[Revention]

Hi all,

While searching for new car I had shortlisted the 2023 City VX (yet to decide MT or AT). But also came across a not much used Civic VX from CARS24. So now am confused between the two
Civic has much better presence but not really exciting to drive (would have loved MT). Also it lacks some features like 6 airbags which even City VX has but it has 4. Its NCAP rating is higher but no lane watch, no ADAS (and no sunroof, kid's gonna hate me)

Also there are some practical concerns :
1) There is large gap between mfg and reg date around 9 months.
2) Cars24 says the Honda service guys are not giving pdf of service records or warranty details.
3) I called the service centre but they not willing to commit anything. I will still try to visit them with the used car.

I would like to know if others have faced such issues while buying used Honda cars and any good solution for getting the car checked from Honda service centre ....

Thanks !

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by Revention

1) There is large gap between mfg and reg date around 9 months.
2) Cars24 says the Honda service guys are not giving pdf of service records or warranty details.
3) I called the service centre but they not willing to commit anything. I will still try to visit them with the used car.

I would go for a brand new 2023 Honda City since it’s within your reach any day. It’s a superb car and being brand new comes with complete peace of mind for at least 5 years. Between the latest, brand new City and a used/old Civic it’s not too much of a segment gap to consider second hand either.

With no service or warranty records available (could be any car) why would you want to take a risk, waste time, money and complicate life. Keep it simple, buy the new City and enjoy a peaceful life.

Cheers

[Gearup_1111]

Originally Posted by Revention

So now am confused between the two

Go for brand new city. Civic is dead now.

[ToThePoint]

The CIVIC, while a great car to drive (except soft rear suspension issues) and a head turner; with no service history and being a old discontinued car, it could turn out to be a money pit. And it doesn't have all the features you are looking for anyways.

So, go with the freshly baked 2023 CITY!

[AJ56]

Get the Civic anyday over the tin can City. It’s built much better, with proper NCAP safety ratings, makes more power and has more space. 9 month gap is not reason enough to cancel the deal, Civic wasn’t a fast seller and chances are it sat in the dealer lot for a few months before finally getting sold.

Honda service is generally very cooperative (that they are incompetent is another issue), I don’t understand why they are refusing to provide service history assuming the owner has given approval (history cannot be shared without permission from owner). Take the car to them and pay for a full inspection, get a copy of that report. Now take it to your trusted mechanic and have him do a full inspection.

If both the service centre and your guy ok the car, use the points in each report to negotiate the price down and finally close the deal if you’re happy. Don’t forget to extensively test drive it and look for erratic behaviour/sounds.

Use this checklist-

[MotorDev]

Originally Posted by Revention

Hi all,

While searching for new car I had shortlisted the 2023 City VX (yet to decide MT or AT). But also came across a not much used Civic VX from CARS24. So now am confused between the two
Civic has much better presence but not really exciting to drive (would have loved MT). Also it lacks some features like 6 airbags which even City VX has but it has 4. Its NCAP rating is higher but no lane watch, no ADAS (and no sunroof, kid's gonna hate me)

Also there are some practical concerns :
1) There is large gap between mfg and reg date around 9 months.
2) Cars24 says the Honda service guys are not giving pdf of service records or warranty details.
3) I called the service centre but they not willing to commit anything. I will still try to visit them with the used car.

I would like to know if others have faced such issues while buying used Honda cars and any good solution for getting the car checked from Honda service centre ....

Thanks !

Go for the brand new city eyes closed. The new facelifted city in vx variant gets ADAS, lanewatch camera etc too. Its VFM too. The civic though is an awesome car, I personally don't like and recommend used cars to anyone. I also follow a principle that if one is buying a costly car, let it be a new one.

The new city looks good, has loads of space, boot is larger than the civic too. If there are elderly people who sit in the car, they will find ingress and egress better in the city than the civic. The city is a safe car too. I don't find any reason as to why you shouldn't buy the new city.

[Revention]

One new twist : I found a 2019-20 Civic on Spinny. Its a ZX. So no features gap (except ADAS anyways). Its a diesel though and has run 36K (though I guess in larger scheme of things its not much). But its much better to drive than the petrol. I got the service records for that. Trying to find if the buyer has bought extended warranty (so I will have option of renewing it upto 10 yrs)
Surprisingly, even this car, has reg date of Feb 2020 but mfg date of Feb 2019 (I wonder if thats the case of most Civics then)
Also, though most probably it may be not, trying to check if its BS6 or not.

I spoke with Honda service and they are ready to inspect it for a fee. But I will need to buy the car first (Spinny has 5 day no questions asked return policy, so they suggested to do it that way as they won't give car for so long before buying)

Though I am , too, cautiously approaching the whole thing, and in case of doubt , it will be back to City

[Safedriver2023]

I will prefer a new city over old civic as you have a lot of peace of mind with new car from same manufacturer. You can check for the recent offers as i was messaged from local Honda dealer like below.
Civic is a great car and if you have driven extensively only same segment cars like elantra and Octavia are comparable. Civic AT or diesel is not a driver enthusiastic car. Similarly city is not a driver enthusiastic car. So consider your needs and test drive more to satisfy your decision

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[Cresterk]

I would say go for the new city. Or one of the VW twins since you care about driving. The civic was dead on arrival here for a reason.

[ags82]

I would say avoid a used car when you can get a new car without any hassles and can drive around with peace of mind. I was in a similar dilemma when I had to choose between a new Scross and a used XUV 500 (bs4) from a used car dealer with slightly extra budget. Used car fantasy some times stops when you actually see the car in person and no matter how good it sounds on paper or the pics you see, it will have some issues internal or external or both. You should be really really lucky to get a very nice used car. Go for a used car if you need a luxury car, it will save you money and give better value than spending a lot on a new car. Well , I went for Scross and is happy with my decision with 12k kms in one year and 3 months. I believe you should go for a new Honda city and not used Civic.

[Voodooblaster]

Please factor in the newer emission norms and the consequences of using E20 blended fuel in cars not designed for it

Also you get maximum warranty in the City

[AYP]

Originally Posted by Revention

One new twist : I found a 2019-20 Civic on Spinny. Its a ZX. So no features gap (except ADAS anyways). Its a diesel though and has run 36K (though I guess in larger scheme of things its not much). But its much better to drive than the petrol. I got the service records for that. Trying to find if the buyer has bought extended warranty (so I will have option of renewing it upto 10 yrs)
Surprisingly, even this car, has reg date of Feb 2020 but mfg date of Feb 2019 (I wonder if thats the case of most Civics then)
Also, though most probably it may be not, trying to check if its BS6 or not.

If you can get a diesel Civic, nothing like it, especially if it is BS-4. It is better to drive than the petrol and with a remap, your power figures would be close to 160 BHP with the torque being close to 375NM. You may also wanna check out the Elantra 1.6 diesel. It came with an Automatic as well.

[Motorhead23]

Originally Posted by Revention

Hi all,

While searching for new car I had shortlisted the 2023 City VX (yet to decide MT or AT). But also came across a not much used Civic VX from CARS24.

Hi Revention, in my opinion you first need to decide on the dilemma of owning a used car vs new car.
You can save a lot while buying a used car since the previous owner has taken the depreciation hit.

Given the choices above, the heart any day picks Civic over any other sedan purely for her presence. It's a head turner even today. And I am saying this because I ride the same VX CVT Apr'19 Manufactured and Dec'19 registered so almost 8 months apart, and there hasnt been any niggles throughout my ownership . I have clocked almost 36K until now.

You can talk out with few dealers and request for service history since you are buying the car and can be a prospective customer for them as well and if the previous owner has bought extended warranty you can take it upto 10 years anytime warranty. That's what even I intend to do.

If you go with Civic it will definitely lack the smell of the new car , some features here and there but the build quality , ride quality is superior anyday when compared to city.

P.S. The Gap in manufacturing and registration would be there for all the variants except ZX-CVT because honda had produced a lot of Civics in feb~apr 19 primarily of lower variants and the actual market demand was only for the top end petrol and other variant were liquidated at a discount later [ you should check the real invoice as well and may Crack a good deal]

[sumeethaldankar]

Been in this same boat more than a decade ago. If going the used way make sure the car is checked out at a authorised Honda dealer. Do not go by odo read as these can be tampered. Spend a few thousand to get the car checked out from Honda. Do not go for more than one owner car if this will be your primary ride, means don't buy and example where you will be the third owner.

I will pick a new Civic over a new City anyday. I did not get a very good example of a used Civic when I bought mine in 2011 but overall I was happy with it and was sad when I had to let it go. The Civic is well built over the City and feels safer and sturdier.

Please refer to this post (Honda Civic : Maintenance, Service Costs and Must dos) even though it is for the earlier gen Civic it will still be helpful.


If I had to decide today I will go for the new City as the Civic is discontinued and used cars are not my thing anymore.

Good luck.

[Revention]

Originally Posted by Voodooblaster

Please factor in the newer emission norms and the consequences of using E20 blended fuel in cars not designed for it

(Missed this post for some reason) Will try to check this part.

Also the newer Hyundai (it looks fine in-person, more polarising in pics IMO) with its features and engine (1.5 turbo) at its price has made the decision difficult.

As per Honda dealer, Anytime warranty can be given, subject to inspection which I anyways planned to do. Spinny has 5 day (300 km), no questions asked, return policy. So will need to do that inspection within those 5 days and can return if not found good enough or buy the Anytime warranty if all good

Another doubt now is if the cost if is good enough with all impending risks like 10 yr limit being imposed for diesel in Karnataka as well.
Emission norms is also worry since its a BS4 (though my usage is not as much)

https://www.spinny.com/buy-used-cars...-2019/7473507/ is the link for for detailed info of the car

PS :
I know many above have outright told me not get into this hassle. But I am just posting all possible points to get the most feedback and take most informed decision