Honda Fit Prices Paid and Buying Experiences

kyfdx

I guess the deposit is more of a psychological hold on the customer?

Yes.. that is exactly what I meant.. psychologically invested..

isellhondas

When we take a deposit, most people have mentally commited to buy the car and we have agreed to reserve it for them so, yes, you are correct. I guess I just don't like the "mind game" term.

kyfdx

I didn't mean anything derogatory by "mind games"... Those sales techniques aren't unique to the auto industry..

carman289

That price is fair. You won't find a dealer who will discount. The margin is low and the manual Sport is scarce. We got ours two weeks ago and love it but it took six months. After the factory Honda is building in Indiana to manufacture the Fit is up and running there might be some room to negotiate but I doubt before that.

isellhondas

No, I know. No offense taken.

A couple of recent posts here have left me (almost) speechless, that's all.

backy

How about this situation: the buyer thinks they like the Fit, but the dealer (in fact, no dealers in the area) have one to drive. So the buyer puts down a $500 deposit, with the condition that if they don't like how the car drives, they can get the deposit back. When the car comes in, the buyer finds out (as have some other people who have driven, and even purchased a Fit) that the driving position is uncomfortable. And maybe they think the ride is too harsh, or there's something else about how the car drives that they buyer doesn't think he/she can live with. The buyer asks to cancel the deal and asks for the deposit back.

Is that unfair to the dealer?

ten_year_man

"Is that unfair to the dealer?"

We made the deposit with the stipulation it was refundable if, after test-driving the vehicle, we didn't want it. A voluntary agreement between two parties is neither "fair" nor "unfair" in my view.

From what I've read in this forum, the dealer will have no problem selling that silver Sport MT at MSRP if I turn it down.

ten_year_man

isellhondas,

The only deal we made on this Honda was to reserve first crack at it with a $500 deposit. We did not negotiate a price on the car, and we did not shake hands. We didn't even go to the dealer -- he was contacted via internet and the deposit was made over the phone with a credit card. The dealer then sent the itemized buyers order to us in the mail.

Is it your experience that buyers always agree to pay MSRP on the basis of a cost sheet sent through the mail -- before actually seeing the car and meeting the dealer in person?

I've learned there is a difference between "factory" invoice and "dealer" invoice -- the latter being the actual cost to the dealer after he sells the car and gets back the holdback, etc. This cost is often $1000 or more less than the invoice the customer sees. A fair profit for the dealer is 3%-5% above actual dealer cost. The MSRP of a Fit Sport MT is 4.1% above "factory" invoice -- but considerably more above "dealer" invoice.

I understand the lowest price at which a dealer will ultimately be willing to sell a car is based on several factors. If the Honda Fit is in such demand that the dealer is confident he can quickly sell the car at MSRP to someone else, he has little reason to sell it to me for less. The dealer's job is to maximize his profit. My job is to negotiate the lowest possible price.

If the dealer won't budge on MSRP it's up to me to decide if I think I can find a better deal on that car elsewhere or if I'm willing to go with my 2nd choice (Nisaan Versa). I've test-driven the Versa, and I'll know more after I drive the Fit.

bobw3

Based on the scarcity of the Versa, you'll probably end up having to pay MSRP for that too. Regardless of the difference between MSRP and invoice, if you feel that the Fit is worth the price then you should buy it. It seems strange to buy your second or third choice of a car just because you can get it below MSRP. That's like people who will only buy things on sale, so they end up buying a bunch of stuff they really don't want or need just because it's 50% off...it's crazy.

Or what if you get the versa for $500 below invoice, but the car ends up costing you MORE than the Fit if you would have paid MSRP. Now you're buying your second choice car for more than your first choice car just so you say that you got it below MSRP?!?!

When you say that it's your job to negotiate the lowest possible price, that's really only partially correct. Your job is to first to decide how much you want to spend and then find the best car you can for that price. Again, if the Fit is your first choice, would you rather buy the Fit at MSRP or the Versa below MSRP but at a cost equal or higher than the Fit? Even if you can get the Versa for below invoice, if the final price of the Fit is only a few hundred dollars more than the final cost of the Versa, then the question is whether or not the Fit is worth a few hundred dollars more, not whether or not you paid MSRP, Invoice, or something in-between.

But if it's a tossup between the Fit and Versa, then I'd say go ahead and try to get the price down, but since the Fit and Versa only stay on the dealers lot for a week, the dealer doesn't have much incentive to make a deal with you, unless you have a trade in that they're going to make a profit on.

ten_year_man

bobw3,

You make very good points, which actually follow a line of reasoning I was making when discussing these choices with my wife. It doesn't make much sense to pass on the car I really want on the basis of taking a "principled" stand against paying MSRP.

Overall I liked the Versa, except for the cargo area in which the rear seats do not fold flush with the floor of the hatch. I haven't been in a Fit yet, but the "magic" seats are a big selling point for me, as is 34/38 MPG vs 30/34 for the Versa.

MSRP for a Versa SL with ABS option is $15,415.
MSRP for a Fit Sport with cargo cover option is $15,930.
(prices include destination but not taxes & fees)

After talking with the Nissan dealer I got the impression he will sell for below MSRP, but I think the Fit is proabably worth an extra $1000 to me. I'll know after the test-drive. Whichever car I choose will probably be with me for a decade.

In 1986 I bought a new Volkswagen Golf, and kept it for 86,000 miles when I traded it in for a new 1995 Plymouth Neon Sport Coupe, which now has just under 67,000 miles.

That's 2 cars in 21 years, which led me to choose ten_year_man as my name in this forum.

jkandell

I've learned there is a difference between "factory" invoice and "dealer" invoice -- the latter being the actual cost to the dealer after he sells the car and gets back the holdback, etc. This cost is often $1000 or more less than the invoice the customer sees. A fair profit for the dealer is 3%-5% above actual dealer cost. The MSRP of a Fit Sport MT is 4.1% above "factory" invoice -- but considerably more above "dealer" invoice.

While your technically correct, we're talking small amounts. The msrp for a Sport MT is $15,773. A "fair" 5% profit above "dealer invoice" (assuming 3% holdback) would be $15,398. You're getting all worked up over $375. dollars.

isellhondas

Not at all! We tell everybody that. So far, nobody hasn't liked the car. There are people standing in line, so it sure wouldn't be a problem!

fitluver

would certainly suggest trying to negotiate a lower price.... you usually don't get what you don't ask for. I'm not sure of your chances of success, though..

I'd try to work out the negotiation with your spouse before you go. Maybe you can agree that you are willing to pay MSRP, but allow her to try and negotiate a discount.

Perhaps you could get her the phone numbers of the ten closest Honda dealers, and have her call and check on the availablity of a manual-transmission sport model? That might open her eyes a little.

Good luck.. I hope you get it for a fair price.. You've picked a nice vehicle.

Wow, someone can actually find a manual? Doubt it. Let alone two dealers in the area that have a manual, one available for sale because it isn't preordered by someone else, one that someone else didnt turn down adn the dealer tacked on extras.

Take the MSRP while you can because within the time it takes to close the dealership door behind you, someone else will be there to snatch it up.

ciara1

We specified that our deposit be refundable if the car didn't arrive by a certain date or if we found it unsuitable in some way and the dealer wouldn't make it right to our satisfaction prior to handing it over to us. (We added that clause because our last vehicle arrived scratched, and it turned out to be a headache getting it taken care of.) Had we not had an opportunity to drive one, we would have asked to specify that the deposit be refundable if we didn't like it once driving it, but we went to great lengths to get to drive one before ordering one just to avoid investing a lot of effort in the process and then finding it wasn't what we wanted.

In any case, it looks like we won't have to worry about that first issue at this point -- the dealer just contacted me to let me know our Fit is on its way here as we speak!

(Edited to add: the dealer seemed perfectly comfortable with both refund clauses we requested. He said that's the way they normally operate anyway, so they didn't mind at all putting it into writing.)

fitluver

How about this situation: the buyer thinks they like the Fit, but the dealer (in fact, no dealers in the area) have one to drive. So the buyer puts down a $500 deposit, with the condition that if they don't like how the car drives, they can get the deposit back. When the car comes in, the buyer finds out (as have some other people who have driven, and even purchased a Fit) that the driving position is uncomfortable. And maybe they think the ride is too harsh, or there's something else about how the car drives that they buyer doesn't think he/she can live with. The buyer asks to cancel the deal and asks for the deposit back.

Is that unfair to the dealer?

I do not think so at all that it is unfair.

That is exactly the deal I signed up for, that the final purchase is contingent upon me liking the drive of the car after the test ride.

ciara1

The only deal we made on this Honda was to reserve first crack at it with a $500 deposit. We did not negotiate a price on the car, and we did not shake hands. We didn't even go to the dealer -- he was contacted via internet and the deposit was made over the phone with a credit card. The dealer then sent the itemized buyers order to us in the mail.

This seems unusual to me -- I haven't seen deposits work this way before -- so I wonder if there isn't potentially a misunderstanding at work here. It sounds to me like the dealer considered your deposit as an agreement to buy the car at the price shown on the itemized buyer's order, since otherwise it seems odd to have mailed you the itemized buyer's order.

I would have called up for clarification upon first receiving that buyer's order had I expected 'first crack' at the vehicle rather than an agreement to buy the car at the price shown on the order, just to make 100% certain that we really were on the same page. That said, though, given the specific charges listed on your order, my recommendation is to not worry about it or bother trying to negotiate at this point. It's a good fair deal, it looks like the dealer hasn't tried to pull anything over on you at all, and IMHO you're unlikely to find better.

isellhondas

Well, you've changed your story.

In your first post, you said you had agreed to buy the Fit for MSRP nad you even said you thought that was a fair price.

The subject of holdback has been, literally beat to death on other forums. I'll just say it is far from bottom line profit and really has nothing to do with anything here.

Let me ask you once again...what would YOUR reaction have been if the dealer had tried to raise the price when you arrived to pick up your new Fit?

You obviously were not commited to buy that Fit and a smart dealer should have smelled that before accepting your deposit.

To answer the question you asked in your first post, I think it is highly unlikely that dealer will drop that price and it is HIGHLY likely that car will sell to another customer that same day.

Instead of waiting for Saturday, the right thing for you to do would be to call that store now and tell them what you were planning to do.

ciara1

I mean no offense, but I'm curious to get a dealer's perspective on this issue. You feel that this buyer wasn't committed, you say; under what circumstances do you consider return of a deposit to be reasonable? Would the restrictions I requested, for instance, have made you think I wasn't committed to buying the vehicle?

I'm quite honestly just curious on this issue, since I normally would consider a deposit to be a good-faith agreement to purchase a vehicle, and yet I did feel it was reasonable to have a refund of deposit guaranteed under certain circumstances.

plekto

And a smart salesperson would, after they end up not liking the Fit, try to get them into a 4 cylinder Accord VP for only a little more money.

Trim-wise, the Fit and the Accord VP are very simmilar- with a small edge going to the Accord, since it has adjustable seat height, a center armrest, and so on.

And it's nice and comfortable to drive.

isellhondas

As far as I'm concerned, all deposits should be refundable.

Some people, knowing a car is in short supply will leave deposits at several different stores. The first to get a car will sell that customer and the other deposits get refunded. This puts a lot of people to a lot of useless work and I think it is highly unethical.

If you agree on a price, leave a deposit. If you plan to reneg when the car comes in or renegoiate the deal, don't leave a deposit.

I think this should just be good old common sense and the ethical way to conduct business but I'm sure others will feel differently.

A handshake, even a handshake over the phone or internet should mean something!

ciara1

That makes a great deal of sense, thanks.

It hadn't occurred to me to leave a deposit at multiple stores. On the other hand, though, I was burned last time I left a deposit on a vehicle. (The dealer strung me along for 7 1/2 months -- it turned out he had been selling all of the ones he got in to people willing to pay more instead of honoring our deal -- and then still resisted returning my deposit after I found out and confronted him about it.) I wanted to make sure the same thing didn't happen to me this time.

I like your philosophy -- if more people used common sense and old-fashioned ethical decency, the entire car-buying process would be MUCH less of a headache!

ten_year_man

isellhondas wrote:

"Well, you've changed your story.

In your first post, you said you had agreed to buy the Fit for MSRP nad you even said you thought that was a fair price.

The subject of holdback has been, literally beat to death on other forums. I'll just say it is far from bottom line profit and really has nothing to do with anything here.

Let me ask you once again...what would YOUR reaction have been if the dealer had tried to raise the price when you arrived to pick up your new Fit?

You obviously were not commited to buy that Fit and a smart dealer should have smelled that before accepting your deposit.

To answer the question you asked in your first post, I think it is highly unlikely that dealer will drop that price and it is HIGHLY likely that car will sell to another customer that same day.

Instead of waiting for Saturday, the right thing for you to do would be to call that store now and tell them what you were planning to do."

No, I haven't changed my story. Nowhere did I state there was a deal made on this car for MSRP or any other price. What has taken place between the dealer and my spouse (she's the one who contacted the dealer) was an agreement for us to deposit a refundable $500 on a car already en route from the factory to this dealer. The itemized buyers order we received in the mail represents a price quote from the dealer. Many buyers get quotes from several dealers when smartly shopping for the best price. Those quotes are negotoating points, not agreed-upon deals.

As has been made abundantly clear, if I don't want that silver Fit Sport MT the dealer will have no problem selling it in short order. You act as if the dealer is being defrauded and that I should be honor-bound to pay the quoted price without negotiation. Hogwash.

How would I feel if upon arrival the dealer raised the price? If we had already agreed upon a price in which everything was spelled out, I'd raise a stink. I certainly wouldn't buy the car from that dealer, unless I was dead-set on that model and knew from research I couldn't get a better price elsewhere.

But at this point we do not have a deal -- only a price quote and a mutual agreement over the terms of a $500 deposit. If the dealer doesn't want to sell me the car below MSRP he is under no obligation to do so, just as I am under no obligation to buy it. "Feelings" have nothing to do with negotiations in the market place.

From what I've read in this forum, several buyers paid more than MSRP or accepted add-ons they didn't want. Others were screwed around when the car they ordered was sold to someone else willing to pay more. And yet you paint the dealer as the victim in my planned negotiation over a price quote. Do you think you can influence potential buyers into refraining from negotiating ... is your purpose in this forum part of a sales tactic to boost the bottom line for dealers?

bobw3

As long as the dealer agrees that it's a refundable deposit, than no harm done. The same with any conditions prior to the sale. As long as both the buyer and seller agree, than anything goes.

isellhondas

I hope things work out for you and shame on that dealer for taking a deposit from a non-committed customer.

A deal should be FIRM before a depsoit is accepted and this dialogue is a great example of that!

kyfdx

Well.. except that it is a manual-transmission Fit Sport... The dealer really has nothing at risk..

It isn't like they ordered a Honda Pilot with white leather interior..

isellhondas

No, it'll quickly sell. The only person who will care is the salesperson who was involved.

Around here, 5 speeds are normally VERY slow sellers with the exception of Fits. They must attract the five speed crowd?

kyfdx

I think the smaller the car, the more likely you'll find manual-transmission buyers..

A lot of buyers in the lower price ranges are extra price-sensitive, and the $800-$1300 saved on a manual is another point in their favor.

Plus... an econo-box with an automatic transmission can by a real chore to drive.. Even a crappy car can be fun with a manual..

ten_year_man

Well, I tried to negotiate.

Our Honda dealer had a big ad in this morning's paper that shouted out HUGE DISCOUNTS on ALL CARS IN STOCK and 0.9% APR financing. Part of the ad listed all the vehicles in stock, including 15 Fits.

But the salesman explained to me (not very convincingly) how the ad did not apply to the Fit. As expected, he wouldn't budge from MSRP. There are people waiting to buy, and the silver Sport MT on which I put a $500 deposit would be taken in a heartbeat if I didn't want it.

The only thing to negotiate was the trade-in of my 1995 Plymouth Neon Sport Coupe MT with 66,520 miles. Edmunds.com factored its value as a trade-in at $882. I was offered $700, and my reply was that wasn't acceptable. He came back with $800.

It also turned out the 0.9% APR didn't apply to the Fit either. The rate was 7.25%. There's no way we were going to pay that percentage, so I charged the maximum $2000 permitted by the dealer on a credit card and wrote a check for the balance.

I am the owner of a new 2007 Honda Fit Sport MT in Storm Silver Metallic. I decided on Jan 1 the Fit was my top choice. A few days later my wife put a deposit on a vehicle on the water, and it arrived at the dealer Wednesday night (jan 17). I went in for the test drive this morning (Saturday) and spent about 3 hours at the dealer.

It still doesn't seem right to pay MSRP for a car but I'm well aware that nobody seems to be paying less for the Fit, so I guess the deal was fair in the current market. There were no add-ons, and I purchased no options. On the way home we picked up a set of Rubbermaid all season floor mats for less than $20. I plan to get a cargo cover, cargo tray, and possibly a dead pedal.

I will likely have this car for ten years.

backy

That is not very good that the ad didn't mention the Fit as an exception. Usually in cases like that, there is small (almost illegible) print at the bottom of the ad noting exceptions. In my local paper today, there was a big ad touting special financing on "ALL Honda SUVs, vans, and pickups." But the fine print noted that the CRV was excluded. Funny, too--I always considered the CRV to be a SUV. :surprise:

jkandell

Edmunds lists the invoice for the MT Base including $595 destination as $13,882. Nada lists invoice including destination as $13867 (http://www.nadaguides.com). Anyone know which is correct?

philshep

I Recently put a down payment on a Fit (Sport Trim, Manual Trans) I was able to get $1000 below MSRP (in Canada)which I was very happy with.

However, the dealer has to 'locate' the Vehicle (specific color). does anyone know how this process works? I'm surprised they couldn't look up the information right at the dealership when I was there. They said they would call me on Monday with the details and that they could most likely get the vehicle to me before the end of the month. Is this fishy?

Thanks in advance,

phil

jkandell

I just picked up my Base MT lunar-mist Fit, so I thought I'd write a summary of my buying experience to assist others shopping for a Fit in Southern Arizona. I paid cash without a trade-in.

My procedure was to email the southern AZ dealers asking for an out the door price on a Base MT with no add-ons. I stated I was willing to put down a refundable deposit. I also emailed a dealership in Las Cruces NM.

Of all the dealers I emailed, only a few gave me an "out the door" price I requested: Honda of Mesa, Earnhardt. Right and Chapman gave me figures but did not include the tax, title or doc fees so left things vague, which is not what you want in internet car buying. Some dealers didn't have MT Bases coming in, so I can't vouch for them good or bad.

From my own experience only, I'd summarize the southern arizona dealers as follows, from the perspective of someone wanting "just the facts" without a lot of back-and-forth crap.
1) Concrete figures in email: Earnhardt, Honda of Mesa.
2) Not willing to give figures via email: Bell, Showcase. I got more calls and emails from Bell than any other dealer--yet even now do not have a firm quote from them. This is the exact opposite of what an internet shopper desires.
3) Gave figures but those figures were way above msrp: Right, Arrowhead.

Lowest price I found on a Base MT was Honda of Mesa: $16,130 otd ($14,735 + TTL). No pressure for add ons, and no bait-and-switch. I'd have to order though, with the usual 8-12 weeks. Don't know how HoM are beyond the quote, but they were among the "good guys" up to that point. Although vague in email, Dobbs Honda was also straightforward and had almost as good a price over the phone without pressure for add ons, but again, I'd have to order. Dobbs claimed that they used a waiting list rather than having their salesmen do a free-for-all when one came in, which I found to be refreshing. They had a reasonable price for tinting ($229) too. If they'd had one already allotted I would have gone with Dobbs.

I ended up buying from Earnhardt. I give them "ok" review. On the positive side, they replied immediately with a concrete figure. They gave me other concrete information (build and transit dates, expected delivery) which turned out in retrospect to be completely correct. The car they said they had coming in four weeks later with a VIN did indeed come on time, in the color they described. The other Fit they had offered me was right there on the lot so it also was real just as they described. No bait-and-switch. (The reliability of this type of info is crucial when you're buying a car over the internet.) They have been responsive after the sale, calling me several times to make sure everything is ok. My main complaint with Earnhardt is that it took a lot of pressure to get the car with no add-ons: they wanted $600 for tint and guards, then $500 for tint. Finally they acquiesced, but why did I have to fight for it? The salesman also pulled the usual dishonest negotiating tricks in email: "The other dealer would lose money at that price" (msrp + $300 doc!), "there are only three Fits coming in to Arizona" etc. They also had the infamous Phoenix $369 doc fee. Finally, signing at the dealership, the business manager put in pressure for an extended warranty using the usual sales methods. So in my opinion their slogan "no bull" is bull. But, in the end Earnhardt's $14,814 (plus TTL) ended up being the best price for an actual vehicle arriving within a month of deposit from the handful of dealers willing to negotiate via email.

Final numbers:
$14,445 price paid
$ 369 documentation fee
$ 5 arizona new tire tax
$ 1,127 sales tax, 7.8%
$ 246 az title and registration
$16,192 out the door

In retrospect, I probably should have emailed back everyone with my lowest bid. Once I put down my deposit with Earnhardt I didn't feel right cutting deals with other dealers, but I perhaps should have bid around first. But, really, with the Fit you can't get much of a competition going. It's more like "who has what you want coming in and are they willing to sell it to you without too much of a mark up?"

Maybe I'm crazy but I feel that even at msrp I'm getting a good value with the Fit compared with other comparable cars. Now if I could only live in a state with lower taxes and regulated doc, I'd have saved more than a thousand bucks.

kyfdx

Congratulations on the new car!

I think you did well.. You got the exact car you wanted.. you didn't pay extra for any add-ons.. and you got $800 for a car that the dealer probably didn't want at all..

If you keep it for ten years, a few hundred either way won't really matter.. Good luck with it!

regards,
kyfdx

ten_year_man

Thanks, kyfdx.

I am quite pleased that I got what I wanted at MSRP less than 3 weeks after starting the search. That little silver car puts a smile on my face every time I walk into the attached garage. It's wierd not seeing the Neon there after more than 11 years. One thing I'll miss in that old car is the aftermarket stereo I had installed after the original crapped out. That Jensen cranked, and it played both CD's & cassettes. I have a lot of music on cassette tapes which I'll have to start transferring to CD. There was no way I could have installed the Jensen in the Fit.

This is the first Honda I've owned. I hope the make lives up to its reputation.

kaputnik

Thanks for the report jkandell. I ordered a manual sport from Earnhardt in early December, build date is tomorrow so I should have the car in 4 - 5 weeks. I live in Tucson and I also contacted every dealer in southern AZ and ended up going with Earnhardt because they seemed to be giving me straight info about availability, price, etc. Tempe Honda was the worst (pompous jerks) and Mesa Honda seemed the next best. When I ordered my car I made them include in the price that any add ons were optional although after reading your post I'm fully expecting pressure for the tint, warranty, etc.

Enjoy your new car!

hondaguy67

we have 3 manual sports in stock at the moment. 2 silver and a black one. the reason being that in Chicago traffic manuals are not in high demand.

hondaguy67

I am sorry to disagree with you my friend but a "buyers Order" is just that. If you signed that order and faxed it back to the dealer you have agreed to pay whatever price was on that buyers order. I have a feeling you already know that though.

As far as negotiating that number if I were your salesman and you came to me after i got the car you wanted and waited along with you for it then you wanted to negotiate again with me for a lower price I would tell you to go pound sand. My word is my word and I expect my customers to live by the same mantra.

If we agree on a price that is the price. If you only knew how many customers I have thrown out of my dealership for trying to negotiate an internet price we already agreed upon you would not even believe me.

If you signed the Buyers order that is the price you agreed to pay so please go and pay it when your car arrives.

fitman548

Wow, I don't like Earnhardt at all. I lived acorss town from them, called them and asked "Do you have a fit on the grounds I can test drive" and they said yes, they do.

I said I'll be there in an hour.

I was there in a half hour, and they said "oh sorry, we just completed the paper work on that one, so we can't let you drive it. Is there any other car..."

I walked out right there.

ten_year_man

I did not sign a buyers order or fax anything back to the dealer. The extent of the agreement before I went in for the test drive was that the $500 refundable deposit would give me first crack at the car. I wasn't expecting a buyers order in the mail.

As expected, the salesman wouldn't budge from MSRP. He was polite and explanatory, but firm. He didn't exhibit the kind of hubris that might lead a different sort of salesman to tell a customer -- either literally or figuratively -- to "pound sand."

hondaguy67

If you want to negotiate with him after the buyers order you deserve to get told to "pound sand"

That is the way of it. I am sure that if they took your deposit they told you the selling prioce. there is no such thing as "give me 500 dollars and you have the first opportunity to negotiate for the car." That is not the way it works.

A deposit means that the car is yours when it arrives. I am 100% sure they are not going to tie up one of their high in demand Fits on a "I promise to come in and negotiate when the car comes in so here is 500 dollars"

something is very fishy with your side of this story.

kyfdx

Relax.. not every dealer operates the same way..

It can't be too fishy... He bought the car..

jkandell

Hondabuy said, "I am sorry to disagree with you my friend but a "buyers Order" is just that. If you signed that order and faxed it back to the dealer you have agreed to pay whatever price was on that buyers order."

What about if you get mailed a Buy Order as an email attachment, but it's not signed by you or the dealer (because it's email). That's what happened in my case. I suppose we were each counting on the other one honoring the "contract"--in my case it worked out. But I could have really been screwed. I wonder how this kind of document will be handled as internet purchasing becomes more common.

jkandell

If you read my post again you'll see I noted that Earnhardt's slogan "no bull" is bull! They are not entirely straight shooters, although they delivered the car they said they would on a $500 deposit without a signed buy order. (Which they said was "totally refundable, just a right of first refusal.") However, I'm not sure I agree you were treated unfairly. It sounds like just bad timing. They told you there was one available, but then sold it before you got there. I actually respect the fact they didn't let you test drive someone else's car.

fitluver

In any case, it looks like we won't have to worry about that first issue at this point -- the dealer just contacted me to let me know our Fit is on its way here as we speak!

(Edited to add: the dealer seemed perfectly comfortable with both refund clauses we requested. He said that's the way they normally operate anyway, so they didn't mind at all putting it into writing.)

This was the same experience I had.

And, mine is on the way too.

fitluver

As far as I'm concerned, all deposits should be refundable.

Some people, knowing a car is in short supply will leave deposits at several different stores. The first to get a car will sell that customer and the other deposits get refunded. This puts a lot of people to a lot of useless work and I think it is highly unethical.

If you agree on a price, leave a deposit. If you plan to reneg when the car comes in or renegoiate the deal, don't leave a deposit.

I think this should just be good old common sense and the ethical way to conduct business but I'm sure others will feel differently.

A handshake, even a handshake over the phone or internet should mean something!

This is fair and reasonable.

For me personally, I have not gotten to actually drive ANY Fit let alone a manual. My deposit is contingent upon my liking the drive, which I expect will kick some seriousass.

I am sure some dealers handle this problem by raising the deposit amount, making it a bit more of a challenge for people to just drop off 1000 instead of only 500 bucks and say the heck with you.

At the same time I am waiting an extended and additional period for my manual transmission, and I feel as though my 500 dollars should be in some sort of escrow account.

What is your thought on that?

fitluver

I think the smaller the car, the more likely you'll find manual-transmission buyers..

A lot of buyers in the lower price ranges are extra price-sensitive, and the $800-$1300 saved on a manual is another point in their favor.

Plus... an econo-box with an automatic transmission can by a real chore to drive.. Even a crappy car can be fun with a manual..

To be honest, the price change is not an issue to me in the least. I simply would not consider driving an automatic at this point in my life, and absent any disability.

A friend of mine told me the other day she has a mercedes S series, and it is a manual she waited a long time for. (sweet car, convertible, I digress)

She said a one of the other higher up models are ONLY made in auto and I thought, why the hell wouldnt Mercedes make a sweet car built to drive as tho the buyers want to drive it?

I like that my car will cost less money.

fitluver

Yay! My car is on the way!

tabo01

I put a deposit down in August, never got a car, and just
got over it, I have seen enought of them around now, and the more I see of them, the better I like my old (03 si) looks better,
low mileage, upgraded sounds, faster. The sales rep was
so unfamiliar with the Fit he thought my si was a Fit.(it was
parked about 50 yards away, tail to him. If you want to sell cars, you
have to have them when the buyer wants them. The fit is
a nice econobox, but I will keep the si. all I would get
wth the Fit is a foldup seat, slightly better mileage (gas
prices down, so less of issue). I will get a fit later,
not sooner. The experience has been so negative, I would
probably get a mazda 3 over a fit now.

bobw3

If sportiness is your main priority, then I would keep the Si, but the Fit has twice the interior space and is a whole lot more practical.

jkandell

Because demand far exceeds supply, my experience, like most of us, was different purchasing a Fit compared with other cars i've bought: happy just to get msrp, negotiations more about availability than $, etc. (Hey, the positive side is it's easier to negotiate when you know you'll be offering msrp!)

I'm curious what you all feel the "true market value" of the Fit will end up being once Honda starts producing more and it becomes less "hot". Assuming 3% of msrp as holdback, the "dealer cost" of the Fit is currently $13,452 (Base MT), $14,192 (Base AT), $14,693 (Sport MT), $15,413 (Sport AT). This is only about $1000 below msrp.

If a normal negotiated profit is, say, 5% above true dealer cost, that'd be between $14,094 for the MT Base to $16,154 for the AT Sport. (These include destination but exclude TTL and doc.) In my own case I would have saved $700 if I'd waited--not the end of the world. :-) I know a lot of people brag they can buy at invoice, and this would of course add on another $300 or so to one's savings.