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I'm currently looking at Honda Civics 2012's and Hyundai Elantras 2012's. Both are being cleared out to make way for the 2013 releases right now so they are basically being sold close to invoice.
I can get a Civic for 17900 + 1st payment or an Elantra for 17300 + 400 rebate + 1st payment. I think that the Civic has a better ride and I do actually like the fancy gauges though the lack of external temperature sensor is stupidly annoying. The Elantra is cheaper and has mo gadgets. The warranty for the Hyundai is pretty ridiculous compared to everything else.
I dunno, any one have thoughts?
In Soviet Russia, Civilization Micros You!
"Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."
“I have never understood why it is "greed" to want to keep the money you have earned but not greed to want to take somebody else's money.”
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What do you mean pretty ridiculous?
Not that I know anything about driving. 
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10 Year Power Train
5 Year Bumper to Bumper + Road Side Assistance
7 Year Rust/other random things
In Soviet Russia, Civilization Micros You!
"Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."
“I have never understood why it is "greed" to want to keep the money you have earned but not greed to want to take somebody else's money.”
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Joined: Mar 2011
In my opinion, there is usually little reason to pick up a brand new car. But that's something different entirely.
Personally, Civic is always a safe, sturdy bet. Plus it holds its value amazingly well. That being said, Hyundai is no slacker.
I don't know enough about modern rides to say which is better or worse for performance/safety.
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On a related topic, I have to recommend this approach to negotiating a purchase price: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNrLfylgHE0. I did this when I bought a car last fall and saved a bundle.
Also, I am far from an expert on these matters but I understand the 2012 Civics are much worse than previous year models. Consumer Reports dropped its ranking by several points and no longer recommends it.
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Its mostly people are pissed about the interior, suspension is better. Either way its good for buyers since Honda is pushing out a brand new 2013 model this fall and all the 2012 inventory will be unsold in a few months anyway. The CR downgrade isn't really warranted, what do you expect from a car as good as a Civic is anyway 
How much did you save and what type of car did you end up with Sir Bruce? I'm trying to not be a complete sociopath with this but I'm already quite below sticker and dealer paid invoice price on these things. I don't think it will be feasible for them to go much lower unless they are making crazy money off interest.
In Soviet Russia, Civilization Micros You!
"Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."
“I have never understood why it is "greed" to want to keep the money you have earned but not greed to want to take somebody else's money.”
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Threads: 2
Joined: Dec 2009
I saved around $5000 (plus an extra $1000 from a national sale event) off a new 2011 Camry last August.
What I did was figure out what car I wanted and then found it in the inventory of 5 local dealers. I sent each of them an e-mail one morning that said more or less: "I want to buy this particular car tomorrow morning and want to know what final price you can offer. I am also contacting other dealers. I will buy from the dealer with the lowest price." and then went on with the particulars of how they better tell me the true final price or I walk and that I have my own financing but that they are welcome to try to beat it.
I got 4 responses, 3 were reasonable. I then e-mailed 2 of 3 reasonable ones and said, 'other dealer X has offered a price of $Y, can you beat this?' One said they could, and then I walked in the next morning, paid that price and had a new car. They beat my pre-arranged financing too.
It it their job to try to make you believe that they can't go any lower. Don't listen. The absolute best way to save money is to convince them that you only care about money and that they are in competition with other dealers. And you can do it all over e-mail so you don't even need to feel social pressure to please the dealer, a standard trick. Remember, if they are going to lose money, they won't sell you the car. Until you hit that point, you can get a lower price.
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This article is a bit old, but ultra-fascinating about car sales tactics and dealerships.
http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/confes...sman.phtml
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I've got an elantra and it's a great car (2009), had it 2 years now. Only issue I have is that it's not a hatchback. Hyundai and Elantra has been right up at the top with dependability ratings and such these days. I didn't think that were was a reason to pay the Toyota or Honda premium 2 years ago and still see no reason for it. Really these days most brands are pretty damn dependable as things have all sort of become standard in manufacturing.
That said I'll echo the others that buying new is not usually the best option. I did that with my first car, it was sort of nice to have it new but the extra cost was annoying after a while and I got a good deal. You can get a slightly used car that's come off lease or something for much much cheaper that is only a year or two older and looks like new still and still has warranty left.
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Three thoughts:
1) I agree it's generally better to buy some amount of used versus buying new.
2) If you do buy new the strategy linked to above is reasonable, especially for a really common car like a Civic.
3) A Civic and Elantra are both fine choices in their segment. I'd also check out a Honda Fit just to confirm you need "compact class" car and not a cheaper "subcompact class" car. FYI the Fit is less attractive and less powerful than the Civic, but it's cheaper, more practical, and (for a few reasons that sadly don't extend to other makes) more sporty.
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