Used car prices have been on a rollercoaster in recent years. First, they went way up during COVID-19, then they slammed way back down. Look around, and they’re still doing weird things in some quarters. Case in point, this Kia dealership in California.
A reader named Patrick wrote in to notify us of a lovely car he’d found, a 1995 Honda Civic up for sale at Kia of Irvine. It’s got the 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 102 hp, so it’s not a tuner darling with the B16 donk. In fact, it’s a four-door sedan in the LX trim, with 74,000 miles on the clock. Oh, and despite being listed with a five-speed manual, a look at the interior shots suggests it has the less-desirable four-speed automatic.
How much would you expect to pay for this fine but aging machine? $2000? $4000?
Try $7,995!
Now don’t get me wrong. An old Civic can be a very reliable and satisfying car. I’ve had one myself, which I was given by a clown. But that is a ridiculous price for a 1995 Civic.
Real talk: 74,000 miles is low for a car from 1995. Plus, the vehicle seems to have decent panels and a fairly clean interior. It’s also got what appear to be the original wheel covers. These are good things, to be celebrated in a used car!
However, they do not ultimately add up to $7,995. Patrick’s thoughts on the subject sum it up nicely:
A few years ago, this would have been a $2,000 used car – max!
I worry about dealers continuing to target everyday people who may not know better about how to assess and determine the value of quality and safe used vehicles. This listed sales price for something so old feels almost predatory. Even around SoCal, you really don’t see many daily drivers this old anymore.
I can only concur. While the mileage is low-ish, there is otherwise absolutely nothing exceptional about this car. It would likely be a poor financial move to spend $7,995 on this vehicle. While Civics are generally reliable, this one is old, and the older a car is, the less reliable it typically gets.
On the official Kia of Irvine website, it appears there may be a mistake in the listing, too. It’s cited as a manual, which is wrong, but also appears to be listed as Kia Certified Pre-Owned. Unfortunately, it’s not a Kia. It’s also well outside the 120-month powertrain warranty which starts “from original in-service date”—i.e. 1995.
In any case, the dealer’s (possibly automated) system sent me through a full quote today—as above. You’re looking at closer to $10,000 to actually get this thing out on the road.
For $8,000, you can get much newer cars that fill a similar niche. You can get Civics from the mid-2000s era for that money, with similar mileage to boot. Try a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid for $5,799, or this 2007 Honda Civic EX for $6,879. Probably stay away from the 2022 Honda Civic Sport for $5,950, though, there’s something weird going on there.
Newer models are less likely to have rotting seals or tired shocks, or any of the other problems that face a car when it starts edging towards its thirtieth birthday. You’ll also get a nicer, more modern interior, a better crash safety rating, and it’ll probably be easier to hook up your smartphone to the stereo, too.
You want to know the really weird, thing though? This 1995 Honda Civic isn’t even an outlier. Head to Cars.com, and there are multiple Civics from this era listed for big money. There’s a 1994 Honda Civic DX with 75,000 miles for $9,995, which just boggles the mind. Then there’s a 1995 model with 201,000 miles for $5,945, which is still wild.
The hilarious gem, though, is this 1995 Honda Civic EX with just 560 miles on the clock. It’s listed for a mighty $39,995. For forty large, you’re getting the sought after coupe model in Paradise Blue Green Pearl. What about performance? Well, it’s got a 1.6-liter VTEC engine, but hold your horses—it’s the D16, not the B16. Still, it’ll throw down 125 hp to the front wheels, via an utterly disappointing automatic transmission. Ugh.
What’s going on with these Civic prices? Do you get it? I certainly don’t! I’ve written to Kia of Irvine for clarification, but I suspect they won’t appreciate my questioning their prices. It’s looking like this is a thing all over, though. Even the haggard Craigslist examples are getting up there.
Are good used cars so hard to come by that people are paying high four figures for a 30-year-old grandpa sedan? Or are these used car dealers just able to find high-dollar buyers that aren’t fussed about paying big prices for old metal? Speculate freely in the comments.
Image credits: Kia of Irvine, Cars.com via screenshot
The surprise would be if a Kia dealership wasn’t making shady internet deals!
They will probably let you drive away with only $150.00 down and 35% interest because you look like a nice person.
That’s what I’m thinking, this is some kind of preditory salesmanship
Welcome to your generation having enough money to spend stupid amounts of it on nostalgia.
For sale ≠ sold
The price is actually not bad at all. I’m sure you could talk the dealer down at least 1,000. A low mileage golden era Honda from Southen California with no rust is something you could drive for 20 years with hardly any issues. The build quality of these is better than new Hondas and they are simpler so easier and less costly to maintian.
The problem is you’ll likely then have to perform a bunch of age related maintenance even on a dependable car like this. Like when was the last time the brakes were flushed? How are those 30 year old struts, bushings, etc. holding up? If this is a timing belt car, when was the last time that was done?
True, but parts are still quite easily available for these and you can do the majority of the work yourself even if you don’t have much mechanical experience. And even if you pay someone to do it, it’s not like you’ll have to take it to a speciality shop.
None of those items are remotely expensive. You could say all the same things about a 10 year old Honda, especially one from the rust belt, which is probably used up or so rusty it falls apart during normal maintenence. This one is worth close to what they are asking because of condition, simplicty and reliability. It’s probably a superior car to whatever new Kia it was traded in on.
Oh but you will face issues. I own a 70’s Corolla. The most reliable car ever made. There comes a point where parts scarcity turns a very reliable car into a nightmare.
Yeah, and that’s why you can only drive it for 20 years without issues. You may not have noticed, but this Civic is 20 years newer than your Corolla. Parts for 90s Hondas are in stock at every parts store in the country and devastatingly cheap.
As also the owner of an early 00’s BMW E39 and Pathfinder R50, both newer than this Honda, I can tell you there will be things you can’t find and there will be some fabrication, adapting or compromising necessary to keep the car functional.
I seriously doubt you can daily this Honda for 20 more years from this day and not have to store it at some point waiting for that unobtanium, overpriced “NOS” part to show up on eBay from some dusty warehouse.
In 20 years this Honda will be older than my Corolla, a car I had to stop driving often because if someone breaks a window or a tail light, I’m done.
Yeah, well, BMW and Nissan parts are a lot scarcer, and less reproduced by the aftermarket, than Honda parts.
I have done extensive work on a 1996 Civic. I can tell you that, right now, every single part you could possibly need to keep it in the road for the next 20 years is available, and that’s without even going OEM. I don’t think this parts availability is going away anytime soon.
I exclusively daily cars older than this Civic, and I have never had a problem finding functionally necessary parts. Cosmetic/interior parts can be tricky, sure, but you will most certainly keep the car functional.
There are a few cars, namely Jeeps and Mustangs, that, despite being over 60 years old, have 100% parts support. As in, you can buy literally every part for a Jeep or Mustang. Considering how loved Civics are and how popular they are for hotrodding and modification, I would not be even a little surprised to see the aftermarket step up in the same way for these cars in 15-20 years when availability starts to become a real issue.
That statement comes with a lot of “ifs”. I believe you that most parts are still available today, but you can’t know what’s going to break in 10 years from now and in 10 years from now that part that you didn’t anticipate could very well be NLA. Or maybe your precious classic Civic got in a minor crash in 2035 and the rear quarter window got smashed. Would you be able to easily source that glass then?
I thought this too until I replaced the gas tank on my 94 Accord. I snipped the crusty fuel line coming from the pump figuring I’d just buy a new one. No longer available. A Toronto Honda Dealer had one for over $200. I ended up fixing the Iine I snipped.
Counterpoint. That level of outward visibility is priceless.
USED SUZUKI SAMURAI 1988 for sale in Hoquiam, WA | LG Auto Sales, Inc. (lgsalesinc.com)
I passed a $15,000 Suzuki Samurai on a dealer lot and I just had to share it.
It’s in the OC. It’s for sale by a dealer. And there’s not many left around in nice shape. Would I pay 9k? Probably not. At 6-7 we may be talking though. I would definitely have one of these over the later generations though.
Even more than a pair of Cardiac branded shoes…
Maybe it’s a combo of something being nostalgia-bait and old school, pre electronic bullshit and overprotective “safety” harassment, with actual outward visibility and roomy cabin for a small footprint, and being easy as hell to fix. I’d add nice to drive thanks to the old wishbones and being lighter than almost anything you can get today, but the auto really blunts these cars in particular. Even with the auto, though, that top car might not seem like a bad deal soon as these are kind of the ’55 Chevys of the ’90s and I’d definitely take it over a POS Yaris or the Civic hybrid for even less (sister had an identical one and it sucked—standard drivetrain was massively better for minimal mileage penalty). The automatic coupe for $40k, though is nuts. A stick with the top engine and some damn wheels maybe, though the drivetrain probably doesn’t matter much as the value is in the lack of miles, so driving it wouldn’t make sense. Ultimately, $8k around here (Boston area) is kind of the new $3500 to 5k.
Exactly. Modern cars are safer, but with increased safety comes compromises for the entire chassis of the car. The EF was a box for humans and a tiny awesome drivetrain in a metal shrink wrap. Not safe at all, but the visibility/interior and driving dynamics are incredible.
It’s getting to the point where I’d gladly buy a new car without any safety and sign whatever form stating so as I find it all so frustrating and intrusive and the structural reinforcements, while great for a little while in terms of long term creak reduction and somewhat for the more stable handling, has gone way too far IMO and costs too much in weight, blunting driving enjoyment, using more consumables, reducing efficiency, and increasing wear and tear. Even the damn seatbelts are more annoying now—every time I pull up to the mailbox and 3/4 of the times I stop at an intersection and lean forward to see down the perpendicular streets, it grabs on like being assaulted by a sexually aroused octopus. This is after I’ve stopped and not even after a hard stop that might trigger a pretensioning mode. I’d rather risk death—which still wouldn’t be a guarantee in a less safe car nor a non-risk in a modern one—than be annoyed every damn time I drive as being constantly annoyed with no means of striking back at the offender is a life not worth living.
Why is this car listed so high?
1) It’s in the OC
2) It’s a dealer
3) It’s a low-miles Honda
4) You can’t buy anything new at twice the price
I don’t believe this is really intended for people who are looking for a used car.
It’s in stock for people who can’t qualify for a Kia Forte
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Those prices are pretty high, but I guess you could argue at this point they can technically be considered “classic cars.” I got a 1972 Super Beetle in 2004, when I was 11. The car was 32 years old, so not far from the Civic. And it was very much a classic car then. These Civics seem to be following the “regular car” pricing curve as it trends towards “classic.” Values steadily decline till the car is 20-25 years old. Once they are mostly gone from the roads, and they hit that 30 year old mark, prices start climbing.
Oi, yeah, a friend in HS had a ’68 Chevelle SS that we thought of as an old classic at the time and it was only 26 years old.
Golden Era Hondas will continue to appreciate. I picked up one of my all time dream cars a couple years ago, a 1990 Civic Si Hatch, frost white, pretty much stock. This car was an absolute bucket list car for me, as I’ve owned a few Hondas from this time period, and the EF Hatch, in white, is one of the GOATs.
This era of Honda is just SOOOO GOOD; to be honest I actually hated Hondas until I picked up an 88 Accord for a few hundred dollars while in college. Prior to this, I just always thought of Hondas as sort of disposable garbage.
That Accord wound up blowing my mind. Since then, I’ve owned a 91 Sedan on coilovers, an 89 Prelude SI 4WS, and an 86 Civic Si survivor that was literally owned since new by an little old lady.
These cars offer a driving experience that just cannot be matched by modern cars. I’m sure a new CTR is just absolutely insane on a racetrack, but metrics don’t really matter on a street car. With a golden era honda, you get an absolutely incredible view, lots of glass, very thin pillars, and the hood is basically gone as it slopes downwards. The double wishbone suspension is fantastic, even stock. It will offer compliance but it always feels in control, even when you whip it around. When you lower it, because of the double wishbones, the geometry doesn’t become negatively affected, it just transcends into some higher plane of existence. It feels like a go kart, and it’s just begging to have fun. Couple that with very high quality, high rebbing motorcycle inspired engines that love to be abused to within an inch of their lives and beg for more like some sort of sadist, and you get this package of great utility, efficiency, and reliability, coupled with something that just drives in a fantastic manner.
You could hand me a million dollars, and I’d still want to daily a golden era Honda. They are in my opinion, some of the greatest STREET cars ever created. Again, experience > metrics. They deliver it in spades.
Here’s my car if you want to see it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ5szK7vuCU
Dead on. Even as a torque over hp guy, this era Hondas were really great driving cars in a grocery-getter body—far better than someone who only vales the numbers would guess and far better than far too many cars with better numbers. The drivetrain in this one is disappointing, but good body shells are pretty rare (maybe not in CA, IDK) and a swap isn’t hard.
My wife had this car over a decade ago and she STILL talks fondly of it at least quarterly.
Must be all the rich guys who also aren’t into hypercars!
I’m guessing there are so many automatics because the manuals have already been driven into dust.
People wax poetic about the delight of 90’s cars but still expect them to be priced like they were in 2004.
The average home price in Irvine is over $1.5 million, more than three times the national average. Stands to reason their used car prices would correspond.
A truly clean, low-mile, maintenance-documented example of any car, no matter how mundane, is worth at least 5,000. It can appreciate a bit over time for various reasons; add a grand for each decade after the fourth, add a grand or two if it’s a rare or desirable model, etc. This one might be worth $5,500 or $6,000 because A)Honda and B) California. But no way it’s worth $8,000
Socal prices for old Civics and CRXes have been high for a long time. In 2015 we paid $3500 for my son’s 1992 Civic, a car he has put over 100,000 miles on himself and is still going strong today. This is not at all a surprise, and even with 250,000 miles on the car, a now faded paint job, and obvious wear and patina I can virtually guarantee we’d get $4-5000 out of the car today.
Those old EG Civics are reliable, easy to work on, parts are readily available, kids still love to mod them, and they are fun cars to drive. There’s a reason the market remains strong. I wouldn’t pay $8k for a 4-door auto sedan version but someone will give them over six.
I have to assume this is wash over from auction sites selling pristine mid-90s Japanese cars and getting big numbers (and bigger headlines).
Every couple of years we get this in various markets. Sports trading cards, comic books and then video game prices started escalating due to speculators (and their shill bidding schemes), and every local TV news station ran “You might have thousands of dollars sitting in your attic!” stories.
The problem with listing a basically new 1995 Civic for $40,000 is that I can go to any Honda dealership and buy a truly new Civic for a hell of a lot less.
True, but they don’t build ’em like they used to.
And that is an unambiguously good thing.
In some cases yes, in others no.
I, like this Civic was created during “Peak America”©️ … however although I’ve been immaculately taken care of, there ARE a few things about me that have aged over forty years…. and I don’t have any snap-fastener plastic parts.
So while I agree they don’t make ’em like they used to, it’s also true that they ain’t as good as they used to be.
Obviously – but you could say the same thing about any nameplate that’s been around long enough to become collectible. People aren’t paying $40k for that ’95 Civic because they need economical transportation, they’re paying it because it’s a genuinely collectible vehicle now.
A new civic won’t have the visibility and experience this car provides. A new CTR would smoke it around a track, but for a street car, metrics don’t really matter as much, and I would argue a slower car can ultimately be more fun because you can drive it harder. These cars feel amazing when driven hard, even at slower speeds. Because of all the glass, it FEELS faster than it is.
I would imagine a CTR at slow speeds would be absolutely boring by comparison. Slow car fast > fast car slow, and these are some of the best slow cars ever produced.
At least I can drive a new CTR every day and enjoy it. If you buy this 1995 Civic for even half of what the dealer wants, you won’t be able to do anything with it besides drive around the block a couple of times if you don’t want the value to drop off a cliff. This isn’t an NSX. Without the absurdly low miles this is just an economy car that lived a charmed life.
Well when people online moan over and over about how cars peaked in the 90s, maybe they shouldn’t be surprised when dealers start taking the sentiment seriously?
This is a great way to experience a great part of buying a new car, but with a much older vehicle.
The second you drive these home, you will lose thousands in depreciation that technically already happened but buyers chose to ignore.
“Being sold” implies people are actually paying that much. Askin’ ain’t gettin’, and plenty of sellers think we’re still in the 2020-2023 car value bubble that has largely popped.
A few months ago my local Toyota dealer was selling a 2004 Toyota Sequoia with nearly 300K miles for $15K. I had very recently purchased a 2004 Sequoia with 250K but admittedly in not as nice shape for $4500. Sure enough, the Sequoia sat on that lot for months and I watched the price slowly creep down to $9995 before it disappeared. Dunno if it actually sold or not.
Thank you! Just because these cars are listed for this much, doesn’t mean anyone is buying them for that much. There’s no evidence that any of the cars mentioned in this article actually sold at those prices. I can list an old Walmart Schwinn bicycle from my garage for $1,000,000, but I don’t expect anyone to pay that. Maybe I’ll get some attention when a blogger or Redditor somewhere posts it.
And I thought I overpaid for a 2017 Ford Explorer Sport…
I mean, if it were at least a manual I could see someone wanting to fulfill their Fast and Furious dreams. I’d still say it was way overpriced but at least there would be _some_ kind of draw. This… this is just madness.
There’s no shortage of suckers and fools these days.