It’s Impossible to Depreciate a Used Honda Civic Type R
Honda’s Civic Type R is as hot a commodity as it is a hatchback. And why shouldn’t it be? The Type R name is something that has been forbidden fruit from the automotive garden of Honda for time immemorial. Sure, Americans have gotten the mildly spicy Civic Si, but never the full-fat Type R. What’s more, we’ve even resorted to importing them at exorbitant prices. The Civic Type R is finally here, and now we’re learning that it’s almost impossible to depreciate them.
What’s with the Honda hype?
In order to understand how this is possible, it’s time to look at the hype behind the Honda. It starts with rave reviews. The hot hatch was one MotorTrend’s car of the year finalists in 2018. Back then, it was praised for just about everything, though the styling was and is somewhat divisive. Of course, there’s nothing more a Honda boy like than divisive styling. Well, maybe VTEC.
Speaking of VTEC, the powertrain is largely the reason behind the hype; once you’re past the badge that is. Making 306 hp to the front wheels and mated to a six-speed gearbox, it’s said to be one of the best-driving front-wheel-drive cars ever. Unfortunately, dealers got wind of the hype. The dealers marked up the cars knowing customers would pay, like the horrible people they are. That is largely why the market for these cars is still so strong.
The market is going crazy
So. Now you have a particular storm brewing, consisting of rabid consumer demand, greedy dealers, and a fantastic car at the center of it all. The result is money and lots of it. A new 2021 Honda Civic Type R should retail for around $37,000, per Honda. Joke’s on you, you’ll be lucky to find a 2018 model for less than that. What’s more, some of those older cars are starting to end up with some real miles on them, like this one.
The even hotter LE edition honestly isn’t even worth mentioning the markup is so appalling. The least the seller could have done was take some half-decent photos. Of course, all this is very good if you’re an owner. Chances are, unless you drove it to Iceland and back, you’ve made money on your brand new car. That never happens. Ever. That’s exactly how rabid the demand is for these cars.
Will it happen again?
The trend is sure to continue with the recent semiconductor shortage tanking the new car market. Unless Honda unveils a new Civic Type R very soon, it’s unlikely we’ll see the end of this for some time. Even then, it’s hard to imagine the same issue won’t crop up again with new Type R models. That is unless Honda is ready to meet demand and floods the market. For now, all you can do is try to find a clean Civic Si to get remotely close to the experience.
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