Afternoon all
Longish post, for which pardon is humbly sought.
Am toying with the idea of replacing one of the family Puntos with a pre-reg Honda Civic that has caught my eye on the "approved used" bit of Honda?s website. Having checked the Car-by-Car Breakdown on here, I feel (as a FIAT owner of some years' standing) that I could probably cope with the things mentioned in "What's Bad"!
The model in question is a Civic 1.6 Inspire S, which as far as I can make out consists of an '03 MY 1.6 S with various bits added from the SE spec (air-con, alloys etc.) The bits that haven't been added appear to be leather steering wheel and rear electric windows, without which I'm sure I'll survive. Mileage appears to be delivery only. Car was registered on 27 November last, and I have discovered that the Inspire S was a special edition offered between June and September of last year, which I presume means that this car has been sitting in a field somewhere for anything up to five months, before being registered by Honda and shoved off into the dealer network. The price asked by the dealer is £10,999, which appears to be about £1,000 less than the original list price and around £2,000 less than current list for an SE.
The fact that this is a special edition and the previous year?s model doesn?t bother me all that much; I shall be keeping it for at least five years. However, I would value Backroomers? thoughts on the following:
1) Is this a reasonable price and if not, how much might I expect to chisel off? I realise that Honda dealers are highly unlikely to wipe four-figure amounts off the price at the raise of an eyebrow, in the manner that FIAT dealers would. I am also aware that Hondas tend to retain value better than some.
2) If the car has indeed been sitting in a field somewhere for months on end, what are the potential pitfalls? I would have thought that these will be things like evidence of damage from careless manoeuvring, and possibly heat damage to the interior, given last summer?s temperatures. As the car is sold under the Honda Approved Used scheme, I am presuming (possibly naively) that any defects will be sorted out prior to purchase.
3) How much do services cost for the Civic? I can?t seem to find this information anywhere.
Any advice gratefully received.....
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Paul -
1 - I would try www.buyyourhonda.com and see what price they come up with.Maybe then you can use as a bargaining tool with your local dealer.
2 - The perils of a motor sitting in a field for 5 months are well documented on this site - but its a Honda so they are pretty reliable and the Honda warranty is pretty bombproof parts and labour for three years.
3 - First service 12,000 miles or 1 year is a basic one around £150 from Main Dealer , 24,000 miles or two year is around £250. If you go to your dealer they'll give you the full details -you'll find its all in including parts and VAT.
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It might be worth contacting Bob Gerard at Leicester who specialises in importing Hondas. www.bobgerard.co.uk . He currently has a new Civic SE plus Auto for £11,795. I know that you probably don't want an Auto but it gives you a guide on prices and you may be able to use it to bargain! Or he might be able to get you something.
There have been some threads mentioning this firm - try a search for both Bob Gerard and Bob Gerrard.
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Thanks all, that's very helpful. The idea of having something to bargain with seems most appealing - the dealer in question is very close to where I live and has, as I understand it, a good reputation, so there are advantages in going there.
I have a test-drive booked for tomorrow - it may turn out that it's all a big, big mistake, but we shall see - will post again with outcome.
Many thanks
P
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"If the car has indeed been sitting in a field somewhere for months on end, what are the potential pitfalls? I would have thought that these will be things like evidence of damage from careless manoeuvring, and possibly heat damage to the interior, given last summer?s temperatures. As the car is sold under the Honda Approved Used scheme, I am presuming (possibly naively) that any defects will be sorted out prior to purchase."
Careless manoeuvering possibly. Heat damage inside? not a chance, one hot week does not make this Spain, which is the kind of weather these tings are built to take.
Check for
Rust around brake disks, and suspension parts - anywhere low down. Check for paint blemishes (where unwashed bird poo could have laid for weeks), Check for general dinks and scrapes. But on the whole, if its been parked well (and most of them are these days*) it should be ok.
(yes ok I have seen the Focii at Corby but they have stopped using the lower swampy park)
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I think the price is a little high given that I saw these being advertised late last year (prior to the revamped Civic) at that price for the then new '53' reg plate where you would be the first owner - that may have been for a 1.4 though.
Take a look at: www.drivethedeal.com or similar to see what sort of prices they offer. You may find that a brand new Civic is within budget.
Of course this is all irrelevant if you have a Punto to trade-in of course and then the 'cost to change' becomes the most important factor.
Worth a look at www.parkers.co.uk to see what your Punto should be worth as a trade-in.
As for servicing costs it really depends where in the country you are. Why not 'phone round the dealers in your area and ask the service department for some prices.
Good luck.
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Right then.
Firstly, thanks to you all for the helpful advice - much appreciated. Virtual pints all round.
Looked at some of these brokers' sites and found that the prices weren't much different for this model (which still shows up on Drivethedeal and so forth), and that I definitely cannot afford a new one. Not so sure I like the look of the '04 models anyway.
My Punto doesn't seem to be on Parkers yet as it appears to be too new.
Went along there today - test drove - knee room felt a little tight at first (well, I am 6'6" tall), but having fiddled with the seat adjustment, it was fine.
Car is absolutely mint - wherever it's been sitting, it doesn't seem any the worse for it. (It hadn't been valeted, either.) Everything works, no rusty bits or signs of disuse at all. Engine and gearbox all fine, only a little tight in view of mileage of precisely 90.
Given that the PX is a Punto Dynamic Multijet, same age as the Civic, with 6,000-odd miles on it since October last and with a ding in the driver's door where some idiot opened their door onto it, I do not feel at all hard done by with a cost to change of £6k, in view of the nearly £3k of finance to be settled on the Punto. I dare say that I could probably have done a bit better elsewhere, but I prefer my car purchases to be as argument-free as possible, and I'm happy with what I got, so I guess that's what matters.
Once again, many thanks for all of your help.
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