2018, 2019 or Nothing?

T

tom kirshbaum

New Member
OK, I'm convinced. It's a great car and I'm ready to buy one. Now, a couple of questions about model years:

1) 2018 models are priced way down right now, but I'm wondering if there might not be some minor tweaks in the '19 model to make it worth waiting for. What is really the difference between '18 and '19 models?

2) I've read some opinions that Honda intends to discontinue the line after the '18-'19 model. Why else would they have offered big discounts in March on '19 models? Are they trying to clear all the Claritys out of all the dealerships? People who have had accidents report that they wait months for replacement parts, which suggests that Honda isn't interested in supporting the car long term.

3) I understand the CA Honda discount -- $6000 I believe --- was for CA and OR residents only. Other than that, is there any reason why I can't travel from Arizona to any other state to buy or lease a Clarity?
 
Just to add, I had a texting driver damage my rear bumper and the repair facility had replacement parts in 1 week. Not sure of all of the other delays but thought that was satisfactory. Not sure I've heard Clarity going awaybaftrr 2019 either. Good luck with your purchase.
 
1) No changes in 2018 vs 2019. If I could still find a late production 2018 and could get a good deal on it, I'd buy it.
2) I don't worry about future years. I doubt the 2019 is the last model year, but if it is, then I still think parts will be available. If you have a wreck in one of these cars, it just takes a while to fix. I don't think it is that specific to the Honda. I believe it is the fact that it is still a new release car and a plug-in. I had an accident where someone ran a red light and took out both passenger doors and the A pillar on my Volt in early 2014 (The Volt had been out about 3 years). Set off side airbags. Took over 2 months to fix. You would have thought they were trying to fix a UFO. Dealer had to do all the airbag work and verify all the electrical. Body shop had to do the body work, and they had to swap the car back and forth multiple times so everyone could stay happy.
3) I've bought two cars out of state (the Volt and a BMW). Both were easy transactions. No state taxes paid at time of purchase and state/local taxes paid when registering the car and applying for title when I got back home. You have already caught on that some incentives are available only to those that are residents in particular states.
 
I do not believe that there are any differences between 2018 and 2019 models. Two factors come to mind. Be sure that whatever car you buy did not sit on the dealer's lot for months uncharged, as this could impact the efficiency of the battery; this is obviously less of a concern for the 2019. And when you trade in the car, it will make a difference in trade-in value whether it's a 2018 or a 2019. The longer you keep it the smaller that factor will be, and this is not specific to the Clarity but true for any car.

Be aware that there are side effects of buying a Clarity rather than a more common model. Some of these factors vary dramatically depending on where you are . . . for example, my local dealer is completely clueless about the car, and if I ever have a serious issue I expect to be in a world of hurt regarding service. Honda's support for this vehicle has been lukewarm (and that might be an overstatement). I actually consider myself to be part of a beta-test group for this product, and that doesn't bother me a lot, but you need to be aware of this consideration. If you haven't taken some time reading the posts here, it would be instructive to do so.

I have been very pleased with the car; I think it is a good product and a good value. I enjoy trying to figure it out, but that's me, and if you are looking for a well-established vehicle that you'll see often on the road, the Clarity isn't it. If Honda discontinues it after this year I won't be surprised; I'll be disappointed but still comfortable with the decision I made.
 
Robert_Alabama said:
3) I've bought two cars out of state (the Volt and a BMW). Both were easy transactions. No state taxes paid at time of purchase and state/local taxes paid when registering the car and applying for title when I got back home. You have already caught on that some incentives are available only to those that are residents in particular states.
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If you buy in CA, you WILL pay sales tax there if you want to drive it off the lot. The only way to avoid this is to have it shipped out of state by a car transport company.
And to get the CA/OR discount, you are required to be a resident in one of those states
 
insightman said:
@Kailani wrote: "The 2019 has a few refinements that make it an even more appealing pick." However, @Kailani did not respond with a description of those refinements.
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I was getting my car serviced a couple of weeks ago and came upon a prospective Clarity buyer with a sales rep. I practically sold the car for her with my rave review. I asked what changes had been made to the ‘19, and she pointed them out—unfortunately, I don’t have them at my fingertips. I’ll get the list and post tomorrow. I thought Honda might mention some of them on the website and but, true to their past marketing, there was no difference in their web page from 2018. Sorry folks—didn’t mean to leave you hanging.


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The car has been only available for 1.5 years. I am sure parts were an issue last year. By this time there are parts in North America.

Don’t overthink it. It is a great car.

If you’re unsure then lease it. Buy it out at the end if you love it or give it back if you don’t. You still get an awesome deal either way. Plus with the lease the tax credit goes to Honda and it passes onto you as part of a really cheap lease with cheap buyout. Think of it as a 3 year test drive.
 
My Clarity also had an unfortunate happening, front end damage which looked very minor but added up to quite a lot. It took about 2 weeks for the bodyshop to get the parts from Honda, which I didn't think was too bad. I was expecting a much longer wait judging by some of the reports I'd heard.

I have been lucky with both Honda dealerships I have worked with. First, the dealership where I bought my car had sold several Clarity's prior to mine and were well-versed in the PDI and delivery procedures, battery fully charged, etc. There is another dealer much closer that I've been using for service, and they also seem to know what they are doing and have good customer service.
 
amy2421 said:
I have been lucky with both Honda dealerships I have worked with. First, the dealership where I bought my car had sold several Clarity's prior to mine and were well-versed in the PDI and delivery procedures, battery fully charged, etc. There is another dealer much closer that I've been using for service, and they also seem to know what they are doing and have good customer service.
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Thank you for posting good news. Maybe there is hope.
 
amy2421 said:
My Clarity also had an unfortunate happening, front end damage which looked very minor but added up to quite a lot. It took about 2 weeks for the bodyshop to get the parts from Honda, which I didn't think was too bad. I was expecting a much longer wait judging by some of the reports I'd heard.

I have been lucky with both Honda dealerships I have worked with. First, the dealership where I bought my car had sold several Clarity's prior to mine and were well-versed in the PDI and delivery procedures, battery fully charged, etc. There is another dealer much closer that I've been using for service, and they also seem to know what they are doing and have good customer service.
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We should start a list of dealers that are well versed with the Clarity and have a service department that understands the car relatively well.
 
My body shop received a front grill for my Clarity in 2 days and I live in a rural area. I was surprised.
 
OP:
Love my Clarity - the best most reliable car in the first couple month compared to German, British, and American cars I have had....
Instead of focusing on the incentives for other states, just get the best deal from your dealer and file your $7500 tax incentive next year...

I am just going to the motor vehicles office to transfer my ham radio plates over from the Land Rover I sold to my Clarity!!
 
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