my lxcoupe was stickered at16,860.00. ppd 15 and some change out the door

 

IMO...Buy used. New cars are usually a rip-off. Cars are not generally an investment/asset. They're a liability. You almost never make money on them, especially if you buy new. Find a good deal on something 1-3 yrs old thoughand you could almost sell itnext year to break even.

I'd look for a 2yr old EX. They get similar mileage to the LX, have slightly better power, and generally better options. Things like A/C, cruise, and PWare nice to have on long trips. After 6 months, a babied'06 is pretty similar to a hard-driven'08, but costs less.

 

The problem with buying a used Honda, is they are not much cheaper than new. Domestics drop in value quickly, but not Hondas and Toyotas. I did some quick checks on Carmax (not great deals, but not ripoffs either) as a sanity check. I got my new 07 for about $1500 more than most of the 06s and 07s and they all had 15k-20k. For $1000-$2000, I would rather get the full warranty and know that the guy who had it before me did not beat the crap out of it. I just checked the local Carmax and they are selling 04s for $13k. 06s and 07s are going for $17k+. Not much better on auto trader. I am sure that there are great deals to be found, but I would rather get exactly what I want with no worries attached. My Civic is not going to be worth much when I get rid of it 10 years from now, so resale is not really an issue for me.

If you need/want a new car every 2-3 years, lease it. Your payments will be less, and if you follow the rules and take care of the car, you can just walk away at the end. You will save money, compared to buying a new car every 2-3- years and losing on the loan and the higher payments. Depends on the person. Some people have to have a new car all the time and can afford it. I am not one of those people.

 

My F150 is due (it was a lease) in February, but I just got a letter in the mail saying that I can turn it in early and the dealer will take over the last 2 payments that I would have to pay if I kept the truck until the lease date terminates. This would save me about $720. The catch is, I'd have to buy or lease another FORD vehicle. I was looking at the Ford Focus '08 because it was getting semi-good reviews, but not many people have been able to review it. I know this is a Civic forum and I will get responses telling me to go for the Civic, but I was wondering if anyone here had anything to say about the 2008 Ford Focus?

 

they seem to be on the right track with the Focus lately. I rode in a ford fusion and was pretty impressed too. Still, Id never buy one [:@]

 

Same, ford doesn't have good resale value. Honda has way better resale value than a ford. I say go for the honda. The civics also look better than the focus's IMO.

 

my friend is sellign a 94? ex coupe??? get 270 miles to the tank if your interested pm me for pics! =-D

 

Hey does anyone know if Honda offers something like an XPLAN that is offered by FORD to give you the best discount when buying?

 

Honda really doesn't need to offer much of anything to sell thier cars. They don't give 0% financing that often because they don't need to. Also remember that everytime the dealer sells a car (especially closer to the end of the year when the manucture wants to bring out the 08) the manufacture gives the dealer money for selling a car. This is on top of what the dealer sells the car for. Even if you buy it at invoice, the dealer still makes money from the manufacture. Definatly go at the end or towards the end of the month when salesman need to meet quotas. Also be disinterested in in the car. If the salesman shows you a color you like, say you don't like the color so you can seem even more disinterested. If the salesman thinks you want the car, he/she will try and suck every dollar possible out of you.