Welcome, folks! This evening we have two lightweights vying for the price crown of an adoring public auction crowd here in Red Top, Georgia. In the domestic corner weighing in at 2,363 pounds, from General Motors, please give a thunderous round of applause to the 2007 Chevrolet Aveo 5 Special Value Hatchback. For this prize fight the Aveo has been equipped with the absolute basics. 5-speed, no A/C, power nothing . . . but . . . it does come equipped with a really nice CD player and a rather attractive silver exterior trim free of dings and dents. 40,000 miles. Her opponent?
From Honda of Japan, weighing in at 2178 pounds, give a nice warm welcome to a pristine 1992 Honda Civic VX with 152,000 miles. No rips or tears. Beautiful exterior graphic design. Cold air, Honda factory tape player, and aluminum wheels small enough to fit on a scooter. So which one sold for more . . . and how much? Okay, ladies and gentlemen. Make your bets (guesses) now.
I’ve never attended an auto auction, I have no idea what cars are going for. But since you put this in here, I bet the Honda received a larger bid than then the Chevy.
I love Honda engines, but I would pass on a four cylinder with 152,000 miles on it.
Only a masochist would buy a car with no A/C in the South. I can’t even imagine….
Honda 1 – GMDaewoo 0.
Wow. Even with 152k miles…I’d still take the Civic. There just too much potential.
The 152k Honda presents a dilemma: Is the timing belt original? I had a friend who scraped together the cash to buy a used Honda (because they were designed and built by God–everyone knows that). It had 110k miles, he was moving from Michigan to California. Half-way there the belt let go, the engine let go, and he was stuck in the clutches of a pricky Honda dealer. On another occasion, I had a belt break on me while driving a friend’s Accord, no engine damage, but a 75 mile tow. I hate the thought of buying a Honda with that ticking time bomb.
What in god’s name is “exterior graphic design” on a car? A mural?
That said, a Honda like that would probably net about 3 to 3.5K. 2007 Aveo with 40K miles would be about 6K or so retail, but without any amenities and at an auction…
I’m gonna say Aveo – $2500, Civic – $3000
First generation VTEC, fine motor. I had a ’92 Si. Computer gave out, transmission showed its age (downshifting was harrowing), paint started to flake, main-fuel relay went funny, and a myriad of other things went wrong from age.
The engine ran beautifully, though. Even with over 200k miles. When it crossed ~4800RPM and it switched profiles… it felt awesome.
It was a sad day when I decided that it was a money pit and it had to literally be put to pasture.
This race was over before it started.
Ricer 1, Daewoo 0.
The Civic prevails against the Korean-American.
Nobody in their right mind wants a car w/out A/C in the south, and the tape deck instead of a CD player isn’t a big deal since there are iPod adapters for it.
You fools! Check your calendars! The correct answer is: “No one would buy a used Aveo.”
Cheap and/or poor people do indeed get by without A/C in the south (I’m in Texas, neither cheap nor poor, but rarely use mine since I got used to the weather during the years I had a convertible). You’d be surprised how many people are driving with the windows down even in the summer.
Interesting that it’s a VX. That’s the one with the VTEC-E engine that gets crazy mileage. Definitely a huge plus over the Aveo. It won’t come close to the mileage of the VX, even with the A/C on in it.
I’d say the Aveo gets $3500 and the Honda gets $1200. A no A/C car in the south is a disaster, but it’s a 2007 model with under 50,000 miles and could be had on the cheap. Cheap cars go a long way in any market. Besides, if i remember correctly the Aveo is reasonably easy to add A/C to since they all leave the factory without it. It’s a dealer installed accessory. A newer model should easily trump an oldie with over 150k on the clock.
I imagine the VX will get a surprisingly high amount – there’s still people willing to pay $3000 or so for those in Canada, given the ridiculously high mileage they get (60mpg highway is a “low water mark” for most.)
Edit – Well I’ll be, posting finally worked.
Obama will dictate the Aveo is the winner.
Whoa man a total stripper Aveo? No A/C even? Jeez. Maybe it would be a nice winter beater, low mileage, heater works…
Man though, that’s tough. If the Aveo was even the littlest bit optioned up, it would be a definite win for the Chevy, but I have to throw my lot with the Civic. I’d personally buy the Chevy over the Civic just because there’s got to be a lot of stuff ready to go wrong with 17 years of wear & the crash protection can’t be very good, but yuk what a choice to have to make.
Oh yeah my guess on prices:
Civic $3000
Aveo $2900
civic vx: 3.5k
daewoo: 3.3k
Detroit-X – Any car even the Hondas made by the Gods will break down if you do not properly maintain them.
I’d pick the Civic (and even would expect it to go for more than the Aveo) and do all the work on it myself. Their engines / transmissions when properly maintained and not abused will easily go 300k miles before you’ll have any major issues. Then it takes an hour to remove the engine/tranny…6 hours to rebuild the engine with new gaskets, bearings, clutch…and 1 hour to reinstall and you have a completely rebuilt engine ready for another 300-500k miles. The big problem is the worn out bushings on a 15+ year old car. Those are quote a pain to do (cutting / burning and pressing in new bushings and races). I know all this b/c I’ve got an ’89 Civic DX that is my daily driver. I love it. Small, light, fun, quick, 40 mpg, and has utility due to the big hatch area.
The comparison that would have made the biggest effect was a Geo Metro versus the Aveo!
Aveo wins.
$2000 – $2400 for the Civic
$5000 – $5600 for the Aveo
POS notwithstanding, the Aveo is under 40K in mileage, and on a dealer lot will fetch about $7500 – $8000. The Civic, while a great car, has 152,000 on the odo and is 17 years old.
I’d buy the Civic, and use the savings for future repairs, but that’s just me.
Seems to me that a lot of people are betting based on what they’d buy…. while auctions work on what the dealers think will sell.
It’s not about which is the better car, I’d think, but which one I could flip faster, and get my money back out.
I think that there’s always a market for a used Civic, and that there’s tons of competition for the Aveo – other used cars and new Aveo’s from a dealer. Additionally, as others have pointed out – what’s there for a salesman to say about the Aveo? Warranty? Nope, long gone. AC, nope and nobody looking for to buy a used Aveo is going back to the dealer to have one installed. 40K is exactly the mileage at which the dealer is probably going to have to put tires on it to sell it – an unrecoupable expensive. Speaking of mileage, that’s another selling point for the Civic but a ‘keep quiet or lie’ moment for the salesman.
Finally you can have a NEW base Aveo like this for $12K out the door. $2,000 down, financing $10K, for 200 bucks a month. That means that for used Aveos we’re talking cash-only buyers, same as the Civic.
So, I figure that the Civic flies off the lot fast and over with, while the Aveo lingers -as the shoppers attracted to the shining paint will be distracted by other cars with shining paint AND air conditioning “for a few dollars more”
So, I’m betting that the Civic sold for $2,500 and the Aveo goes unsold.
I would pick the Aveo any day over an old Honda with high mileage. The Aveo is a 2007 model with a far nicer interior a 5/100 powertrain warranty, a CD player instead of a casette that probably doesn’t work right anyway, has 4 doors and a larger hatch and rides and handles better with a newer better designed tighter suspension and larger tires. The Honda of course would win on outright mileage assuming it was in proper tune and the working A/C is nice but I would gladly pay to have A/C installed on the Aveo and have a far newer car design with a warranty and would pay more at the auction accordingly. That being said I would use reverse logic when the dumb Joe public was concerned and give the Honda the win because they are the Holy grail of car makers that can do no wrong and have a much higher public opinion than they deserve and the resale value goes accordingly.
I’d bet that old Civic Vx even on tired suspension would give that newer Aveo a run for its money in the handling department. Don’t forget that the Pre 2001 – 1988 Civics had double wishbone suspension based on what they learned in F1.
The Civic wins…even at an auction because a)parts are plentiful b)the manufacturer (even in these times) is in relatively good financial health and c)it’s just plain more fun to drive.
My buddy has a 92 or 93 Civic 4 door that he bought new, with similar mileage.
The thing is a rust bucket, at least here in Ohio.
I’d take the Aveo over a stinky high mileage 17 year old car of any make, unless it was a Mercedes, a Panther from Ford, or an old GM B-body.
The Civic VX gets over 50 mpg and is a legend amongst the Honda Community for its innovative VTEC system which maximizes fuel economy.
Having 13 lbs stock wheels doesn’t hurt either (highly sought after by the Honda fanboys).
My vote goes for the VX, hands down. God knows I’d pay thousands more for a VX than a rebadged Daewoo.
“and give the Honda the win because they are the Holy grail of car makers that can do no wrong and have a much higher public opinion than they deserve and the resale value goes accordingly”
Hondas score very highly in reliability tests (as do Toyotas). Their reputation was built on years and years of building reliable cars. Are Hondas overpriced? Sure. Are they immune to problems? Not at all. But they’re still essentially a very American model of success – work hard, make good things, and you will get ahead. Remind me again why GM/Chrysler have the reputation for making terrible cars? That’s right – because they made many, many terrible cars over the past few decades.
Did the Honda even have R134a in ’92 or is it still running on FREON (R-12)?
I know that the changeover was mandated for the ’94 model year (as my Taurus wagon has it). I’ve got one converted ’88 Country Squire and an unconverted ’91 Grand Marquis (I’ve got the kit, just haven’t drained and charged it yet).
So I’m guessing neither sold. Dealers are broke or went for the lower hanging fruit (easier to sell cars).
Many of the subcompacts from this time period would have exterior graphics that would make the vehicle look more… distinct. The one on the Civic VX was actually one of the better ones. It had no paint fade and the interior was virtually immaculate.
The Aveo was actually a pretty decent looking vehicle. For the price it went for, I could see someone owning it for 10 years and averaging about $15 a month in depreciation (hint). In fact, if I lived in the northern parts of this country and could care less about cars, I would have been tempted to buy one sans A/C at a discount in Georgia and drive it back to Maine or Vermont.
The pic on top is the 2009. The 2007 looks a bit nicer and less Pokemon-ish.
Some very good guesses so far. The answer is…
$3550 for the 2007 Aveo
$2350 for the 1992 Civic VX.
The kicker? The Aveo was on an ‘IF’ bid which means the dealer has to be contacted before the sale is OK’d. The dealer turned the offer down wanting $4100.
The Honda Civic was arbitrated in the end and the sale was voided. Turns out the owner had rolled back the miles on the vehicle and gave it some very nice detail work. The car really did have no paint fade and a well kept interior. But it also had 291,000 miles and thankfully, it was recorded on the title. It was NOT recorded on the Autocheck history and the fellow intentionally waited until after the car left the block before handing the title to the auction. I give a LOT of credit to the auction for pursuing the truth in the matter. They did an excellent job in taking care of the customer.
Lokki: “what’s there for a salesman to say about the Aveo? Warranty? Nope, long gone.”
Actually, for the Aveo you could still buy a decent aftermarket service contract to give yourself some peace of mind. You think you could do that on a 17 year old, 150k+ mile Honda? The Honda’s a cash car on any lot, the Aveo would sit on a dealer’s front line as a nice, economical car.
Actually, for the Aveo you could still buy a decent aftermarket service contract to give yourself some peace of mind.
Sure you …. for another $1K.
So now your no-A/C Aveo becomes a $7500 retail car.
There are a LOT of better used car choices for $7500 than a no A/C manual-shift 2007 Aveo; at least in my book…
but then, I’ve driven one. I didn’t like it much.
to Steven Lang:
I’ve never actually seen a car from that period with factory or dealer-applied exterior graphics, so the graphic design note confused the hell out of me. The more you know, I guess.
One nice thing about older Hondas and Civics in particular though is that their depreciation slows down to a glacial rate at some point. There isn’t much difference in real world prices between an older Civic with 150K miles and a Civic with 175K miles. However, there will be a pretty significant difference between an Aveo with 40K and an Aveo with 65K.
Steven,
Do you have access to Manheim Auction data? If so, perhaps you could have a column where you invite TTAC’s B&B to ask questions about what a particular model has sold for.
I do. But MMR isn’t always a good barometer for older vehicles. To be honest, most of the newer metal doesn’t do much for me since I see it all the time.
I like head to head comparos since their can be a lot more underlying dialogue about two cars instead of one.
I have a 92 Civic VX. To determine the value of a car you need to look at expected miles left if reasonable maintenance is done.
Civic would be worth at least 3 times as much as the ‘Chevy’.
By the way 3-6 times a year for the past 5 years I have a note with name & Ph # or someone actually approaching me asking if I will sell it to them.