2013 and earlier Honda Odyssey Prices Paid and Buying Experience

isellhondas

Sounds funny...sell a hot mover in short supply...yes, they still are...for below invoice??

I knew the So. Calif market place was brutal but...WHY??

- a former So. Californian.

stever

I thought you were Pilot shopping, Sepy.

Steve, Host

sepy

The Pilot was a good Deal at 28500, but they switched the color on me (from Silver to red).... then stopped looking for a few weeks, then decided to go for an Odyssey. I think it will be better for the little one's.... is $25860 a good deal...? I'm picking up the car tomorrow... I do like the Pilot but its about $3000 more...

isellhondas

Frankly, I think something is very wrong here. Is there a trade involved?

I know the So. Calif marketplace...it's a place I know I sure wouldn't want to work!

An Odyssey below invoice and the poster asks..."Is that a good deal?"

Something smells fishy here...

tcasboy

There isn't much maintenance to do for the first 36K miles, just regular oil changes and inspections. I can't imagine that you would spend anywhere near 900 dollars on maint for the first 36K, I know I didn't. Just the dealer trying to make some more profit, in my opinion. Best of luck.

sepy

"Something smells fishy here..." only the smog

Therefore, I assume that it's a good deal... on Friday, tomorrow I'll have a copy of the contract and I'll post all the number...wish me good luck... BTW no trade IN...

stever

Thanks for keeping us posted.

Steve, Host

mrfinagle

Scotty99, u can try Brooklyn. they don't do deals on LX's but u can do better on the EX than what u posted. i'm trying to buy an LX in Natick MA for 22.5k while on a business trip (they'll honor price but i can't seem to get them to do it all in 1 trip...the issue being they don't have temp license plates).

if anybody has a better deal for the LX than 22.5 in NJ/NY/PA/DE pls let me know.

tylerapex

I just purchased an '03 Odyssey EX-L in Redrock Pearl from a dealer in Cary, NC (Raleigh-Durham area). It was $26,690 ($2170 below MSRP) plus 3% sales tax and $249 document fee. This price was almost $1000 less than any other dealer in my area offered. Just thought I'd let you guys know.

I've been reading the forum for several weeks now and it has really helped with my purchase decision.

Thanks,
Tyler

aspesisteve

you know that the Odyssey pricing is coming down to earth when they not only start paying to advertise them on TV but are now offering low monthly lease payments as they are now in No. Calif.

Since I purchased mine one year ago at MSRP, because that's the best I could get, I've probably lost one year's depreciation plus the $3k over invoice. Oh well - I do think the car is fantastic.

mrfinagle

the asst.manager that i've been speaking with to close the deal is on vacation and it looks like his manager is backing out of the deal (22.5 for the LX)! he said the ad was weeks ago and he can't sell it for that. i asked him if he stood behind his people and he said he would contact the asst. on vacation to see what he intended. speaking of something smelling fishy... it has been a verbal commitment up to this point...is this ethical?!

mrfinagle

the manager weaseled out of the deal by saying they meant for it to be 'in stock' vehicles. when i spoke to the asst. manager on wed. he was going to call me back to see if i needed to make 2 trips or not, then he went on vacation wed-fri. and they (supposedly) sold the two that were in stock! so while i was waiting in earnest and calling back thur and today they sold both vans!?

so there's another van coming on aug 1st and the manager said he can sell it to me for a fair price but not 22.5.

does anybody think i have a case with Honda? anything i can do?

biglele

mrfinagle, is that Plaza Honda, Brooklyn? thanks.

biglele

ms_mayor

Unless you've got something in writing, I think you're out of luck.

I do think its definitely worth a letter or two though, to relate your experience.

mrfinagle

Bayridge Honda gave me a quick 26,3xx for the EX if you're interested as a starting point for negotiation, biglele.

BTW, latest in my sob story - the asst. manager called me from vacation and promised to call me before noon tomorrow to discuss next steps. he was agitated at being bothered on his off time, but more amenable than the manager...any predictions?

clpurnell

You have been victimized by the bait and switch. Why would you even continue to talk to this dealer. Take your money somewhere else. There are over 200 Oddy's down here in houston on dealer lots all for invoice(not in short supply here isell). pick up the phone call and have it shipped to your door. DO NOT GIVE THIS DEALER YOUR MONEY!!!! By going through with the deal you reinforce his sale tactics just my .02 good luck.

msknopf

Thanks for all the posts on the service contract. Looks like the 900 service package is not a good deal and I will pass.

I traded voice mails with the folks in Natick regarding LX. They were very nice and offered a good deal $24.1 but nothing in the area of $22.5. They also didnt have anything in inventory but were expecting shipments in early august. BC I live in NY and needed something quickly, I didnt really push to find out their lowest price, as a few hundred dollars wasnt worth a trip to Boston.

My brother lives near Natick and just leased a Pilot. He talked with Natick dealer but ended up getting a better deal (and a higher trade in) from Honda Village.
Michael

mrfinagle

Thx for the advice everyone (& your patience host n all)!

the info about the august shipment matches up with their statement to me, therefore it's unlikely if they want 24.1 they'll sell at 22.5 based on 'honor.' it's a shame i wasted so much time - my family vacation to niagra falls starts aug 10th, so i prob. won't get the van in time!
well, if i'm gonna do this through mcdavid, maybe i'll splurge for the EX-L...

mrfinagle

please email me if you have contact info for salespeople you worked with to get the 25,500 EX-L deal. i called mcdavid on friday but the sales rep i spoke to never called me back.

fyi, honda east in cincy is not offering the great deal mentioned in an earlier post (#4374) for the EX anymore... they got so many calls from out-of-state they're down to 2 vans in the inventory.

this is getting frustrating.

aspesisteve

mrfinagle,
just take your business elsewhere and use your price as a goal at the next place. If you show up at that dealer after being jacked around, they will show you NO respect. They think they've got you hooked lined and sinkered, so just go down stream - that same car is sitting on another lot in another town nearby

talltxag

Finally, after a couple of months, we decided to go ahead and get an Ody. As previously mentioned, we shopped around in Houston and knew what prices the vehicles were being sold for. Decided to e-mail a couple of other dealerships we hadn't spoken to previously. Offered $500 under invoice for an EX ($24163). Got countered with $24195. Called and got a total drive out price including TTL and stupid VIN etch fee ($189, said nonnegotiable) of $26144. So, took that to a dealer closer to us who we had test driven an Ody before with. Told them that we wanted that drive-out price including everything. Got the old "have to speak with my GM" speech but did come back and agreed to that price. So, that's the deal we got although interestingly they had to drop the price of the vehicle to $24095 so that they could get their fee of $289 for the stupid VIN etch in there! Again, was told that was nonnegotiable from this dealer as well. Not happy about that part but needed a van for a trip and were all in all happy with them matching the drive-out price of the other dealer.

As a side note, was asking salesman about financing, wanted to know the rate, gave the old song and dance of wouldn't know until we got there and ran our credit but would probably be btw 4.5 and 8%. I tried to get to the finance man to find out exactly what it would be but said he was "out" at that time (late afternoon). So, we decided to go with People First. Called them at 6:15 p.m. to see if we could get approved and get a check the next day as we had an appt to get the vehicle then. They said, as they were in the Pacific time zone, that we had 45 minutes to complete the info online. We did and got their check Fed-Exed the next morning by 10:30 a.m.! Was impressed with that. When went to buy the vehicle, the salesman started all the paperwork about financing and we said, sorry, already have it. He acted surprised, said it was a good rate. Business people took the check with no problems. Sure was a smooth process.

Drove it over 500 miles this past weekend and had no problems, really enjoyed it.

Thanks to all and Edmunds who have posted their experiences as we saved some money and learned a lot about car buying in general and the Ody in particular.

lapvn

We purchased ours from Yonkers Honda, others here have posted getting deals from D&C Honda in Tenafly, NJ

havasu4me

Hi, got your email, sent you an email with salesman`s name at McDavid`s in Houston.

Sorry to hear that Honda East isn`t selling at invoice anymore. If you`re willing to travel to Houston, that sounds like you`re best bet for the lowest price. I could have bought from Mcdavid for $500 below invoice, but wouldn`t have gotten the color I wanted, plus their fees were more than I paid in Ohio.

Check out the different dealers in Houston by email or phone and see what price you can get. Just ask for the internet sales person or get the name from their website.

Chicago also was selling for invoice recently at Carr`s Honda and Windy City Honda. Don`t know if they still will... check their web sites. Just depends on how far you`re willing to travel to get the best price. Good luck.

mrfinagle

it seems the houston dealers' inventory is coming back down to normal (Goodman had only 1, McDavid 3) and the third deal didn't return my voicemail. bottomline for me: the ex-l is now ~26,250 (vs. previous best of ~25,750) plus shipping (400-850).
d&c was only willing to do a few hundred off msrp, but yonkers offered 26,860 +tax...looking like the best offer for NJ (thx for the tip, lapvn). the planet honda guy i test drove the van with may actually try to do better, we'll see tomorrow. hopefully i'll be in the accessories posts the next time you hear from me!

scotty99

Put in an AutobyTel request last week which ended up at Planet Honda. They never got back to me, which I find extremely odd. Ah well, their loss. Route 22 Honda would only do $28,000. The variation is pretty amazing, eh?

joyhowie

I had a completely delightful experience yesterday at the Honda dealer in Everett, MA. They have 40 or so Odysseys on their lot. They offered the EX-L at $26610 right up front, in my preferred color of Havasu Blue. Since I hate the stupid negotiation dance with dealers, I took it and that was that. Didn't have to sit through the finance song and dance, or the undercoat BS. I may have gotten a better price if I'd fought for it, but the whole thing was done in less than 2 hours, and most of that time was just cooling our heels because the salesman was working with us and another customer simultaneously. I pick up the car Thursday. E-mail me if you want the salesman's name. He was GREAT.

aspesisteve

I can totally relate to wanting to avoid the pitch for after market add ons and dealer finance; so much so, that I told the dealer that if he wanted a good grade from me for customer satisfaction that I would only do it if he spared me the BS, which he gladly did.

You come to an agreement on price and the last thing you need is to be ripped off and have your intellengence insulted with worthless crap.

mrfinagle

i showed my fax from yonkers to the guy at planet i test drove with, and he slammed their reputation and said their deal wasn't real because it didn't have a vin# (the van hadn't been ordered yet because i hadn't decided on the color yet, so how could it i'm thinking?). do i need a vin# to put down a deposit (seems like catch22)? anyway, he did this elaborate back and forth dance to his 'manager' and i exit-ed stage left on his last trip. i knew he'd come with a higher price, so why bother. oh, and the rt.22 saleswoman/manager conveniently left 2 hrs early after promising me a call back with a lower price (policy is if they can't beat the price they pay $500). why does it have to be this way in nj? credits to academy and vip honda though... at least they gave honest answers they couldn't beat yonkers.

aspesisteve

mr finagle,
yes you do need a VIN# to make your deal valid or at least have a detailed description of the car, year, make, model, options, miles...... otherwise a price is just a price

aren't car dealer games fun?
not

lapvn

Let me TRY to tell you the short version of my story. I search and search for a bargain, got screwed but the people at Hillside Honda, got laughed at from Mahwah, got lied to from D&C Tenafly, and most were ready to call the paddy wagon for me. By the end of our long 3 month search, Yonkers was the only one willing to step up to bat. They gave me the price we were satisfied with at the time ($1900 below MSRP) and they were willing to put it in writing. With every test we gave them, they came through, so we had no other reasons to look elsewhere, and by Monday night, we took the bus from Madison Ave. to Yonkers and paid our $500 deposit. A little over a week later, we drove home with our new baby. All in all, deal was hammered out via emails over the weekend, started on a Friday late afternoon. Monday placed the deposit.

At the time that we were looking, D&C told us, they had a back log of 6 months and they thought I was crazy for asking such a price. I stuck to my guns and got my car at the price we were happy to walk out the door.

FYI, When I asked Honda to prove that their offer was valid, I ask them to fill out the order sheet with the pricing and the VIN# (if the vehicle is in stock) and signed off on, and they did.

scotty99

Never heard the "we'll beat it, or $500" line...if this is true, I have a retail order to send them...where did you hear this Mrfinagle?

nych

After eye-straining hours of internet research trying to get (on the ground or at least close) a Sienna at less than MSRP, couldn't take the song and dance enymore. I signed for an 03 Odyssey today and will take delivery tomorrow.

I had test driven the ody at Honda of Nanuet when shopping the sienna, quest and ody. Liked the way I was received there--a lot of dealerships don't take a married woman customer seriously until the husband is in tow... Also, felt good about the salesman. So went back today. Got an EX w/ leather and entertainment for 3.5% over edmund's invoice + destination.

Seems like a good deal to me--if it's not don't tell me I would highly recommend the dealership. Honda of Nanuet, Rockland County, NY, distant suburb of NYC

Sorry for the long post, but I want to say thank you to all of you, the information from these boards helped tremendously with my purchase from research to negotiation. THANK YOU!

nych

I'm looking for a delivery checklist for tomorrow. There's a link on the Honda Odyssey board, but the page it leads to doesn't exist anymore. Can anyone point me in another direction?

stever

Congrats on the new Odyssey.

Try this link for a checklist.

Steve, Host

aspesisteve

Steve,
I see one item on the checklist as: 'Clunk while backing up'

Is this referring to the trany when going from Park to Reverse? - which is something I get.

stever

Probably so - stand by for responses to your similar post in the Honda Odyssey Problems discussion, and try a Discussion Search in there for "clunk" or "transmission."

Steve, Host

mrfinagle

don't hold your breath about the 500 from rt.22 - this was verbal from a saleswoman who magically went home 2 hrs. early the last time i called. she also mumbled something about 'or giving 110% of the difference'...

btw, the nanuet price is almost identical to yonkers if i had gotten the dvd (salesman said it'd cost ~1500 more). anyway, i put my deposit down with yonkers 'cause i need the wheels for vacation and lapvn's referral... i don't know why nj dealers have to be such hard a*ses when the rest of the tristate is getting <1000 over invoice/>2000 under msrp. fyi, mcdavid & goodman never call me back so i took that as a bad sign.

nych

Thanks again!

Mrfinagle, yonkers was one of the places I got treated like "the wife". Drove a little further to Nanuet and had much better experience...just one man's--oops make that woman's--opinion.

lfbenny

We brought home our 03 ODY last night (Apple Honda York PA). EX model, very good buying experience. We too grew very tired of the Toyota song and dance. It took us 3 weeks to even find a dealer that had one to test drive. We loved it, but the negotiation on price was ridiculous. They (Toyota) offered 700$ for a Subaru we sold privately for 2,700$ last week. They would not budge off sticker price, even after we told them we would do a cash sale with no trade in. Go figure. So, 25,200 dollars later there is an ODY in the garage and the wife couldn't be happier! Now about that extended warranty they offer....

hard_nut

Hi Folks, Just became the proud owner of 03 LX. Signed all the documents in Houston...and will drive home(Atlanta) the Van for invoice price. I am pretty sure the dealer might still be making 1%-3%. Anyway I wanted to know what kind of documents, warranties, and sundries should I take from dealer to completely own the vehicle. He is not giving me the Title, although I have given him the cash. He is saying the title will be delivered in next 9-10 business day. Is it fair or should I become suspicious of things to come?

robsdad1

You will get a "Certificate of Origin" from Honda in California not a title from the dealer. After receiving the Cert., you will be able to apply for a Title in your home state.

In IL, I received a Bill of Sale, a Sales tax certificate stating I paid $0 sales tax, a mileage statement for the vehicle, and a 10 day out of state transportation permit which was displayed on the window for the ride home.

The Dealer will probably try to sell you a Honda Care Warranty before you leave for home. The costs of these things can vary so get up to speed on them.

We sure have enjoyed our new Ody. Good luck with yours.

scotty99

I picked up the new bus yesterday...$27,020 from D&C Honda in NJ. Wound up leasing at the end, so using the 27K as cap cost and 1K to cover 1st month, inception etc, I wound up w/ $358/mo for 48 months.

I like it so far, but it's not quite as luxurious as the Saab 9-3 it's replacing. Ah well.

aspesisteve

not sure if it's different in Ga vs. Ca, but a temp. registration sticker should be placed inside your windshild before you leave the lot. The dealer takes care (you paid him to do it) of your registration the first year and it should come in the mail, as they said, in a week or two.

So relax

chunglau

Bought a 2003 EX-Nav in the South Bay three weeks ago: $28.7K + tax and license. About $2.1K below MSRP, but still $1K above invoice. Noticed that there were very few Nav's in the area.

tiger41

Just got a great deal in Greenville, SC at Breakaway Honda. I bought a 2003 Honda Odyssey
EX-L with DVD player.
I paid $1000 over dealer invoice, no additional fees or add-ons like the Atlanta area dealers wanted to do. $27,918 drive out.
I phoned or email many dealers in the greater Atlanta area and no one could touch this deal. (The Alabama dealers couldn't touch this deal either.)
They faxed me a final price and when to pick it up. We were out of the dealership in 2 hours, only having to wait for the van to be cleaned.
It was a very pleasant experience. NO hassel deals can be found.
Thanks for all the info from this forum. It helped me go outside the metro Atlanta area for a better deal !

wholigan

Not sure what "dealer" invoice is... Edmunds has invoice for EX-L w/RES for $27,359. Is the DVD play the Honda Entertainment System of some kind of after-market? You stated the $27918 was the DRIVE OUT price - did that include tax? If so, I'd say you more than a good deal...

dmegle3

Anyone purchase a new 2003 odyssey in Minnesota? If so, how much for? How much over invoice?

How much with tax, title, license...

Thanks in advance...

Possible Odyssey buyer - but the dealers I have talked to won't budge below MSRP...

dmegle3

I guess a better question I'd love to see answered, (and goes right in line with the forum), is how all of you seem to be getting 2003 Odyssey's for $500 over invoice? Do you just tell the dealer -"Hey, I want to pay $500 over invoice." The dealers I have said that too have keeled over laughing...saying there's a waiting list for the vehicles and that they wouldn't lower it even if they had them in...

I'd love to get an EX model for 25,200...I live in Minnesota - am I dreaming? What's the technique for getting the dealer down to over invoice?

Thanks!

rbell2

It must a regional supply/demand thing. A dealer in Memphis, TN has been routinely advertising $25,500 for a cloth EX (no accessories). This price includes their $295 doc fees so it is just $25,00 plus tax, tag, and title.

wholigan

FWIW -
•I live in Apple Valley
•I had been looking for a new van since 1999
•I tried ALL FIVE metro dealers - Burnsville, Richfield, Buerkle, Brooklyn Park, & Hopkins
•The BEST offer I got (happened to be the last time I tried - in Feb 2003) was $500 of MSRP

I was in Chicago in April and saw an ad for $2 over (Edmunds) invoice - was sure it was one of those "Only That Vehicle" deals. I was wrong - it was for every EXL/RES they had in stock. I bought an EXL/RES at Carrs Honda (on Western Avenue in Chicago proper) for $2 over invoice ($27361). A few other folks here (look back at this topic starting in May) have done the same (straight EXLs as well)... They regularly run internet specials, however, their web-site is currenlty being revamped so no internet specials are published. The last one I saw on their site had straight EXLs for $600 over (Edmunds) invoice ($26,611). The process is very simple and you don't pay tax until you tag it in MN.

Bottom line (my humble opinion anyway) - the metro area dealers purposely limit the number of available Ody's to inflate their profit opportunity. Things that make you go "Hmmmmm"-
•There were PLENTY of Ody's on the lots in Chicago
•Honda allocations to Minnesota are supplied through the Midwest Region - for Honda, that is Chicago

BTW - I did have a co-worker bring the printed "internet special" from Carr's to Buerkle - they countered with invoice + $800 and she took it (for the sake of having the dealership for purchasing and maintenance be the same).

Also note, I have been bringing the Ody to Burnsville for scheduled maintenance. I am amazed at how well we have been treated there. I even brought in some pricing (from another dealership) for the 7/100000/$0 extended warranty - they matched that no problem. Just couldn't even come close on the van purchase price!

Hope all this helps!
Wholigan