Why are Hondas so overpriced?

"Bytemite" (bytemite) 01/25/2017 at 18:50 • Filed to: None

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So I recently got into Hondas after I’ve spent all my life brushing them aside as rice-mobiles for kids. I get the appeal, the 90s Honda anyway—willing engine, 5-speed manual, light weight, double wishbones all around—it’s just the perfect recipe for fun.

After researching which Honda is the right Honda for me, I have narrowed the best models down to the 92-95 Si hatch and EX Coupe, 3rd gen Prelude Si with no 4WS, the bugeye Integra GSR 2dr hatch, and possibly the 96-00 Civics too.

But all the Hondas I see for sale are either completely high-mileage, no service history, slammed on cut springs, with a bunch of mods that make it fail smog, or priced about twice as much as they are actually worth.

I’m going off on a bit of a tangent here but what are people thinking when they throw on all these mods in California? How are they going to pass their smog? I can’t wrap my head around it. I mean, if you knew all the hard work you put into the car will be deemed illegal in less than two years, why the hell mod it? And then put it up for sale afterwards because it failed smog?!?!

Can anyone give me an explanation on this? The Hondas in general and this smog failing business.

jkm7680 > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 18:58

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If I were you, I’d take the word “beaners” out. I’m not personally offended by that, but I’m sure some others would be.

Again, I’m not an SJW or anything, but I’m just looking out for ya.

citrus > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 19:01

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casual racial slurs much?

Gerry197 > citrus 01/25/2017 at 19:06

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I agree, that kinda took me by surprise as well. I’m not the politically correct type, but that’s definitely a racial slur.

How do you know these cars are failing? A lot of emission failing mods are usually easy to fix before a smog test. But plenty of aftermarket mods for Hondas that are CARB certified.

Also, the older Honda’s you noted are the most common that are modified. They have to pass the standard for back then, not now. Considering how many are stolen and chopped up, its no surprised that the ones still on the road command a strong price.

Bytemite > jkm7680 01/25/2017 at 19:13

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Huh, I didn’t know that was an offensive term. What can I say instead?

Gerry197 > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 19:19

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You didn’t know Beaners was an offensive term, and you live in California?

jkm7680 > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 19:20

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Nothing?

It’s been an ethnic slur for like 60+ years now.

CRider > jkm7680 01/25/2017 at 19:25

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Bytemite > jkm7680 01/25/2017 at 19:26

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Ah, understood. I went to high school in LA where it was mostly hispanic kids and everyone said beaner, but I guess HS kids wouldn’t know political correctness anyway. I took it out but yeah it just seemed to be very popular with that crowd to be driving around in lowered civics and Integras. I guess that’s stereotyping too and not PC. I should probably just not say anything. :X

MonkeePuzzle > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 19:31

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they are high because people will pay it.

lots on honda guys I know in cali keep spare/stiock parts. or get the smog sticker then make changes. or you can make a lot pf the changes and still be smog legal.

adult owned, good history honda... I know of one, but my price is high :D

jkm7680 > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 19:35

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Yup, certain words just get stuck in our vocabularies sometimes.

And yeah, stanced Civics are very popular in the Hispanic community. All of my Hispanic friends drive either stanced Civics, Accords or Integras haha.

Bytemite > jkm7680 01/25/2017 at 19:38

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Oh whew thanks for confirming. I thought I was also being racist for noticing that? Is it racist to see and acknowledge a popularity among a race or is it just better to ignore it?

interstate366, now In The Industry > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 19:43

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I have a non-4WS 3rd gen Prelude Si. It’s a nice car. Looks good. Fun, but fairly slow. Starting to become kind of an orphan parts-wise, and the 2.1 in the 90-91 Si’s can be troublesome if you flog it a lot.

jkm7680 > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 19:43

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Honestly, I’m not really sure. As I said, I’m really not into the whole PC thing.

Bytemite > interstate366, now In The Industry 01/25/2017 at 19:45

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Ah, maybe I’ll take it out of the running if it isn’t on par with the Civics in terms of reliability. They look SO GOOD though. I was just talking to you about yours the other day and how much it would go for. That clean beltline and popup headlights, with a nice greenhouse and deck spoiler just makes such a great shape.

interstate366, now In The Industry > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 19:59

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Yeah, mine had a blown engine when my dad bought it, not even 150,000 miles on it. He did an engine swap with one from my first car (same year, same color, but an automatic) and eventually traded it to me for another car I had. The 2.0 fuel injected engine is more reliable and isn’t *that* hard to swap into a 90-91 Si (the 2.1 is OBD1 while the 2.0 is OBD0, but otherwise it’s a direct drop-in) but I don’t know if you’d be able to pass emissions with it in there.

Kat Callahan > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 20:10

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Because they still have a certain level of JDM cred amongst many. The 90s Hondas anyhow. Fuck anything made after the EP3.

Bytemite > Kat Callahan 01/25/2017 at 20:18

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Seriously...what happened to Honda to make them completely stop trying in the US at least after 2001?

dogisbadob > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 20:24

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ask the sellers how they get the cars to pass... or “pass” wink wink ;)

Hondas have always had high resale value “used Honda tax”

I think the first-gen TL is exempt from the Honda tax though. I’ve always liked them for some reason.

That said, the slammed on cut springs is easily solved with a set of quick struts (comes with new springs)

TFSIVTEC drivesavolvo > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 20:44

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Because Camry

DrDDay > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 21:37

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Japanese economic crash and the success of Toyota through beige

DrDDay > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 21:44

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Unfortunately the late 80's and 90's era Honda/Acura products were so great that they became legends of their generation, especially here in the states. There weren’t a lot competing vehicles in their segments that were worth a crap back then and the ones that were any good were generally significantly more expensive. You could buy a used 5-6k EG or EF Civic/CRX and have more quality driver involvement than you could with some of the actual sports cars of the time. Add to that the fact that the cars were basically Legos and you could swap motors, suspension, brakes and all sorts of other goodies from cars that were considered basic economy cars at the junk yard. It all adds up to vehicles that have held their values and for nice examples, probably beginning to appreciate again.

Would I spend significantly more than I spent when I was in HS on the exact same CRX that I had at the time? Undoubtedly. At least double.

DrDDay > Kat Callahan 01/25/2017 at 21:45

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The EM1 was pretty garbage. The EP3 was redemption and then all was lost.

CodyVella > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 22:03

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I owned a ‘92 Civic Si Hatch (EG) and it was bar none the best car I’ve ever owned. Picked it up for $500 and drove it for three years and racked up around 120,000kms over those three years. It never gave me a single problem besides the exhaust rotting off. Ultimately I had to get rid of it because the body started falling off the thing. It’s almost impossible to stop them from rotting. But yeah, stock ones (especially the EG hatch) that aren’t rotted all to hell will run you $2500-$4000. At least here in Canada they do.

As for the whole failing smog thing. A lot of those old Honda engines seem to burn oil as the miles rack up. I know mine did. Everything on the car worked as it should have, but it just barely squeaked by on its last smog test. The only thing I could think of was that it burned a bit of oil, and maybe the 20 year old catalytic wasn’t as up to snuff as it once was. It had 350,oookms when I yanked it off the road.

If someone came to me with a nice, rust-fee, stock, EG Hatch, for under $2k, I’d buy it, regardless of how many miles were on it. It’s a 90s Honda, you can basically rebuild the damn thing in a day.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 22:13

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The problem with older Hondas is, they are either heavily modified, or rusted to hell, and beat. So generally the people who have a tastefully modified, or totally stock one that is clean know what they have and want every penny for it. And some where there is a Honda nerd out there that will pay it.

Also buy a 4th gen. Or better yet a second gen CRX.

DipodomysDeserti > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 22:21

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You wouldn’t happen to be on the spectrum would you? Because that’s the only way I could see how someone who grew up in LA wouldn’t know that it was a highly offensive term. Just as a heads up, I wouldn’t go around calling black people the n word, even if you hear a black person use it.

DipodomysDeserti > Bytemite 01/25/2017 at 22:26

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No, it’s racist to use terms like “beaner” when referring to latinos, as you did. It’s just ignorant to think an entire race of people are into a particular brand of car.

Bytemite > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/26/2017 at 02:20

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Wouldn’t the EF be more prone to rust than the EG? I think the EF and 2nd gen CRX are the most heavily Honda-taxed too.

Bytemite > DipodomysDeserti 01/26/2017 at 02:25

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I should be more PC. I got it but don’t get all caught up in defending a word, or use of a word. It’s the intention that matters more, but I understand some people can be sensitive too and I should watch out.

DipodomysDeserti > Bytemite 01/26/2017 at 07:00

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It has nothing to do with political correctness. If you referred to someone using that word in front of me, I kick your fucking teeth in. I couldn’t give a shit about politics.

You live in a state where Latinos make of a majority of the population. Hondas are a ubiquitous vehicle. Mathmatically, you’re going to have a lot of Hondas owned by Latinos you dumb fuck.

Take your racial hate somewhere else you piece of shit.

DipodomysDeserti > Bytemite 01/26/2017 at 08:15

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Sorry for the language, I hadn’t had my coffee yet. Here’s a more tempered and better thought out response:

I encourage you to speak your mind, and not to hide your racist beliefs. Be vocal about them so that people like me can easily identify you. What’s been great about Trump being elected president is that is has given the bigots a sense of security, causing them to come out into the open. I appreciate your visibility. In celebration of your new found freedom of not having to be “PC”, as you phrase it, I encourage you to go get lunch in East LA today, and refer to every brown person you meet using your freedom-loving anti-PC language. I’m sure they will embrace your free and open spirit.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Bytemite 01/26/2017 at 09:03

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That’s because they are the best.

Bytemite > DipodomysDeserti 01/26/2017 at 12:03

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I’m not going to get into this “I can beat you up!” kid’s game...so I’ll just say oh you are so tough, too tough for me. If you are getting this worked up over a word that I have retracted and meant no harm by, you should look within and try to understand why little things make you so angry and distressed. Yep, I admit that it was a mistake on my part and if that hurt your feelings, I am sorry. Sorry to have hurt your feelings. I can’t change you but I hope you find peace and love. Go out there and enjoy life! You can keep going around calling me a racist, but you don’t know me, so I encourage you to have empathy and change your mindset of calling everyone a label and instead understand where they are coming from and educate and give them your love. You can be the change you want to see.

I voted Bernie btw.

DipodomysDeserti > Bytemite 01/26/2017 at 12:34

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You grew up in LA and referred to Latinos as “beaners”. I don’t believe for a second you didn’t know how bigoted that word is.

I couldn’t care less who you voted for. That means absolutely nothing to me.

You’re an adult, not a child. You can’t feign ignorance as to what derogatory words mean. If you’re going to be a racist, as least own up to it instead of being passive aggressive and pretending to be a moron. I know exactly who I am and what I stand for. And I have zero tolerance for racists and bigots regardless of what superficial political party they identify with.

Don’t tell me to have empathy for your racist views. That’s ridiculous. Once again, I do encourage you to be open about holding such views (as you originally were). If you’re a racist, let us all know so we can better identify you.

McMike > DipodomysDeserti 01/26/2017 at 12:47

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OK, which one of you shared this to Oppo?

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Bytemite 01/26/2017 at 12:50

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I actually had a latino dude tell me when I was telling him to buy a VW, “oh man “WE” don’t buy those. Honda or Toyota hermano.”

So...I got no problem with your statement.

yamahog > McMike 01/26/2017 at 12:51

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Either way, I’ve unshared it and both commenters are to disengage immediately.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > DipodomysDeserti 01/26/2017 at 12:51

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Dude...you can stop now.

yamahog > DipodomysDeserti 01/26/2017 at 12:53

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Please disengage now, and refrain from ableist comments or any sort of threats in the future.

yamahog > Bytemite 01/26/2017 at 12:55

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I’m going to ask both of you to drop this now. I appreciate that you edited the post when asked, but for future reference, the actual impact (and not just the intent) of words is what’s important.

Bytemite > yamahog 01/26/2017 at 13:00

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I didn’t share it, but yeah I see your point. I do apologize to him for negatively impacting his life. Hopefully, he can look past this but that’s his choice and he can find peace in his own time. You don’t have to protect me or anything, I’m not really bothered with this aggressive internet bully behavior. I just took a dump so life is good.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Bytemite 01/26/2017 at 13:16

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Telling someone it’s their choice to move on past an offence isn’t really letting things go btw. you should just apologise and silently move on without recommending the person you are apologizing to do anything.

Bytemite > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. 01/26/2017 at 13:17

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I’m not telling him anything though. I just hope he does move past it and wish him well.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Bytemite 01/26/2017 at 13:24

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Yes, but those are head thoughts and don’t need to be shared with the class, especially since he is guaranteed to see it and feel like the apology isn’t sincere.

Wish him well, and just leave out the rest.

DipodomysDeserti > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 01/26/2017 at 13:35

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Top two selling cars in Latin America are a Chevy and a Volkswagon...

http://focus2move.com/latin-america-best-selling-cars/

Honda didn’t even crack the top ten.

Guess that “one latino dude” wasn’t representative of the hundreds of millions of latinos. Who da’ thought?

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > DipodomysDeserti 01/26/2017 at 13:57

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Latino market share of U.S. (that is what we were discussing. When did Latin America get brought into this? The OP was talking about LA) retail registrations by Hispanic consumers (top 3)

2014 share vs 2013 share

Toyota 16.90% 16.70%

Nissan 12.30% 11.80%

Honda 11.90% 12.40%

http://www.autonews.com/article/20150518/RETAIL01/305189994/sales-to-hispanics-outpacing-the-market

Yeah, who would have thought. Oh, that is right. I did.

DipodomysDeserti > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 01/26/2017 at 14:34

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I was talking about Latinos, which is short of Latin American. That article is a mess, as it first identifies the buyers a latinos, then hispanic (not all latinos are hispanic), then as spanish-speaking (not all latinos speak spanish), then as hispanic culture identifying(which makes absolutely no sense as there are vastly different cultures that exist between Spanish speaking people). In short, Lindsey Chapelle doesn’t know who she’s writing about.

Despite all that, thank you for actually using research based facts, rather than “I see lots of brown people in Hondas”. That article points out that certain brands are targeting Latinos because they’re a growing market. In short, buying a Honda doesn’t have to do with you being a Latino, it’s because Honda is trying to get people from your ethnic makeup to buy their products. And so you know, my beef wasn’t with the stereotyping (even though it bugs me), it was with the use of a blatantly racist slur.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > DipodomysDeserti 01/26/2017 at 14:57

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Yeah it was racist. But as a black man I am here to tell ya, you handled it TERRIBLY. You made him look like the nice guy with your ranting and raving. Step up your rhetorical game for the next time, aiight?

DipodomysDeserti > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 01/26/2017 at 18:15

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Meh. I’m not concerned with sounding like a good guy when it comes to dealing with racists. In my experience, there’s only one way to deal with them and it doesn’t involve rhetoric.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > DipodomysDeserti 01/26/2017 at 20:09

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Ok kid.

DipodomysDeserti > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 01/26/2017 at 21:04

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I’m old enough to see what being rhetorical with racists gets you. I live in a region where racists patrol the desert with rifles and stand outside mosques with loaded weapons. A kid thinks someone who pretends to be nice while using racial slurs is a nice person. I’m not as gullible.