Yeah, there is a forum for the extended warranty--the Honda Care-- which my local dealers charge about $1,200 for a 7yr/100K mile. I believe some people can get it for about $800. My wife still thinks $800 is way too much for the additional 4 years/64K miles. For $800, you can get a bumper to bumper warranty with zero deductibles from 1SourceAutoWarranty.com for 10yr/100K mile. The only thing is, the 1Source warranty will cover the NAV, but not the DVD RES, and I believe the Honda Care warranty covers both the NAV and DVD RES--I think. Since my wife was sooooooooooooooooooooo firm on saying "NO" to any kind of extended warranty, I went with the 1Source Emerald 100 plan, which cost me $279 for a 10yr/100K mile, $200 deductible. But it will not cover any High-Tech stuff like NAV and power sliding doors. So anyway I hope my wife is right, but if the transmission or engine or A/C go bad, at least I got it covered (-$200 deductible).
What about in regards the talk about not honoring the warranty because no work was done by Honda. Work meaning all maintenance, oil change, tires, brakes and so forth. I heard that some people found out about the fine print only after they needed something done.
Yeah, that's the only catch, I guess---keeping up with every single maintenance recommended by Honda in the manual at the Severe Level. For example, I will have to get an oil change every 3,750 miles, instead of the usual recommended 7,500 miles that Honda recommends. But if you get the Honda Care warranty, you will also be required to keep up with all the maintenance, right? For example, they are not going to take your words for it if you said that you changed the oil yourself or flush the transmission and radiator fluid yourself. I guess I don't mind coming to Honda for all the maintenance work.
They will get you no matter what. If you get the warranty, they get you every time you come in for some maintenance work. If you don't get the warrantty, they will get you in the end, for some major work. It's almost a question of do you want to pay them now or pay them later. Thanks Andrew.
Since I can't pay them now, because upgrading to the RES trim just pretty much put me over the edge, then I guess the answer to my question is I will have to pay them later.
I just hope the car ends up being as reliable as I expect it to be. My 93 integra right now, is still my baby, though she may be old, she has never let me down. 102k miles already, and she is just fine for the usual around the town and station car.
I guess we're kind of in the same boat. Most people will never use their extended warranty. That's why my wife will not let me buy it--until I said "How about $279?" She said, "For $279, yes, but any more than that NO!" I heard some people say the transmission can cost you $4,000. Well, all warranties are limited and they exclude this and that and they require you to keep every maintenance on record and they don't allow do-it-yourself stuff, except for keeping your tire pressure or simple fluid checks. Since we are buying a brand new van, we better be careful about voiding any warranties. At first I thought about getting an after-market DVD RES to save money, but then I thought, "Man, that would probably void the warranty on the NAV and CD player in my Odyssey". Not worth it. I usually feel pretty lucky and I have been pretty lucky so far in life. But the older I get, the more I think, "Man, sooner or later my luck will run out!" To be honest, if my wife weren't so much against buying the Honda Care warranty, I would buy it if I can get it for $750 or $800 and of course, still keep every single maintenance with Honda.
Ordered a sienna 2 weeks ago, but can't resist a deal last night for a Ody EXL-NAVI for 28,800. It's in the lot, have only 7 miles on it. Made the decision in 20 minutes, sitting in my garage now. I'm in SF bay area, this kind of deal is almost unheared of a couple of month ago. Thanks Toyota for that.
Now, the question is, how am I going to get the deposit that I already put down for the sienna, I can cancel that anytime, right? It's not like I've signed a purchase contract or anything.... Anybody have a simular expierence?
After 5 months of researching and 3 months of lurking around these boards, finally pulled the trigger the other night and got the Ody EX-L at $1500 off MSRP. Certainly nothing to brag about compared to the deals of $2400 off in Ohio/Texas area, but it’s decent deal for the SF bay area.
The negotiation took a little longer than I liked, as the wife only wanted one color, so we were unwilling to be “color blind” in any deal. And we had to play couple dealers off of each other. But the entire experience was pleasant enough. Entire deal was done via internet/phone. Never set 1 foot inside the dealership. They delivered the van to my front door at 8 PM couple nights ago with all paperwork preprinted. We signed at our kitchen table, gave them a check and the drivers showed us how to operate various parts of the van before they left. No attempt to sell me anything extra other than the extended warranty. But then again, I was never in the dealership, so it’d be hard for them to make their sales pitch.
3 month ago I was ready to throw in the towel and paid MSRP after emailing 15 dealerships in this area and every single one came back at MSRP price. I somehow stumbled onto this board and saw the $2K off in Ohio back then and realized I had other options. But at $800 shipping from Ohio to CA, the net savings is around $1200. So my goal was to beat that.
At the risk of sounding like an Oscar award acceptance speech, I want to thank the all the people at this board for their help. Specifically, there’s njswamplands as he is the pioneer on buying from Ohio and having it shipped to his home back in December and this kept my hopes alive that I could do the same. Second, I want to thank Toyota for releasing the Sienna couple weeks ago to start the price slide for the Odyssey here in CA. At the MSRP difference of $2800 plus (90 plus boxes of diapers, right, Andrew?) in between the two vans, the decision for Odyssey was never in doubt. Last, but not the least, my buddy in NJ, lapvn, with his support the past few weeks. If I only could have grabbed 2 other people and gotten the 3 van discounts like he did. Oh, well, maybe next car
Host Steve, you back home yet? Still in Alaska hanging with the moose? Next time I buy another Honda (will be my 4th ), I will look up Boise and see what discounts are out there for non big 3 autos
Capitol Honda was one of the dealership I was negotiating with starting last week (see my email above). They had the van in the color my wife wanted, but they were only willing to discount it $860 off MSRP at first. When I told them I got a $1500 off at Andersons on last Wednesday, but not the color my wife insisted on, I started to negotiate with them. At the end they were finally willing to price match but Anderson got the color we wanted in a dealer trade, which they didn't want to do at first.
How funny. Small world. Enjoy your Ody. Honk if you see another dude on the 101/880 freeway in a brand new Sandstone Ody with Anderson Dealership plates.
How can you be sure that the 1SourceAutoWarranty company will be in business in 10 years from now. Do you know anything about them? How come when I plug in the info on their website I get that the price is $379 for a $200 deductible warranty? How did you get it for $279?
Way the go, I know the important part of this purchase is that THE WIFE IS HAPPY. And as you said she got the color she wanted. Kid enjoys all the room in it. So if anything you know you did the absolute right thing. If Toyota didn't help you out, you might have been force to wait until Memorial day weekend sales. Now you are joy riding this weekend in your new toy. CONGRATULATIONS and ENJOY.
Small world indeed! congratulations on your new Odyssey, very nice.
My last night's purchase was not planned at all. I already ordered a 04 Sienna. Yesterday afternoon, purely out of curiousity, I called a few honda dealers and ask if they can sell me an Ody for 500 over invoice. Capitol fleet manager counter offered me 1000 over invoice, which is about $2050 off MSRP, they have the vehicle on the lot, I checked it out, has 7 miles on it, Silver EXL with Navigation. Didn't really negociatie, took the offer, wrote a check. Kind of inpulsive buying, but I don't think I'll regret it.
So, if you hear a honk from a silver ody with Capitol Honda plate, that got to be me ....
First, congrats to all of us who got great deals on the Odyssey. Yes, indeed, harryfat, thank you TOYOTA! 90 boxes of diapers is expensive. Second, my aunt in Orange County would be pissed knowing that you guys got huge discounts and she paid MSRP! farleyk, I got a $100 discount and they even threw in the Titanium and Emissions package for free---yes, I don't know if 1Source will be around in 10 years and it's a chance I'm taking. hexn, you beat me by $60!!!!! I got the EX-L NAV for $28,860. I decided to let the dealer add DVD RES for $1,700 total installed price. I also bought the Cargo Tray on the internet for $66 (includes S/H) and a chrome license plate frame for $26 (includes s/h).
What are your thougts on the Cargo tray? I am thinking of getting the tray myself and also the mudguards? Maybe I should wait until they can deliver the van. Which we were hoping for today, oh well.
Just like how do you know if you buy term life insurance for $1 million from Acme company (same company that makes Andrew's sound meter) that they will be around years down the road? Insurance companies financial strengths can be found by looking at their AM Best ratings. Not 100% guarantee they will be around, but at least they have the stable financial strength to pay your claims.
As for Andrew's price quote, they had $100 off on quotes sales back then. I think they have 'sale' every month, different promos. Also, depends on where you live, same coverage costs more. For example, same coverage in OK is $379 versus CA is $579. Put in different state codes in your quote request and you will see the difference.
At around $62 (compared to $99 from dealer), the cargo tray seems more reasonably priced, although it still seems high. Last weekend my mother-in-law had some groceries in the trunk of my Avalon (she borrowed the Avalon because her Dodge Caravan went dead). Guess what? It spilled and of course I was upset because some fluid, powder, and granny stuff was all over the trunk. She goes, "Oh, how did that happen?" Man, I was mad. My plan was to take my wife and two babies out for dinner and, of course, my in-law wanted to tag along. She goes, "Can you put my stuff in the back of your Oddyssey?" At that point, I thought, "I could use the Cargo Tray right about now so that her crap won't spill all over the carpet!" I usually never buy accessories because they try to rip you off big time. The Mudguards seem pretty practical too, but I don't think I need them for two reasons: 1) I don't usually see mud around my metro area and 2) if it splashes, I don't think the Mudguards can prevent the muds from covering my Odyssey. However, the Mudguards look very cool, just like the chrome license plate frame, which unlike the mudguards won't block any mud at all. So in the end, I think accessories will make your Odyssey look cooler, but not all accessories will be as practical as they advertise.
paid $25,800 for it. MSRP was $28,200 give or take alittle and invoice was at $25,100. I know invoice sits lower than that but you have to include the cost of the CD/Tape player addition.
Thanks to all the messages on this board and in particular those from harry and hexn, I drove away with a silver EX-L from Capitol Honda in San Jose, for $850 above invoice (about $2000 below MSRP).
Called and emailed about 15 dealers in the Bay area, with the knowledge that hexn got a EX-L for 1000 above invoice. Most dealers would not go that low, apart from one in Tracy for 850 above invoice, who had the car we liked in stock. But Capitol asked me to come in and they would see what they could do. I knew I had 1000 above in the bag, and we were just quibbling over the remaining 150.
In the end there wasn't much negotiation and we walked away an hour later with the car.
I must confess, it definitely helps to read this forum and print out any emails which refer to pricing. Also helps obviously if you can buy close to the end of the month and if the car is on the lot. The fleet manager's are also not on commision and are willing to deal. Never buy from a salesman.
I found that all of the people that I found from the honda website who were listed as 'internet salesmen' were in fact fleet managers, so that really helped.
If anyone in the Bay area is looking for an Ody, then I strongly suggest they have a chat with the internet sales guy/fleet manager at Capitol.
The interesting thing, is that he's tracked on units not actual dollars. I think he's authorized to offer 1000 above invoice, but any lower and it has to go above him. In the end since I had a better deal from another dealer and was not asking him to beat it, but just match it, then we were able to easily close on the car.
I'm really (pleasantly) surprised that dealers in the bay area are considering below and in some cases way below MSRP. But in speaking with the fleet maanger, he told me that on average they get about 15 Odys in every month, but this month they were allocated 40. I saw about 5 more EX-Ls on the lot, all with less than 10 miles, so I figure there are deals to be had
The fleet manager never really pushed any accessories. The finance manager offered the coatguard and also extended 7 year 100k warranty. I think it was for 1700, but I don't remember for sure. I told them I saw a dealer offering this for 850 and their cost was 725. So they counteroffered with their dealer cost price of 850. I was tempted, but I figure I have some time to consider this later, after I've spent some time enjoying my new car
I got a feeling that Honda Serramonte, San Leandro and Tracy were willing to deal (between 1000 and 1500 over invoice). The others I tried in the Bay area, didn't really come through for me.
Let me begin by thanking everyone for the valuable information that has been presented on this message board over the years. I've been shopping casually for either an Ody or a Sienna for about 6 months. Today I was at a local Honda dealer who had approximately 15-20 Odys on the lot. By far the most I have ever seen. There was the usual MSRP sticker and than there was a dealer sticker next to it. Dealer markup was $5995.00 over the MSRP on every vehicle I looked at. I don't mind anyone making a fair profit. But when the salesman approached me I didn't even bother to discuss a sales. I just asked for a brochure and left as it seemed pointless to go any further. At the prices they are asking the vehicle cannot compete with a domestic product for overall value. Thanks to all who have purchased vehicles from out of state and had them shipped home. I will look into that alternative.
This is my first post. Thanks to all who have posted before. This board was a great help. I went through a local buying service and this experience was great. Not much haggeling at all. I know I did not get the $2000+ off MSRP but the $1800 or so I got is good for me. It was really good to have this board as perspective! I think this weekend is a good time to buy. The dealers seem to be motived!
Are you serious? $5995 over MSRP for an Ody? You sure there's no typo?
Where are you in central CA? Either come out to the bay area or go to LA area. Either way you will be miles/dollars ahead.
You can look out of state if you like some price matching. Ohio/Texas are the best values. But the price quote I got was $800 to ship from Ohio. So even if you get $2300 off MSRP in Ohio, with shipping, you net the same amount you'd pay in CA in bay area or LA. I was one of the first ones looking at shipment from Ohio to CA 3 months ago, but now with the Ody prices dropping, even here in CA, why go out of state?
I see lot of reduction from MSRP in other states not in NJ. I paid 760 below MSRP on 3/29 after 2 hours of bargaining and felt If I bargaining more he may reduce by another $100. I need the car some what urgently so I purchased. This reduction is like pennys when compared with the reductions people got in other states. Does any body purchased odyssey in NJ last weekened and at what price?. Please update.
I live in the Bergen county area, if you are close by (anywhere I would say Mercer county and up), you should read up on my post about my deal. I can tell you more about it. See if you can cancel your deal, AND GET ANY DEPOSIT BACK. MAIN THING IS GET YOUR MONEY BACK. Deal was for cars in stock. You can just email me for more info.
This is not some sales pitch, ask Farley and also Barefield, we all went to the same dealer this week and got better deals than you. In fact Barefeild walked in on Saturday and is picking it up on Wednesday.
They probably didn't discount it too much if they knew that you were in a rush to get one. ESSEX, RAHWAY, TENAFLY, PARAMUS, PRINCETON, and FREEHOLD areas were all $500 off to MSRP. You can do way better.
I found a good price in South jersey in Turnersville auto complex. I bought honda in their honda dealership. EX-L with DVD for 28,500 on last saturday. They have mudgaurds and roof rack accessories also installed. Since it is end of March month they accepted my offer and we bought it without much hassle.
This is a summary reply to various people who posted in responses to my new Ody purchase least week. Sorry, just lazy and also people who are not interested can skip 1 post easier than passing on 5 posts.
njswamplands - I'd start thanking the webmasters at Edmunds for hosting the web site in my Oscar speech, but I was requested to keep it down to 100,000 words or less. Now that you have the Ody for 3 months, what you think? Any pointers to us newbies?
Andrew - Don't be so hard do your aunt, look at Mendota 99's post. He says there's one dealer who is charging $5995 over MSRP where he is in central CA. Give him your aunt's dealership name as even if he pays at MSRP, he is miles ahead. Wonder how many sales that dealerships has with $6K above MSRP? So when they "discount it" $4000 during the negotiation, the uninformed buyer will feel like they got a bargain because they bargained down the dealership by $4K?
Lapvn - Yeah, the wife only wanted one color, so that made my negotiation little more difficult as all the discounts are always contingent on "dealer stock".
Host Steve - Come thaw out here in CA. We had a big heat wave over the weekend. It was 80 plus degrees in my area. But at least we know the air condition works in the Ody!
As a side note, Host Steve, I replied to post #3516, a request from Edmunds' PR director on doing a survey on buying a van last week. Anyway, a reporter from Bloomberg financial news contacted me and asked about my decision process in my van purchase during the war time. I guess during the last gulf war, sales were down 38%. now sales are down only 6 plus% in the early stages of the war. So he's just writing an article on if the war news had any influence on my van buying decision process. No idea if my name will ever make it in print. If so, I'll autograph a copy for you at 50% off the ongoing rate of $2 per signature. I need the cash to buy the $1.99 conversation mirror (see the other Ody board for history on this).
Today is the last day of the quarter, so for you folks out there who are thinking of getting one, you should great a great deal tonight if you go in and negotiate hard as many people wants that quarter end sales target number met.
You're killing me with laughter with the $1.99 Sienna conversation mirrors! I might just take a look at that conversation mirror I got as a gift a year ago. I'm sadden by the fact that someone got me such a cheap gift for $1.99! Just kidding--it's the thought that counts!
What dealer did you end up going with in Western NY? I'm in NC, but my hometown is Rochester, so if I'm going to buy out of state, Rochester would be one of the more convenient places for me. Let us know.
Just got my Odyssey 2003 yesterday. After a good 5 hours of talk, I was able to get it for 29,000.
It is the EX-LRES model. EX Leather with DVD Entertainment System.
They've upgrade it with the pro protection package (mud guard, wheel locks, and that plastic basket thing in the back) and the roof rail as part of the price package.
Out the door price with tax and license was 32200.00
So, as some of you know your Host Steve is on vacation and I am filling in for him. Well, I have been contemplating a new car for the last year or so and the Odyssey was on my radar. With the birth of our second child 3 weeks ago and cramming car seats in and out of the 13 year old Volvo wagon (don't forget the two dogs in the back) added to the fact that I am in here reading every day with Steve gone, I did it. I am buying an Odyssey. (Yes, Town Hall members are VERY convincing).
I did check out the Sienna, nice, but...not for the extra cash.
I ended up with the Silver/Silver EX Leather with DVD Entertainment System. $850 over factory invoice (many thanks to richfei a few posts back!) from Marin Honda in Corte Madera, CA.
Of course I used Edmunds.com for getting competitive price quotes from all over the Bay Area and negotiating my deal.
All in all, I feel pretty darn good. I still cannot believe I am now the owner of a minivan. Pickup is tomorrow...wow.
Isn't it funny, everyone who has posted recently said they love, like the Sienna, but could not get themselves to open up their checkbook for the price difference. I think the cloud is starting to clear on all the hype about the Sienna.
I can't wait for our first long trip and surprise our son with the RES. You think that will stop him from crying?
Congrats on TWO fronts, new baby and new van. We're expecting our second one in 2 months ourselves.
You said you bought your van at Marin in CA, but your profile says you're from AL? I'm from Fremont area myself.
As for the van, every family makes their own decision on what is right for them. For us, the gap of $3K plus (factoring in dealership discounts) is way too high to pay for the Sienna versus Odyssey. Per my calculation with Andrew, that's how many boxes of Costco diapers you can buy for the little one?
When is host Steve coming back? Maybe his "new" used car died on him and he's in the middle of the freeway somewhere in the 20 minus degree weather. That's when he could use Andrew's Navi to tell him where he is...
I agree that between the waiting, the hype and the extra $$$ (my final quotes on both the Ody and the 04 Sienna actually showed a $6k difference for comparables) the Ody was the way to go for our family. My husband was against the entertainment center, but he'll get over it.
Hey Lap... Barefield here just got lucky 'cause he knew you and followed your lead! Remember, you got the extra $200 off.
But I was flexible in the colors, so, that's how I got double lucky by walking in on Sat. and hopefully out this Wed.
Once again many thanks to Lap, and Edmunds for keeping things in persepective. Thanks to Toyota for making the '04 Sienna $4K + over the ODY, and to whatever made the Honda people start to lower prices at the end of this month / 1Q'03.
Forgot to mention if you have 2 car seats, bring them to the dealer and have them install the seats for you.
We bought a second car seat for the new van over the weekend and it was tough trying to do the LATCH thing underneath the second row as the hook is small and the seat area is very tight. I would just save myself the hassle if you're going in tomorrow to pickup your van.
We purchased from Holtz Honda in Henrietta, and we are still finalizing the warranty and interest rate. Last I spoke with the finance manager they wanted 1300 for the 7 yr/100,000 mile warranty. I checked into 1source and warrantydirect. Does anyone have an opinion about either of these two or have you used them?
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this board. I've been reading and tracking how much everyone paid for their Odyssey. Harryfat's posting last week of his purchase had inspired to try to get at least the same deal or better. Last August I ordered an EX for a September delivery for $500 over MSRP, but the vehicle never came in September so I cancelled the purchasing. Yesterday, I called the same dealer and asked how much they are selling the EX and she said that they have a special that ended 3/30/03 for $25,588. I asked her if she would sell it to me at $25100 since this is the third Honda I buy from her in the last 5 years. I got a call half hour later to confirm that I got the deal. I went to the dealer at 9 P.M. and by 10:45 P.M. we drove home in our new van. Thank you again. I'll be looking for you Harry on 880, 237, and 101 highway. Andy
Congrats, Hotsoups, on the new van. Like I said, quarter end sales is great for all consumers.
I'll honk and wave at you but hopefully you have both hands on the steering wheel, not drinking your hot soups. Don't want anything to happen to you or the new Ody.
So I know what dealer plate to look for, where you bought you Ody? I guess I can honk at EVERY midnight blue Ody I see on the freeway...
And remember no sales man's name, phone etc, etc or else the van police in these board will haul you away.
I got it from a dealership in El Cerrito. BTW, you will probably spot a pregnant woman driving the new van. Of course I am just as pregnant as my wife for the last 5 years, but I don't think I 'll be giving birth soon.
Long time lurker. Thanks for all the info and help. We took the plunge and got a Navi for 30K drive out price. The boss (wife) is very happy and so is my wallet. We could not justify the extra 6K for the NAVI sienna that is not gonna be available for us to pick up until next month I was told by the Toyota dealer.
That's OK as my wife is 6 months pregnant with our second kid, so it'll be one pregnant mom honking at another. I'm back to driving my 1993 Civic as the boss (wife) gets the new van. But that's OK, as it matters not what car you drive while being stuck on the freeway on the "Nasty Nimitz Freeway" (880).
Congrats on the new van. You want to just tell us what part of the country you're from so other people in your area will know they too can get deals from the local dealer. That's how we help one another as I'm sure there are many other "lurkers" like yourself who can use your info in their car buying experience.
As my buddy lapvn pointed out to me, always make sure the wife is happy. So you're all good...
2003 Honda Ody EX-L RES (DVD) $30,400 out the door. Sold to me at $1000 over invoice, threw in cargo liner than roof rack cross bars. (quoted $140) Bought at Lisle, IL Honda Two other dealerships would not match! Also, got 4.25% from local bank through dealership.
Lesson Learned - Sienna is very nice, but not $6-$7000 nicer. Just couldn't justify it in my head.
Lesson Learned #2 - Took advice from this board. E-mailed twice to get this deal. Visited this same dealership a day earlier for test drive, was offered $500 off sticker. E-MAIL ROCKS! No Commisssioned Sales People!!!!
Now, just got to sell my piece of garbage 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan....Anyone interested? Ha
PS...Anyone see the on-line warranty companies all have April 4th as their price increace day? Is this real or a ploy? Thoughts?
Thank you again, being a part of this community is great! Thanks Edmunds.
thanks for everyone's info and help on this board. my wife and I finally took the plunge and bought an EX-L with DVD for $28,750 yesterday. The dealership matched my chicago (jacobs twin honda) offer plus 350. This was almost 1K lower than my other offers here and saved me a trip to Chicago. If you want this sorta deal talk to the internet sales dept. at Richfield-Bloomington Honda. I was in the dealership for less than an hour and the price was agreed to prior to my visit to the dealership. Yah gotta love the internet and edmunds.com!
Comments
My wife still thinks $800 is way too much for the additional 4 years/64K miles. For $800, you can get a bumper to bumper warranty with zero deductibles from 1SourceAutoWarranty.com for 10yr/100K mile. The only thing is, the 1Source warranty will cover the NAV, but not the DVD RES, and I believe the Honda Care warranty covers both the NAV and DVD RES--I think.
Since my wife was sooooooooooooooooooooo firm on saying "NO" to any kind of extended warranty, I went with the 1Source Emerald 100 plan, which cost me $279 for a 10yr/100K mile, $200 deductible. But it will not cover any High-Tech stuff like NAV and power sliding doors.
So anyway I hope my wife is right, but if the transmission or engine or A/C go bad, at least I got it covered (-$200 deductible).
In advance thanks for the heads up.
Since I can't pay them now, because upgrading to the RES trim just pretty much put me over the edge, then I guess the answer to my question is I will have to pay them later.
I just hope the car ends up being as reliable as I expect it to be. My 93 integra right now, is still my baby, though she may be old, she has never let me down. 102k miles already, and she is just fine for the usual around the town and station car.
Well, all warranties are limited and they exclude this and that and they require you to keep every maintenance on record and they don't allow do-it-yourself stuff, except for keeping your tire pressure or simple fluid checks. Since we are buying a brand new van, we better be careful about voiding any warranties. At first I thought about getting an after-market DVD RES to save money, but then I thought, "Man, that would probably void the warranty on the NAV and CD player in my Odyssey". Not worth it.
I usually feel pretty lucky and I have been pretty lucky so far in life. But the older I get, the more I think, "Man, sooner or later my luck will run out!"
To be honest, if my wife weren't so much against buying the Honda Care warranty, I would buy it if I can get it for $750 or $800 and of course, still keep every single maintenance with Honda.
Now, the question is, how am I going to get the deposit that I already put down for the sienna, I can cancel that anytime, right? It's not like I've signed a purchase contract or anything....
Anybody have a simular expierence?
The negotiation took a little longer than I liked, as the wife only wanted one color, so we were unwilling to be “color blind” in any deal. And we had to play couple dealers off of each other. But the entire experience was pleasant enough. Entire deal was done via internet/phone. Never set 1 foot inside the dealership. They delivered the van to my front door at 8 PM couple nights ago with all paperwork preprinted. We signed at our kitchen table, gave them a check and the drivers showed us how to operate various parts of the van before they left. No attempt to sell me anything extra other than the extended warranty. But then again, I was never in the dealership, so it’d be hard for them to make their sales pitch.
3 month ago I was ready to throw in the towel and paid MSRP after emailing 15 dealerships in this area and every single one came back at MSRP price. I somehow stumbled onto this board and saw the $2K off in Ohio back then and realized I had other options. But at $800 shipping from Ohio to CA, the net savings is around $1200. So my goal was to beat that.
At the risk of sounding like an Oscar award acceptance speech, I want to thank the all the people at this board for their help. Specifically, there’s njswamplands as he is the pioneer on buying from Ohio and having it shipped to his home back in December and this kept my hopes alive that I could do the same. Second, I want to thank Toyota for releasing the Sienna couple weeks ago to start the price slide for the Odyssey here in CA. At the MSRP difference of $2800 plus (90 plus boxes of diapers, right, Andrew?) in between the two vans, the decision for Odyssey was never in doubt. Last, but not the least, my buddy in NJ, lapvn, with his support the past few weeks. If I only could have grabbed 2 other people and gotten the 3 van discounts like he did. Oh, well, maybe next car
Host Steve, you back home yet? Still in Alaska hanging with the moose? Next time I buy another Honda (will be my 4th ), I will look up Boise and see what discounts are out there for non big 3 autos
Capitol Honda was one of the dealership I was negotiating with starting last week (see my email above). They had the van in the color my wife wanted, but they were only willing to discount it $860 off MSRP at first. When I told them I got a $1500 off at Andersons on last Wednesday, but not the color my wife insisted on, I started to negotiate with them. At the end they were finally willing to price match but Anderson got the color we wanted in a dealer trade, which they didn't want to do at first.
How funny. Small world. Enjoy your Ody. Honk if you see another dude on the 101/880 freeway in a brand new Sandstone Ody with Anderson Dealership plates.
If Toyota didn't help you out, you might have been force to wait until Memorial day weekend sales. Now you are joy riding this weekend in your new toy.
CONGRATULATIONS and ENJOY.
Members also come and go, Andrewtran71, but there's enough expertise around here to fill in the blanks. Just keep asking!
Steve, Host
Small world indeed! congratulations on your new Odyssey, very nice.
My last night's purchase was not planned at all. I already ordered a 04 Sienna. Yesterday afternoon, purely out of curiousity, I called a few honda dealers and ask if they can sell me an Ody for 500 over invoice. Capitol fleet manager counter offered me 1000 over invoice, which is about $2050 off MSRP, they have the vehicle on the lot, I checked it out, has 7 miles on it, Silver EXL with Navigation. Didn't really negociatie, took the offer, wrote a check. Kind of inpulsive buying, but I don't think I'll regret it.
So, if you hear a honk from a silver ody with Capitol Honda plate, that got to be me ....
I am thinking of getting the tray myself and also the mudguards?
Maybe I should wait until they can deliver the van. Which we were hoping for today, oh well.
As for Andrew's price quote, they had $100 off on quotes sales back then. I think they have 'sale' every month, different promos. Also, depends on where you live, same coverage costs more. For example, same coverage in OK is $379 versus CA is $579. Put in different state codes in your quote request and you will see the difference.
My plan was to take my wife and two babies out for dinner and, of course, my in-law wanted to tag along. She goes, "Can you put my stuff in the back of your Oddyssey?" At that point, I thought, "I could use the Cargo Tray right about now so that her crap won't spill all over the carpet!" I usually never buy accessories because they try to rip you off big time. The Mudguards seem pretty practical too, but I don't think I need them for two reasons: 1) I don't usually see mud around my metro area and 2) if it splashes, I don't think the Mudguards can prevent the muds from covering my Odyssey. However, the Mudguards look very cool, just like the chrome license plate frame, which unlike the mudguards won't block any mud at all. So in the end, I think accessories will make your Odyssey look cooler, but not all accessories will be as practical as they advertise.
Thanks to all the messages on this board and in particular those from harry and hexn, I drove away with a silver EX-L from Capitol Honda in San Jose, for $850 above invoice (about $2000 below MSRP).
Called and emailed about 15 dealers in the Bay area, with the knowledge that hexn got a EX-L for 1000 above invoice. Most dealers would not go that low, apart from one in Tracy for 850 above invoice, who had the car we liked in stock. But Capitol asked me to come in and they would see what they could do. I knew I had 1000 above in the bag, and we were just quibbling over the remaining 150.
In the end there wasn't much negotiation and we walked away an hour later with the car.
I must confess, it definitely helps to read this forum and print out any emails which refer to pricing. Also helps obviously if you can buy close to the end of the month and if the car is on the lot. The fleet manager's are also not on commision and are willing to deal. Never buy from a salesman.
I found that all of the people that I found from the honda website who were listed as 'internet salesmen' were in fact fleet managers, so that really helped.
If anyone in the Bay area is looking for an Ody, then I strongly suggest they have a chat with the internet sales guy/fleet manager at Capitol.
The interesting thing, is that he's tracked on units not actual dollars. I think he's authorized to offer 1000 above invoice, but any lower and it has to go above him. In the end since I had a better deal from another dealer and was not asking him to beat it, but just match it, then we were able to easily close on the car.
I'm really (pleasantly) surprised that dealers in the bay area are considering below and in some cases way below MSRP. But in speaking with the fleet maanger, he told me that on average they get about 15 Odys in every month, but this month they were allocated 40. I saw about 5 more EX-Ls on the lot, all with less than 10 miles, so I figure there are deals to be had
The fleet manager never really pushed any accessories. The finance manager offered the coatguard and also extended 7 year 100k warranty. I think it was for 1700, but I don't remember for sure. I told them I saw a dealer offering this for 850 and their cost was 725. So they counteroffered with their dealer cost price of 850. I was tempted, but I figure I have some time to consider this later, after I've spent some time enjoying my new car
I got a feeling that Honda Serramonte, San Leandro and Tracy were willing to deal (between 1000 and 1500 over invoice). The others I tried in the Bay area, didn't really come through for me.
I don't mind anyone making a fair profit. But when the salesman approached me I didn't even bother to discuss a sales. I just asked for a brochure and left as it seemed pointless to go any further.
At the prices they are asking the vehicle cannot compete with a domestic product for overall value.
Thanks to all who have purchased vehicles from out of state and had them shipped home. I will look into that alternative.
I will look into an extended warr. later!
Thanks again,
Todd
Are you serious? $5995 over MSRP for an Ody? You sure there's no typo?
Where are you in central CA? Either come out to the bay area or go to LA area. Either way you will be miles/dollars ahead.
You can look out of state if you like some price matching. Ohio/Texas are the best values. But the price quote I got was $800 to ship from Ohio. So even if you get $2300 off MSRP in Ohio, with shipping, you net the same amount you'd pay in CA in bay area or LA. I was one of the first ones looking at shipment from Ohio to CA 3 months ago, but now with the Ody prices dropping, even here in CA, why go out of state?
Mendota - that dealer markup is nuts. You just have to feel bad for the guy who actually pays some of it.
You can just email me for more info.
This is not some sales pitch, ask Farley and also Barefield, we all went to the same dealer this week and got better deals than you. In fact Barefeild walked in on Saturday and is picking it up on Wednesday.
They probably didn't discount it too much if they knew that you were in a rush to get one. ESSEX, RAHWAY, TENAFLY, PARAMUS, PRINCETON, and FREEHOLD areas were all $500 off to MSRP. You can do way better.
EX-L with DVD for 28,500 on last saturday.
They have mudgaurds and roof rack accessories also installed.
Since it is end of March month they accepted my offer and we bought it without much hassle.
njswamplands - I'd start thanking the webmasters at Edmunds for hosting the web site in my Oscar speech, but I was requested to keep it down to 100,000 words or less. Now that you have the Ody for 3 months, what you think? Any pointers to us newbies?
Andrew - Don't be so hard do your aunt, look at Mendota 99's post. He says there's one dealer who is charging $5995 over MSRP where he is in central CA. Give him your aunt's dealership name as even if he pays at MSRP, he is miles ahead. Wonder how many sales that dealerships has with $6K above MSRP? So when they "discount it" $4000 during the negotiation, the uninformed buyer will feel like they got a bargain because they bargained down the dealership by $4K?
Lapvn - Yeah, the wife only wanted one color, so that made my negotiation little more difficult as all the discounts are always contingent on "dealer stock".
Host Steve - Come thaw out here in CA. We had a big heat wave over the weekend. It was 80 plus degrees in my area. But at least we know the air condition works in the Ody!
As a side note, Host Steve, I replied to post #3516, a request from Edmunds' PR director on doing a survey on buying a van last week. Anyway, a reporter from Bloomberg financial news contacted me and asked about my decision process in my van purchase during the war time. I guess during the last gulf war, sales were down 38%. now sales are down only 6 plus% in the early stages of the war. So he's just writing an article on if the war news had any influence on my van buying decision process. No idea if my name will ever make it in print. If so, I'll autograph a copy for you at 50% off the ongoing rate of $2 per signature. I need the cash to buy the $1.99 conversation mirror (see the other Ody board for history on this).
Today is the last day of the quarter, so for you folks out there who are thinking of getting one, you should great a great deal tonight if you go in and negotiate hard as many people wants that quarter end sales target number met.
It is the EX-LRES model. EX Leather with DVD Entertainment System.
They've upgrade it with the pro protection package (mud guard, wheel locks, and that plastic basket thing in the back) and the roof rail as part of the price package.
Out the door price with tax and license was 32200.00
I did check out the Sienna, nice, but...not for the extra cash.
I ended up with the Silver/Silver EX Leather with DVD Entertainment System. $850 over factory invoice (many thanks to richfei a few posts back!) from Marin Honda in Corte Madera, CA.
Of course I used Edmunds.com for getting competitive price quotes from all over the Bay Area and negotiating my deal.
All in all, I feel pretty darn good. I still cannot believe I am now the owner of a minivan. Pickup is tomorrow...wow.
Isn't it funny, everyone who has posted recently said they love, like the Sienna, but could not get themselves to open up their checkbook for the price difference. I think the cloud is starting to clear on all the hype about the Sienna.
I can't wait for our first long trip and surprise our son with the RES. You think that will stop him from crying?
Sylvia, congratulations again.
You said you bought your van at Marin in CA, but your profile says you're from AL? I'm from Fremont area myself.
As for the van, every family makes their own decision on what is right for them. For us, the gap of $3K plus (factoring in dealership discounts) is way too high to pay for the Sienna versus Odyssey. Per my calculation with Andrew, that's how many boxes of Costco diapers you can buy for the little one?
When is host Steve coming back? Maybe his "new" used car died on him and he's in the middle of the freeway somewhere in the 20 minus degree weather. That's when he could use Andrew's Navi to tell him where he is...
profile updated to reflect CA.
Steve is due back ~April 11.
I agree that between the waiting, the hype and the extra $$$ (my final quotes on both the Ody and the 04 Sienna actually showed a $6k difference for comparables) the Ody was the way to go for our family. My husband was against the entertainment center, but he'll get over it.
you got the extra $200 off.
But I was flexible in the colors, so, that's how I got double lucky by walking in on Sat. and hopefully out this Wed.
Once again many thanks to Lap, and Edmunds for keeping things in persepective. Thanks to Toyota for making the '04 Sienna $4K + over the ODY, and to whatever made the Honda people start to lower prices at the end of this month / 1Q'03.
We bought a second car seat for the new van over the weekend and it was tough trying to do the LATCH thing underneath the second row as the hook is small and the seat area is very tight. I would just save myself the hassle if you're going in tomorrow to pickup your van.
Yesterday, I called the same dealer and asked how much they are selling the EX and she said that they have a special that ended 3/30/03 for $25,588. I asked her if she would sell it to me at $25100 since this is the third Honda I buy from her in the last 5 years. I got a call half hour later to confirm that I got the deal. I went to the dealer at 9 P.M. and by 10:45 P.M. we drove home in our new van.
Thank you again. I'll be looking for you Harry on 880, 237, and 101 highway.
Andy
I'll honk and wave at you but hopefully you have both hands on the steering wheel, not drinking your hot soups. Don't want anything to happen to you or the new Ody.
So I know what dealer plate to look for, where you bought you Ody? I guess I can honk at EVERY midnight blue Ody I see on the freeway...
And remember no sales man's name, phone etc, etc or else the van police in these board will haul you away.
BTW, you will probably spot a pregnant woman driving the new van.
Of course I am just as pregnant as my wife for the last 5 years, but I don't think I 'll be giving birth soon.
That's OK as my wife is 6 months pregnant with our second kid, so it'll be one pregnant mom honking at another. I'm back to driving my 1993 Civic as the boss (wife) gets the new van. But that's OK, as it matters not what car you drive while being stuck on the freeway on the "Nasty Nimitz Freeway" (880).
Don't get me started on the weight issue....
As my buddy lapvn pointed out to me, always make sure the wife is happy. So you're all good...
Thanks to all. Really! Here's our scoop...
2003 Honda Ody EX-L RES (DVD)
$30,400 out the door.
Sold to me at $1000 over invoice, threw in cargo liner than roof rack cross bars. (quoted $140)
Bought at Lisle, IL Honda
Two other dealerships would not match!
Also, got 4.25% from local bank through dealership.
Lesson Learned - Sienna is very nice, but not $6-$7000 nicer. Just couldn't justify it in my head.
Lesson Learned #2 - Took advice from this board. E-mailed twice to get this deal. Visited this same dealership a day earlier for test drive, was offered $500 off sticker. E-MAIL ROCKS! No Commisssioned Sales People!!!!
Now, just got to sell my piece of garbage 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan....Anyone interested? Ha
PS...Anyone see the on-line warranty companies all have April 4th as their price increace day? Is this real or a ploy? Thoughts?
Thank you again, being a part of this community is great! Thanks Edmunds.