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Comments
Ivoice - 15322
Received $500 under invoice on this vehicle in the DFW area $14822 with no extras and 1.9% financing. Have them take off any VIN etching or other bogus dealer add-on.
Don't just rely on the sites like Carsdirect, etc. Email every large car dealer in the area and let them know other Fleet/Internet Managers are competing for your business.
MSRP: $16,470
FACTORY INVOICE: $15,094
YOUR SPECIAL INTERNET PRICE: $14,388 + tax and license . This price includes the destination charge of $460.00. This opportunity expires in 5 days. This vehicle includes a 36 month/36,000 mile warranty.
i think this is pretty good but has anyone else been able to do better? i live in Los Angeles.
invoice: $15,094
I used the net to get about 4 quotes from local dealers close to me. After I got their quotes, I saw that the lowest one was $14,400 (including destination fee), that's $700 under invoice. I did the math on what $14,400 would cost me (out the door).
$14,400 for car
$200 for tags
$45 doc fees
$14,645 + 8.25%tax = $15,853(OTD)
with this price in mind I emailed all the dealers back stating I was serious about buying if i see a good price, so I put in my offer of $15,600 OTD price and also for them to throw in mats($89) and guards($89) along with the deal. I know to ask for out the door price, that way they can't screw me with hidden charges. I only received one reply stating they can do the $15,600 but will not be able to add the accessories, that was the one that quoted for $14,400. One other dealer replied and said he was unable to sell at my offered priced, 2 other dealers didn't reply at all.
Edmunds TMV: 16,152
Invoice: 16,052 (includes shipping)
Highest quote 16,200
Lowest 15,500
The dealership I liked best was a no-haggle and they wouldn't budge off 16,200. I didn't trust the low-ball dealership at 15,500 because they tried to get me to sign the purchase agreement via fax without my ever having seen the vehicle.
Finally settled on 15,750, floor mats included, add in 5% Mass sales tax, and with the 1.9 percent financing my payments are 293/month.
I didn't buy the extended 7 year warranty for 850--gotta research that. But Edmunds and some other sites were great for getting the invoice price and figuring out what was a fair offer.
Also, between 2003 EX Auto & Manual, are there any pros and cons?
print that out and take it into your dealer. still make them throw in the stuff i mentioned above. hehehe
I went to a "value dealership" today, & they had a good price, but tagged on a 150 bucks documentation & registration fees & 75 dollar car locating fees.. I had heard about the documentation one, but nothing abt the locating fees - arent they supposed to be making their money just by virtue of selling a car??
Any advice on how to dodge these "service fees" from the dealer?
Also, I got prequalified for a good amount from the Honda web site, but it doesnt gaurantee any APR. I havent had any car loans before, what ensures that one gets the best APR (1.9% currently) - does one have any bargaining power on the APR, & how much in the hands of the dealership is it?
Quoted 13932.
Paid 15207. otd
Some dealers make more money selling you a loan than they do selling you a car. So, you need to negotiate your apr, too. If your credit rating is good, you shouldn't have any trouble getting the 1.9%. Dunno what your circumstances are, but I've read that Honda doesn't penalize 1st time borrowers if they look creditworthy otherwise. Some dealers have posted that they have NO latitude on apr qualification, which I know is a lie; but your credit rating does matter.
So, I'd make an 'out the door' offer, say you want the 1.9%, and take it from there.
I have been reading all of your entries and have been doing some additional research to figure out exactly what to do. With a new house on the horizon, I figured a Civic with all of the bells and whistles is a better option than a more expensive base model Jetta. I currently own a '97 Civic Coupe DX and love how it handles, but I'm looking for more options now since that was a college car. Here is what I've been able to obtain thus far:
Edmunds TMV: $15,650
Dealer Quote: $15,425
Title: $20
Doc Fee: $50
I believe I can get floor mats, splash guards and side molding included at dealer cost. I know this dealership is legitimate, I bought my '97 there.
This sounds like a great quote, should I take advantage of it now or wait a few months to see if the manufacturer/dealer adds more incentive $$? I feel I'm on a race against time since I will be taking on a mortgage in about 6 months and will need a new car within 18 mos. It seems now is the time to buy since $$ is cheap.
ANY SUGGESTIONS??
Thanks!
The only debt I have is $700 in school loans and I already have a closed auto loan that was paid off early. I have heard that a mortgage messes up your credit for approximately a year. My father suggested to get a car now since rates are low and dealers in Columbus are selling below dealer invoice on Hondas. His rationale is most people have auto loans when they take out a mortgage. Plus, I'm a first time homebuyer and there are many options out there for people like me.
???
background. An '84 Civic Si hatchback, my first car. Loved it and had
it for 15 years. Replaced it with a '99 Civic DX hatchback that was
stolen two years later from a commuter railroad parking lot. Big mistake
#1 in parting with the '84 (due to terminal suspension corrosion) because
I could have used it as the station car and the '99 would not have been
stolen. Replaced the '99 Civic with an '02 Focus ZX3. Big mistake #2,
not because I have had any problems with it, but its just not a Civic, and
its trade-in value is about as much as scrap metal. Looking to replace
it with an '03 or '04 Civic Si. So far have discovered the worthlessness
of the Focus and the fact that prices for the Si here in suburban NY
are not as discounted as I might have imagined. Best price for the Si
so far $16,979. I would like to ask the board if anyone is aware of a
site on the 'Net that posts the prices for Honda/Acura cars that people
actually have paid for them. Seems to me it would be very simple to
put together a database that included the date of purchase, city,
zip code,dealer name, vehicle model, and price. Whether the price is high
or low does not matter, but rather it would be possible to see nationally
which dealers have the best available deals. I find all the price
guides quite lacking and the info only seems to very roughly approximate.
Anyone aware if this database exists and anyone aware of any really
good deals on the Si available out there? Thanks.
On a side note, I've also read about how people who have posted here were able to get the dealer to throw in extra accessories such as floor mats, cargo nets, and trunk trays, if anyone can give me some advice as to how to get the dealer to throw them in that'd be great. Thanks!
As far as the timing, to get the lowst pissible price, I would suggest wait until the 2004 models actually hit the dealer lots. Honda will throw some dealer incentives to move the remaining 2003's. That will work if you are flexible on colors and options (Side airbags) Generally dealers are happy to find someone willing to buy a 5 spd car, especially in metropolitan areas. If the particular dealer does not have it in stock, they can locate one for you and they will trade one of their cars for it. Another venue is to try www.carsdirect.com they will give you the best no haggle price. I was able to do bette ron my own, but some people don't like the "cut throat" approach that I am comfortable with. Carsdirect will locate the exact car you specify and hook you up with a local dealer to finish off the paperwork. If you are planning on financing through Honda (1.9%) they can arrange that as well.
Good luck
and no I don't work for carsdirect.com, but I think they are the next best thing since sliced bread when it comes to car shopping. You acan use TMV as well, but it seems higher than real world prices, since it is an average, and some people still get suckered into paying sticker.
P.S. I agree, you'll do much better selling your Corolla yourself.
I went crazy and compiled at least 18 quotes. Lowest for a Corolla is 13,250 and about 13,900 for the Civic. Just read a post from a guy in Wisconsin who got his 2004 for about 14000 out the door.
Wondering if a few folks out there might want to shop together to motivate them to get the sales even though the price might be lower than they'd like. I'd need a ride tho. Send me a message.
If you have subscribed to this discussion, the move should not interfere with your subscriptions.
Sorry for any confusion or inconvenience! Any questions can be emailed to me.
Thanks!
I learned about CarsDirect.com from this board and quickly found that their price was $16,672 (no side airbags). This is for the 2003 Civic Si, MSRP $19,000. Armed with the CarsDirect price I called the salesman at San Jose's Capitol Honda who had given me the test drive and asked him to beat it. I offered $16,000 and we actually agreed on $16,325 or so. But shortly afterward he called me back and said he "talked to his manager" and couldn't do that price -- the best he could do was $17,025. So I politely told him I'd check around -- if I couldn't beat his price I'd come back.
Meanwhile CarsDirect had given me a contact at another local dealer, Los Gatos Honda. I emailed this person with what I wanted. In retrospect this was a mistake: I should have phoned him directly. He didn't call me until 3 days later, when I was actually on my way to pick up the new car somewhere else. If I'd talked to him sooner I might have taken one of the new 2002's he had on offer.
Fortunately I did one smart thing: At the same I wrote Los Gatos Honda, I also started the process of buying through CarsDirect themselves. They called me back the next morning with the news that they had located almost exactly the vehicle I was looking for ("almost" because they couldn't find the side airbag option anywhere in California). The price would be the $16,672 which was quoted on their web site. This includes the destination fee and is about $1300 below Invoice.
I'm happy enough with CarsDirect that I would certainly use them again, but you really have to watch them. At one point my contact there told me on the phone that I would get the car for $16,150, but then when I added up the figures he sent me it was really $16,900. This in itself could have been an honest mistake over how to account for the $750 Honda dealer incentive -- the Capitol Honda sales person had made almost the same mistake. But why $16,900 instead of $16,672? It's because he had added in the cost of the front side airbags but never took them out again when he couldn't find a car that had them.
So watch every step carefully and don't hesitate to call them.
CarsDirect sent me to Jim Doten Honda in Berkeley, CA, about 60 miles from home. I guess it was worth it to save about $350 over the best price I was able to negotiate in San Jose, but it reduced my leverage once I was at the dealer. This caused one problem...
I used Honda financing -- it was very helpful to be able to get preapproved through their web site -- however there was one hitch: Honda had seemingly approved me for the special 1.9% financing, but the dealer refused to give it to me based on my credit report. It's odd because Honda had already run my credit in order to grant the preapproval, and presumably in order to issue the certificate for 1.9%.
So this was the one sleazy thing about a deal that otherwise went fairly smoothly: I had told the salesman that I was approved by Honda for the 1.9% and nothing more was said about it until I was signing the papers and saw that the interest rate was 7.99%! I complained of course and they actually lowered it to 6.something. I still need to call Honda to complain about this treatment. If there really was a problem they should have told me about it, not left it for me to find for myself in the fine print.
I have bought a fair number of vehicles in my life but this is only the third new one. Honestly I felt I got completely screwed the first two times so I've stayed away -- the last one was in 1985. My experience this time around shows that the auto industry still tries to screw you every way they can, but armed with information and some patience it is now a lot easier to avoid or mitigate the worst abuses.
Bad news - I think you got screwed again buying a new car. The dealer made some money (and cost you even more) by keeping you out of the AHFC 1.9% apr loan. Folks are posting about new car loans at 3.5% with good credit (which it appears you have, since you pre-qualified). Putting you into the 6+% apr loan made the dealer an extra $1K (or more) and cost you an extra $2.5K-$3K over the life of the loan.
If you act quickly enough, you may be able to get AHFC to pressure the dealer into re-writing the loan. Failing at that, you can probably refi through your bank or credit union at a lower rate - saving yourself some bucks and costing the dealer his ill gotten gain on your deal.
Love the car; hate the slimeball dealers.
Delivery + air tax + PDI = $1110
Total net of GST = $21,510
What is the best price paid up north for this car. Please give me a goal to work towards.
thanks
Thanks
I never could equal the best prices I heard others reporting when I net shopped in Dec; the best I could do was within $500 if I were willing to make a long pick-up trip.
FWIW, I think Si trunk money is drying up, at least until the '04's get here. So, I think $15K for an '03 may not be doable now.
Over all probably only half of the dealers I put quotes into have responded, don't know if this is peculiar to Honda dealers in general or just my area, but I thought this a little strange. . .
If the guy with the '02 were easier to deal with, he prob wouldn't have an '02 still sitting on his lot.
If you wanna try for that '02 and still can't get something going on the net, you can always give the sales manager a call.
and river, you're probably right about the guy with the '02! It's a really big dealership as well, and they have radio ads all the time claiming how they have low low prices etc etc. (they're acura division was much friendlier though, and responsive)