Hello. I am looking into a Civic. I initially thought I would purchase a 2010 or newer used civic. Once I started looking, I noticed new civics were very close to the list price of the used ones. I asked the dealer why this was, because I had always been told "never buy new" "a new car loses 20% of its value the moment it leaves the lot" etc. He said how Honda has a high resale value for various reasons and buying new may really be the smartest move. Being the cynical me, I of course don't trust the dealer... but what he was saying does appear to be true.


Long story short, can a new Civic really be the economical buy? Or should I go for used? What costs the least in the long run? Thanks!

 

Used will always be marked up at a dealer. With that in mind, I would suggest buying from a private sale/party over a stealer-ship.

Same goes the other way; always sell private sale because a dealer will never give you KBB value for your car.

Long story short: dealers are only good for buying new.


On that bs about holding value, they probably bought the car off the previous owner at 60% of BB value and are selling 5% less than brand new price. It's how they make their $$$.