2013 and earlier-Honda Civic Prices Paid and Buying Experience

cmmarsch

Hey- I don't know much as it was my first car as well but just finished negotiating a lease deal. I think you could do better. Maybe try going out to a 42 month lease - that brought mine down a ton. And one thing it seems everyone on this forum will tell you is not to put any money down on a lease. See what he'll give you for a 42 month, if you think you can do that - it's only 6 more months. if you do that, you may also want to inquire about extended bumper to bumper to cover the rest of your term since honda only does a 36K mile B to B. I got mine for a very resonable price.

rajd1974

well said. Exactly my thoughts too.
I wonder though if the DX offers a better value than the LX. ALso, where did the 50lb in weight difference come from between LX and EX?

rajd1974

Stop quoting people who told you that "so and so" had paid $2K over MSRP etc etc. These are just rumors and propaganda tools that Sales people like to spread around so they can fool you. Fact is that there are dealerships out there that are selling for $500-$800 under MSRP right now and I expect this range to slip further as Honda starts to ramp up the production of these Civics.
Dont believe in the Sales guy or anyone at the dealership, in particular the finance guy.

rutger3

Putting $ down on a lease is generally not a good idea, keep your money in the bank. The residual value will not change whether you put $ down or not. It seems that they are assigning an unusually low residual after 3 yrs which means you are paying for more of the vehicle than you should. The $280 sounds high, check out for comparison what Toyota offers on the Corolla lease for 36 mths. Go to their website. Note the msrp of the Corolla and any down payment they might require. Be patient, do your homework and you will get a better deal.

justgrad

Ok..Will check out the Corolla, thats a good idea. The $280 seemed high to me too, wasnt sure. Thanks a ton !

manueltrans1

Just:

In 'Strategies for Smart Car Buyers', Philip Reed said that in general if you do not have tax advantages on leasing, it is better to make car payments instead of lease payments.

Leasing involves a lot of variables that the leaser can manipulate. Since the leaser is the more experienced and sophisticated party, the one who leases usually gets a bad deal.

Always remember a good deal for one party is a bad deal for the other.

That is also true with leasing a Honda Civic 06 or any other car.

Manny

newhondaowner7

Hello All!

This is my first time to post a message. I can't thank
Edmunds.com enough for the service it provides. I purchased my 06 LX AT 2 dr coupe today for $16,300.
I live in Ohio and it was extremely difficult to get
this price. I had to do a lot of homework through this website and I had to ask for several (7+) quotes in order to get a competitive deal. Many dealers want MSRP. If you are having trouble getting the right price wait a few
months and the price will go down. Btw, I am very
happy with the car. The dash board is very unique and attention getting. I will purchase an extended warranty with another dealer but I haven't decided which one yet.
Good luck to everyone!

johnyindian

What was the final price of the car (out the door)?

rajd1974

A dealership sales person called me yesterday and offered me a Hybrid at MSRP to be picked up tomorrow. This is great news. If we wait till January with the tax credit thing kicking in, the Hybrid could be nearly the same price as that of the Civic EX. However, no telling if they will jack up the prices in January. I think on the whole I am going to stick with an LX which is currently offering the best value.

starsoup7

Edmunds.com and these forums were a tremendous help with this whole thing, so I wanted to make sure I came back wrote my experience:

I did a lot of research to decide on this car--as a first time buyer, young, and female, I was pretty apprehensive that I was going to get taken.

I emailed all the dealers I could find addresses for in the mid-atlantic, specifying EXACTLY what i wanted, down to the color, no demos, no extras. I requested a broken down quote adding up to the TOTAL (out of the door price).

In my responses I got some pretty high quotes, some reasonable ones, and some dealers that did not wish to participate (I didn't understand the point of having an "internet manager" if they weren't prepared to do that type of thing and as a buyer, I won't be going to those dealerships in the future purely b/c of that).

The best quotes came from Ourisman, Pohanka, and Criswell. Criswell's price was basically invoice (I was shocked a little--especially since it was the first offer). I took Criswell's price and emailed it to all the dealers I had quotes from and no one could compete. A lot of them didn't believe I was getting that price either.

I want to make this disclaimer now, Criswell went a little above and beyond for me (getting my car from another state and not charging me to do that) and I don't know that everyone could expect to get this price on a new Civic.

However, they were very straightforward and didn't give me a lot of the silliness I was expecting when I actually got to the dealership. Seems to me that they wanted my business and are aware that people are moving more and more toward internet buying/researching--and b/c of these forums, those buyers are going to be more educated.

Also, they are among the few that I haven't received a ridiculous amount of spam from and gave me exactly what I asked for. Yes, you have always be on guard and watch to make sure you don't get something you don't want, etc (they are car dealers!) but in the end, this is who I bought from and I am happy as a clam.

The new Civic is awesome for me--just be aware, if you haven't driven one, that your view (windows, mirrors, dashboard) changes drastically but you can get used to it--I think it's better than the old view once you do.

johnyindian

When you emailed Criswell's price quote to other dealers, did you mention Criswell's name to other dealerhips ?

Kirstie_H

A major news magazine would like to hear from consumers who are thinking about/planning to sell/trade in their SUVs (and similar large gas-guzzling vehicles) for more fuel efficient cars. If you have a story to share with the reporter, please respond to pr@edmunds.com with your daytime contact info., the make/model that you are getting out of and which more fuel-efficient vehicle you are now looking for, no later than EOD Thurs., November 10, 2005.

starsoup7

No, no: If you tell the dealer who they are bidding against (and they will ask!), then there is a chance that they will try to contact that dealer to fix a price. If they don't believe a price they are given to bid against, then too bad:-)

keertib

I bought an 05 Si in the Wash DC area, in August for $17,200. However, I don't know how representative this is of the prices that other people are getting because my dad was a relatively good buddy of the dealership owner. I will say, before the owner came to the table, the lowest price the salesperson quoted me was $18,400. I did find the closest I got to $17,200 was through internet quotes.

Around the beginning of July, a dealer in the central Illinois area quoted me $16,800 for an 04 Si (which is the exact same car). I didn't end up buying the car because fuzzer34 said he was able to get an 04 Si in the Pennsylvania area for $16,800 OTD. However, I believe that the central Illinois dealer honestly could not go lower because he really wanted to get rid of the 04 as he had two left on his lot.

All of the prices I mentioned included destination but no TTL.

Hope this helps, and best of luck!

keertib

fuzzer34

Congrats on the '05 SI, I'm sure you'll love it. Yes, is true...when I bought my '04 SI, the dealer had the '04 leftover and six other '05 SI's on the lot. He really wanted to deal to get the '04 moved so for the $1K difference I took it off him. The '04 and '05 are the same cars anyhey. I bought mine in Allentown, PA, other dealers in the area had no SI's left...even '05s. We'll have to see how the new '06 SI selling pans out, bet it's a limited amount that honda makes...we'll see.

newhondaowner7

The answer to the previous question is that the car
was $16,300 +tax+title= $17,480. I cannot tell you
how difficult it was for me to get this price. Most
dealers wanted to charge $500 more than this or close
to MSRP. I recommend to get as many quotes as possible.

flight13

Finally found the Civic we were looking for. We only wanted the Civic Sedan Auto/Navi in Silver so it took some work to get it. Picked it up last night for $350 under MSRP ($20,760) at Honda of Thousand Oaks. I had an offer from another dealer for $500 under but they don't have it yet. It's killing me to think this is the most I've ever paid over invoice for a car! So far it's a great car and I love having navigation. It seems to idle a bit rough but maybe I'm just used to the quietness of our Passat. I was a little disappointed to find out it didn't come with XM radio...I guess that's only on the Coupe. All in all we're very happy.

only1harry

"well said. Exactly my thoughts too.
I wonder though if the DX offers a better value than the LX. ALso, where did the 50lb in weight difference come from between LX and EX?"

rajd1974: Most of the extra 50lbs in the EX nomes from the moonroof and its motor.

No, the DX is not a better value primarily because it doesn't have A/C and other things. If the dealer were to install the A/C it would cost you $1300-1500. Also it has smaller wheels (which means you 'll spend less on tires but they 're cutting costs on DX..) and the lock to lock turning cicrle is like 1/2" more than LX/EX which means it has a different (cheaper) power steering rack. DX models in general have cheaper cloth seats. You don't want to wear out your seat after 3-4yrs and have a hole or a wear mark in the drivers seat.. DX also has no rear sway bar which I don't like at all. The lack of rear sway bar will make the car handle worse than the other models and give it more body roll. The LX is usually the best value.

You should go to www.honda.com and check out the differences between DX, LX and EX. They have them side by side so you can compare.

user1235

Interesting, very interesting....you compared it to Mazda3 and finally chose the 2006 Civic EX sedan. I assume it's manual transmission and that you paid around $18,500 for it, correct ?

Well, I just bought a 2006 Mazda3 S Grand touring for this price (using a discount coupon) and let us compare the two cars we got for about the same price. The Mazda3 has 2.3L 160 hp engine vs 1.8L 140 for the Civic. The Mazda3 has 17" wheels and tires vs 16" in the Civic. Mazda3 has heated leather seatsm, automatic climate control, xenon headlights, 222W Bose audio system with 7 speakers and a subwoofer, 6-CD changer, rain sensing wipers, automatic headlights, trip computer, tire pressure monitoring system, leather wrapped steering wheel, emergency brake assist and electronic brake force distibution. None of which does the civic has. And we both paid $18,500 (you might have paid more).

So let's see, what advantage does the civic have ? oh yes, it has better mileage 30/39 vs 26/32 for the mazda. I guess that makes up for all leather, xeno, bose and all the other missing features.

mldj98

Congrats on your purchase.....good choice.
One thing I find interesting is that another person who often submits posts here is always comparing his Mazda3 with people who have chose the Civic instead of the Mazda.
I know there is a separate board for comparison of these two models yet....this poster keeps bragging about his Mazda3. If they bought a Mazda, why are they always here in the Civic board? Hmmmmmmmm.....makes ya wonder if second thoughts have entered into the equation? Sounds like you had done your research and picked the best car for YOU....
Again, congrats on your purchase and I am sure you will have YEARS of trouble free miles!!!!!
Happy Motoring!

fbtmouse

ok, i live in CT. looking for a 2006 Civic EX sedan Manual w/ fog lights. got a quote for $20,050, out the door (everything included).

here is the breakdown (appox)

car: $18,092.00
fog lights (msrp+install):$585.00
dealer processing fee: $159.00
TTL:$1215.16

total out the door...$20,050

i thinks it's good....what about you guys?

isellhondas

Nothing wrong with a Mazda but if they didn't add all of that extra stuff, nobody would buy them.

Oh, and it doesn't have "all" leather. You might be surprised how little of that interior is leather.

The greatest "advantage" the Civic will have is down the road when it's time to sell it. Used Mazdas attract few shoppers compared to Civics and they will bring a lot less money.

Cars will always sell for what they are worth.

Enjoy!

kyfdx

If you wish to compare the two cars, you may do it here:

Honda Civic vs. Toyota Corolla vs. Mazda3

or, here: 2006 Civic LX or 2006 Mazda3 i Touring

Thanks!
kyfdx
Host-Prices Paid Forums

johnwolf

Civic is outrageous these days.
I really can't image paying over $20k for a civic.
Three years ago I only spend $17100 OTD for my Accord LX.
What a world!

mzubb

Congrats on getting a good deal on the Mazda3 S Grand. I looked at the Mazda3 two days ago and I really wanted to like it. But I couldn't find a comfortable driving position. The low/center portion of the dash constricted my right leg and made it almost painful to reach the gas pedal. It was like my right leg had to bend to the right after the knee. Weird. I'm 5'9" 190lb. My 5'2" wife did not have the same problem.

I found the 06 Civic EX Sedan to be comfortable and had a nice test drive. I didn't experience the handbrake rubbing the knee problem that others have complained about. And I was on the lookout for it.

I'll probably go with the Civic.

mzubb

Joel, I just started looking for a Civic in the Mpls area. I've been to Richfield Honda and Burnsville Honda so far.

Richfield Honda was helpful and not pushy, but they didn't have many unsold Civics to choose from on their lot or future allocations. They also wouldn't budge from MSRP.

The Burnsville Honda salesman seemed kind of arrogant, like I should be thankful to be able to just get a brochure. The dude said, "We don't have many brochure's left so I hope you're serious about buying your Civic here". I don't know if that attitude is pervasive there. I may go back.

I'm not in a hurry, so I'll get my price, color, model eventually. I'm going to Hopkins Honda next.

only1harry

user1235: You don't seem to have all the facts straight. All the new Civics come with EBD: Electronic Brake Distribution. It's the same thing as Mazda's EBFD but every company changes the wording slightly. Leather wrapped steering wheel is available as an inexpensive $75-80 option in the Civic. The Civic also has daylight running lights for which you get a discount (usually at least 5%) from your insurance company.
I got a quote from my dealer for $17.8K for a Civic EX 5sp. and $15.9K for an LX 5sp. Your Mazda 3 is manual, not automatic, right? Gas mileage is the big factor here. Besides, many people don't want leather seats. I have leather in my Integra GSR and the seats are extremely cold in the winter and extremely HOT in the summer. Not so with the cloth seats. Leather seats also need a lot of maintenance otherwise the leather hardens, fades, and then cracks. Black leather turns a white/grayish ugly color after 2-3 years if you don't polish it and treat it often. I speak from experience on that one. Also, I would never put 17" wheels on my car. They 're horrible in the snow because of their low profile tires. And which Mazda 3 do you think gets better gas mileage and is faster? The other S models with 16" wheels, not yours with 17".

I don't think anyone denies the 3 is also a good deal (which is a mystery to me why you 're posting here), but 380,000 Americans buy a Civic every year because of its reliability and superb gas mileage. How many 3's does Mazda sell? 70-80,000/yr. Why do you think that is? And like someone said but in different words, the more a car or certain model sells, the better the resale value. I personally don't like the looks of the 3 and never really got used to it. Hasn't grown on me yet. I like the looks of the new and last generation Civics better. At the same time I 'm not denying the 3 is not a sensible buy either.

kyfdx

This is a Civic pricing discussion... Other forums have been given as options for discussing comparison vehicles..

Further posts will be removed without warning...

Thanks!
kyfdx
Host-Prices Paid Forums

JBaumgart

Thanks, mzubb, for your Twin Cities shopping report. I periodically check each dealer's inventory, and the general trend is up, but I've noticed too that Richfield usually seems to have the fewest cars in stock. So either they are less aggressive in the pricing and get a smaller allocation, or they're just a smaller dealer compared to the others. For me either Hopkins or Brooklyn Center would be closest, but I've never purchased from either one. I'm also in no hurry but I would appreciate hearing about your experiences with any other dealers in the area.

mcap56

Honda does have fantastic resale but I don't think you can say it is strictly a matter of quality. I own an 04 civic which is probably not any better than an 03 protege. Hondas retain their value primarily because they don't have fleet sales and they don't offer substantial end of year/discontinued model discounts.

miata007

Honda has very good resale value is mainly because they make great cars. Their cars are efficient, comfortable, and reliable which leads to higher demand than other cars. As a result, less incentives/rebates are needed to sell at regular times/end of year.

Comment to another poster:
Just because a car sells a million doesn't always mean it will have good resale value. A good examples is Ford Taurus. What determines the resale value is the brand, reliablity history, and the quality of the cars which Honda/Toyota has today.

Civics are outrageously expensive today. I see Accord are much better value/car (my view of course). So buyers will shop around for competing models. Some buyers decided to go with different brand such as 3/Corolla. And some new car owners like to come to different boards to share their views in hoping to help others to make more informed decisions. What's wrong with that. All he/she is saying is "check this out".

007

herbiesdad

Got my Civic Coupe, LX, Automatic about a month ago.

I paid $16,750 + tax and tags at Pottstown Honda. The price included destination everything but non-dealer fees. Dealt with Ben the Internet manager over the phone. One call and it was done. Good experience.

rutger3

If everyone or a majority of potential Civic buyers can be more patient, then the following will happen:
- the inventory of civics will go up
- the dealers will have to lower their prices as they hate holding onto cars, it does them no good, just increases their expenses on a daily basis. The law of economics always works.

The reality though, is that there are too many buyers out there that for whatever reason cannot wait to buy and this drives the prices up for all of us. As nice as the car seems, if you can't wait, then the best thing for the rest of us,is if you buy something else which will save everyone money, except the Honda dealers.

BTW, I have one dealer who keeps calling me to see if I am still interested in the Civic. This because a month ago I test drove one, he offered it at MSRP, but I wasn't biting. I keep telling him that I will wait until there are more to choose and the prices come down. For some reason he thinks that if he calls me and offers the same deal as before I will give in. Of course if they are selling them as fast as they come in, then why does he need to make sales calls?

manueltrans1

Finally got a deal on the Civic EX MT with Navi. But the dealer is trying to sell me 'Theft Avert', an encrption of the glasses of the car for $200. If the car is stolen within a period of time, I get $500 back.

A Lojack system with Lojack calling me if the car is moved without my knowledge, and good for the long time of ownership. It also give some money back if car is lost. That would be $995. With passive alarm, that would be $1300.

'Honda Care' for 8 years with 120,000 miles extended warranty for $1650.

The car I got about seven hundred dollars over invoice.

But are the add ons reasonably priced? Should I shop else where for them? Is this a case of selling the car at a lower price, but making it up with added features?

You guys are very helpful earlier to me, please give your thoughtful opinions on this.

Thanks, Manny

JBaumgart

"But are the add ons reasonably priced? Should I shop else where for them? Is this a case of selling the car at a lower price, but making it up with added features?"

The answers to your 3 questions are "No, no and yes."

only1harry

Manny,
Don't go with any add-ons. You don't need them. If the car gets stolen you have insurance for that.

The extended warranty is peace of mind but at what cost? I got one for my '01 Civic EX. I paid $695 but never got to use it. It was for 6yr/100mi. with 0 deductible. Make sure the deductible is ZERO. The extended warranty is extremely negotiable. That's where the finance/business manager makes his money: On all the extras he can sell you. For 120k mi., I wouldn't pay more than $900, but that's me. This time I don't plan on purchasing an extended warranty because nothing went wrong with my last 3 Civics. My '01 EX is approaching 170k mi. fast but noone will sell you an ext.warranty for 200k mi. unless they want their name on the deed of your house.. I did have a problem with my '01 with the evap. valve on top of the gas tank but that happened during the regular 36k mi. bumper to bumper warranty. It was less than $100 repair anyway.
Do not consider the Lojak or any other options. You 'll end up paying as much as an Accord EX after they 're done adding all this stuff to your invoice. Extended warranty I might consider because it's first year out but you can do without that too.
BTW, which dealer are you getting the car from?

manueltrans1

Only1Harry:
Got it from Curry Honda.
Manny.

kat28

i am in the market for a 06 civic sedan LX. i ordered my consumer report pricing guide for that model so i know the invoice price and the dealerhold back on it. however, when i tried to start negotiating with the consumer report's bottom line price, i was laughed out of 3 dealerships. are people really paying sticker for this car? should i wait to buy until after the first of the year or do you think i can find a dealership willing to actually negotiate on price? i live in a suburb just southwest of chicago.

isellhondas

Knowing the invoice price and holdback does not determine what the market value of a car is going to be.

Yes, people really are paying MSRP and considering that to be a good value for a great car!

This is a hard thing for some people to accept, the fact that not everything in this world has to be discounted in order to sell.

I have no idea of knowing what the inventory situation will be like after the first of the year. Better? Worse?

I really don't know. What I DO know, is the fact this car is a home run hit for Honda and it is VERY frustrating not to have product to sell at ANY price!

mvs1

I recently placed a deposit on an 06 EX Civic, Navi, auto. I'll spare the details of my "great deal" until after the paper work is signed.

In CT dealerships vary widely, some tried the "It's a great car and worth every penny of the $500 over MSRP I'm going to let it go for." Lemme go get my boots for this one :P Others offered the $200 off, I found a few willing to deal but would not get the exact car in for a few months. I contacted about six to eight dealerships by email, took all of about thirty minutes. Sifted through the trash and test drove both a coupe and sedan. Had I opted for the coupe w/Navi there would have been a good discount of a little over $1k off MSRP, throw ins of all season mats, wheel locks, etc.

Remember these dealerships are independent businesses, they can sell the car for whatever they want. If you don't get the price you want...your not obligated o buy it, politely refuse the offer. I've had dealers tell me I was lying even after I faxed the offer sheet I received.

It's an economy car, high volume (maybe not right now) but from what it looks like Honda slowed production down to handle a braking issue.

johnyindian

Does anybody know whether Honda assists it's dealers with a Floor plan interest incorporated into the invoice.

Or does the hold back take care of that fee ?

moolman

Yes, people pay MSRP right now for the car, they can pay whatever they want.

Don't you think you are being misleading by stating that you don't know if the inventory situation will get better or worse at the first of the year.

Come on, it's a dang Civic, a economy car that Honda sells at huge volumes. You are a Honda salesman, don't tell me you really believe that the supply will not catch up by 2006. If we were talking about the S2000 maybe I can believe it but the Civics and Accords are mass produced and churned out like crazy.

The only reason I can see your belief is because you want people to not wait to buy when the prices come down, which I don't blame you, we all got to make money.

History tells us that the supply will catch up, especially with Civics and Accords. If it did not before please let us know when it did not.

I'll give my personal history, I bought EXV6 Accord in Decemeber of 2003 for close to invoice. This was the first model year of the new design and dealers got MSRP in the beginning just like the Civic is now. By December the dealers were overflooded with Accords.

Why would the Civic not be the same way? What logical reason would have you think that a mass produced economy car that Honda sells hundreds of thousands of every year not be in excess supply?

Anyway, I'm just pointing out that your post was heavily dealer biased but then again you are a salesman and that's what you do.

Alex

only1harry

Like someone here said, there are rumors in other Honda forums that Honda has slowed down production because of a number of problems they 're trying to solve which would otherwise turn into recalls and cost them more $$ in the long run.

When I test drove a Coupe LX 5sp., the brakes seemed below average to me. ABS kicked in very quickly and the car skidded on a 60 deg. sunny day and I didn't even hit the brakes hard. So there might be an issue there that they are trying to address but my guess is it's probably brake failure they are worried about. Plus there 's a already an official recall on the accelerator pedal which could get stuck. This recall involves every single Civic sold in the US so far (over 25,000).

I 've made up my mind to wait till Jan-Feb.

only1harry

Is it Lance or Manny? Every dealer would have done the same thing. They all try and sell you "extra stuff". They don't just make their money on selling cars but selling extended warranties, alarms, lojack and all that.

Yes, you can get Lojack and the ext. warranty from other dealerships at a later time. I think you can get Lojack from other establishments too that are not car dealers. The going price is $895-995. If you have your mind set on the ext. warranty it's probably best to get it now from the same dealer because the finance mgr (or delivery specialist as they call them at Curry Honda) doesn't want to see you go without purchasing something. He knows you won't go back there since you are from Brooklyn. You have the upper hand and you must negotiate. Start at the price I paid a couple of years ago ($695 for 6/100k 0ded) and work your way up a little. If he says it's not true, tell him I 've bought 4 cars from them as well as the ext. warranty and they can look it up in their Aug. '01 records. Make sure it's a Honda warranty and not a 3d party. Also don't let them rip you off on the interest rate. Curry told me they could do about 6.5%. I said fine I 'll get the loan somewhere else. Then he says well what interest do you want to pay? I said just the going rate which is 4.9-5.7%. He said ok we can do that. I was at Curry last week to buy my car but I didn't like the Galaxy Gray so I told them I would wait for a black one so I still don't know what interest rate they 'll be able to get me. My car is not coming till december or January sometime - they 're not sure so I have time. Let us know how you make out with all the "options" (I personally don't recommend any of them - more $$ in your pocket).

isellhondas

Actually, none of this matters to me. I don't come here to promote my business.

I hope supplies do catch up. I'm tired of countless inquries over the internet for cars I don't have and can't get in the near future.

Somehow, I don't think supplies will "catch up" until well into the model cycle. The new Civic is a much better car than any of us thought.

I guess time will tell.

rutger3

I would not reccomend buying the lojack, you have insurance. The window etching is a total waste. Extented warranty on a Honda?, save your money, unless you can't sleep at night without one, then weigh no sleep versus cost.

Honda may be slowing up production to make fixes and this is a good thing. However, this also could be a marketing strategy, to get on the 'hardest to get list' published each month in the USA Today. They could be upset with the Prius always being #1.

manueltrans1

Harry: The Finance Guy settled for $950 for a zero deductible 8 year 120,000 mile Honda Care Warranty. What do you think of this price?

But the Lojack he charged $995 for an early warning Lojack, with entire ownship service contract for the car. The alarm is $300 extra. That makes it $1295. I did not buy the $200 window etching. I will do it myself for $20.

The Lojack Corporation list $1295 as the price of the early warning system and passive alarm if I ask them directly to install it for me.

Else where in these earlier discusssion there was a former salesman of Lojack for Mercedes who told me that the dealers get Lojack from Lojack for several hundred dollars less. They get a break for fleet installation rates. Their margin for Lojack is about 40% profit.

The finance guy was unwilling to share any savings with me. I could not get a better price else where either. What do you think? Your opinion is valuable to me. You have a lot of credibility.

They might be installing the Lojack today. Can I still bargain it lower.

Thanks Manny.

isellhondas

Now Motor Trend has awarded Car of the Year for 2006 to the Honda Civics!

Now, this is great news, but no doubt theis will worsen the already dismal supply situation.

vabrave

Im trying to help my brother, who is a college student, get a reliable vehicle. I think the lease might be a good fit..low miles, no (limited) maintenance cost, lower payments.

Ive been looking at the Civic, Corolla, pretty much any small car or light pickup. Can anyone tell me where (which vehicle) I am most likely to get the best lease deal on? I realize this is a broad question, but I appreciate any feeback. He is looking at $1000 total out of pocket and $200/month, term length is flexible.

Thanks

cashmoney

I'm buying a car that is currently in high demand. I'm keeping the car for well over 5 years. I need the car now (we have a kid on the way) Only one dealer had the color I wanted. It's an economy car so a few hundred $$ didn't make a huge difference to me.

This was the quickest transaction I've ever done at a dealership. I got a quote from a local dealer for the exact car I wanted. He didn't have my color, so I called a competing dealer who did. I went in, test-drove the car, showed them my price (right at MSRP), told them I had an appt in 45min and that this was their only shot at getting me to sign. It was amazing how quickly they ran my credit and took my deposit check. They were practically running to get all of the info to the finance guy. Ha ha ha!

Yeah, I could have got the car for less money if I wanted to take the time to travel a bit, negotiate hard, and wait for the right price. But I knew what I wanted, I knew what I was willing to pay, the car I wanted was available, and I didn't want to wait. This car is a great value so I'm willing to be a bit flexible on price. If this was a luxury SUV, like the one I bought last month, I would have spent A LOT more time negotiating.

BTW- I paid less than the average buyer in my San Francisco zip code so I don't feel too bad about the situaton.

I got a decent deal on a great car even though I didn't pay below MSRP. I CAN and DOES happen and will continue until supply increased.

Cheers!