Legend2TL

Nice, please post some more pics and backstory

mrmako

Need to hear about the "market adjustment"..... Then you kicking the dealer in the nads.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Hell yes!

Legend2TL

LOL, now I have a reason to use this emoji

Aman

Congrats Phil! Also in for the story.

PhilB81

I’m also here for updates and story… c’mon man stop making us wait!

RPhilMan1

Sorry for the delay! Been very busy and the weather here turned rainy and snowy in the high 30s and low 40s for several days. But looks like it is improving soon to be more springlike with 60s on the way. I need to bust the camera out then.

A couple of weeks ago my wife brought her CR-V in to Honda for an oil change. We use the dealer we purchased the car at and I knew they had a Sonic Gray CTR in the showroom. But when I reached out to several dealers regarding pricing, they always held firm with an ADM. I told my wife let's just go look anyway to see the color in person and maybe they would be willing to talk. Our daughter was with us too so we didn't have a lot of time to spend there but I wanted to get a feeler in. I ended up talking with the GM for a bit about the car itself but of course he said we can talk about pricing and see what could work. But I told him I don't even want to have a conversation unless we start at sticker. Nothing else. He said well yeah with the CTR we usually start at $5k over sticker. "It's just how the market is." I asked for his business card so I can get his information and not waste any time and then he pulls the "do you want to make a deal right now?" tactic. I said I don't have a lot of time for that but he agreed that we can be at sticker. Since I drove my ST there he asked if we could at least get it appraised so then he could run some numbers for me and get a pricing sheet. I agreed to that so I could get a better sense of what the pricing would come out to be. They took the 20 minutes to look at the car and he drove it to appraise it, but he pretty much came back and said he doesn't know that much about that car so he isn't sure where to price it at. But he came back with the pricing sheet and said he is comfortable with that number for a trade in. I knew they would come in low for the appraisal and they did. I took the sheet home and thought about it.

Throughout the week the salesperson helping out the GM contacted me and asked if I had any questions and if I was ready to bring "this beauty" home. I wanted to get a better sense of what the ST was worth so I did some research and ended up doing a KBB instant offer where it gives you an offer based on the inputs for the car and it connects with local dealers that want to buy it from you, but they want to appraise it first to see if the number is right, or too high or low (hah!). I was busy with work that week so I didn't have free time to get another appraisal until Good Friday. I got it appraised at another local dealer and it was about $1500 more than Honda's. I used that for some bargaining ammunition.

I always planned to put a large chunk of cash down for a down payment and then finance the rest so the payments would be lower and more comfortable. Plus the trade in allowance and tax savings. So I wanted to see where Honda's financing was at and applied through the dealer but it came in way too high for me to want to ever take a loan out. And I do have excellent credit. It's just the banks right now. But I then started shopping around for better financing and I found Bank of America to be the best deal and 2.5 points lower and was pre-approved for the amount needed. I told Honda I thought their appraisal was low and I got an offer in hand for higher, so they asked for me to bring it back in for them to take a closer look. I did and I went through the waiting game again and they came back $500 higher. Not exactly what I was looking for. I told them the offer I had in hand and the salesperson pulled the "let me talk with my manager" and after another wait he and the GM came back and said they will match the offer I received but they need to make a little profit on some aspect (is the car MSRP not enough?) and so they wanted me to finance through them. I was a little shocked.

I took their updated price sheet home that night and thought about it. Ultimately I just did not want to finance at that rate. I would regret it when I have a better percentage in hand. That Saturday morning they asked what I thought and if they could get the car pulled out of the showroom and ready for me. I told my wife how I felt and that I wanted to use my own financing and I'm going to tell them to accept that and we have a deal. Otherwise I will walk away. So I texted that to the salesperson and he called me a bit later and said they would accept the deal but they want me to finance through them but they will give me the rate I had in hand. I told them I'll be there that afternoon to sign. Nearly two and a half hours later I was leaving in the CTR.

Crazy to think this all happened within one week. I was also talking with another Honda dealer at the time and a VW dealer that said they would be willing to sell me a manual Golf R at sticker but they got real shady when I applied for financing through them to see what their rate was but they would not tell me unless I came in to the dealer. I'm not driving 45 minutes to waste me time. They ghosted me after I told them I was looking at another make and model and had my own financing set up. In the end, I'm glad they did.

In the end I got the deal I was looking for and didn't pay over sticker. I told the financing officer no three times to all of the extras but when he came back with a cheaper deal on the 10 year / 100,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty I decided to take it. If I'm going to be spending this much on a car, and the fact that I keep my cars a long time, I thought it was good to have some peace of mind for the future. And I'm pretty sure I am not going to want to mod this car besides something very basic like an exhaust. Times are different now. And with the way I feel now after driving it for almost a week... this car is pretty perfect stock as is. Honda did such a fantastic job.

I got to enjoy it a little bit on Easter Sunday but still not nearly enough. Then back to work on Monday and that's when the rain and cold came in. Stock tires are 265/30/19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires so I had to take it easy with the cold. Some snow came down as well but luckily didn't stick to the ground. It sucked to see it get dirty two days later after being showroom pristine for so long, but now I get to wash and detail it and become intimate with it.

2024 Honda Civic Type R in Sonic Gray Pearl













Some quick initial thoughts:

+ Shiter and transmission is buttery smooth. Wow! It takes such little effort to row through the gears. The clutch is light and easy to operate. The catch point is quite a bit higher than the ST so that took a day or two to get used to. I love it now.
+ Engine is strong and power comes on easily. I haven't taken it past 4k or so yet as I will allow it to break in, but I feel a difference from my ST. The ST was very torquey down low but would lose steam in the higher RPM range. The CTR feels strong throughout. The extra horsepower difference can definitely be felt.
+ Styling is sporty but also mature and does not stand out at all. I think it's the perfect mix. The spoiler is not too flashy and I think looks subtle in black. The side skirts give it more of an aggressive look and the functional vents look great. Clean lines, and best of all, no chrome.
+ The seats. These seats are some of the best seats I've ever been in. And I really loved my leather Recaros in the ST but these seats just plain ROCK. Very supportive and not restrictive at all for me. I find them very comfortable and once I got my seating position set it is easy to enter and exit.
+ Infotainment is smooth and the wireless car play is great.
+ Bose sound system is great for a daily driver and it sounds great. It has a little more boom than the ST's sound system. Not an audiophile but I listen to music often and I am very happy with it.
+ Visibility is great. I can actually see out the front better and the nose seems shorter even though this is a longer car than the ST. The spoiler in the back does not block the rear view so Honda engineered it perfectly.
+ Cargo space is huge! This is a Civic? It drives like a small car but it feels bigger than it is inside. Back seat passenger room is good for this size of car.
+ Engine warms up quickly. I have always waited for the RPM to drop before driving off and the CTR is ready within 20-30 seconds whereas the ST could take a minute or more.
+ Hatch is easy to close. It has a nice weight to it and it doesn't really slam shut like the ST's hatch would. It has a nice fluid motion to it and I feel like it isn't possible to over-muscle it.
+ Honda app is pretty neat. I like being able to use some functions for any reasons while away from the car.
+ Different drive modes give the car a different feel. I have been driving in sport mostly but I did get a little time in R mode before the weather turned and I love the heavier steering feel and more responsive throttle. I don't find the car to be stiff at all in sport mode. Makes me realize how stiff my ST actually was. And I can see comfort mode being great on the highway or longer drives if needed. I also like how the gauge cluster changes look between each mode.
+ Engine note is nice. It has some grunt to it and it doesn't turn high pitched at higher RPMs but I still haven't gone too bonkers with it yet while I wait for it to break in. But I enjoy the engine sound and it feels more substantial than the stock 2.0L sounds in the ST.
+ Rear-facing car seat fits easily!
+ I really like the layout of the interior and the physical buttons and knobs and the design of the air vents. Looks handsome and sporty.
+ Wireless charger comes in handy. No need to ever plug anything in with this and wireless car play.

- No sunglasses holder. I don't think I realized it until now. Kind of a bummer but I'll put my sunglasses in the center console. It's fine.
- No moonroof but I knew that. I always enjoyed using mine, but in the winter I do usually leave the sun shade closed anyway. I am pretty much already over this.
- No heated seats. It would have been perfect. I use them often here (Oct-May pretty much) so this feature I may miss in the dead of winter. But for now, I am ok with it because the seats are so damn nice.
- No special Type R key fob. It has the red Honda logo but that's it. I was expecting something a little more special, but no big deal.
- No hatch release button inside the cabin. I get the thought because the trunk release on the key fob does not pop open the hatch as it's not motorized or has springs. It simply unlocks it, so you have to hit the actual button on the hatch to open it. Also protects the hatch and spoiler from clearance issues. Surprised me at first but I get it.
- I didn't realize until now but the active valve flap in the exhaust cannot be set to always be open like it can in the ITS. It only opens in R mode and when on the throttle. I have read a workaround where you can pull the fuse to leave it always open but I haven't felt like trying this yet.
- And this leads me to another point... I wish the exhaust was a little louder! But this is something that can be easily taken care of in the future but for now it's fine.
- I miss the physical e-brake/parking brake and still sometimes reach for it when parking. At least I'm used to the electronic parking brake in my wife's CR-V so I have familiarity. I'll get over it.
- Not really much of a negative but no air vents or USB for the rear seats but #1: I didn't have that in the ST anyway and #2: I rarely have backseat passengers so who cares.
- Kind of the same point but no rear middle seat so it's only a 4-seater but I rarely have backseat passengers as mentioned.
- No Homelink rear view mirror but didn't have that in the ST anyway. Tint solves the problem.

Pretty much all of the initial negatives are minor things. I am really happy I decided to wait for as long as I could to get a good deal and never pay a markup. In the end, I am happy I decided to go for the Civic Type R and I'm happy to be back in the Honda family as I drove a 2004 Acura TSX for 8.5 years until I got the Focus ST. I did say I didn't want FWD again but with Honda's excellent engineering and an LSD plus sticky tires, I think it will be just fine. I'll definitely do a nice photoshoot with my camera once I clean up the car and we get some sunny days here. Cheers!

PhilB81

I’m glad you waited for me to post before you gave us an update. So I’ll be the first to offer you huge congratulations with your new purchase! You said you got the 10 year warranty so I hope you enjoy it in good health for at-least that long.

good job sticking to your guns and not getting emotionally involved or letting the dealer take you for a ride. The interest rate changes seemed a bit odd, I didn’t realize they had that much say in that.

I would agree with you that those seats are the absolute best!

Aman

Congrats again! It looks great. Love how wide the front end looks. A real mechanical LSD will be awesome too. How is rear visibility with the spoiler?

The fact you were able to get into the car you wanted without paying over sticker is a great ending to the saga.

00TL-P3.2

Right color, right price & a happy PhilMan
Glad you stuck with your gut & made them bring you the deal. Seems not many dealers are willing to bend like that.

Guessing it doesn't have the rev hang the lower tier Honda manuals have? I drove a couple, HRV, Accord 2.0 Sport & the rev hang was really annoying & led to some jerky shifts.

srika

OH man congrats! Type R is one of those concepts I believe any true car fan must own, at some point in their life! Still waiting for mine!

00TL-P3.2

For me, I'd love an EK9 CTR
But, I'd bet they're at least as much [or more] as a FL5, plus dealing with RHD.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Congrats!!

I still hate dealerships, and your back and forth bullshit with them exemplifies that. Also pretty sure the rate bullshit they were pulling is illegal... but, you got the car at the deal you wanted, so I'm happy for you man!

SamDoe1

Massive congrats! That thing looks fantastic and you did, IMO, get it in the right color. Glad you were able to hold out and get a deal that was perfect for you. Enjoy the many happy miles to come!

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Well done! What a great looking vehicle

RPhilMan1

Thank you all! I hit 200 miles today and filled up for the first time. Shell V-Power 93 octane is $5.239, woo.

Realized I forgot one more photo.

RPhilMan1

No issues! At least with my seating position, the spoiler pretty much lines up with the top of the rear windshield so most of the time I can't even tell it's there. Honda engineered it perfectly.

No rev hang at all. And on that note, this is the first car I have driven with auto rev match for downshifts and it's a pretty cool feature. Just clutch in and downshift and it automatically revs it to where the RPM needs to be. Super fast!

Doom878

Do you have a wholesale club nearby to mitigate the high gas cost? Sheesh, I'm bitching about $3.65 for premium and that's with 15 cents off/gallon of an already reduced price.

Legend2TL

Congrats beautiful CTR!!

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

Holy smokes congrats man! Nice color choice, too. I love the Sonic Gray, obviously, that's what my Accord 2.0T was and it's very close to my Elantra N's Cyber Gray. Such an awesome car. When should be meet up for a drag race?

mrmako

Congrats.... When do you go