2013 and earlier Honda Odyssey Prices Paid and Buying Experience

bearpamplin

I'm guessing that pricing will depend on supply. Honda just doesn't overproduce vehicles, Toyota makes a lot of vehicles, that's a big reason they sell more.

lapvn

You are absolutely correct, I should refrain from spreading rumors. Ok, let me point out HOW I came to that conclusion. Various postings have been made in regards to the 04 Ody. True or False I don't know. Two of the dealers I had spoken to, did mention that the 04 Ody was getting redesigned. True or False I don't know. But then again these are the same salesman who still believe that they can get away with MSRP. I apologize to everyone for any false information I might have just help spread.

lapvn

Just to waiste some time, went back to the Honda site to compare the EX-L and the EX-Lw/DVD at. It's funny, what ever the second vehicle is they make it sound inferior. For example, the engine is the same, the suspension is the same, the third row seat is the same, however the way they list it on the second vehicle is as if it is inferior to Honda's. Now flip flop the first and second vehicle and you will see the same results. Though we know that these two are basically the same vehicles. Just wanted to throw some odd ball info out there.

lapvn

Sorry if this is the wrong forum, but what would be a proper time frame from the time you order your Ody to the call giving you the Vin #. Then from the time they give you the Vin # to delivery date. Thank in advance

bearpamplin

When ordered and Honda acknowledges, the dealer gets an order number and a 5 day production window. THE DAY they build your Honda it gets a Vin#, then they send the dealer a shipping number and where it is in the USA after it's built. When it is 1-2 days from the dealer they get a number showing it in inventory.

So Vin# to customer's hands is 10-14 days. Order to vin# can be a while depending on the vehicle/model/where produced.

Hope that helps.

2158

I purchased a basic model Honda LX from Sport Honda in Silver Spring, Maryland for $24,400, $732 Va. Sales Tax and $100 tag processing fee for a total price of $25,232. This price is approximately $460 below MSRP and it was the best deal I could find in the Washington, DC metro area. I would be interested to find out if anyone else has found a better deal. Thanks.

keith134

I live in St. Paul and can't seem to get anyone to give me more than $200 off the MSP for an 2003 Honda Odyssey EX-L with a DVD system? has anyone gotten any good deals in Minnesota anywhere? i was hoping that the release of the new Toyota Sienna might get the Honda dealers to loosen pricing somewhat but perhaps I'm being inpatient.

iwantan04

I've been lurking on the Honda and 2004 Sienna boards. You seem to know alot about these vans. I was sure I wanted the Sienna, but I can get more van for my $$ w/ the Honda (leather and DVD)for less than $29k. I'm still trying to negotiate down from that. What do you think is a fair price? What do you think about used Odyssey prices? Thanks for your help!

lylew

We also live in the Twin Cities and purchased a 2003 EXL at Christmas. However, we got MUCH better deals from JAY HONDA in Ohio, even after paying several hundred dollars to have it loaded on a truck and delivered to us. Our final price was $1100 under MSRP (after cost of delivery).

No dealership in the area was willing to sell even at MSRP. And most had a bunch of required dealer options that were added to the van.

We had a bad experience with Burnsville Honda. This past summer, we took delivery of an 2002 EX, but the next day the driver's side power door wouldn't open. After several hours making sure it wasn't my fault we went back to the dealership. Their only response was, "Good thing it's under warranty!" We got our money back and left there in a hurry!

Good luck in your search.

lapvn

I am not sure if this works to any help for Keith134. My brother recently came back into the picture and said they too wanted an Ody. So I went back to the dealer, I told him that my brother is looking into the Ody, and if he were to give US a very good discount I would be willing to move up from the Ex to the EX-L w/DVD.
Anyways, his final offer was $28650, this already includes the destination charges and he is throwing in the cross bar. This works out to about $1710 below MSRP. We told him we expected something better and will think about it, since we were going to go to see the Sienna. We actually were hoping for something like 2k. If you take into account the value of the cross bar, that brings the discount up to $1880.
I do have a quote from a dealer in Ohio. Someone emailed me asking for it, and they were able to get a good deal. I can forward you that email and see if you can get the same deal as Ruben did.
Harry, I guess I shouldn't feel too bad with a $1710 below msrp quote.

momstruck1

then I thought . i am in a lousy lease now $431.00 for a chevy trailblazer and I hate it!! I am really looking into the honda . Does anyone have major problems with it?? All the GM's I have had are in the shop within the first month and now I have had enough.

lapvn

Thanks to a friend (Harry) who looks out for me, he actually found something that mentions of a redesign 04 Ody. Proof, hardly, but at least a tiny speck of insight, that a redesign is due. The list goes from A-Z by manufacturer. Pretty good insight to what others are doing.

http://www.motortrend.com/future/spied/112_2004fvf/index1.html

Maybe people at Honda are getting the jitters from the 04 Sienna, now only if the sales people could get it too. Naaaahhhh to good to be true.

aspesisteve

The '04 Toyota Sienna has leapfrogged the Odyssey in features, space and gas milege.

The good news for Odyssey shoppers is that prices will ease. Of course if your looking for the latest and greatest thing in the MiniVan catagory (the Sienna), you'll have to endure what every Odessey shopper has had to face in the past few years.

Hats off to the Japanese designers who duke it out and give us choices that just keep getting better.

farleyk

lapvn,
I am one of many looking for either an Ody 2003 or Sienna 2004. Can you e-mail me a copy of your spreadsheet that compares the two minivans? Also can you e-mail the prices that you have received from the various dealers. I live in Essex County NJ and the dealers seem not to want budge from MSRP. Thanks.

lapvn

I am sure I am not the first to write about this topic, however I thought it might be helpful. After a week of bargaining with our sales rep for 2 Ody EX-L/DVD, late Friday we came to a price which made everyone happy. We informed them that we would be coming in (from NJ) right after lunch. We were thinking, hey probably just 30 minutes in and we are gone. Well 10 minutes after we arrived sure enough papers were ready to be signed. Salesman said let me just go get the managers approval. NOW GET THIS PART. Manager comes storming in the office, raising hell, and screaming who the heck gave this crappy deal. After he says that, he then says hi to me. He said he would not honor the deal and offered me MSRP. I told him you are out of your mind and got up. He said if I really want the van, he can give me $300 off. I said forget it. We came here to sign off on a number, we aren't about to play your game, and both families got up and left. I called the internet sales contact and told her that thanks to your manager, he just blew off an easy deal for 2 cars. I told her that, you aren't the only Honda dealer around, you don't have the hot van around, and we have no problem of waiting it through.
Typical bait and switch, and we weren't about to play his game.
This is already long enough as it is, if there are other information you would like about this deal, just let me know, I would be glad to let you in on more information.

mendota99

I just had to post my experience today, 03/16/03, as I looked at a Ody EX on the lot of a local dealer. There were six EX's on the lot and all were priced at MSRP plus $1500. Down the street less than a mile away the new Siena was available for MSRP. Surely the Toyota is a better value at MSRP compared to the Honda. Isn't it?

lapvn

Your email is not public so I can't email you the spreadsheet. Make it public and/or email me. Either way is fine.

s1gins

lapvn, could you please email me the spreadsheet. Appreciated greatly.
s1gins@aol.com

aspesisteve

mendota99

I suspect you simply saw an asking price - that's all. You probably could negotiate that Odyssey down to MSRP or less - my guess.

Doubtful you could get a Toyota dealer to budge on an '04 Sienna at this stage of the game.

stever

A banned member has reappeared with a new user id and is offering to "assist" people with Odyssey purchases if you "email him privately."

Although he doesn't say so in his messages, this person is a salesman in the midwest and is shilling his dealership.

Until we can get the lawyer going on the cease and desist letter, buyer beware!

This isn't related to the spreadsheet going around, but it gets suspicious when people ask you to email them for info, when it's easy enough just to post stuff here for all the world to see.

Steve, Host

lapvn

Since you brought it up, is there a way we can just post the spreadsheet that way people don't have to ask, and don't feel obligated to send any emails out. I wouldn't mind either, cause I was about to delete the file myself. I think I have done enough to look into each van. I am just vaned out.

stever

Maybe you can find someone to "host" it for you and you can post a link - like the Miata tire calculator page that's been on the net for years now? Unfortunately we aren't able to host pages like that here.

Steve, Host

lapvn

Do any of you know if it was normal that midwest pricing for the Ody seems to be lower than anywhere else in the country. Is this just with the Ody, or is this a fairly normal trend for every car? Is it safe to say that midwest pricing should be spreading throughout the country in weeks, months or days (hopefully)?
With war around the corner, gas pricing going higher than the dow, I think car sales aren't as great as dealers expected, I hope to see some price movements soon, or am I just wasting time waiting for something that will never happened.

bsth

Pricing will vary from dealer to dealer. The Midwest is more competitive from what I have been told.

stever

Lots of theories - one is that "foreign" makes aren't as popular in the Midwest (and other locales) so they can't command a premium as they would on one of the coasts. That's one reason why you have Californians shopping in Ohio I guess.

If you get bored, try looking at TMV prices using different zipcodes for the same car some time.

Steve, Host

bsth

Another reason is most Hondas & Toyotas are made in the Midwest also. Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana come to mind.

lapvn

How does where the vehicle is made add to the formula? Does that equate to a $2k break from current pricing. I would at least expect maybe a lower destination charge if any. I would probably expect the demand be higher in these area, since I don't think a Honda employee driving in with a Sienna would look to good. Yes, it's a free country, but......image is everything.
Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine got to sit in Steinbrenners personal box seats, and she was wearing the O's hat. Same concept.

harryfat

As I believe Honda charges $460 destination fee per van to all the states, matters not if they ship the van 100 miles or 2000 miles.

I subscribe to Steve's theory that foreign cars are more popular in both coasts. I read someone posted that says here in CA, Toyota is the top seller. I wouldn't dispute that claim as you see lots of foreign cars on the road out here. Especially the big city regions like LA/SF areas. I grew up in the central valley and I see more of the big 3 makes in the valley. So we can even take this discussion one step further to see if urban/rural areas have particular preferences?

Hey, Norman, glad to see you haven't been 100% "vaned out" (is this a new word?) per your previous posting in #3462 and still hanging around these boards causing trouble...

stever

Likely excludes the Gulf one, not to mention the Arctic one :-)

It's funny how geography matters. I spent a few days in the UP of Michigan last summer and only saw two "foreign" cars - both Subarus. My in-laws actually got rid of their Bimmer and got a Buick when they moved back there.

Boise is pretty rural, and Big 3 trucks rule around here.

Steve, Host

bsth

Folks, where I live Toyota employees buy Hondas. It's a matter of economic cost. And the destination charge is set at $460 for Honda and $550 for a Toyota. Even if they bring it across the street it is that set price.

harryfat

At the risk of diverging too far from the topic (this is a Honda forum), so does the reverse hold true? Meaning the WEST and EAST Coasts (Yeah, Steve, Got it right this time) will sell the big 3 cars cheaper since the demand for foreign brand cars are higher?

Or it matters not what the brand is, prices for a car, be it big 3 or Honda (hah, talking about Honda, so we're all good) will always be more in east/west coasts?

I never ventured to the other forums, so is there a big price discrepancy in regions for the big 3 autos?

BTW: Steve, does that mean Boise would be good prices for an Odyssey since big 3 rules?

lapvn

Those employess working for Toyota and drive a Honda, do they ever get promoted? Just kidding around.

Now if you said is true that Toyota employees drive with Honda due to economic cost, Toyota still goes ahead and makes a new minivan that is much more expensive than the Ody. At least looking into the XLE. I guess management wasn't looking and listening to their employees.

I was just kidding about the destination charges being different.

Harry, that would be interesting to find out the pricing difference on the Big 3's here in the east coast compared to the Midwest area. I can just see the Envoy forum, some guy in Boise is asking for details on a dealer that sells below MSRP.

bsth

In reality, they buy what they can afford. I have friends who work for Toyota and they buy Hondas. One Engineer for Toyota who just moved to this area about bought a Pilot because he thought it was a better vehicle than a Toyota.

bsth

I'm sure HONDA (got that in) employees drive Toyotas. Chevy workers drive Dodges, all in a days work. Personal preference is what Autos are all about.

stever

I'm way out of my field of expertise here - there's something in the Edmunds FAQ about pricing structures being different in Idaho because manufacturers test pricing schemes here. I don't car shop enough to know.

Besides the zipcode pricing trick, we could ask some of the dealers in the Smart Shopper board.

Steve, Host

smartyboy

I can't believe some of the prices you guys have to pay in other parts of the country. I had a relatively easy time getting a $2000 discount on my Odyssey. Yes, I am in the Midwest (Chicago area). I think it started with Jacobs Twin Honda. When a previous poster gave me this information, I checked for myself and found out they were giving this type of discount. They did not, however, have the color that I wanted in stock and I would have to wait. When I called around, I found other dealships willing to sell for that price as well - it took a little pushing. I was able to find the color I wanted and bought right away. Out of the 7 dealers I contacted, 4 would give me the $2000 discount.

Southwest Airlines has cheap airline tickets to Chicago. Maybe a little trip could be worth the savings!!!

badgerfan

Unlikely many of us midwesterners are willing to pay MSRP for a Honda Odyssey minivan when there are a lot of good competitors out there, if you are willing to look beyond the import brands. Grand Caravans can be had reasonably equipped but not loaded for around $20-21K and 3.3 L V-6 short wheelbase versions quite decently equipped for in the $18K range. With $4-8K less spent up front, that money can go a long way towards covering any potential higher maintenance costs. (Yes, I own a 1996 short wheelbase Caravan and at 64k miles have had zero problems except one fairly expensive AC repair)

bsth

Caravans are historic for A/C and transmission issues. Hondas are known for being bulletproof and #1 resale value in america. No incentives, no rebates, no special financing, no fleet or lease sales ensures this for Honda. Look at how GM is destroying the used car market with 0 - 0 - 0. Their own vehicles have been taking a huge hit as well. Pay $45K for a Tahoe in 2001, you can buy one today for $29K. So much for great trade in value.

badgerfan

However, If you trade your Ody often, why worry about reliability? Almost all vehicles are good for at least 3-4 years. You lose a lot of money in depreciation if you trade that often no matter what the make. I keep mine 10-12 years, and by then all brands will have depreciated to very low value, so depreciation does not matter to me. $4-8K less out of pocket can pay for a huge amount of repairs. Ody's haven't had a spotless transmission history either, by the way.

Not slamming Ody, I'm sure it is a very good vehicle, just wanted to interject the dollar conscious feelings of a midwestern minivan owner.

rboyd4

I agree, the Ody has probably been a little less reliable than the typical Honda. My relatives have an Ody and the transmission has already been rebuilt once (under warranty with 33K miles) and now is reportedly slipping again. This is from a car nut family that does not abuse their vehicles. Reportedly the new 2002 Ody transmission solved this problem. Also, I have heard first hand reports from Ody owners about the power doors malfunctioning. We are seriously considering a Ody but they not quite bullet proof.

lapvn

I also expanded my search for pricing to include Jacobs and also Airway. If this was in January, I might have been tempted to make the trip, however now with a new bad boy on the block, I know that pricing is starting to come down. Not to the level we like but at least it is a sign. A dealer called me back and offered $800 below MSRP, we told him thank you, just keep us in mind if you go lower. The level we are looking at is at least $1700 off, so the discount is still way off. However time is on our side. Believe me when I say, so many of us wish we could easily drive over to the windy city just to end this journey. It's fun, but at times I run out of patience and loose perspective.

harryfat

Smartboy,

To follow up on lapvn's point above, it's not just the quick southwest flight. That's the easy part. Especially for the people out here in the west coast, the drive back is the hard part. Just for laughs sake, Yahoo map shows the distance from Ohio to my home in CA is 2480 or so miles. Discounting the fact you may not want to put your brand new van through such trip, the time and cost of doing such trip is prohibitive for anyone out here in the west coast. Or pay $800 to have it shipped out here in a flatbed truck. Enjoy your great Honda savings in Ohio as it's an envy to all of us here in CA.

stever

The road trip is half the fun, especially if you avoid the interstates! I'm getting a used car next week and driving it back 3,000 miles. Live a little :-)

Steve, Host

harryfat

You DA MAN, Steve, driving 3000 miles on a car you just bought. Now only if I get get my 2 old year kid to sit for more than 2 hours in the back seat...

stever

lol, now that's impossible - I don't care how many DVD players and Barney tapes you have. Just have to go with the flow for a few years on that one :-)

Steve, Host

dtd98

Any one know the current price Ody EX-L in the SF Bay area since the new Sienna just comes out.
Thx

navier98

We tried Fremont Honda last week. The best they could give was MSRP-$500. It's interesting that we were just across the street looking at the new 2004 Sienna. But the sales person didn't know that it's already out. I bet a lot of people who are buying Ody don't know that Toyota has a minivan to compete with. Once Toyota starts to advertise the new Sienna, Ody price sure will drop. Try Anderson Honda, they may have better price (MSRP-$1000?). Last week we called, they have 20 Odys on the lot.

dtd98

Hi navier98 ,
Thanks for the info.I'm looking for the 04 Sienna and want to compare with the Ody EX-L. I'm looking for 5% over invoice of either van.So, have you made up your mind of which van to buy?
dtd98

lapvn

I spend so much time reading these forums and searching for my pricing that I haven't check pricing here in a while. I just checked and do my eyes deceive me, even here it is already $200 below MSRP. When I started this journey it was OVER MSRP. Harry, Farley, do I see the light at the end of the tunnel? Hopefully. Really, that really is a positive sign.

Guys just hang in there, we will get our pricing. More sooner than later, at least that is what I believe.

aspesisteve

Last year I tried unsucessfuly to purchase an Odyssey out of state. I'd get a price, but two deals fell through because no one would take a deposit over the phone. There was no way I was going to fly (one way) and put that much faith into a dealer telling me to just come on down and do the paperwork.

some people have had success though - good for them. I ended up traveling about 100 miles to the central valley (CA) from home to get my Odyssey. It took two trips - one for the deposit and a second trip to pick it up when it arrived.