Would Resale Value reflect Extra Base vs Touring Cost

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Cali65

Cali65

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Hi all, the only feature I that tempts me is the Power Seats on the Touring......hate getting the seat back to my comfort position after the wife drives present car.
At the moment (from my quotes) it looks like a $3,000 difference between the 2 trims and not sure if it makes sense to get the Touring for me, but I wonder if the resale value would make a difference between when it comes time to sell.
So, any opinions if some of the extra $3,000 can be recouped in selling in 5 years or will both trims be worth similar price due to lower price demand?

*not sure if I worded it right but hope it makes sense lol
 
I think it's fair to say the no one knows yet about Clarity resale value with respect to your question. It's just soon in the Clarity run. In most other vehicles, higher trims do not bring the full value of the difference at resale, nor do most options. For example, the highest trim Subaru Forester with all options is over $10,000 more new than the lowest trim with no options. In a few years, there for sure won't still be $10,000 difference in value. With the Clarity, there will likely be some difference in used value, but who knows how much. My bottom line (literally and figuratively), get what you like and don't worry about value differences years from now. You use the car everyday and when it comes time to sell, you won't regret having purchased what you really wanted.
 
Sandroad said:
I think it's fair to say the no one knows yet about Clarity resale value with respect to your question. It's just soon in the Clarity run. In most other vehicles, higher trims do not bring the full value of the difference at resale, nor do most options. For example, the highest trim Subaru Forester with all options is over $10,000 more new than the lowest trim with no options. In a few years, there for sure won't still be $10,000 difference in value. With the Clarity, there will likely be some difference in used value, but who knows how much. My bottom line (literally and figuratively), get what you like and don't worry about value differences years from now. You use the car everyday and when it comes time to sell, you won't regret having purchased what you really wanted.
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I figured too early to tell. I'm sure i'd be happier with the Touring, it's just justifying it to myself as I am already going higher in $$. I was originally upgrading my Prius plug in to a Prius Prime before I even heard of the Clarity Plug In.
 
You aren’t ever going to get that $3k back in resale. Over the life of the car you will probably be more annoyed every time you manually adjust the seats and think how much easier it would have been to have power seats.
 
Shelly said:
Is the base seat identical to the touring, just minus the power controls?
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No they are different:
Base just goes forward/back, seatback angle, and a lever that moves the seat up and down, all manual.
Touring has 2 memory settings and tilt adjustment as well as the basic adjustments.
 
This is not a car one buys for its resale value. It's just not going to be there the way some people might expect it to be…

1) it's not a "popular" model;
2) a very limited quantity will be built;
3) part availability when those parts are needed later on will be nil.

It's a transitional vehicle (PHEV), and the market is moving on to BEVs. For better or for worse, I think PHEVs will be phased out with this generation. Take the Chevy Volt, for example. Led the way, but Chevy pulled the plug as they move on to Trucks, SUVs, and full BEV models of their cars.

So you aren't likely to get any of the extra money spent on a Touring model back at trade-in time. If the power seats and such are worth it to you, then it's worth the extra $2K, but it isn't to many. It was to us, with two drivers, but I expect this Clarity will be our last gas powered vehicle, too. We have a Tesla as well, and if not for the initial cost outlay, it's worked out just fine for short and long trips alike. We'll see how things go as the Superchargers start getting clogged up with all those Model 3s hitting the roads.
 
Cali65 said:
No they are different:
Base just goes forward/back, seatback angle, and a lever that moves the seat up and down, all manual.
Touring has 2 memory settings and tilt adjustment as well as the basic adjustments.
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That tilt is golden for me, but I do wish it had adjustable lumbar. You really don't get much for your $2,000-$3,000 (especially with Android Auto/Carplay making the GPS somewhat redundant), but I spent it anyway.
 
RickSE said:
You aren’t ever going to get that $3k back in resale. Over the life of the car you will probably be more annoyed every time you manually adjust the seats and think how much easier it would have been to have power seats.
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I'd pay extra to get manual seats.
 
Cali65 said:
Hi all, the only feature I that tempts me is the Power Seats on the Touring......hate getting the seat back to my comfort position after the wife drives present car.
At the moment (from my quotes) it looks like a $3,000 difference between the 2 trims and not sure if it makes sense to get the Touring for me, but I wonder if the resale value would make a difference between when it comes time to sell.
So, any opinions if some of the extra $3,000 can be recouped in selling in 5 years or will both trims be worth similar price due to lower price demand?

*not sure if I worded it right but hope it makes sense lol
Click to expand...
I can't tell you in 5 years, but Honda estimates the resale value in 3 year in their leases.

Base MSRP: $34,295 * 0.42 = $14,404.
Tour MSRP: $37,495 * 0.41 = $15,373.
$15,373 - $14,404 = $969 in 3 years. Remember these are just estimates and will be different 3 years from now. The value may be the same, less, or more in 3 years depending on many factors.
 
Electra said:
Base MSRP: $34,295 * 0.42 = $14,404.
Tour MSRP: $37,495 * 0.41 = $15,373.
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Honestly, even with that sort of residual on the Touring, I felt the leather and memory seats were worth the extra. The convenience of memory seating is huge, if you frequently swap with an SO.

The upgraded suede/leather/wood trim also gets surprising reaction from friends once they're inside the car; it's an excellent conversation starter into the benefits of owning an efficient PHEV.
"I have to admit, it's a pretty nice car once you get inside. How do you like it?"
"It's awesome! It's battery powered, and comes with a seven gallon tank!"
"Seven gallons? That's really small, no?"
"Sure is, but I can easily squeeze +300mi out of the gas engine, and fill-up only sets me back $15, if I ever end up at a gas station.."
"So did you pay Acura price for this car?"
"Up front, but I reclaim $10K after taxes; total cost of ownership comes to ~$20k"
"o_0
......
I all of a sudden need to buy a car"
 
The resale value will be based on post tax credit price, plus it is selling for 10-15% off MSRP. People are paying around $25,000 post tax credits for the touring, so figure depreciation from that point.
 
I would say, when new, leather retails for $1000; navigation $1000 (a total ripoff but that's how much car companies charge); leather steering wheel $100; power memory seats $500. When used, if in excellent condition, those things would get you less than $1000 over base because navigation is worthless with Android Auto/CarPlay built into both. The rest is worth less than $1000 to me if I'm buying, maybe $500-$700. The most important features in Touring, not on base, for me are the memory power seats and the leather steering wheel. You can add an after market leather cover but nothing you can do about memory seats if you don't choose the Touring. Leather seats and navigation, I could do without. When I bought the car last Dec. there were no base vehicles to be had anywhere in the state. Fearful of losing the tax credit, I bought the Touring. The base would have been fine. For $3000, I could live without the memory seats.
 
PHEV Newbie said:
I would say, when new, leather retails for $1000; navigation $1000 (a total ripoff but that's how much car companies charge); leather steering wheel $100; power memory seats $500. When used, if in excellent condition, those things would get you less than $1000 over base because navigation is worthless with Android Auto/CarPlay built into both. The rest is worth less than $1000 to me if I'm buying, maybe $500-$700. The most important features in Touring, not on base, for me are the memory power seats and the leather steering wheel. You can add an after market leather cover but nothing you can do about memory seats if you don't choose the Touring. Leather seats and navigation, I could do without. When I bought the car last Dec. there were no base vehicles to be had anywhere in the state. Fearful of losing the tax credit, I bought the Touring. The base would have been fine. For $3000, I could live without the memory seats.
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Exactly, and this is really true for any car, usually features are not worth the added upgrade price in terms of resale with the exception of features that are in high demand like AWD or for the BMW i3, the REx model in the US. Both of those features you can often nearly get your money back when you sell the car.
 
Viking79 said:
Exactly, and this is really true for any car, usually features are not worth the added upgrade price in terms of resale with the exception of features that are in high demand like AWD or for the BMW i3, the REx model in the US. Both of those features you can often nearly get your money back when you sell the car.
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The clarity is one of the few cars I’ve seen where the differences in the models are so minimal as to really not justify the difference - and I own the touring just to be clear because I wanted the automatic seats. :-)

I had an lx Pilot and over the 10 years I drove it (my son has it now - Honda’s drive forever) I regretted the lack of electronic seats and the lousy stock stereo.
 
bfd said:
This is not a car one buys for its resale value. It's just not going to be there the way some people might expect it to be…

1) it's not a "popular" model;
2) a very limited quantity will be built;
3) part availability when those parts are needed later on will be nil.

It's a transitional vehicle (PHEV), and the market is moving on to BEVs. For better or for worse, I think PHEVs will be phased out with this generation. Take the Chevy Volt, for example. Led the way, but Chevy pulled the plug as they move on to Trucks, SUVs, and full BEV models of their cars.

So you aren't likely to get any of the extra money spent on a Touring model back at trade-in time. If the power seats and such are worth it to you, then it's worth the extra $2K, but it isn't to many. It was to us, with two drivers, but I expect this Clarity will be our last gas powered vehicle, too. We have a Tesla as well, and if not for the initial cost outlay, it's worked out just fine for short and long trips alike. We'll see how things go as the Superchargers start getting clogged up with all those Model 3s hitting the roads.
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I think the dealers will discount the Touring more than the base so the difference won't be as much. Also, I really enjoy the leather seats in the Touring and the built in navigation couples to the screen in front of the steering wheel and can be used when you have no cell phone signal, which can be a big deal in rural areas and if you go to Canada. Also, its likely that the rebates will go away so you may have extra money to absorb when selling it afterwards.
 
LAF said:
I think the dealers will discount the Touring more than the base so the difference won't be as much. Also, I really enjoy the leather seats in the Touring and the built in navigation couples to the screen in front of the steering wheel and can be used when you have no cell phone signal, which can be a big deal in rural areas and if you go to Canada. Also, its likely that the rebates will go away so you may have extra money to absorb when selling it afterwards.
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This is an interesting observation. I wonder if the depreciated price will reflect the tax credits and other state incentives. I'm getting the feeling that resale values are not going to be high.
 
Shelly said:
This is an interesting observation. I wonder if the depreciated price will reflect the tax credits and other state incentives. I'm getting the feeling that resale values are not going to be high.
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Depreciation doesn't factor in for me. When I buy a vehicle I keep it for 10-15 years (Clarity replaces a 2002 Camry, with not one mechanical issue). Life cycle cost and cost to operate is another matter. I can imagine, knock on wood, that I will have this car for many many years.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Inside EVs mobile app
 
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