2014 Honda CR-V Prices Paid and Buying Experiences

brian125

Correct that price excludes taxes, dmv fee's, and any other Otd pricing. What area and model are you interested in buying.

riles4

I'm in North Florida. Looking only at 2014 EX-L 2WD, no navi, no res, or added accessories/options (assuming the already tinted back windows is already included as standard??? as well as the alloy wheels on the EX-L (10 spoke)???).

My research says: Invoice price is $26,000, with a $830 dest charge to add on top.
I believe dealer fees in my area are coming in at $699.

brian125

riles4...... You are correct invoice is 26,000. Dont forget to add in the dest/ charge of 830. This way you and dealers are on the same page price wise and theres no confusion in pricing..

All dealers you contact let each know you will buy your said model of 26,830 minus your target price and taken in consideration each dealerships Admin or doc fee charge of 599 plus into your asking price to buy that moment for the sale.

Here is a example if you decide your target price to be 1000 below invoice price.

EXL 2wd invoice w dest/ charge........................26,830

minus your target price ....................................- 1599

Total................................................................25,231

This price gets you exactly 1000 below dealers invoice. This price also excludes taxes, dmv fee's and admin/ doc fee. It also exludes any incentives that you qualify for [ flex cash, or college grad. ] By putting dealers admin/ doc fee of $599. onto your asking price will make this ridiculous high fee a wash on the bill of sale. Here in NY our doc fee is capped at $75. Every state has a different number

Make a list of all the dealerships you want to travel to in Florida. Call each dealership on the phone speak with the internet dept. Ask each dealership.. What are your doc fee, and or admin fee's ???. That is the only question you need answered at the moment. Once you have your info you could Re-call each dealership with your target price and counter offer to each dealership.

This is how you should start your negotiation process.

ekb13

Edit- wrong thread

lfc4evr

Hi! I'm new here as well, and want to also reiterate that this forum is truly a treasure trove of information. Great job brian125 and all the contributors!

brian125,
I'm in northern NJ and know from reading the thread that 500-700 below invoice is pretty much a good deal here. I'm looking for a CRV LX AWD and have an offer from DCH for 23,050 with Costco discount. Doc. fee is 359. My target is 22195, which is 1000 below invoice taking into account the doc fee. My assumption for this calculation is that invoice price is 23,554, so I'm 1,359 below invoice factoring in the 359 doc fee. Is this a good starting point to email to 5-10 dealers in the area? I have a feeling that if I bring up flex cash, they are going to lie and say that either the 500 is included or not available. What are your thoughts on this approach? Also, has anyone bought a car through the costco car program and are there any things I should know about that?

Thanks!

brian125

ifc,

For our area in NY/ NJ this a good starting price point. Negotiate hard and dont give in to the end of the month .. keep on telling each dealership I WILL BUY FROM YOU TODAY for this price, Otherwise i have contacted several dealerships in state and out of state and will be waiting to see who meets my price before commiting.. You may not get 1000 below after adding dealers doc fee's into asking price in NJ........ BUT....... You have to try thou.. Your asking price raises the price bar and dealerships looking to sell might go right to there highest price right away avoiding all that bs and nonesense looking to get that sale today..

Another good deal could be getting 700 to 800 below invoice price and finding a dealership that is offering flex cash this would give you a price close to 1200 to 1300 below invoice with flex cash.. thats a very good deal in NJ right now.

I will suggest making a list of your targeted dealerships in NY / NJ. . Then call each dealerships internet dept. Youn want to know 2 things, and 2 things only in your calls......... Price negotiations is the next round of calls.

dealerships flex cash availability.. 500 or 750...???

Dealerships doc fee charge,....???????

After you know this info you know exactly how much to tell each dealership YOUR target price to buy is................ and for the sale that moment while speaking to the Internet manager. This would be your 2nd round of calls to each dealership. Now your ready to buy.

you also let the manager know you will be financing the vehicle thru them to collect the flex cash incentive.. That incentive money of 500 or 750 has nothing to do with your offer price to buy..

Flex cash is giving to you from the Honda corp. to finance vehicle thru them.... Dealer is not giving it to you out of his pocket. He lose's no money on this.... Make your lowest possible deal below invoice from the dealer and take his companies incentive money as a bonus.............LOL..

lfc4evr

brian125....George from Autosport just emailed me. He is offering 21,495 (incl. destination fee). The email mentions that "All pricing includes maximum AHFC flex cash while supplies last, which sounds like the actual price is 21,995 and he has applied 500 flex cash already. However, doesn't flex cash get applied at the very end?? I don't know, am I interpreting it right? Regardless, this price sounds too good to be true for NJ!! That's almost 1500 below invoice if you take out flex cash and assume the "true price" is 21,995. Is my calculation correct?? How do you suggest I respond?

brian125

ifc,

What model did he quote you on. CRV lx awd.

Invoice w / dest charge = 23,553. Dealers will apply the flex cash to your deal.

I would call george and make him break down this deal.

Here is what you want to know.

Selling price without flex cash , was dest charge included in this price.

If we are correct in assuming these prices are right this is a very good deal for NJ.. Make deal today..... Tell George............... Brian over here at edmunds says to lower his accord prices he has 3 locals going elsewhere to buy unless he wants the business.. I will have them call him.

wdwdlg

IFC, I am also from North Jersey and have been looking for CRV LX AWD but with NO luck. If you don't mind sharing the breakup it will help lot of people here.I also don't mind going along with you talking to same dealer to finalize a exact same deal if we can get better deal buying together ??. You can Pm me your details if you wish.

lfc4evr

Ok, I got the breakdown Brian. That price is excluding destination charge. He said that with flex he could take it down to 21195. If I add 830 dest charge that is 22025, still 1500 below invoice. Add in the 299 doc charge and now we are down to 1200. Again this is for lx awd with no additional accessories. What do you think? Also Brian if wdwdlg and I team up does it help for both of us to get a good deal??

brian125

Unless George is looking for sales numbers you may knock off a few more dollars. but thats it.. Auto=sport is a good dealership. He is giving you a great deal.. call your local dealers they probably will laugh at you with getting that price he's giving you.

I would confirm with poster wdwdlg..... that he is infact ready to buy crv this week then call george tell him you will buy suv for 200 less than he quoted you...BUT you will be buying 2 at that price..... yes or no.... put him on the spot. If he says no tell him to throw in splash guards, and all season mats, or trunk liner.. This is how you negotiate.. at worst if that is his final price then you made a hell of a deal in NJ.. Trust me on that . Good luck

riles4

Two questions:

1.Is the back seat and trunk window tinting standard and included in invoice price on the 2014 exl crv 2wd?

2. Is the dealer fee and doc fee the same thing?

brian125

All exl models come with.............. privacy glass.

Dealer fee could be a doc fee charge, Or another dealer fee. You need to ask.

wdwdlg

Brian Autosport gave me this breakdown

There are no hidden charges and flex is already in your pricing
21,495 eprice
830 destination
1,597.75 tax
299 doc fee
296 new plates & 4 year reg
7.7

7.5

$24,532.95 OTD

Dealer Invoice w/ destination charge : $23,554
Meaning if we add 500 Flex and 830 destination Sales Price is : $22825
Doc Fees : 299

Makes it ONLY 430 below invoice.But if we include FLEX its : 930 Below.

What do you think of pricing ? Also from here how to proceed ??

wdwdlg

Brian i need one more favor from you. I have list of NY and NJ dealers you asked to contact.

With the experience i had in NJ/NY i am thinking to go and try other states but am short on time.Have to finalize by month end.

Can you specify which dealers to contact in each states mentioned( CT,MA,PA,VA,MD and DC) and which are most preferred states to get most success ??

Thanks for all your help .

brian125

Boston better than CT, NY, NJ PA, DE. should be able to get close to 1500 below with flex cash at months end from

Herb Chambers, Weymouth , Honda cars of Boston..... off top of my head..

NJ = Auto -sport... speak only to George....... Int / MGR. Tell him Brian sent you to him.. . Call him on the phone.. He will work with you on his best price... He is honest and tells you what he can and cant do . No games.. then you could decide what direction you want to go in or make deal with. Auto-SPORT in N.J.

NY= New rochelle, Yonkers and Friendly, along with atlantic and Hunnigton in LI.

DE = Price doc fee have to be consider into asking price.

MD, VA and Dc area you will find your best deals this week comming up.

Criswell , Sport, Pohanka just to mention a few. If you need more i will Im you later or post on here.

Try to spaek directly to each Int. Mgr. for the sale that moment.. If you buy out of state i will IM you how to proceed and close the deal via credit card deposit holding vehicle til you get to dealership..

Be back in forum after 5 pm

riles4

Is flex cash something that every dealer has? What exactly is it?.........something only available if you finance through honda?

brian125

Flex cash is a incentive that comes from the Honda corp to finance thru them.. this incentive is 500 or 750 depending on the vehicle and dealership. Its on a first come first serve basis.. Once the dealer runs out of flex cash for the month you need to wait til the next month usually by the 7th to see what dealers are intittled to it and offering it again.

Alot of folks have been complaining saying dealers said they had no more flex then a week later are telling them we have it in the same month.. ..

md2x

Hi,
I just bought my 2014 Honda CRV LX AWD for $23,067 from Odonnell Honda. Very smooth transaction and no pressure at all.

2014 Honda CRV LX AWD
The Drive-out for the CRV.
MSRP $24,195.00
Internet Price** $20,440.00
Destination & Handling $830.00

State Sales Tax 6.00% $1,318.20
Tire Recycling Fee $4.00
New Tags & Titling Fees $255.00
Lien $20.00
Documentation Fee* $200.00

Drive-Out $23,067.20

chris_m3

This is my first time negotiating over the internet, and I like it quite a bit more than dealing with sweaty, overbearing, pushy salesmen. And I feel like I'm getting closer this time.

So far, I have an offer for a 2014 Honda CRV, 2WD LX A5, at $23,300 out-the-door (but not including flex cash if I refinance through Honda).

Good? The sellers in my area (the SF Bay) seem pretty hungry. Do I have much more room?

What would the optimum strategy at this point be?

brian125

chris

We need this info below to break down your deal.. OTD pricing does not help us figure out a good from a bad deal. . Every state has a different tax rate , dmv fee, and doc fee charge making everyone's final buying price different.. Your agreed selling price is the key factor once you know how much the dealers invoice price is for the vehicle.

Selling price of crv?

Does this price incliude the dest/ charge of 830?

What are this dealerships doc fee charge?

Your model.... CRV, Lx 2wd invoice = 21,553 plus 830 dest/charge= 22,383

If you could get 1000 below invoice price plus another 500 or 750 flex cash you would make a very good deal.

22,383 minus 1000 below = 21,383 minus 500 flex = 20,883 plus state taxes, dmv fee, doc fee would make up your final OTD pricing.

bosox11

Bernardi Honda of Brockton,MA puchase & delivered CRV LX $25025 MSRP . Manager Bill Pulloch & salesman Mike Barakat & Finance Mgr Keith were 110% professional & I was not pressured. I had been in the automobile business for 24 Years myself as a sales manager and found the buying & service experience TOP SHELF & that means this is the place to buy if your near Brockton( within 50 miles) it's worth it !!! Well needless to say we bought the CRV & got a super deal on the car. Yes was under invoice & got the $750 Flex cash & 0.9% for 60 months.
The doc fee was same as most around here and rolled out the door LESS THAN $22K NET.
Price is a factor however I also factor the way I was handled from start( internet quotes & follow up) to finish. I will be sending all my past clients here because of this process. I refer about 60-100 people per year by word of mouth. If you want a great deal & like to be treated properly this is the place !!!! See Mike Barakat for your next car, GREAT GUY !!!!

chris_m3

@brian125 said:

Selling price of crv?

Does this price incliude the dest/ charge of 830?

What are this dealerships doc fee charge?

I didn't get the breakdown on that quote, but here's a different quote

Sale price $21,238 + $80(DOC fees) + $286.75(License fees)+ $1,918.62

• (Sale tax based on 94610)= $23,523.37 - $750(Down Payment Assistant)= $22,773.37 OTD.

brian125

Bosox

Good job posting Bernardi Honda they are a good dealership especially for honda parts and Warranties... Edmunds will remove your post due to you using last names. If you have to post over use only 1st names.

brian125

Chris............ If the dealers selling sale price is 21,238... was the 830 dest charge included in this deal on the crv lx 2wd.... That puts you at 1645 below invoice.. Question..... you listed a - 750 is that flex cash ? I'm assuming the flex cash is not yet in the selling price yet. correct?.. Was there a trade you said tax based on 94610 what is this charge?

If your not sure call dealership and go over all the numbers again write them down. Tell dealer you will call him back.. Never rush a deal unless your fully ready and each charge is accounted for .

reel

How is this deal for 14 EX-L AWD no extras in the Atlanta area? Quote says it includes all incentives so I believe $500 flex cash is in there.

MSRP
$29,775.00

INVOICE
$28,000.41

SPECIAL INTERNET PRICE
$26,500.41

DOCUMENTATION FEE
$599.00

GVAT (EST)
$1,832.58

ETR
$49.95

GA TITLE FEE
$38.00

LEMON LAW
$3.00

TOTAL
$29,022.94

brian125

reel

Your at 901 below invoice after you minus dealers 599 doc fee charge. There is more room to negotiate.. Pick up phone and call dealership. Find other dealers to beat this price or at worst case if dealer wont budge. Tell him you will split his doc fee costs. Only consider doing that after you negotiated hard with him and other dealers this week.

reel

Thanks Brian. That was my sense too after reading through this thread. I appreciate you confirming it.

saccrv

Thanks to the community for sharing such a valuable information. Got lot of information. my CRV details.

Bought in Albany, NY.
2014 CRV EX-L with Navigation, AWD.
Vehicle price- 28600
Doc fee - 75
Taxes at 8% - 2288
Inspection fee - 175
Other fees - 10
Tire waste management fees - 12.5
Total - 31160.5

Honda Flex - 750

Net price- 30410.5

riles4

Did quite a bit of researching and emailing the past few days.

For a 2014 CRV EX-L 2WD, no navi, no rear entertainment sys, best offer I've gotten:

Price: $24900 (includes $830 in dest charges)
Sales tax: 7%
Dealer fee: $699
Tag transfer: $240
Out the door price: $27,582

I'm not particularly happy with that. I did get two separate dealerships telling me to do my research and come to them with the best "out the door price" I could find locally, and they would guarantee to beat it.

I want to shoot for the moon here, but I also don't want to scare anyone off with an absurd offer. Is asking for an out the door price of $25,500 - $26,000 too outrageous?

hansgruber11

I live in Connecticut...
Best quote to date on a 2014 CRV LX AWD with no add-ons:

Dealer price - $22,554 (includes destination)

Dealer fee - $400

CT sales tax (6.35%) ~ $1,458

CT DMV title ~ $190

OTD ~ $24,602

I've been working with this dealer for a few months on CERTIFIED CRVs. Today is the first time I spoke with them about NEW CRV pricing and these are the figures they provided me...so I haven't even started haggling on the price.

Thoughts?
Any additional room to move down?

brian125

hansgruber11

you have room to move down.

hansgruber11

@brian125 said:
hansgruber11

you have room to move down.

Is there any particular threshold here?

Is a counter of $22,000 (from $22,554) reasonable? I want to be realistic and not insulting.

brian125

Your room to negotiate is that dealers doc fee charge of 400 dollars. At 999 below invoice after paying dealers doc fee charge ... your sale would stand at 600 below invoice.

yes....... a counter offer of 22,554 would be a good starting point and work down from that number closer to invoice price making your best deal at the very end of the month if need be..

riles4

Did quite a bit of researching and emailing the past few days.

For a 2014 CRV EX-L 2WD, no navi, no rear entertainment sys, best offer I've gotten:

Price: $24900 (includes $830 in dest charges) Sales tax: 7% Dealer fee: $699 Tag transfer: $240 Out the door price: $27,582

I'm not particularly happy with that. I did get two separate dealerships telling me to do my research and come to them with the best "out the door price" I could find locally, and they would guarantee to beat it.

I want to shoot for the moon here, but I also don't want to scare anyone off with an absurd offer. Is asking for an out the door price of $25,500 - $26,000 too outrageous?

brian125

Riles4,

How much below invoice price are you.?

what is your target price to buy ?

How much below invoice price OTD would 25,500-26,000 give you?

riles4

Invoice is $26830 (includes $830 dest charge) . So, I guess I'm $1100 under invoice if you don't include $830 dest charge. I'm targeting $26000 out the door, but not sure I'll get it.

Florida sales tax is 7%, TTL is $240, and dealer fee is $700. (I suppose to get there would mean $23500 on sales price + $700 dealer fee + 7% tax + $240 TTL). Think I'm crazy to ask for $25,500 out the door?

brian125

riles4,

The reason i asked about prices is to see if you are aware of market prices and your area's price.

The dealer who quoted you 24,900 including dest/ charge is selling you this model for $1930 below invoice price .. if you minus dealers doc fee of 699 your buying this model at $1231 below invoice price. I think you may have room to get a few more hundred off this price. That is it... So subtract 300 more dollars of said dealers out the door price and that would make one very fine deal .. Better than most folks. If you can"t get another dime of this original deal you still will have done better than alot of buyers .

The price your asking to buy is out of the ball park . Dont confuse this sale with out the door pricing....... your states taxes and dmv charges are all regulated and are standard fee's.... work on getting your lowest selling price... then you can add up the rest of the otd pricing.

2 things,

Did this dealer add flex cash of 500 into this deal to arrive at 1930 below invoice? or 24,900.. If dealer did....... this is not such a good deal anymore.

If dealer gave you a straight out price to buy without flex, then you should find another dealer to match this price who has the flex cash of 500 for financing vehicle thru honda.. Then your deal would be 1930 below invoice including the flex giving you a monster deal and bragging rights in this forum...LOL

good luck.. Post your deal and dealership when done so the other members can try for a simular deal..

hansgruber11

brian125, can you elaborate on why $1,000-1,500 below invoice is a good deal?
And can't the invoice price be manipulated by the dealer anyways?

I'm still $600 below invoice and finding it hard to get dealers to drop any further. Most are asking that I come in and test drive.

brian125

Your area wont see much more than 1000 below invoice if even that.. Try to find dealerships offering flex cash of 500 or 750.. put that on top of your 600 or 700 below invoice price and that makes a nice deal.. In CT pricing is about the same as in NY and NJ. make your best deal at months end. Area's like Boston, MD, VA, are seeing pricing in that 1000 to 1500 range. Your state has high doc fee's adjust into asking price making them a wash on the bill of sale..

Call the dealership in boston the reference is a few posts up. you will get a better deal in MA, then CT

hansgruber11

@brian125 said:
make your best deal at months end.

So here's my issue...there's only two remaining selling days in the month. Today it was raining heavily in my area. I stopped by a dealer today and also called another one. Both dealers said they were out of flex cash and couldn't do anything for me. I threw out my best offer (1,100 below invoice) and they let me walk...didn't even counter my offer. It seems to me the BEGINNING of the month is the best time to negotiate because that's when dealers have the most flex cash to offer, no?

I mean...end of the month, pouring outside, possible end of the quarter; this particular dealer had a ton of new CRVs in stock...how do they just let me walk over $500?!

rach1415

Brian125 - I'm in Chicago and was quoted a price on an EX-L CR-V today (the 29th only 2 business days in the month left), this was the first dealership I have ever been to. I read almost all 20 pages of this forum and just want to understand what I was quoted, it seems good but I may not be understanding. Being in Chicago, I saw you said other should look for $700-1500 under invoice to be good.

I was quoted $26,700 and that included destination fees ($830)
tax is around $2,700
title is $15 flat
title & transfer is $145
doc fee max of $166 and I'm leaving out any ad fees
I was offered $750 in flex and qualify for the recent grad of $500 but I think I leave that out of this equation since that is for financing only (right?). But I include the flex in the calc?
they're only willing to give me $600 for my current Honda (she's been used and abused thoroughly). Do I factor that in this calc?
Invoice shows at $27,170

So does that mean that I sit at invoice minus OTD
$27,170 - (26,700+2,700+15+145+166-750-600) = $1,206 over invoice so not a good deal yet right? If I'm not supposed to include flex cash then it's even worse correct?

I just found this forum today and see that I need to get to emailing dealerships ASAP but wanted to understand the game first before I go quoting prices that really aren't a deal. Any help would be so appreciated!!

brian125

Rach-.....Make a target price of 1000 below dealers invoice price with all contacted dealerships without flex or collage grad incentive included in that price . Work on getting your lowest selling price of your model first.. dont confuse this deal with adding this rebate or that incentive into the equation. tell no dealership your a college grad. if you could prove it you will get 500 dollars knocked off your negotiated price deal. at the end of the sale... If you cant get 1k below invoice price negotiate as close to that number as possible. Once you agree on a number you feel will earn your business then let dealer add your flex cash and college incentive money which will give you a nice below invoice number. By you letting dealers give you the college grad and flex cash upfront to meet yor asking price lets dealers get over on you price wise..

Flex cash is a 500 or 750 incentive you get from the honda corp.. to finance vehicle thru american honda. Dealerships are not taken that money out of there pockets to give to you.. That money is paid to you from the honda corp. Dont let dealerships get over on you putting flex into the price to meet your target price. Once you make your lowest agreed selling price between you and the dealer then you could add flex on the sale price if they have to give.

hansgruber--- Read my posts and follow them with how to buy and read about targeted dealerships. 2 dealerships wont cut it.. also..

How is it possible to walk in / call 2 dealerships give them your target price to buy and leave both places without even getting a counter offer.??? If i ask a dealer for x price and they tell me No my next question is.... How close can you get to my number for the sale today excluding all rebates and incentives... Thast phrase is a key word with these guys.. This is telling all dealerships give me your lowest selling price first.... i'm not stupid.. You wont be getting over on me... LOL.... Make each dealership commit to there best price >>> flex cash or not it does not matter.. First you work on getting your lowest selling price then add flex cash from dealers who have it to give.. dealers that dont have flex cash have to step up there game to earn your business.. You tell non flex dealerships if you want my business dealerships x,y, and z, have flex cash.. This is how you play the game. Pit one dealer aganist the next.. If you dont push these guys or if you come off like you dont know what your doing then dealer will make you chase them and agree to there price.. When your buying a new car a good negotiator makes dealerships chase them to earn there. business.. You make dealerships feel the urgency that if they dont wrap up the deal with you today x, y, or z dealerships will take that money away from them..

If your calling on the phone you call the internet dept and try to speak with the int/ mgr for the sale that moment.. Every dealer you call or visit you make each dealer give you there best price. Do not deal with floor salesman on the phone its a waste of time.. Internet sales dept. shooting for the int/

mgr ..

otops

So what does this look like?

TOTAL W/ OPTIONS $25,280.00

LESS TRADE

TRADE DIFFERENCE $25,280.00

DEALER FEE $699.00
BATTERY TIRE $6.50
TAG AGENCY FEE $75.00
Electronic Filing Fee $25.00
TAG TRANSFER $25.00

TAXABLE $26,085
TAX 7.0% $1,826

OTD: 27,911

otops

Sorry. The above is for a 2014 EX-L. I have another dealer at 27,800 OTD. Flex cash hasn't been discussed yet. There's a lot of ground to be covered still (I think).

dv58ed

Brian...your help is indispensable on these pages..thanks so much. Yes, I'm a newbie.

I, too, am now considering a 2014 Cr-v EX-L AWD, no navi/dvd. I'm hoping to purchase at the end of April.

My questions deal with the following.

1. Local market value. I'm local to the Fargo, ND. area. Somewhat rural. The other regional Honda dealerships are Grand Forks, ND, 75 miles away, St. Cloud, Mn., 150 miles, and the twin cities area, 250 miles away, which I frequently visit anyway. I would like to use as many of these dealerships as possible, hoping I could secure a good price as possible, especially from the local dealer, Corwin Honda of Fargo. Is this region as competitive on price as others around the nation.

2. Any idea of Flex cash availability in this area. Eligibility for Honda financing should not be a problem, my credit's excellent.

3. The issue of a trade-in. Is it possible to get a reasonable trade in value if a great deal is achieved. I've thoroughly researched my trade's value, and what they market for locally. I'd prefer to sell it privately, but have very little personal time, so the convenience of a trade is important.

4. I plan to use your advice, targeting the very end of April for purchase. Are dealers in this region reasonable on good prices compared to other market areas you've covered, i.e. my chances of getting a great price locally...is it good or bad.

5. Should I contact the dealers in question to find out all the fees they charge for an OTD price BEFORE making an offer. I'm a Minnesota resident on the North Dakota state line, so if I should purchase, at the local dealership, I'd pay Minnesota taxes/title/reg., but other fees like documents fee would, I assume, be North Dakota standards...the documents fee in MN is capped at 75 bucks, I believe.

I probably will have other questions, but they don't come to mind at the moment. I have the luxury of knowing that in my case there's no rush, as the vehicle I have now is running fine, and if I can't get the deal I'd like, I can hold off for a future time.

Again, thanks for the help you've given everyone here.

kenny3397

I bought a CRV yesterday. I got so many useful information and startegies from this forum, so would like to share my experience.
As many people suggested, I waited the last week of March (end of Q1).

This is the trim of car.
2014 Honda CR-V EXL 2WD(FWD) no navi, no rear entertainment.
I live in Bay area (San Jose CA).

From this forum, I could find invoice price of this car which is $26,830 (including destination charge)

First I sent emails to dealers to know their doc fee and Flex Cash availability. Most dealer said Bay Area (near SF) dealers have same dealer doc fee which is $80.
And some dealers offered $750 Flex Cash or $500 but some dealers said Flex Cash had been already gone.

Only one dealer replied with car price which is $24,388 + $830(destination charge) including $750 Flex Cash. So price would be $25,968 without Flex Cash. This is $862 lower from $26,830 invoice price. This seemed not a great deal, however with Flex Cash, Car price $25,218 would be $1,612 lower than invoice price. I didn't get the detail break down but dealer said OTD was approximate $27,830.

CA Total Registration fee is $294 (TTL), tax is 8.75% for my area.

I sent emails again to other dealers if they could beat this price. Actually I said that if they could offer the same price with 3 accessories (Splash Guard, all season mats, Cargo tray), I would pick it up right away. I'm not sure if this strategy was good or not. Anyway, all dealers refused this offer.

So I asked them to forget accessories and if they still could beat the car price what I got.
Some dealer said this was aggressive offer so they would give up or they need to see the writing quote to discuss with their manager.

Also one dealer showed their sale price which is $24988 including destination charge and Flex Cash (not sure if it's 500 or 750).

I sent these email quotes to remaining dealers. The first dealer gave up dealing, and 2nd dealer just replied to be able to match this number. And the 3rd one wanted to beat this number but declined to mention on email even on the phone. He asked me to visit his dealer to see the number.

Finally I stopped by 3rd one.
That dealer offered $24888 which is $100 lower than other offer and decided to buy.

Here is the break down detail.

Car : $25,388 (including $830 destinaion charge, $750 Flex Cash)
Dealer doc fee : $80
Sales tax(8.75%) : $2,228.45

Electrical Vehicle Registration or Transfer Charge : $20.50

Vehical License Fees : $164
Registration/Transfer/Titling Fees : $111
Cal Tire Fees : $8.75

OTD price : $28,000.70

However dealer reduced this price by adding $500 more Flex Cash. As far as I understood, they used $750 Flex Cash already for my car, but decided to use more Flex Cash from their remaining Flex Cash pool. ($1,250 Flex Cash)

So final OTD is $27,500.70
This price would be $1,942 lower than invoice price. (assume car price is $24,888)

I did 60 months loan from Honda finance with 0.9% rate.

I'm pretty satisfied and happy with this deal. Thank you very much brian125 and all other guys for sharing your information.

Best regards

brian125

kenny,

Good job on Negotiating and a well written Excellent post.............. Enjoy your new CRV.

You did well

Brian

brian125

dv58ed,

Thanks for the kind words.. You have posted and ask some very good and important questions that does not just apply to you but many folks here.. Here is my take and what you could do to make your buying experience alot easier.

Doing your pre- Home work is 80 % of this battle .. Being armed with the right prices and info/ knowing how and when to buy will help you get the best deal. knowing your area's market prices.. and surrounding states and area.

3- TRADE , Lets do the easiest one 1st and a no brainer to me. # 3- Trade in... Sell your vehicle private. you have a whole month to do it.. You stand to get the most value back and will have the least amount of headache trying to do this 2 step process of a buy and trade. 90% percent of the time your trade will be taken for a loss depending on make and model/ year. If you decide to trade in you have to drive to each dealership so they could apprase it. i'm sure you dont want to drive 250 miles to dealerships that may insult you with a trade value. Most dealers use galves pricing. For a small fee go to there web site and see what dealers will access your vehicle's price at. Some dealers use Nada pricing. Its always best to ask dealers what book they use to figure on pricing.

1- Area. Your area pricing is not as good as pricies you see on here .. Supply and demand play a big part in pricing with limited dealerships by you. dealerships within 100 miles should be your target dealers to buy pitting one dealer against the next in the price wars..

2- Flex cash- call all your targeted dealership with your pre homework to get the info you need first before you start your price negotiations...

4- By educating your self with pricing and info on how to buy will help you get the best possible price in your area. what those prices are i could not tell you. Once you collect all your target dealers info.... Do they have flex cash to offer? and how much? what are that dealers doc fee charge?/ what is the name, and nunmber/ email of the dealers int. mgr. This is what info you need from each targeted dealership before price negotiation are conducted.. I like to collect all this info the 2nd week of my buying month. On the 3rd week or about the 22nd you should start emails and calls to all my targeted dealers looking to buy that moment. I dont start my negotiations til the last days of the month.. I dont reccommend that if your a newbie buyer... . I'm a expert negotiator/ buyer with over 1000 vehicles purchased for myself , family, friends, and friends of friends. been buying cars like this for 45 years. you need baby steps first... lol... So on the 22nd If can't get one of your targeted dealeship to agree that day you then play the game and hold out to the last days with meet my price. Then on that last day if i have not struck a deal i will consider to lower my asking price to buy..

brian125

CONT-

5- what ever state you decide to purchase that dealer applies your home states tax rate onto the bill of sale.. every state may have a different doc fee charge. once you agree on a selling price make that dealer go over all the OTD pricing before you agree or go down to dealership..

Time is on your side.

One other tip being time is on your side. Call all dealerships you may want to travel to in the Twin cities..... Thats where most likely your lowest price will be..

Sendout a standard email to all the dealers Int/ mgrs.... Stating You live in Fargo and are in that area often. You are willing to buy x model honda from them for 1300 below invoice price plus any rebates and incentives that apply to you . You plan on buying this model by the end of april but will consider buying today if you meet my price today.. Leave a contact email, and cell number so dealer int. mgr. could get back to you.. This usually will break the ice and start you in the negotiation process.. If you call 10 dealerships 2 may be non internet friendly not giving a price , 3 dealers may tell you to come in to there store to negotiate a price. The other 5 may want to earn your business right away .. These are the dealership you deal with.. the other 5 dont bother with..

Start your local negotiations a week later.. If you get a better price in the twin cities which you will ... Try to get a dealer closer to your house to match for the immediate sale.. If you cant sell your car privately then you have to drive to each local dealer making your best price out of the lot..

Hope this info helps you.............................brian