on a regular basis, Taxi Driver for 12yrs owning various sedans, been in the car street scene since the 80s. One of my car, I bought new (6MT Yaris) and put-on 179,000km in 2 years of ownership (Just an example of how much real-world driving I do)... Anyways, no need to defend yourself, you're completely right about the manual transmission when it's mated to a Civic.

 

[jd2157]

I'm also pretty sure Canadians pay a lot more for Civics than we do in the U.S. Because Honda sells less cars in Canada than the U.S. they insist on charging more. What's really horrible is this means less money in Canadians pockets for Tim Horton's coffee!

Hard to say for sure, in the case with my 2017 Si it was $34k tx/pdi incl but it had features (LED, nav, 4 heated seats, etc) the US model didn’t. Seems we pay more/get more but not sure how other trims were.

As for Tims’ lol, well I guess its as good as most of the other cheap brown water being peddled out there but my Aeropress is going to pay for a new Integra one cup at a time Eh.

 

[rosedraws]

Just got back after test driving the 2.0L manual Civic. Pretty sure I'm one of the first people to get to test drive the manual. So here are my first impressions.
1) The vehicle is just amazing. 2.0L engine is powerful enough for me, and with the stick shift it drove like a dream! Suspension, ride quality felt great too, even with the 18" wheels and low profile tires. Steering felt very direct and quick.
2) Lots of space in the hatch, especially with the seats down. Rear passenger space is great too, it's amazing how Honda has designed the interior space.
3) I really want to buy this car. The Boost blue pearl looks amazing too. But the dealer markup price is insane (USD 5,000). Dealer also had installed some other unnecessary stuff like Xzilon, etc, so the total price was USD 33,000. Absolutely ridiculous. The best the salesperson could do was reduce the markup to USD 4000.
4) Something interesting that I just realized. I didn't pay much attention to the instrument cluster while test driving. But if I remember correctly, the whole instrument cluster (speedometer as well as engine RPM) seemed to be digital, even on the Sport trim. I could be wrong though.

So, I just drove my dream car, but I have decided to wait. Any suggestions on how to avoid dealer markups? Or is that something unavoidable as long as the shortage continues?

PS: This will also be my first ever car owned. So any other first time car buying tips are welcome!

Hey there! Did you end up getting a hatchback?

Sponsored