I'm fairy new to cars and I was looking around and the Honda Civic Si caught my eyes. I just have a few questions.

1. Which year should I buy?

2. What are the differences between the different car models (2006-2011)?

3. Should I get a use or a new one?

4. What is the best way to buy it? (Dealer? maybe something else if it exist, i dunno)

5. How would I negotiate a new car? For example if it was a use, I can say the "insert thing here" is broken and I should get it cheaper, but if it's New what can I say?

6. Are there any tips or tricks before I buy the car?

Thanks!

 

1. I would go with 2007+. 2006 had substantially more recalls than the rest, and even though they will be fixed by the dealer for free, it's still a hassle. Typically, you should avoid buying the first year of a new generation of car (2006 is the first year of the 8th generation Honda Civic), because the following year model will have the kinks worked out and design flaws fixed for the most part. Here is a site that lists recalls for each year. Click the year Civic to reveal recall details.
http://www.hondaproblems.com/recalls/Civic/

2. This article will tell you the changes to the Civic Si between 2006 and present
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_S...2.80.93present

3. used. new is a rip off. The only single reason I bought my CR-Z new is because, well, there aren't any used ones for sale (came out for the 2011 model year).

4. from another person. no dealer fees, and you can pay less taxes this way by having the other person lie (reasonably... gotta be believable) on the title about how much they sold it to you (you didn't hear that from me)

5. lowball them. tell them you are prepared to buy this car but you will pay no more than X amount. Tell them you can afford X amount and if they can give it to you for X amount, to consider it sold. If they won't do X amount, ask them what the best they can do is. The key is to look like you want the car but you don't need to buy it from them. For you be in control of negotiating, they need to think that there is a good chance that they will lose your potential business and you will get a better deal from someone else. Also, if they won't negotiate, go somewhere else, and/or try to get extras thrown into the deal. For example, when I bought my car, I had another spare key thrown into the deal for free (my key has the keyfob and transponder built in, and it's a $150+ key). You could also try to get dealer options for the car thrown into the deal (i.e. optional wheels, foglights, all-weather floor mats, premium sound, etc.). Just be careful, you have to be reasonable in your "demands"... you don't want to look like an *** for thinking you can get the car for cheaper than they would ever consider selling it to you for

6. not really sure what you mean by tips or tricks.