Hey everyone! I am in the market for either an '08 Prius or an '07/'08 Civic. All the '07 Prius around me are sold out.

Anyway, I wanted to get a good idea over what people were paying for an '07 Civic with navigation and an '08 Civic with navigation just so I have a number in mind when I go to the dealer.

Most people who purchased a Prius with navigation spent on average just over 27K.

Also, in terms of warranty with the Civic, I noticed that roadside assistance is not standard. What kind of warranty do people usually get with the Civic?



Thanks!

How can you be shopping for both? They are completely different cars. The Civic is better handling and tracks better on the highway, the Prius shines in urban use, has the folding seats & hatchback, and makes a more obvious environmental statement.

What are your needs?

I simply want a car with good mileage (hence a hybrid) with navigation because I travel around the Bay Area for work.

I did not realize there was such a distinction between the HCH and the Prius.

I just knew they were the 2 most popular hybrids and often considered "rivals."

So basically I thought I should be shopping for both because from my understanding they are the 2 most popular hybrid cars.

Hello mets3145 -

I paid $23,500 for my 2007 HCH with Nav back in June. I haven't look back, I love this car!

See:
http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f...id-civic-6414/

http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f...d-hchii-12833/

I paid $20,600.00 before taxes/tags/dealer processing/etc. for new HCH-II 2007 with Navigation.

I have owned 1994 Honda Civic which brought me back to the new Civic. I have also owned a 1998 Acura CL, 2002 Acura TL, 2004 Acura MDX and, 2007 Mercedes Benz ML-350. I hated my Mercedex-Benz and wanted an out, it had been in the service center most of its 1 year life.

I have to admit, I purchased the HCH-II because it had blue interior... I originally made a deal with the Honda dealer on a 2008 Civic EX-L. One thing you may want to know about the year difference is 2007 does not have a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) but the 2008 does. 2008 vehicles in general in the US are to have TPMS standard.

I have co workers that have the Prius and I can say they are verrrrrry quiet. The HCH-II is also quiet but the Prius is also quiet when you step on the gas pedal. I ultimately have never owned a Toyota and since I had such a terrible time with Mercedes, I didn't want to venture away from a Honda product.

MY HCH-II has been okay for the first month. Depending on what kind of dealer you are buying from (Walmart based or Low Volume/High Service based), your experiance will vary.

One major thing the HCH-II has that the Prius doesn't is interior quality. (Unless you are getting a fully maxed out Prius with leather interior)

Priuses are always going to be the first choice for most people because it is a status symbol. And, they have a 1.5lit 4Cyl and the horse power is about 40/60 suppose to be more torque on the Prius but it doesn't feel that way in reality. Also, Toyota did not keep back the luxury options. Keyless Go, upgrade DVD Nav with 9 speaker sound, BT wireless handsfree, leather appointed interior, 16" Alloy wheels, heated mirrors, HID lights, rear view backup camera and much more.

The Civic in comparison comes with the LX trim, turn signal integration in the side mirror and a DVD 6 speaker navigation. Optional dealer installed options are Auto Dimming rearview mirror, interior lumination, Fog lamps, and a bass audio kit that replaces two back speaker with bass speakers.

Like my co-workers that have the Prius, they all have another car or more and use the Prius for work commuting only.

One regret I have with my HCH-II is no support options. The dealer talk about extended warranties but no loaner car program, free service options, etc. Another thing I miss is Handsfree Bluetooth and integrated iPod compatiblity.

I have added the following to my HCH-II; Auto Dimming Rear View mirror, Interior Lumination, Fog Lamps, Upgraded Sliver Light HID Bulbs, External Bluetooth iPod/Phone Kit.

How much was the total cost after you added all those features, or was the price after the features you mentioned at the end of your message.

Thanks for the feedback. Overall, it seems the Package 5 Prius is about 3-4K more expensive than the Civic with Navigation. OTD prices of course.

If anyone has anything to add in terms of their thoughts on the Civic and Prius, please feel free to do so. The more I get, the better decision I can make.

I have a 2004 Civic, and I have 115K miles on it. I add this for the warranty information.

I have not had any problems that would have required use of a roadside assistance program (I have AAA, anyway).

Other than changing the filters and fluids, I have:
- Changed the wipers (several times)
- Replaced the 12v battery
- Replaced the spark plugs
- Replaced the driver's side mirror due to a fender bender (this was very easy)
- Replaced the air filter with a Spectre system
- Replaced the cabin air filters twice (I did this myself, ordering the parts from ROCK AUTO for $20, because the dealer wanted $100 to do it)
- Replaced headlights

I do *all* of the work myself.

My brakes will need to be changed soon, but when I inspected them at 100K miles, I estimated they had about 20K miles left.

The Civic has been very reliable.

I am sorry I can't shed any light on the 2007/2008 Models, but I hope my experience helps you.

-Charlie...

I added the Auto Dimming mirror, fog lamps, interior lumination and BT myself after I paid for the car. I did the instalations myself.

Personally, after seeing what Toyota offers on the Prius, I can see why it became so popular with people. The comparsion is like the laptop market, I want a ultra powerful, 2 Core 4mb Cache CPU in a ultra 1" think 12" TFT screen shell, but computer manufactures do not see the need to produce this kind of laptop because of power/battery life issues.

Honda has the same approach to their cars. They do not want to make a car that might over sell the next level up. The first two dealers I went to wanted to sell me a Honda Accord EX-L and I told them I wanted a Honda Civic EX-L because I want a smaller car. The Accord would have been just like my Mercedes drinking gas and putting more gas into it. Also the 4Cy Accord didn't feel all that great, it really needs a V6 to move.

I think Honda has realized the need to up there Civic line to more luxurious features to complete with other manufactures. (Nissan offers BT integration on their low end cars and push button start).

But again to answer your question:

$20,600.00 for the car
$147.00 tags
5% tax
$100.00 processing fee
$450.00 gap insurrance
------------
$24,000.00 +/-

KBB states that the estimated price to pay for this vehicle before tax/tags/fees/etc is $24,380.00 (Excellent)

So I made a really good deal on it. I have listed the KBB.com values from their website below.

Trade In goes for:
$20,185.00 (Excellent) , $18,985.00 (Good) , $17,055.00 (Fair)

Private Sale goes for:
$22,180 (Excellent), $20,970 (Good), $19,320 (Fair)

(Condition)

So the Hybrids in general at this point in time are going to have a better resale value then non-hybrids. Another thing I need to mention is that Honda is still getting a $2100.00 tax credit whereas Toyota you might net $315.00 since they have surpassed the 60,000 vehicle limit stated on IRS website. But Toyota is giving a $2000.00 up front price break on their car at the dealership.

To be honest, I can see why others on this site have stated it takes 5 years to break even with the Hybrid model, but I don't see that holding much grain now. After my tax credit, my Civic is going to cost me $18,500.00 which has netted me a profit if I trade it in or sell it privately.

Your major saciface is the power. The regular Civic with gears has a lot more power. I bet you could get a regular Civic and install all the Hybrid accessories on it and get close to the estimated mpg values. Replace the following (LLR Tires, Hybrid Wheels, Plastic under panels, etc)

My 1994 DX coupe Civic got around 41-45mpg real world mileage.

Each is a great car. But I'd say go for the cheaper none navi option.

Nav in nice, but for the price they charge you can get a Garmin Nuvi and still save some cash. The Nuvi also stows for theft prevention, and is cheaper to upgrade as the years go on.