Here’s why I just sold My 2023 Honda Civic Si after just three months!

Subtitle: Oops I did it again.

OK, I’ll admit to swapping vehicles fairly often, ok a bit more than often. Regular readers will notice that the title of this article is similar to a 4 January piece where I walked through the rational of getting rid of my 2022 Mustang Mach-E after boldly calling it the “best all-around car I’ve ever driven“. Well, I haven’t written about the Civic Si on here that replaced it, not for any specific reason other than being slammed with press loaners to review. So, let’s do a quick dive into why I already sold it.

(Apologies for the photos, I take each loaner out for a photo shoot, never got to that point with the Civic.)

Yes I’ve got a problem…

I have a Google Doc of all of the vehicles that I’ve owned. While a handful were co-owned and primarily driven by my significant other, that represents only a handful (half a dozen max) of the vehicles listed below.

All Vehicles Owned (1992’ish to Present)

While my car buying is a long standing, well-diagnosed issue, it’s currently wildly unchecked. As I am now single in my 40s, I get to make all the decisions. I’m also, as George Costanza said, “out there” in the dating world.

This gets to me the root of the problem with the Civic.

You have to explain it!

This is a touchy one, since it makes you a bit vulnerable to admit it that you actually do care what other people think. I can let my mind wander back to the “car forum” days (#longliveVbulletin) which were a predecessor to the car discussions I have on Twitter today, and it was the exact same dynamic (Also while I’m thinking about it, don’t forget to follow me for tweeted memes, photoshopped stuff, and occasionally actual car-buying advice). If you even so much as hinted back then that your car purchases might be tied to what others think there will be people who openly crucify your ass. Today isn’t much different, but I’m here to openly say that it matters.

A couple of weeks ago my friend Tyler and I were wandering a local Cars & Coffee talking about this very topic, specifically in relation to the Civic. He astutely laid out a hypothetical interaction that one (me as the suitor) may have with a young lady I was interested in courting:

“Well, you see it’s a Civic. But you see it’s the fast Civic. Well not the fast Civic, that’s the Type R. So it’s one of the fast…hey where are you going?”

Tyler Hill, March 2023, Katie’s Cars & Coffee

So, yeah I’ll admit that even at 46 years old, I care what (some) other people think, at least to a point. I’d make the argument that we all do, it’s human nature to not only look for acceptance but to fit into societal norms. Most times, in my non-professional opinion (I suppose I do have a bachelor’s in psychology that I don’t use) the push-back against those norms can actually be healthy, as it can give you a sense of independence and identity. However it doesn’t necessarily mean that that little part in the back of your brain isn’t still struggling with the scenario.

For me, I knew there were a lot of other vehicles out there that would make me just as happy, or happier, and would align better with the image of an eligible, handsome, fit middle-aged professional. I’ve chatted with this via DM with some car friends and have gotten support with responses like “oh yeah, you can’t rock a Civic as a middle aged single guy”. I’m sure there are still readers and commentors on social media who will disagree and say that they wouldn’t care.

To that I say, good for you, this was my situation and no one is in the exact same one.

It also sat idle for three-months

This would have been an issue with any car that I purchased, but the Si only has 1,500 miles after three months. I work from home, and with a long string of press vehicles cycling through (about a dozen from January 2023 to present) the Civic sat idle in the garage at my apartment. The layer of dust visible in some of the photos came from some garage construction that was happening recently, and was a clear indicator of the lack of use.

However, I stand by my review of the Si, it’s a fantastic car. The shifter is near perfect, and while I’d love to have some more power, it was a fantastic daily driver (when I drove it).

The Civic is sold

So, I had decided move the Si on to a new owner to enjoy. Late last week, I plugged the VIN into my go-to online selling option, www.givemethevin.com (GMTV) and immediately got a pretty solid offer over sticker. I happened to be car shopping at a local CarMax over the weekend, looking at a used E43 AMG sedan and they actually offered me a bit more than GMTV for the Civic. I wasn’t sold on the Benz, but knew I had made up my mind to sell the Civic.

I pinged my contact at GMTV and asked if they still beat CarMax offers. He responded (on a Sunday night) that they did, or they would send me $100. The next morning I had another offer above the CarMax number, and about 48 hours later I was dropping it off at their location nearby. I didn’t go out of my way to try and ramp up the sale price, but it worked out. Drop off was easy peasy.

What’s next?

I. HAVE. NO. CLUE!

Audi is dropping off a 2023 RS 6 Avant to review today, so the clock has begun ticking. There are no loans scheduled after Thursday next week (30 March), so I’ve got to make a decision. Stay tuned to Hooniverse to see what happens next, and to see what I thought of this $160K Audi wagon!