Differences between a 2010 Civic and Elantra

How about don't lease a car--but instead buy a nice 2 year old used one, pay cash, and keep it?

Otherwise, the "re-structuring of your investing outlook" will be nothing more than rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Who can afford to buy a 2 year old car in cash? That's a bad investment, you'd have to deplete a lot of funds in your investments to do that and the market is coming up. Drawing the money prior to recovery is a bad thought.

Sounds high.

I'm paying only $300.00 for a 2010 Accord EX, including $10/month for Hondacare. That's USA, you in Canada or anything?

Be sure to use the Honda site or Edmunds.com or something to solicit quotes from several vendors in the area.

J.

OK, so finance it--and then keep it.

And squirrel away those lease payments you've been paying.

After not too long, you'll realize you can buy that Acura you've always wanted, and pay cash for it.

A car is never an investment, no matter how you structure things. It's an expense, pure and simple.

Well yes 'n no... Antique/classic cars are investment but often marginal examples never are profitable.

OTOH, for daily transportation, your cite is exactly why I deal in ancient Civics that are cheap to obtain, operate and maintain...

JT

So are you saying that Hyundai Elantra's are costly to operate and maintain? I'm just trying to see where the difference in price is. Hyundai has been around a while so it should be a lot more reliable than it was in the 80's, and also its known long enough to have prices parallel to Honda, but yet there's a large gap in costs for comparable models. I've owned 4 Honda's for 3 years each. They were all bought new. During that time all of them had some kind of annoying problem, which was fixed by warranty, but still being a car which is know for reliability it hasn't really been that reliable for me.

My 1995 Honda Accord 4 banger is becoming semi-ancient in years. It hit

81,000 miles today!

This car runs like a top, and so far it is the most reliable car I have ever owned. Every single thing works, no lights, no funny noises, and ice-cold A/C. It kind of freaks me out.

It isn't glamorous, but I like it. I can just feel it sipping gas economically as I drive it down the highway.

Oh yeah, I meant no warning lights, the headlights and other lights work great. I have only had the car for a few thousand miles, and I would not expect it to have a lot of problems considering the mileage, but it seems like a well-made car, especially considering the current value.

The A/C was entirely replaced the summer before last, it has nearly-new Pirelli P5's installed with a new alignment, and the timing belt/water pump job was done at 60K miles in 2008. It is about due for a tune-up, which two Honda dealerships have performed regularly for 15 years, and I will probably let them continue with the excellent service.

This Accord is a pretty nice one to drive while working on the Mazda for a year or so.

Have you driven the Hyundai -- as compared with the Civic. From what I have read the Elantra does not do as well as the Civic. But, Hyundai has steadily improved their quality and reliability and with the 100k warranty the price difference for a lease appears compelling. Given some of Honda's new offerings -- the ugly Crosstour and beaked Acuras -- I am going to keep my 06 I4 Accord coupe just as long as possible. Another aspect of the newcomers to the market -- Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata and so forth is what will those cars be like when they hit 150k. Will they compare with a Honda at the same mileage. Our 03 Pilot at 96k drives and handles like new. Since its paid for and is only worth about 7500 on trade or so -- keeping it makes far more sense.

I'm in the US, in the Northeast. The quote I got for a 2010 Honda Accord EX-L 4 cyl is $374.00 per month for a 3 year 36k mi lease with

1200.00 down. Each 1000 of car value or down payment is equal to about 25-30 dollars from what I understand. So being that the EXL is about 2200.00 more than the EX, that would be about $60.00 more per month, so my quote might be about 15.00 high. So from what I understand if the dealer said a car is lets say $239.00 a month with 2500.00 down and you only want to put 1500.00 down that means the monthly payment should be around 265.00 per month on a lease.

How much did you put down on your lease to get that 300.00 quote? What are the terms?

I know some people think leasing is a waste of money, but it works for some and not for others. Its a preference.

Just to go over the problems I had with my Honda's:

1999 Accord EX V6: transmission brake sensor, replaced 3 times 2002 Civic EX: heater replaced, trunk latch replaced 2005 Accord EX: Console hinge replaced 2008 Accord EX-L: all power lock motors died and replaced, engine light malfunction.

So, you really don't know what the price of the car is, do you?

You think buying a car means getting a monthly lease payment from the car dealer?

And you're using THAT as the basis for restructuring your investments?

elmo, "al" is the retard that pops up here from time to time seeking attention, not actual advice. clue: his trying to compare a 24 with a

36 month lease should have been a red flag.

anyway, i suggest we let him f*ck off and buy the hyundai - that way we don't get his dumb ass wasting honda electrons any more.

3 year, 12000 miles/year, $1000 down.

So your quote on the Civic is MUCH higher than even your own quotes on Accords? If you can save even $10/month on the larger car, that pays for the extra gas.

So these were covered?

Outside of a battery that died in warranty, I can't recall anything significant I had picked up by Honda warranty in four cars plus my current new lease.

J.

Pretty near. When you're comparing quotes on leases for the same model, unless someone is playing weird games with residuals or something, it's all about the monthly. I just get quotes for the same Honda lease from five dealers, and go with the best ... usually after some negotiation on my trade-in, the one thing about the Honda leases is the residuals they quote for buy-out are waaay too high, the dealer gets a wholesale buyout and can split it with you.

As long as you drive something close to the standard miles and deal wisely with the residuals, life is simple.

J.

Well, with (any) new car, there's payments, high insurance rates, etc.

OTOH, with my method, I pay about $100 for a vehicle, spend an additional five or six hundred bux and usually get pretty reliable cheap to operate transportation. Been driving the '82 Civic automatic since last September and it hasn't missed a beat...

The savings allow me a couple of trips to Vegas, back east and lots of good dining etc.

Works for me!

JT

Yep, no need to glamorous transportation for everyday use. OTOH, if I want to impress, I'll take my '56 Studebaker Power Hawk out for a spin...

JT

Mostt of us aren't interested in impressing Zsa Zsa Gabor. :)

Al, We have both Hondas and Hyundai's in my family and like them both. The Hyundai's have proven to be nicely made, reliable cars. The Honda's are a little better appointed and use nicer interior materials. They are generally faster, with a lot more 'Zoom' if that floats your boat. The Hyundai's are an outstanding value and will do the job. My 5 year old Santa Fe is coming up on 60 K and has been incredibly reliable. Same for my sister's Sonata and my cousins Elantra. However, I really enjoy unleashing the 3.0 in my wife's Accord EX every once in a while.

If you're trying to conserve cash, the Hyundai is definitely the way to go. You won't be disappointed. Jon

I have never driven an Elantra but I doubt it matches Civic in handling, performance, refinement and quality. You get what you pay for.