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In Canada, they sell it as the DX-G. Note, though, that the prices inbclude a wad of government taxes and import fees that have to be removed from the "base" price. About $1500 USD by the looks of it, comparing a Civic LX in Canada to U.S., even after conversion.
I checked, it's 9.2% flat tarriff on cars from Japanese companies. Wherever they are made is irrelevant, apparently - Honda is currently taking them to court over this.
So we get:
19,080 Base price. = 17,475 before the tarriff, which the U.S. doesn't charge. *0.894616(currency)=$15,633. But Honda always sells the VP models for a few hundred over cost here in the U.S.($16K for an Accord VP, for instnace), so you can subtract a couple of hundred more.
Honda Civic DX U.S. Prices, including delivery:
CarsDirect Price: $14,659(searched online, Pasadena, CA.)
Civic LX:
CarsDirect Price: $16,737(same search)
So figure a VP would run about $15,600 MSRP(the estimate I made above is very close) and sell for ~15K even from CarsDirect.
Side note: The Civic DX isn't a bad car, either. That's an amazing price. No A/C, but it certainly whomps on many of the budget cars out there in terms of handling and style.
P.S.: Honda Fit DX(Canada) pricing:
$14,980 = $13,718 before tarriffs.
*0.894616(currency)=$12,272
That's MSRP, but Honda hates oddball figures like that, and likely has the MSRP set to Canada at a few dollars less, but they bump the price up just under $15K. So figure $12,250, with a "buy it now" sale price of $11,995 all over town.
If they sold it in the U.S., that is. So, yes, the Fit is overpriced, currently. They really need a DX or VP version of it and the Civic to fill in the lower-end and whomp on the Yaris and Aveo.
Theoretical pricing aside, the actual sales price coupled with sales taxes push the LX Auto and Sport Auto to 20k/22k respectively USD out the door. Honestly, I would love to have imported the Fit from the US. Even after extra import duty of 9%, Washington state sales tax and Canadian sales tax after recrossing the border, it still would have been marginally cheaper that way. Only problem was the travel time and expenses I would need to import the car in the first place - time I don't have, since I would need to Greyhound each way.
Aside: If the car was made in North America, regardless of manufacturer, it would not be subject to import duty. Different from private ownership? Perhaps. But since the 07 Fit is made in Japan, this point is moot.
Yeah, the prices up there do stink - 9.2% incoming into Canada and 9% importation tax into the U.S. - it's clearly not a viable option.
Canada sees *all* Japanese cars as "Japanese" and exempt from NAFTA. Honda took Canada to the WTO over this and the case is still pending. Then again, it's not a lot different than U.S. customers thinking a Honda made in Georgia is "Japanese" I guess.
Canadian government
http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pub/cp/rc4140/rc4140-05e.pdf
Canadian general forums, with an ex-customs agent answering the duty question:
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=287230
Importing a US made Subaru (no duty charged)
http://www.cars101.com/canada.html
http://automobiles.honda.com/models/model_overview.asp?ModelName=Fit
Base MSRP*: $15,170
Destination and Handling: $550
MSRP as Configured: $15,720
Selected Accessories (installation costs not included):
16" Alloy Wheel $836
Chrome Exhaust Finisher $30
Rear Bumper Appliqué $58
Sport Grille $220
Full Nose Mask $145
Carpet Floor Mats $99
Cargo Cover $165
Cargo Tray $99
Aluminum Shift Knob $49
Base MSRP*: $15,170
Destination & Handling: $550
MSRP including selected accessories: $17,421
Here is what a dealer quoted me on a Honda Fit Sport with the above accessories:
"The 16, is that wheels? We will do $20578.30 without wheels. $21454.30 with wheels. You will also need tires. What tires do you want? I did not charge sales tax, where are you going to register the car?"
Me? I love buying used. Let some other fool eat the depreciation. For the price of a base Fit, you could easily get a 3-4 year old GM vehicle. Yes, I'd never buy one new, but used, they are good choices due to their quick depreciation and still decent enough mechanical reliability. A three year old Vibe, for instance, can be had for under $10K.
In Korea, if you figure out the exchange rates, the Kalos sells for about $7500 USD in the base form. A bit of EPA-compliant smog equipment and front lenses, plus a new nameplate and presto - $2500 markup for the trouble.
Unfortunately, it drives like a $7500 car. It honestly reminds me of a KIA/Ford Aspire. I really REALLY don't recommend it to the person who posted that they were looking at one. A used Buick can be had for less money and will at least drive 100K miles+ with few problems(though the interior isn't much better than the Aveo - lol)
Oh, and major deformation of the roof is usually not a positive mark either.
...in case another reason is needed not to buy the car
Meanwhile, "The Jazz's cabin proved to be strong and stable, suffering only minimal deformation in the frontal impact"
I'm scared to buy a brand new model like this, so I hope I won't be making a rash decision!
The Fit is a 5 year old model :surprise: , not brand new, you can eliminate "new model" concern entirely.
Between the two cars, the engines are identical, the transmissions are identical (with the exception of paddle shifters on Sport 5AT), suspensions are identical.
If all you really care about are the power windows, locks, and A/C and you don't mind forsakeing cruise control and keyless entry, then just go for the Fit (base model). The things added to the sport model like the wing spoiler, body kit, and alloy wheels are all for looks. Handling will be slightly better with the 55 profile tires (compared to 65 on the base), but everything else will be the same...including quality.
Any tips on how I should negotiate? I've never bought a new car before!
Lunar Mist is only for the base with Beige or Black interior.
This was also my first new car purchase, so I'm sorry I'm not much help on the negotiating.
Just a note on the Lunar Mist Metallic. It is only available on the base model with beige interior. The brochure does indeed say "beige/black", but that is one color. The only Fit that can be had with either beige or black is the Fit Sport in Tafetta White...for which the brochure says "beige/black or black"
I think they call it beige/black because the upholstery is the only thing that is really beige...the rest of the interior is much darker.
Had to listen to the usual half hour spiel by the finance guy about things I didn't want (insurance, Lojak, etc) before writing the check but not really high pressure.
Checked out the service area when I had the accessories installed - pretty nice setup. The usual shuttle rides available, but also loaner bicycles if you want to run errands in Boulder and also a computer with internet access!
So if you're in the Front Range area and want a FIT, I'd recommend Fisher. Salesman did say that availability of manual transmission Fits may be limited for awhile, though.
So after the test drive, the typical haggling ensued. I think I made the mistake by focusing on how much I want to pay per month rather than what the vehicle costs. I told him I'd put down 3K-5K but would prefer 3K and I wanted to pay no more than $250 a month. He offered, with 3K down, 60 months at payments of $262 (actually brought it down from 281 I think). When I brought up the invoice price/MSRP, he went on this whole speech about how the Honda Fit isn't like other vehicles, that it there aren't any special optional packages, so they are expected to sell it at one price. Is this true? So anyway, I left so I could think about it.
Now..when he calculated my monthly payments, he was estimating the interest rate I would get, right? He could be completely off for all I know. At this point, he's selling it to me for $18,720 but I'm still not sure if that's including the interest. My boyfriend thinks I should go back and say I'll take the car if I can have it at $250 a month over 60 months, 3K down. They really were adamant about selling me this car (Anyone ever dealt with Garden State Honda in Clifton, NJ?) and were working with me at the time, but I'm not sure they'd go down that far.
What are your thoughts?
Thanks!
Walk in - haggle a bit - hand over the check. Pay the taxes and fees out of pocket/with a second check. In and out in under an hour.
$262*60=15700+3500=19,200. The guy was using $3500 I bet, even though you said $3000 - an old overused tactic - because then they can get into good cop/bad cop routines with you/ "well you said $3000-$3500 - and with $3500 this is the best I can get for you..."
You can see where this is heading - another $10 a month($100 profit for them) for accepting $3000 instead of $3500.. Then they add in a bit more padding and they wear you "down" to $275 a month. Then they add in tax and fees on top of that and you end up paying $285 a month and wondering why you feel like you got run over.
Just say no - get your bank to give you a loan and bypass them entirely. Yes, it would mean you need the taxes and fees out-of-pocket, but that's your downpayment in effect. I recommend doing this as it's easy for any bank to do the loan and also keep the payments as low as possible. Any extra money you might have - also toss into the loan if you want - or maybe spend a few hundred dollars($400-$500 should be enough, trust me) to get the warranty raised to 6 years.
People talk about how bad extended warranties are, but the fact is that they are dirt cheap and should be done at least for the life of the loan. Their advice is mostly anecdotal from the 50s and 60s when they were bad deals.
Everyone I know who has done this has saved themselves hundreds or thousands in repairs in the 5th and 6th years. A simple MAF can run upwards of $250 on most cars, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. A gasket or a timing belt that goes out at 40K can top $500 almost instantly - just for the labor alone. Prices for repairs in the last five years have skyrocketed.
But in any case, it shouldn't cost you more than $100-200 for each extra year, especially if you are paying MSRP for the vehicle)
Bingo. Crooked car salesman LOVE IT when buyers focus on the monthly payment, because they can jigger the numbers to come close to the monthly payment you feel comfortable with, while screwing you elsewhere. Its like a magician... the wildly waving hand is distracting you, while the other hand is actually performing the trick.
Focus instead on the bottom line, which is the total cost of the vehicle. Though on the Fit, I'd expect to pay MSRP right now, no lower. Just make sure you aren't getting screwed by the salesguy attempting to slip silly 'add-ons' in like 'rustproofing' or 'Xzilon supertough clearcoat surface treatments'... these are invariably rip-offs that add hundreds to the cost of the car, yet aren't even worth a fraction of that. If the salesguy says sorry, no silly add-ons, no sale, then thank him for his time and walk out. He was trying to screw you.
Someone else suggested to get your financing from your bank... I would agree with that, since it reduces the dealership's leverage over you and simplifies negotiations. I'd say calculate out what the car is gonna cost you at MSRP, plus tax, title, license, destination charge, and whatever options you want, and call that the price you're willing to pay out the door. If the salesguy quotes you a different price than that, find out exactly what is causing the difference, and determine if its bogus or not, even if it means 'having to think about it' and walking away to go do some more research at home on the Internet or talking to friends.
Remember, the salesman is NOT your friend, he's just friendly. There's a big difference between the two. :surprise:
Funny, this is the first dealership I went to to check out an Orange Honda Fit. The salesperson tried to tell me about the Fit but I already knew its specs inside out. I asked him if he'd driven the car and he said he didn't but heard so much about it so I ended up telling him about the car and he took it for a test drive with me. I wonder if he bought it. Haha. I would have bought from them but they didn't have a Silver Sport 5spd at the time.
I am assuming you ordered the base 5AT? In that case, I am surprised they wouldn't go down five more dollars.
I had the same issue regarding color. Storm Silver was my first choice (I own the base model 5MT) with Lunar Mist as the second. I really wanted a lighter blue like the Ice Blue Metallic available in Japan and Europe a few years ago. However, that had a dark interior, unlike the Lunar Mist. Anyway, I am quite happy with the Storm Silver now.
Congratulations on your upcoming car!
I went to the following website and put together a Fit Sport,
http://automobiles.honda.com/models/model_overview.asp?ModelName=Fit
Base MSRP*: $15,170
Destination and Handling: $550
MSRP as Configured: $15,720
Selected Accessories (installation costs not included):
16" Alloy Wheel $836
Chrome Exhaust Finisher $30
Rear Bumper Appliqué $58
Sport Grille $220
Full Nose Mask $145
Carpet Floor Mats $99
Cargo Cover $165
Cargo Tray $99
Aluminum Shift Knob $49
Base MSRP*: $15,170
Destination & Handling: $550
MSRP including selected accessories: $17,421
Here is what a dealer quoted me on a Honda Fit Sport with the above accessories:
"The 16, is that wheels? We will do $20578.30 without wheels. $21454.30 with wheels. You will also need tires. What tires do you want? I did not charge sales tax, where are you going to register the car?"
P.S. Test-drive the Aveo for fun. It's a wonderfully basic and apalling little ride.
Yes you will take a hit on the car. Toyota has cash incentives that reduce the value of it. Your 2 month old "Used Car" will have to compete with a "Brand New" car...irregardless of how long you've had it or how many miles are on it.
Explain "bad feeling"! Corolla's are among the most reliable cars on the road and it's only 2 months old, so you have a warranty.
You're gonna take a beating buying and selling like this, not to mention paying full state taxes on 2 new vehicles in 2 months.
Unless you have an absolutely compelling reason to sell it, keep the Corolla. You can probably still get 13K in a year if you must trade.
Does anyone know if a dealership will let you put a down payment on a credit card? (I know, I know..bad idea, but we're waiting on a bonus that will come in a few weeks and want a car this weekend).
A friend of mine said he once tried to buy an entire car on his credit card (man - that was a high credit limit). But the dealer told him the most they would let him charge was $10,000. The credit card fees eat into their profit, so they're reluctant to allow it. It depends completely on the situation, so ask your dealer if they will let you do it. In many cases the down payment may just be tax, license and fees with the bank financing the rest. (In my case tax, lic, and doc worked out to be just $798.54 so my dealer probably would have allowed it.)