Honda Fit Prices Paid and Buying Experiences

Kirstie_H

A reporter from a national newspaper would like to speak to consumers who have downsized their vehicle in the past year . If you moved from a larger vehicle to a smaller one, please respond to ctalati@edmunds.com with your daytime phone number by Thursday, October 16.

bachmann

I've just started my search for a Fit. Which dealer was willing to go $550.00 over MSRP? In my limited quest I found that one dealer in Burien was not doing the Costco pricing because Costco was negotiating for $2500 over MSRP (if you can believe that) and their dealership was willing to sell for $1000 over. Nice.
When I applied for the Costco program I received a response from a Bremerton dealer inviting me to come on down. I've since asked them what their negotiated price with Costco is. I'm waiting for their reply.
The Lynnwood dealership had a $2000 plus mark up on the window stickers. When I inquired about the high mark up, the car salesman said that because we have cars on the lot you may be able to get a base (the one I test drove) model for $500 over MSRP.
Which dealers have you looked at?

sfbay998

Featured Question 2 - Lease Rate for 09 Honda Fit
October 7th, 2008 by G
One of my readers, Crystal from Northern California, recently emailed me requesting lease rates for the 09 Honda Fit. As some of you may have noticed, the Honda Fit isn’t on the list of promotions under the Honda website. A good reason for that is that the Fit is selling rather well due to the high cost of gasoline. In some parts, I am hearing a whopping $2000 over MSRP, but most sell it for about MSRP. Now, I don’t have lease rates for the Fit right now, nor have I come across it since I started this website. I have been rather unless in terms of helping Crystal out here, so I am hoping that perhaps any of you reading this blog have had any luck getting a hold of these rates.

Here’s what Crystal has been able to find thus far:

ALL for 2009 Fit Sport, AT, 36mo, 12k/year

Dealer #1
MF=0.00280 residual value 64% with 36 months

Dealer #2
MF=0.00310 residual value 64% with 36 months

Dealer #3
MF=0.00280 residual value 64% with 36 months

Dealer #4
MF=0.00280 residual value 64% with 36 months

The consensus seems to be 64% for the residual and .00280 for the money factor. However, I am not sold on the money factor being .00280. For a 36 month lease, Honda seems to use .00270 as their “Super-preferred” rate, not .00280. That is the case with Acura as well. Then again, .00010 isn’t exactly a major markup either, so I don’t see why they would bother to mark it up so little if .00270 was indeed the case. There is also an outside chance that the rate could be .00255. If there are any readers who can help confirm this, that would be great.

Many thanks in advance.
http://www.ridewithg.com/index.php/2008/10/featured-question-2-lease-rate-for-09- -honda-fit/

mplshondadlr

If you waive the security deposit, the MF increases to .00280 from .00270.

adamnj

Ditto...I'm in the market and would appreciate knowing who this dealer was.
Thank you.

sfbay998

Report in San Francisco Bay Area:
Dealer we try :
-San Francisco Honda
-Honda of Serramonte
-Grace Honda
-Mike Harvey Honda
(people , welcome to report your result)

I just got my Fit SPORT , AT @ MSRP=$17580

I told my friend to stick to the point at MSRP , he also got MSRP $17580 for Fit SPORT , AT , after 2 week , 2 visit.

He also lay out these facts to the sales manager :

Auto sales plunge as credit crunch hits
Wed Oct 1, 2008 7:53pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Major automakers reported plunging U.S. sales for September

The 26-percent drop in industry-wide auto sales was sharper than expected and coincided with a crisis on Wall Street that automakers said rocked consumer confidence and made it harder for remaining shoppers to finance vehicles.
Sales were down 24 percent at Honda Motor Co, 32 percent at Toyota Motor Corp and 37 percent at Nissan Motor Co. Chrysler LLC sales were down 33 percent.

Silicon Valley car dealers shut doors
OWNERS TRY TO SELL DEALERSHIPS,THEN GIVE UP AND WALK AWAY
Article Launched: 10/02/2008 10:04:49 AM PDT

At his dealership in Los Gatos, John Moore sits, both literally and figuratively, in the middle of a depressing time for Silicon Valley car dealers.
Moore Buick-Pontiac-GMC is a three-generation, family-owned dealership on Los Gatos Boulevard. To the store's right are the remains of Swanson Ford, which closed in 2006 and was destroyed in a fire on Sunday. To the showroom's left is Los Gatos Chevrolet, which locked its doors for good on Tuesday.
"Two years ago, I was saying I never saw business conditions like this," Moore said. "Unfortunately, car dealers are the most optimistic entrepreneurs in the world. We keep hoping it's going to get better, but it keeps getting worse."
Perhaps a dozen San Jose-area dealerships have closed in the past few years, including Silicon Valley Hummer, Stevens Creek Buick-Pontiac-GMC, Sunnyvale Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep and Sunnyvale Lincoln-Mercury this year. Smythe Volvo closed one location on Capitol Expressway Auto Mall, but another Volvo store remains open on Stevens Creek Boulevard.
"These stores are closing, not selling. That's what's amazing," said Shaun Del Grande, a longtime Valley dealer with Mazda, Suzuki, Hyundai and Volkswagen franchises. "There's not even a market out there."

Bay Area Loses Three Car Dealerships in One Week
KCBS, CA - Oct 2, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- Three Bay Area car dealerships went out of business this week, and the pile-up is probably not over.
Good Chevrolet in Alameda, another Chevrolet dealership in Los Gatos, and a GMC dealership in Colma all either closed, or announced they would be closed before Friday.

underdog4

Last summer I talked to a guy that just bought a new civic. He wanted a new fit but the salesman told him all Honda dealers get just 2 fits a year. I didn't say anything but I thought the Honda salesman was being untruthful. I have heard that a very few are. Can any one tell me how many Fits are built this year and how many Honda dealers there are? Thanks. Wayne

seaguy1

Good luck bachmann in your search for a fit. Which trim were you looking for Base or Sport, Auto or 5-Speed? Costco negotiates their deals with the manufacturer, so if it remains a hard to get car in the marketplace, dealers will hold their profit margin. Costco is a buying service and a good one, but on certain cars, it is not any better than you negotiating your own best deal. Most dealers, don't have the inventory in surplus, so many times the fits will drop in the morning off a truck, and be sold within a few hours. I believe, I can assist you, if you contact me. Good Luck!

sfbay998

http://www.autotrader.com
will tell you how many the dealer have ....

seaguy1

Indeed, Autotrader is one of many online sources to surf dealer's inventories. Unfortunately, it is not real time, as dealers sell Fits daily, that are still posted on these sites. If you want accuracy, go to a Honda store, and touch the car, to confirm availability.

cd3334

I'm going to purchase my first car and went to my first dealership yesterday. I am getting $5000 for my trade-in and they are pricing the 09 Honda Fit Sport 5 Speed MT at around 16,000. AFTER subtracting my $5000 for my trade-in. Resulting in a total cost of around 20k. I have no accessories and it is base. Can someone tell me how they would come up with this price in the first place and my instant suspicion is that they are trying to screw me. The car is going to be moved from a dealership around 5 hours away since the dealership I went to didn't have it in stock. They are going to give me the chance to inspect it before signing any paperwork etc.

Any advice or help would be appreciated.

nascartrash

sell your car yourself
walk in with cash and your own financing.
dont buy any extras.
you are a fresh fish out of the water dot get cooked.

Kirstie_H

A reporter is interested in talking with owners of a 2009 Honda Fit. If you are interested in commenting on your experience, please reply to jwahl@edmunds.com no later than Monday, November 3, 2008 and include your city and state of residence, the model year of your vehicle and the age of your child/ren.

ellenoc

If I'm reading your message correctly, that would mean you are paying $21,000 for the car, which is very high. If your trade-in car isn't really worth $5,000, the price may be less. For example, if your trade is really worth $4,000, you're paying $20,000; if the trade is worth $3,000 you're paying $19,000, etc. My Fit is an '08 and I haven't spent a lot of time on '09 prices, but I think your price ought to be more like $17,000 for the car you're looking at if it's really a Sport. (You use the word "base" to describe it later in your message.)

Before you visit any other dealers, do some research on pricing at Edmunds so you have an idea what you should be paying for the Fit. You can also research what your trade-in car is actually worth (to the dealer, not to a private party). Then if you don't want to sell your trade-in car yourself, I think the best procedure is to go in to a dealer, tell them you won't be trading anything, negotiate a price for the car, then "change your mind" and ask what they'll allow for your car in trade. There are good "how to buy a car" articles in some of the car magazines and on the internet.

It's all a balancing act. What good does it do you if they're generous in the trade allowance, if the price of the Fit is too high? What good does a low price on the Fit do if they're only allowing half what your trade is worth? It's the combined effect of both trade allowance and new car price that matters to you. Also keep in mind that everything except taxes and licensing costs are part of the price of the car. So if you want to pay MSRP and the dealer supposedly gives you that price and then on the paperwork there's a "dealer's fee" of $600, that means if you buy that car, you're paying $600 over MSRP. Which is fine if you're willing, but don't believe "everybody" charges that $600 or they "have to" charge it, etc.

Good luck.

carman289

$20,000 is way out of line. I have an 07 Fit Sport 5 speed MT that I paid $16,200 out the door which included three accessories. I'm going to sell it and buy a new 09 Fit Sport 5 speed MT which I will pay around $17,300 out the door with no accessories. Note, 5 speed MTs are hard to find. Good luck.

mplshondadlr

My guess (and it's just a guess) is that is the total cost after all payments plus down payment. So you would be about $20K after 5-6 years of financing. My guess is six years given it's your first car and you're trying to keep the payments low.

Othwise, don't do the deal.

rlh2

One more dealership to add to this list: Power Honda in Valencia, CA.

Recently purchased a Silver '09 Fit Sport with AT & NAV at MSRP. Experience was very positive.

Excellent features, fun to drive, great mileage, family loves it

kenbt

Getting an MSRP deal in So Cal is nothing...

I know it is easy to get below MSRP in LA Area...

rlh2

Below MSRP with NAV? Experienced many dealers with ADM or MSRP with 'mandatory' purchase of dealer-installed accessories or other 'extras'.

Glad to hear good deals are available.

mhua79

I just bought my 2009 Honda Fit Sport last night. I LOVE it! I got it in Milano Red, no navi, they threw in wheel locks, pinstripes (which I didn't want, but not a deal breaker), and those shields for the rim right above the wheel area. No hassles. They tried to upsell, but not super aggressive when they saw I was firm. Paperwork was fast - about an hour.

I paid $16,975, added fees and tax, out the door of $18,572.19.

This is at Pacific Honda in San Diego.

07exlres

Seeking prices for a 2009 Fit Sport MT. MSRP is $16730 incl dest.

The best offer I have received is $16,683, inclusive of all fees, but NOT including taxes. I have a small handful of offers within a few hundred $$$ of this price.

It would appear that a few dealers in my area (Alabama) are willing to accept a couple hundred dollars below MSRP, fees included. Most of the dealers will not go below MSRP plus their fees (~$17,000 or more).

MT's are hard to come by, too. I have only found one dealer that had an MT Sport in stock. Luckily, it was in my hometown and I was able to test drive it Saturday. I plan to go for best and final offers from the lowest bidders this week and close by Oct. 31st. Out-the-door should be ~$17,300 or less.

Will update as things progress.

phillipfung

Hi, can you tell me which dealer you purchase your Fit Sport Automatic at MSRP price? I plan to purchase the same vehicle and don't want to pay anything above MSRP price.

Thanks,
Phillip

dhectorg

i ordered my 09 fit sport in storm silver metallic from a dealer in northeast ohio. to be clear, i did not "deposit" on a car, i actually special ordered it from the factory just for me. I placed the order on sept 27, 2008, and picked it up exactly one month later with 2 miles on the odo. I also deposited $500 when i placed the order, which is a pretty standard dep amount.
before i ordered the car, i requested quotes from several area honda stores and told them that i was doing so. since a honda's a honda, i decided that i'd buy from whichever was the cheapest, but i wasn't gonna pay over msrp, as many buyers were doing. the lowest quote was from the furthest dealer. i really wanted to stay closer to home, so i went back to the closest dealer and asked them to meet the lowest price and the did and i ordered the car from them.
i paid $18100 otd for my sport manual, including armrest and floormats installed, which is about $100 below msrp. personally, i only deal in bottom line out the door prices. so when you're requesting quotes, it's a good idea to ask for an otd price (incl all fees and taxes), so you can compare apples to apples. also, get it in writing and ask how long the quote is good for, so that when you go back to place order, there won't be any surprises.

hope this helps!

don

fithappy

paid invoice instead of msrp for 2009 auto fit sport (msrp: $17,580, i paid $16,980) in chicago.

dhectorg

i think its important for everyone to be sure that they are using their TOTAL price paid when showing prices on here. i think we all know how creative dealers can be with fees to make it seem as though your getting a good deal. so in order for us all to be on the same page, please include ALL fees that you paid as well as the cost of your 2009 fit. taxes are a bit tricky, since every municipality has a different tax rate. the best way to deal with that is probably to list everything itemized. my car was purchased at classic honda in streetsboro, oh. it's a 2009 fit sport manual w/ armrest and flr mats in storm metallic. these are the numbers directly from my invoice...

09 fit spt manual w/ armrest & flr mats.....16800
doc fees................................................200
license plate fee.....................................25
taxes....................................................1092
TOTAL out the door................................18117

mappo

Driver's armrest is a standard feature on the Fit Sport, isn't it?

dhectorg

there is a larger armrest with storage that's available as an accessory ($240).

abelincoln62

Hi my name is chris and I live in Chicago and am shopping for a Fit. Could you tell me the dealer you purchased from? I have gotten the same price from three dealers, 16,020 for a fit base with automatic. I have my own financing and no car to trade. Yours sounds like an excellent deal. If I could get the sport with auto for 16,980 I think I would go the extra cash.

fithappy

i got it from mcgrath in the city. i don't think they would normally give you this price, you have to go in at the right time. i went at the end of the month and they are trying to meet their quota so they are more willing to negotiate. also, i was not in a hurry to get a car and my attitude is that i will buy a fit, but only at a price i want to pay. i got quotes from over 10 dealers, so i know when i get a good price.

to someone who asked about if there are any extra cost. there isn't. it's pretty straight forward, i got it at the invoice price with all the normal taxes and fees.

czar260

The Honda website says that the armrest accessory can only be had with an automatic transmission. Was your dealer flexible on this?

dhectorg

to save $$, i installed it myself, but the dealer was more than willing to install it. in fact, they told me that the installation would be guaranteed if i let them do it, so i wish i'd gone that route. honda's site definitely forbids it, but i'm sure some dealers will do it anyway, to make the money. in any case, the armrest does not interfere with the shifter in any way what-so-ever.

dg

goldenmonkey76

I paid MSRP for mine. It took me a while just to find a dealer in Southeast MI that had one on the lot that wasn't spoken for so my wife could give it a test drive. I had to put down a $400 deposit. With taxes, a plate and all other fees it was around $18,800. No dealers I talked to would budge on MSRP price. I feel like I'm getting value so I'm not too bummed.

We needed a third vehicle for my wife to use for work. She has a home health care job and drives about 400-600 miles a week. I wasn't going to put those miles on our other cars (08 Toyota Highlander Sport and an 07 VW Eos whose lease is up in March of 2010). We wanted a car that was reliable, fuel efficient, had enough room for her equipment and had good resale value. I think we found the right car. We looked at the Civic but she liked the Fit better.

I talked to my dealer today and they said our Fit should be in early next week. My wife is excited.

2newshoes

Dear Friends,
Within a couple of weeks I want to buy a Fit in Phoenix or Yuma, Arizona. Can anyone recommend a decent dealer in either of these areas or other suggestions? (Or warnings about dealers I should stay away from?)

Thanks all,
2NS

bdouglas1

I am looking to purchase a new Fit this weekend. It will be the Sport model with out the navigation package.
The dealer (here in Los Angeles, Ca) has the sticker price at 19,800$. I was wondering how low should I go in my negotiating. I will be putting 5000$ down and I have a loan at 5.61% already to go. Also getting quotes from other dealers in the area.
Any advice would be helpful. Thank you.

dhectorg

i think that's way too much. many dealers are just gouging people on this car, plain and simple. i paid $18100 out the door on my '09 fit sport manual, including floor mats and armrest installed...and 6.5% taxes. i assume you're looking at automatic, with no accessories. if this is true, your price should be less than $19000, provided that your tax rate is comparable to mine. anything more and you're being gouged. people must stop paying over msrp for this car!

see my post from a couple weeks ago showing the COMPLETE breakdown of what i paid for my fit here in ohio.

don

jaxx1

Hey guys,

could you please help me out with this deal I did not find a thread were I could put it in.

I have an 07 Fit Sport (26.000 miles), black. I brought it to a honda dealer to trade it in and they would give me 12.0000 for it. For the new 09 fit sport they want an additional $5000. Is that a good deal?

Thank you!

Marc

prufrock1

Yeah, I bought mine at mcgrath in Chicago too. The difference between invoice and MSRP is minimal on the Fit. For my '09 Sport AT, it was around $19,300 out the door, with tax, plates, etc. I did get the all-weather mats thrown in if it matters....

tonyspumoni

bdouglas1

If you haven't done so already, I'd recommend trying to get a quote via the Honda internet site. This will likely achieve two things. First, it gets you out of the having to deal with the lot sales staff and into dealing with the internet sales staff. Second, I've purchased two Prius' (and '04 and an '05, both brand new) and a '09 Fit Sport MT this way and never paid over MSRP. For whatever reason, the internet staff quotes you a price and then probably knows that if they try to gouge you, you'll shop the quote. By asking for a quote rather than asking them to negotiate, you're telling them that you're willing to shop around.

rlh2

PowerHonda in Valencia. MSRP without markups or unwanted extras.

mplshondadlr

No one is getting gouged. Customers can simply pass on the deal.

fithappy

if you are looking at buying 2009 sport model auto, then MSRP is $17,580 without optional items thrown in. $19,800 sounds really high even if they throw all optionals in. you can check out the honda website for MSRP price.

fithappy

the difference between MSRP and invoice is about $600. you can get all-weather mats for honda fit on line for under $100. i didn't really care if i have mats with honda fit embossed since it's just mats, so i bought generic all weather mats from an auto shop for $24. also, if you want to buy honda fit accessories, buy them online, a lot cheaper than from the dealership!

dhectorg

right here in this forum are plenty of examples of people paying over msrp. call it whatever you want, but many people are paying dealer marked up prices on '09 fits...and that's bad for all consumers!

dhectorg

i agree 100%!
i've purchased my last 4 cars this way, including my most recent, an '09 honda fit sport 5-spd manual. seeking quotes online simplifies the process and gets you the best price, without a doubt. also keep in mind that you can request quotes from multiple dealers too.

dhectorg

honda plans to export 80,000 fits to north american for the'09 model year. i don't know how many north american dealers they have, but i am certain that it's significantly less than 40,000!

not only did this salesman lie, but your friend should be ashamed for blindly believing a car salesman. i've never met a car salesman that i trusted...period!

mplshondadlr

If party A sells for whatever over MSRP and party B agrees to the terms, how is that bad? There is no force involved. Does someone HAVE to buy a Fit?

Remember, MSRP stand for Manufactures SUGGESTED retail price. I dont see dealers complaining that they got ripped off when someone bought a car under MSRP.

My dealership has never added markup's or unwanted accessories to any Fit. However, if a dealer does mark it up and people continue to buy them, the dealers will continue to mark them up. If no one buys them at inflated prices, dealer wont add mark up's. The market will always set price. Econ 101.

alamocity

Point he was trying to make is that consumers have a choice pay the price or just walk away. As long as people are willing to pay that price dealers will sell it for that price.

dhectorg

yeah i get it, but lets face it, mots buyers don't do their homework, so many times they're not even aware that they're paying too much. they actually trust their sales person.

my point is that it would be nice if dealers would not be greedy and simply sell these cars for what the manufacturer says they're worth. each time someone pays over msrp, it becomes harder for the rest of us to get a good deal. that's all i'm saying.

dhectorg

look, all i'm saying is that anyone who pays over msrp is a fool. it is my belief that this makes it harder for others to walk into a dealer and simply buy a car at msrp or less.

prufrock1

I thoroughly researched vehicles over the summer and concluded that for me the '09 Honda Fit Sport AT was the best bang for the buck. On www.autosatinvoice.com, I was told that to get this car at invoice at that time was a good deal. After more research, I agreed and bought my Fit at MSRP (with the all-season mats). I am happy beyond words with this purchase. Those of you quibbling over a couple hundred dollars may want to reconsider the Honda reliability factor. Years ago, instead of buying a CRV, I opted for a cheaper replicant. Ouch: thousands of dollars later, to this day, I regret this decision. When I bought the Fit, gas was double what it is now; thus, some currently argue that they can get a more substantial vehicle instead of scaling down to such an econobox. OK, do this. I project that after the election the price of gas will soar. Regardless, I actually look forward to driving my Fit daily; it remains one of my best "investments."