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I purchased my first Civic on June 14 and let me tell you, I love it! I had been drving a 2005 Chevy Colorado extended cab pickup truck as a work vehicle but being an IT person who travels from school to school, I easily put 200-300 miles a week on it. At 14 MPG it was eating me alive.

So I decided to shop around for a more fuel efficient vehicle and it came down to five compact cars, with overall reviews giving the Civic the nod. Since I've owned and love the 2010 Odyssey I've had for a year, I decided to head to the same dealer where I had bought the van.

In fact, I took the van (the truck would be my trade in), having no intentions of buying a new car THAT day. I am 6' 2" and wanted to make sure I could even fit in this thing. Then I wanted to get a general idea for the deal they could make for me.
I sat in this silver 2012 Civic LX, fired it up and headed out for a test drive. I was in love man. Love the dash, console, stereo and for a 4-cylinder, it had some pep!

Long story short, I made a deal that evening. They offered me $9,000 for my Chevy (which according to Kelly Blue Book in the shape it was in was only worth $8,300) so I decided to negotiate a little. I said that sounds great, but I'll need you to take $2,000 of the price of the car. They said there was no way they could do that. I say, "well then, I'll see you later." WAIT they say. "But we can give you more for the truck." How much more? "Not the $2,000, but we can go $1,500 more." No, I say. Gotta go. "Wait, we can give you $10,700 for your Chevy, but that's the best we can do." Nope, sorry. Gotta go. "Okay, $10,700 for the truck and $300 off the car." Okie dokie, sounds great. Now mind you, they made this offer sight unseen. Hadn't even seen the truck since I didn't drive it up. The way I am seeing it, I got the $8,300 I had wanted for the truck and $2,400 off the car.

But I DID tell them it needed to rotors, brake pads, the anti-lock brakes stopped working so I had to pull the fuse to them, air conditioner needed charged, tires are bald and while the 4X4 HIGH will work, 4X4 LOW will not engage. Really, the Chevy probably needed $3,000 worth of repairs. I'm sure they will just fix the brakes and see what they can get at auction.
At any rate, I drove the car home that night and took my truck up to the next night. Have used the Civic for a work vehicle for 3 days now I I keep finding myself thinking, "Now I get it!"

Funny, I had no idea there was a bit of a "Civic Culture" out there. The first day driving around for work some young kid, maybe early 20's, driving a Civic a couple years older, waved to me. I thought, hmmm, that was corny. A couple hours later, it happened again. On way home it happened a 3rd time. So now I find myself giving other fellow Civic drivers a nod or slight wave of recognition and usually they will smile and nod back. Very interesting, this culture.

So that's my Civic story. I'll return often seeking tips on sprucing it up a little. Will take some pictures and post them later.

Thanks for listening....


Edit: Oh, one more thing: Truck - 14MPG, Civic 35MPG. "Winning!"

 
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ah yes that would be the "civic nation" you are finding out about. hope you enjoy the car.

 
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I definitely will!

Here are the pics. Bear in mind this is just a Point A to Point B travel vehicle. Nonetheless, I'd like to add to it over time. Put nice wheels on it and other odds and ends.

 
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Heh. I don't get that kind of kindness. Then again, I'm in NY. . Congrats on the ride. Any way we can put a little gas money back in our wallets is good. Enjoy the fuel economy.

 
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I live in an area where good paying jobs are far and few in between. Dealers here must not be selling cars like hotcakes like they must be in larger cities. Around here dealers will all but take it up the tailpipe to get a deal done.

 
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WOW.. Your 1st civic is wonderful!!

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http://www.used-rims-and-tires.com/
http://www.hondacivic2005.com/

 
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Enjoy your new ride.