Looking to buy a 2018 Clarity - Questions

W

WilliamJones

New Member
I live in central Florida and would like to buy a used Clarity. First, a small rant: Trying to find any Clarity here is almost impossible. So, I found a few that are an hours drive away. I would like to drive one to see if that is really what I want. After that, assume I like it, I can shop on Carvana or equivalent. I did see one with 50k miles, but that is a bit more than I would like to see.
Questions:
Is there anything I need to be aware of when I am looking?
Is 50k miles too much?
 
In my opinion 50K miles is not too much. Given that the Clarity can operate as an EV, a number of those miles could have been achieved by the electric motor. As an example, our 2019 has ~25K miles, of which ~20K have been driven as an EV.

If I were shopping for a used Clarity I’d like to see a full battery report, particularly the battery capacity as well as service records. After that, I’d evaluate the overall condition of the car, inside and out. The paint is a bit delicate and most of the body panels are aluminum. I’d look for paint chips, dings and dents.

A number of owners have scorched through a set of tires in 20K-30K miles. If a 50K mile car still has the original tires, there probably isn’t much left of them. Your looking a ~$200 each. So, look closely at the tires, even on a car with less miles.

Good luck.
 
Thanks Landshark, I appreciate the comments. Is a full battery report something that is available in the car's software or can it be gotten some other way?
 
A Honda dealer can provide the report. They may charge a 1 hour diagnostic fee of ~$140. If you end up buying from a Honda dealer, the fee may be negotiable. Others on this forum have used OBD tools and other widgets to read vehicle data, including the battery capacity.
 
Are you familiar with the fact that when not in EV mode, you have a disconnect between the accelerator pedal and the engine revving? In most situations even when no EV miles are left, the gas engine does not drive the car directly. The engine charges the battery, which in turn drives the car. This can be off-putting to some.

I love my Clarity, and am buying it at the end of my lease soon. I love the way it drives in EV mode. And I like the way it drives in HV mode on the highway. Very little engine noise 90% of the time. I don't enjoy as much local stop and go driving when the battery is depleted. There are times when the engine revs to recharge the battery when not much power is required to drive the car. For our normal driving, this isn't much of an issue. I put it in EV for stop and go, and if I don't have enough battery for the whole trip, I put it in HV mode on the highway

You asked what to look for. When you drive it, drive it in EV mode, but also drive it in HV mode locally, to make sure that mode does not bother you. Good luck.
 
Mark W said:
The engine charges the battery, which in turn drives the car. This can be off-putting to some.
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The engine acts as a generator. It can and does provide electricity, dare I say, directly to the motor. By “directly” I am saying that the electricity does not charge the battery, after which the motor uses that stored energy to propel the car. The engine driven generator can provide roughly 60hp, in addition to the roughy 121hp that can be provided from the battery, when it has a sufficient charge level. When the battery becomes depleted, the engine will judiciously apply that precious 60hp as it deems necessary, to both propel the car and attempt to maintain the battery at its depleted SOC.

If you change the oil every 7500 miles or 12 months, you can’t hurt the engine. Even though it might feel like a clutch is slipping or a transmission is failing, it isn’t. It’s just a generator doing it’s thing.
 
Hey Landshark,

I'm coming up on one year of ownership on my 2020. With working from home and all, I have less that 5,000 miles on the car, and I'm sure only a couple of hundred are with the ICE engine running. Should I change my engine oil at the one year point anyway? Or wait until the Clairty tells me its time? Or something else.
 
BrianRC said:
Should I change my engine oil at the one year point anyway?
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The MM should call for the service at 12 months or 7500 miles. Opinions vary and some owners choose to postpone the service for 18-24 months. Even at the $60 dealer price, it’s just too inexpensive to ignore.
 
WilliamJones said:
I live in central Florida and would like to buy a used Clarity. First, a small rant: Trying to find any Clarity here is almost impossible. So, I found a few that are an hours drive away. I would like to drive one to see if that is really what I want. After that, assume I like it, I can shop on Carvana or equivalent. I did see one with 50k miles, but that is a bit more than I would like to see.
Questions:
Is there anything I need to be aware of when I am looking?
Is 50k miles too much?
Click to expand...

I'd recommend checking on Carmax and Carvana regularly to see if one pops up at a location near you. I live in Texas and saw a 2018 touring show up at a Carmax nearby. I was able to have it transferred to the Carmax closest to me and pick it up for a 24-hour test drive for no charge. I actually picked it up on a Saturday and got a 48-hour test drive. Come Monday, I was certain I wanted to buy the Clarity.

It has a bit over 40k miles, but the tires are new and everything was well maintained. If you can find one to test drive and you've never driven a PHEV or EV before, definitely put it through its paces and familiarize yourself with the drive modes. If you wanted to do a budget diagnostic on the battery and car, you can get a bluetooth ODB2 adapter and use your phone as described in this thread:

Budget Battery Capacity Readout

Of course, I would have preferred to buy a lower mileage certified pre-owned from a Honda dealer. Ultimately, I was in a situation where I needed a car and couldn't wait for the perfect one to come along. I do the vast majority of my driving in the city with longer highway trips a few times a month. I can also charge for free where I live, so the Clarity is a great fit for me. I think I was very lucky to find the car I did when I did. Happy hunting.
 
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