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It was my first new car buying experience too, but don't let them intimidate you. Get up, walk around, text/call some competitors. It's a great time to be a buyer.
From the NYTimes, regarding November sales:
"General Motors, down 41.3 percent, Ford Motor, down 30.5 percent, and Chrysler, down 47.1 percent, hope the ugly numbers will help them explain their desperation as they ask Congress for $34 billion in government-backed loans to keep them alive. Executives from those companies will be in Washington on Thursday and Friday to make their case.
But while those companies have been losing sales and market share for years, they also can point to Tuesday’s reports from their foreign competitors as evidence that their current woes are not entirely self-inflicted. At Toyota, which was offering loans with zero percent interest on 11 of its normally popular models, sales fell 33.9 percent. Honda’s sales dropped 31.6 percent and Nissan’s plunged 42.2 percent."
2009 EX-L Coupe manual no NAV, preordered and pre-negotiated price back on 9/29. Car finally arrived this week.
$200,20, plus TTL and $250 doc fee (standard for Cincinnati area).
Also purchased a discounted 5 yr int/ext warranty and took the 1.9% financing with nothing down.
Had the car two days and absolutely love it. Guess that's what's most important!
Secondly, just wanted to let you know about my deal. My wife and I just go back from Rensselaer Honda in Troy, NY (close to Albany, NY). Got a new 2009 Civic LX Sedan Automatic for $16,700 + tax + title / dmv. Pretty good deal as far as I can tell. Great dealership too, they really didn't balk at the quote they gave me over the phone.
2009 Honda Civic LX 4 Door Auto - Atomic Blue
$17600 - OTD
includes: Handling, Doc Fee, Tax 6% & Title & Registration
We opted for the 1.9% APR.
Think this is the best price we have seen so far !!
Let us know what you guys think.
It was a tough experience avoiding all the service contract/security system and stuff.
Thnaks.
This was one of the lowest quotes in TX and I even contacted dealerships in 2 other states; AZ and NM. Others offered me lower quotes but just by 100-130 dlls and still had to drive a couple hundred miles to pick it up and it just didn't make sense.
I'm really happy with my purchase and my salesman
He insisted, so I gave him a ridiculous price. He had to talk with his manager. he came back and told me my trade expectation was ridiculous, and I agreed. I repeated just give me a price for the car, and then we can deal with the trade. He again asked what I wanted for my trade.
I started to walk out, and he said he had to talk to his manager before I could go! I asked if his mgr would give me a price, and he mumbled something that sounded affirmative, so I waited a few minutes.
The salesman came back and again asked what I wanted for my trade. I walked - accompanied by the salesman, who kept insisting he had to talk w/his mgr before I could go. As I expected, I didn't need his mgr's permission to leave....
I understand this is one way car stores are run, but I don't want to deal with people who treat customers that way.
Good dealer: Castle Honda, Morton Grove, IL - very straightforward. They had a couple of Fits, and they didn't pack dealer-added options on them. They insisted on MSRP, but since Fits were few and far between, I couldn't blame them.
As it happened, my wife and I took another drive in the Civic, and it just didn't fit right, so we didn't negotiate price. I bumped my head entering and leaving the car, for one thing.
Next time I need a car, I'll probably check out the Hondas at Castle. I expect I'll never enter the doors of Carr's again.
These experiences took place at the end of September, 2008.
SO far researched about dozen places. Between NYC and Albany area - lowest that I am getting is $18,350 and no other fees but TAX/DMV and registration. (it does include delivery) . We don’t know if we should wait until January/February of next year or pull the trigger now?
I heard that PA/NJ dealers are giving 09-civics away well below invoices – because people stopped buying them, and just are desperate to move them out. Also, heard that poor Toyota was trying to get rid of Corollas (LE-auto) 09 for low 15k with 0% interest.
It sounds that people almost stopped buying and dealers are running out of storage-parking spaces for them.
How low can I get Automatic 09-EX civic? You think Honda will have to offer 0% next month to motivate some sales?
a lot of them will go belly-up soon if they dont change or economy doesnt pickup.
Just drive_by any Honda dealer and see how many customers can you see inside, and how many new cars outside (including civics). I drove-by last Firday/Sat. near three of them - and all I can see - bored salesman looking in the windows. I think that all car makers will have to drop prices including Honda to move some wheels of the lots. Otherwise in January/February they will have to start reducing their head count if not sooner. Not a good time to be in car business
Is the dealer losing money with your price? If so, why would they sell a car and take a loss? Be reasonable, don't believe all the prices posted here, and do your homework for your area.
Hope this helps!
Bill G
2017 Accord Sport CVT Mod Steel Metallic
Yes, that price included the destination charge. The only other fees that were attached were DMV($75) / Doc($40) & Tax(8% in my county) which were all standard. If you can you might want to take a swing at Rensselear Honda.
The invoice on EX automatic seems to be $19094. The best I can get in the NJ area is around $200 less than this. Which dealership is giving this for $18350?
Say I borrow $1000.00 from you. A week later I pay you back $800.00 and tell you that you should be happy you're getting $800.00 in these economic times. Wouldn't you be happy you only lost $200.00? Now multiply that by 150 transactions. See the big picture?
The point is, the dealers can not help what they own the car for. And yes, there are sometime when we make take an actual loss on a car or two, but you start crunching the numbers it does not make business sense to start losing money on the majority of transactions.
Lastly, how good is the NAV system? The car is for my father, and I want him to have some sort of NAV so he doesn't get lost getting to the grandkids soccer games, but not sure if he should go with the Honda option or a handheld Garmin.
ALso, NJP142, where did you get the EX-L quote at 500 under invoice, thats better that the few places I have checked in with so far.
Bought wife's 08 EX-L 4WD Pilot last summer using info on these boards, and felt good about price paid.
Thanks!
I think, with all present economic conditions (especially in auto industry), car makers will have to slash prices and put more incentitives. I noticed they are trying to reduce the production - but there is still huge oversupply (including hondas/toyotas).
Hold to your $ for now and visit your favorite dealership two nights before Christmas or two nights after - and see what happens. But if you willing to to wait until January (end of month) - you will get the deal of your life on that civic EX-L. Just make sure you are very firm on your price. Let me know what you think...
God Bless - Merry C., Happy New Year to all civic owners, and... sellers.
Cheers!
The Sandman and Family
We are scheduled to get a long time Honda dealer in the area, moving to the city I live in. One of the areas Toyota dealers completed this move BEFORE the downturn. However the latest economic situation MIGHT delay the move... OR... it could accelerate it.
He told us about the expiration date (1/05/09) of the current offer of 1.99 APR for 36 months and 3.99 for 60 months, hopefully by february they will either extend it or give a better offer. :P
Model: 2009 Honda Civic EX Sedan w/Automatic - Polished Metal Metallic
Price: $18,910 (all accessories included)
OTD: $19,949 (3% new car tax in NC + fees)
I used a slightly truncated version of the 'fax/email attack' strategy from www.fightingchance.com and feel like it was well worth the $40 for the info packet. Most sites report the 09 EX automatic sedan invoice as $19094 w/destination, which is correct, but does not include the legit honda regional advertising fee ($115 in the southeast) which brings the invoice total to 19209.
After sending out my pricing request I received quotes back from most of the respondents... then narrowed it down to the people that actually had the car available (they wont deal on a car that isnt on their lot...). Some competitive bidding occurred between the dealers, which brought the price down a little (was nice to do this from my couch). As expected there was some variance in how the cars were actually equipped, but I tried to do the best apples to apples comparisons I could (vehicle + destination only). Here are my results: http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/7489/09excivicpricequotesoj9.jpg
The best quote was from a dealer who told me they had some excess inventory and were willing to give me the 2% holdback ($400) and subtract the $399 doc fee off the car's price. Only catch was I had to choose a car already in inventory and pay cost for the accessories on it that couldnt be removed (trunk tray was taken out and sunroof visor was removed). While it is true that I had to pay for a relatively bs chemical package (essentially an interior scotch guard type deal and a total joke paint sealant... $140~ "cost"), the mudguards, wheel locks and legal window tint at cost were included (what I wanted). I also had them swap out the new 09 cheese grater looking EX alloys for the standard 5 spoke ones off the 09 LX-S ($100 labor, but oh well).
As you can see in my spreadsheet, Honda of Concord's low quote inflated to over $20,100 OTD with all accessories. After some back and forth negotiation over the phone I got a verbal commitment to an OTD price of $19950~ , which they honored (they would not give me this in writing because they thought I might just take it to another dealer to get matched... was "only good today!" lol...). The only price haggling that happened at the dealer was on the trade, which I ultimately did not do (as expected, they offered me less than I feel like I can get on my own... still working on selling it. Tax break was only $105 on a $4000~ car).
Ultimately the transaction went very smoothly... there were a couple stern emails/phone calls at the final rounds, but I feel like I got a good deal (and 1.9% apr financing to boot!). If you figure that invoice on JUST THE CAR is $19210, I got the car for $200~ below invoice WITH $500 of worthwhile accessories included
If you can find a car with minimal accessories (like mudguards only or something), it clearly is possible to get vehicle + destination on an 09 ex sedan under $19,000.
Best of luck to you all - Thank you for your helpful posts. Hope my research and experience helps someone :shades:
My experience in buying cars is to go to several dealerships. Each one you go to will try to beat the last ones price. I bought a Chevy last year. The first dealership said 17,500. The second said 15,500. The third said 14,500.
I ended up buying it from Brown's in Arlington VA because the salesman & his manager were obnoxiously pushy, and got it for invoice plus fees, and got free state inspections for as long as i own the car.
Cleveland, OH (Cuyahoga County)
2009 Civic EX-L
Auto
Urban Titanium Metallic
MSRP: 22,225
Dealer came back with 21,330 with it being 23,330 including TTL. Sales woman hinted at some more room to negotiate, but based on what I'm seeing here, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot more room to move. There is no rush (can wait a couple months if need be), but is this good pricing for this vehicle? Should she wait?
Thanks for the help!
I got a good price by getting a quote from Ourisman Honda in Laurel, MD for $21790 OTD (http://laurelhonda.com/). This quote however had a contingency of "extra $500 off if bought within 72 hours," bringing it to $21290. Luckily every other dealership just matched the lower price and I could buy my car without feeling rushed or pressured. I wanted to by from Criswell and got them to beat the price by a few hundred more with some negotiating.
See my last message. That's not a good price. Request a quote from http://laurelhonda.com/ if you don't believe me. But I don't recommend going to that dealership, when I went there they treated me very rudely and tried to intimidate me into buying.
this is my first car purchase and i thought i had done my homework pretty well for the last few months. i followed all the tips on car shopping and got 6 quotes from local dealers for the 2009 Civic LX sedan AT that I am looking to buy in the next two weeks. however, none of the prices i am seeing seem like the good "deal" everyone seems to believe i should be getting with this economy -- so i wanted to run them by more expert folks!
my OTD quotes right are: $19,152, $18,759, $18,749, $18,355 and $17,490 (although I have heard some negative reviews about the last dealership and the rising cost once you go to sign).
The manager I am working with for the $18,355 price is not budging at all. Is that the best I should expect to get?
(Oh, and I'm in South East Michigan)
Thanks for any and all advice!
What is the price I will be able to buy ?
Sam
Impossible to compare these numbers across all the states and localities with different tax rates and fees. You need to break these down. If you don't have that information at hand, go back to the dealer with the $17490 quote and have them break that number down.
What is the price I will be able to buy ?
Sam
You've got to be kidding here. Are you that lazy that you can't read through pertinent information here and get a general idea? You want someone here do that for you?
i do have the breakdowns, i had thought it would be easier to compare the OTD prices.
the car prices + destination,excluding taxes (6% here) and fees (seems to be about $215 for most of them) (in the same order as the quotes above):
$17,914
$ 17,521
$ 17,496
$ 17,122
the $ 17,490 quote supposedly includes everything, I've asked for a breakdown since several dealers pretty much told me this was impossible (maybe a tactic they learn in dealer school? ;-)
Happy Holidays to all !!
Cars just not selling right now! I talked to few dealers in Albany NY area and they all complain about lack of interest. Even Civics and Fits are in RED now. All parking lots are packed with them. I think HOnda will have to come up with incentives to move their product in January.
I heard that Toyota/Nissan will be slashing prices in January - honda may follow.
Some domestics are already selling “byu one get one free” in Florida. I, ALso heard that many Toyota dealers are selling Prius at invoices now and reducing down SCions prices behind the scenes. (unheard before!). Many German car makers are doing business at below invoices levels. Also, heared that huge oversupply of cars in Europe and most of the car makers have a very bad time overseas.
Some analysts are predicting this to be the case DEEP INTO 2009, Notice how everybody is trying to stop production! - not a good time to be in a car business.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and God Bless
I'm about to buy a civic LX sedan with manual transmission. So far the best quote I've had is 16800 (inc. 670 destination) + TTL + fees . I think I can do better than that - 16500 or even lower. I'm in NJ btw.
I see lots of LX autos around, but not so many manuals, which I guess limits my bargaining power. I know dealers would be more likely to deal on something they already have on the lot. Still, they could surely trade with another dealer and end up with one less unsold car on their books.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
EX-L: 20515
EX-L (Nav): 22350
I'm located in Central NJ. Two dealers, almost 100 miles apart, quoted the same prices. Do they seem like good deals?
I'm thinking about buying between now and New Year's Eve (that being possibly the best time to buy), but with the talk regarding cars not being sold and dealer lots filling up, I'm tempted to wait.
I need advice!!!
you are right Civic is very low car in comparison to Corollas, Mazdas3, etc.
I heard that some people have problem "plowing the snow" even with few inches of fresh snow on the ground. It is a great car but not good for snow areas like Boston, Buffalo NY or Syracuse NY etc.
I think you can do ALOT better than 17K (~16 and some change). Few dealer admitted to me that civics (or any other cars) just NOT moving (people stopped buying cars totally). By the way CIvic is Civic - it is not a Accord or Camry. Why should you be paying for Civic if you cab get Camry for few more hundreds, or get Corolla for thousands less.
There is an expectation that HOnda will reduce the prices (behind the scenes) like others: Toyotas, Nissans and domestics in desparation to move some wheels of the lot. Notice that they cut the production but still HUGE oversupply of cars makes it dificult to sell for higher prices than others. Dont rush - just be very firm and you will get the deal of your life, even if you have to wait until January.
Good luck, Happy Holidays
just go back one page and you find:
"Finally bought an 09 Civic EX-L Sedan Automatic in Polished Metal. I paid $21000 OTD at Criswell Honda in Germantown, MD. The car including dest fee was ~$19450, with MD taxes and new tags came to $21k. Also got splash guards and wheel locks."
I think you can do a lot better than what you were quoted, at least 1k less.
Remeber that many dealers are very short on cash/profit and are desporate for your business. The smart once will drop the price and make less $ but keep cars moving.
I am not sure if folks realize the design offices for the Civic (others also) are in So CA. So really the car is optimized for the LA LA environs. (aka doesn't snow much) We have a commute very similar to those in LA LA land and the Civic gets 38-42 mph. The one lone exception going on 56 mo/5 years has been this last month where the fuel mileage has dropped due to "winter like" (under 45 degrees F) conditions and the winter designer RUG to 33 mpg. :lemon: