When you are in the market for your next vehicle, your best bet may be to buy a used model. Sure, there is nothing like being the first person to own a car, but that psychological satisfaction of being the original owner of an automobile costs a pretty price penny. You’d be better off buying used to get more car for your money. That’s why it pays to head to your local used Honda dealership. A used Honda may be the best value you are going to find on the used car market, and a Honda dealer offers a vast selection—plus the benefit of a salesperson to answer all your pressing questions.
It’s important to make an educated and savvy decision. In today’s economy, you want to know you are getting a great value when you buy your next car. This is why you should consider a used Honda.
1. Affordability
Possibly the biggest reason to buy a used vehicle is affordability; you are on a budget and want to make sure that every dollar counts. Buying any used vehicle will save you money when compared to buying the same model new. Sure, you are getting an older model, but with many recent used models featuring many of the same safety and infotainment features as 2022 models, you aren’t really missing much. Moreover, you can either take that savings and put it in your pocket—or use it to buy a model from a higher trim level. If you choose the latter strategy, you may be able to get more features for your money.
Honda is known for having affordable models. No matter which vehicle category you choose, if Honda makes a model that fits that category, chances are very good that the Honda is one of the most affordable vehicles you are going to find. This is especially true if you are looking at used Hondas.
In addition, one great way to save on your next used Honda is to choose a model that has been discontinued. Each year, automakers decide to stop building certain models for various reasons. However, the most common one is that the model just didn’t prove popular with the auto-buying public. This might be because the type of model isn’t popular anymore, like minivans and full-size sedans that have been supplanted by the growing love for SUVs.
If this is the case, then it shouldn’t hold you back from buying a discontinued Honda model, like a Clarity EV, which was discontinued in 2020. This is an excellent introduction to driving a fully electric model. Similarly, the Honda Fit hatchback and the Honda Civic Coupe were both discontinued in 2020 as well; however, both make great commuter cars, as they are known to get exceptional fuel economy.
2. Great Assortment of Model Types
Another reason to buy a used Honda is that Honda has one of the most diverse lineups of vehicles offered by any automaker. The current lineup includes sedans, performance cars, SUVs, crossovers, minivans, and pickup trucks. You can find sedans like the Civic and Accord, which can serve as a family car or a commuter vehicle. You can also find a range of SUVs and crossovers, like the two-door HR-V, four-door CR-V, midsize Passport, and three-row Pilot. These are great for folks who love the outdoors—especially if you choose a model with available all-wheel drive.
A used Honda Ridgeline is an excellent midsize pickup truck, while the Honda Odyssey is one of the most popular minivans every year. Each model is available used, with many different years, trims, and optional features to choose from. You can even find used hybrid models from Honda, such as the Insight—a great way to save on gas if spiraling prices concern you.
3. Reliability
One of the biggest concerns for anyone who ever bought a used car is reliability. Too many bad actors gave the used car business a bad name years ago, which is why it has taken so long for car buyers to come around to realizing that buying a used car is actually a good deal. The key is that the bad apples in the business sold models that were just unreliable. Fortunately, this is not the case with Honda. For example, Honda won the Best Value Brand award from Kelley Blue Book in 2020. This was due in large part to “Honda’s quality, reliability, durability, and resale value.”
Similarly, Forbes named the Honda Odyssey, CR-V, Civic, and Accord the safest and most reliable used models in their vehicle categories. The Honda Pilot was the runner-up in the three-row SUV category. This is a testament to the quality of the Honda brand—and its earned reputation for building vehicles that are reliable and dependable.
4. Safety
Passenger safety is a top priority for the engineers at Honda. This is why they have equipped most of their new models with the Honda Sensing suite of active driver assistance features. You will find many of these features on used Honda models you find for sale. This is because Honda began rolling out the Honda Sensing features for most of its vehicles a number of years ago—starting with the top trims, then progressively adding them to lower trim levels until they became standard on all trims for some Hondas.
Examples of Honda Sensing features include lane keeping systems that will let you know you have drifted out of lane and use steering adjustments to keep you in line. Blind spot detection will alert you if there is another vehicle next to you when you signal to change lanes. Just check to make sure the used Honda you are about to buy has the features you want.
Building safe vehicles is not just about equipping them with the latest active features, but also ensuring that they protect you and your passengers in the event of a collision. Each year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conduct a series of tests for every passenger vehicle. The top models are given a 5-star rating by the NHTSA and are named a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS. The NHTSA is a federal government agency, while the IIHS is fully independent, so consumers know they can trust these safety ratings.
Impressively, the Accord, Civic, Insight, CR-V, and Odyssey were all named Top Safety Picks by the IIHS. Meanwhile, the Accord, Insight, HR-V, Pilot, Ridgeline, and Odyssey have all received 5-star safety ratings from the NHTSA. Both groups maintain easily searchable databases on their website, so you can check the scores for the used Honda model you are planning to buy. Just make sure you have the year of the model before you perform your search.
5. Consistent Value
Every used car loses value over time. This is called depreciation. While much of this effect has to do with age, reflecting the public’s preference to own newer vehicles, the other component is the quality of the vehicle in question. Vehicles that the public thinks are unreliable or have a history of serious powertrain flaws will generally not hold their value.
Fortunately, this is not the case with Honda. For example, Kelley Blue Book named the 2019 Honda Accord as the top midsize sedan for 5-Year Cost to Own. This means that the 2019 Honda Accord will retain much of its value during the period of ownership. As a result, you should get a good deal when you go to resell your Accord later—once you are ready for your next used Honda.
This is important if you are planning to buy a used car. At some point, you may wish to get a different vehicle. You may be moving from a larger three-row SUV to a crossover as your kids head off to college. You might be moving up from a compact to a midsize sedan or minivan as your family grows.
Whatever the reason may be, there will come a time when you want to trade in your used car. If you buy a used Honda, you are more likely to have residual value left when it comes time to make a change—which will slash the cost of your next used Honda even more. This is another example of Honda’s exceptional value proposition.
