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I vote for the Pilot.
EX-L 4WD w/Navi MSRP is $38,680 inc. dest.
Equinoz LTZ AWD 3.0L w/Navi MSRP is $35,675 inc. dest.
I don't track their sales but I'm wondering if the CR-V and Crosstour are eating into Pilot sales, making the dealers more tempted to bargain.
My question is this- if I know that we will be trading this car in within the next 2 years, is it of more value to a dealership while it is still under warranty? Should I be able to get a higher trade-in value if I do it before the warranty expires? ...or does it not matter at all?
Thanks for the help!
Generally most mass market brands don't make much *_NET_* profit to the dealer after expenses.
However... New car sales get you trade-ins, and generate customers for parts and service. We make money on those.
So dealers are attached to new car sales for trade in. Basically, dealers want to sell used cars because used cars are not as much of a commodity as new cars.
you know what could work for a dealers, some sort of peer to peer car buying. Dealers get trade ins. Customers avoid sales men. Dealers can focus on where they make the most money service and used cars.
You're also forgetting that the whole "Buy cars exclusively online" thing works for a slim minority of the general public.
A lot of sales practices that some dealers use, and the ones that some buyers on here dislike, are done for a simple reason. They work.
Things like holdback & passing on advertising fees probably wouldn't be necessary if the price info that consumers had was more like it was for other commodities like electronics & appliances. For those, people have no real idea what the seller's cost is. We assume BestBuy, Sears, etc. has some percentage margin but we don't know for sure. Thus, as a buyer our ability to successfully negotiate a price is more limited.
With used cars the situation is different from both new car pricing and other commodity pricing. While basic info is readily available it's understood by most consumers that the prices reflect geography & the vehicle's condition and as such can significantly vary. This variance can allow dealers to build in a larger potential margin.
Frankly, while price negotiations are fine online, I would never buy a car (new or used) sight unseen and, more important, without a test drive. My personal preference is to research online to trim the vehicles under consideration down to three finalists then do the test drive bit.
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Honda does have unbelievable deals on the Pilot. Basically, making it hard to jusitfy a used car. AWD Pilot LX for 26,500 or so.
"Please be aware that it is our policy to disclose the above nonpublic personal information to only those companies that perform marketing services or other functions on our behalf or to other financial institutions with which we have joint marketing agreements."
To me, this isn't about protecting my privacy but rather, a way for them to get permission to share my most personal information (mortgage, income, etc) with their marketing partners). I see this as no benefit so I declined. They insist that I am the only person to have ever had a problem with this and insist they can't sell me a car without it. I told them I am happy to give them my ss number for a credit check or show them a pay stub. They are still insisting. Advice (yes.. I could find another dealer but starting again would be inconvenient...but definitely possible)
But I would insist they make a decision NOW. Tell them you don't wish to sign and if they want to lose your business over it, they have to let you know immediately so you can take your money elsewhere.
If you really are concerned about it, go ahead and call another dealer and ask them if they would insist you sign a privacy statement to purchase a car from them.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
What then?
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Anyway, just got a car.... and, I was looking back over the paperwork, because I knew there was a privacy notice in there.. When I get a chance, I'll post some interesting information from it.
It lists what they can do and what they can share, and.... what you can opt out of.. It's not asking if you want to.. it's notifying you what you can and can't do.. by law... Very interesting..
And..what you sign? It's just stating that you got the notice, not asking your permission..
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steve and sneakers would have fits.... (no, not Honda Fits....)
(actually, I'm not the host of this discussion... )
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We have third parties who do this, there's no way I have time to lick 5,000 envelopes next time we do a mailer.
Plus you'll have better selection.
And I expect the incentives to be better next month, when they consider the 2011 to be a left over model.
IMO, there's a certain amount of smoke and mirrors in "incentives' and "cash back' and 'low or no interest" or "deferred payments" etc. The consumer has to weigh THIS against THAT, or one could end up outsmarting oneself. This goes double if you're working a trade into the deal, and triple if you are steered into a model that you are only buying because of incentives, not your first choice.
2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab, LT1 trim, 5.3 V8, 60,000 miles, private party resale value is $17,188
2008, everything else the same, including the 60,000 miles, private party resale value is $17,557.
The difference is $369. Far, far, far less than $4,505. I think I will buy the 2011 with the $4,505 in incentives, and sell it in 4 years for $369 less.
That being said, I don't see there being a $4,500 difference. On some cars there certainly is, but in this case, go for the 2011.
For what it's worth, Edmunds TMV is not always all that accurate on used car values.
I think $2000 difference is about right on depreciation. $369 makes no sense whatsoever to me and certainly not to anyone who goes to dealer auctions.
But the debate is so hypothetical anyway, since condition and geography will play a part in depreciation in "real life".
I don't see any reason why you shouldn't spring for the 2011 right now if the incentives are as stated.
At one point on the carfax there is a line that says "Vehicle sold." No registration follows, all that shows after that line is that the car is for sale with the next dealer and some vague service notes. Car has not been RDR'd.
Why would a dealership report to carfax that the car was sold? I have seen many, many carfax reports and that's not normal for a new car transfer.
Punched the car as "sold" to get an expiring incentive from the manufacturer. (this usually starts the warranty clock).
Put the car in a demo or service loaner program. Sometimes this is done strictly to get an incentive, as well. Same as above on warranty.
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Perhaps a duplicate MSO was issued, perhaps they pulled the info from the dealer's computer system, god only knows.
Carfax: A company that basically blackmails dealers into paying thousands per month for their services.
Autocheck: They actually catch stuff that carfax misses. This is what auctions use.
Carfax is kinda like KBB, consumers all know it, no professionals use it. Autocheck is like Galves or Black Book, the average consumer isn't familiar with either, but it's what we use in the business.
Whatever the reason for reporting it sold at some point, would that make whoever buys this new car the second owner on the report or does Carfax only go by DMV registration when it comes to ownership?
Carfax is merely a somewhat accurate third party... What determines if it's a brand new car is that it's never been titled and the car hasn't been RDR'd.
My last trade was valued by Edmunds at $14,500 (clean). The first dealer I visited held firm, using his Black Book argument, at $12,500. I went across town to a different dealer who easily allowed $14,800 for the trade. Interestingly, the first dealer later called and offered $14,500. I bought from the second dealer due to its initial honesty about the trade.
Looking on my discharge papers I see that my term of enlistment is 3 years 360 days, will this present any problems with the military discount? ( Said discount calls for 4 years )
If I special order why can't I get the "today" price? How much of a price increase should I expect?