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Comments
Edmunds list the TMV for 03 Honda Civic EX at $17,003, so lets say I can get the car for $17k, the dealer prep is $299, taxes $1038, $89 reg/title/lien - total out the door - $18,426
The other dealer I can go to sells the car for $17,404, dealer prep is $195. taxes $1056, $89 reg/title/lien - total out the door - $18,744
which includes - A Extended Warranty - 3 Free Oil Changes - Free wipers twice a year, 5% savings on parts & service for as long as I own the vehicle. They fix your first ding free if not bigger than a quarter and the paint is not chipped. $200 cash for next car purchase and one free service rental. They have a plain & simple price and do not lower the price. I might be able to get them to throw in all seasons floor mats.
BUT, i don't think it's necessary to pay any prep fees over $50. even $50, i think it's too much. come on, that's the salesman and F&I guy's JOB to prepare the documents. don't they get paid from the dealership for preparing documents? fyi, in CA, the prep fees i've paid usually are $45 & $5 CA tire fee (don't know what it's for).
like what you said, the difference is $360. 3 oil changes already cost you $100 ($29.99 + tax in CA). $200 towards new car purchase. i believe the remaining options should (hopefully) worth more than $60 throughout your ownership of the car. just make sure you get all the receipts (or coupons, whatever) for those options. and keep an eye on local news about the financial status of the dealership.....
for me, the deal will be even better if you can get them knock down the prep fees (i think it's ridiculous) and the price of the car (i always bargain...).
but again, it's your money and if you are comfortable with it, then go for it.
brain power was low last night(actually, throughout the whole day). woke up this morning, and here's a second thought.
carsdirect.com price - $16,853
CT dealer - $17,404
difference -$ 551
Edmunds TMV - $17,003
CT dealer - $17,404
difference -$401
assuming they all have the same prep fees and tax and registration fees. after adding tax to the $551 & $401, total will come up approximately $600 & $450 respectively. now you have to think if that $600 or $450 is worth for the extra options. of course you can compare just the car's price or only the final out-the-door costs. the reason i think the out-the-door costs might not be a good comparison is because of the different fees that dealer charges.
again, i'm just expressing my opinions about how i see this deal. you have to make the final call. good luck.
btw, i'm in northern CA. thanks.
but manager refused. Claims he is loseing money.
Should I keep looking?
2003 CIVIC LX RESPOND?
Has anyone else noticed that when you turn up the dash lights, with the lights on and it is fully up, once you turn off the car and leave it off for a while and turn it back on, the lights will default to the lower setting?
Spoke with manager again, he said if I could get a better price elsewhere do it. He seems to be pretty upfront. He said he will get a $500 incentive and about $450 holdback from dealer and a $100 kickback from finance company. He insists he is still losing money on this car but wants to clear out the 02's. No prep fee but $45 doc fee. Sales tax here in CA is 8.25%. Guess I'll go for it.
Thanks
Thanks
I have not seen the problem in the '02 Civic LX coupe, but I don't own an '03.
paid $15780 with destination charge. With that price I also have alloy wheel locks, silver exhaust tip and set of floor mats. Did I make a good deal ?
Note: I test drove an Accord before Civic and liked the handling, responsiveness much better on the Civic.
I have seen a few Hondas on the lots starting w/ J but unfortunately not what I need in way of color, transmission type, etc.
By the way test drove 2 Accords and both seem to suffer from steering wheel vibration in Drive or Park while idling. I didn't feel this in the Civic.
Thanks...........
Is this a reasonable offer? Considering that it is a 2002 and cars are selling very slowly lately. Some ads have teaser prices of $12,988 before destination charges for the LX but I am not sure if it is for the automatic.
I am meeting with the salesman tomorrow and hope to stand firm with my offer. But to sweeten the pot I plan to finance through his dealership at the promotional rate of 4.99%. Do you think my offer is too low? Your input is appreciated.
I thought I got a great deal, at $1,634 off manufacturer's sticker price. Until recently Hondas sold over sticker or only a couple of hundred under sticker, so obviously the market is very aggressive right now. On the other hand, Honda prices their cars at the top of the market - only VW is pricier - and I could have gotten a Toyota Corolla with the 130 horsepower engine for a couple of grand less - Toyota dealers are always having advertised specials. Honda is also a little chintzy, leaving out remote controls for the power door locks, no floor mats, and only upgrading to CD (yea!) this year.
However, I am very happy with the car, and prefer the Honda's emphasis on "sporty" vs. the Corolla's emphasis on "family" (or grandmotherly). Also, the only cheaper cars were the Ford Focus and Dodge Neon, which may be fun to drive but have dubious quality reputations (worse the Ford than the Neon) and little resale value.
As soon as I bought the Civic, I got on the road from San Francisco to LA and racked 750 miles on it the first weekend of ownership. It was quiet, smooth, and strong, with good gas mileage. Most of all I was surprised how good the tires matched the suspension, although being odd sized (70 series on 14" wheels! pretty dated these days) and apparently cheap (Firestone 690). As with all "factory installed" tires/wheels, balance was perfect even at illegal speeds. The cruise control was outstanding. Yes, I varied speeds, kept the revs down, and didn't go over 3/4 throttle. It still flew!
I bought the Civic from El Cerrito Honda in El Cerrito, California, which is near San Francisco. The internet sales department took care of me, Scott Thompson. I first contacted Scott based on an earlier favorable post on this board saying Scott was no BS. Besides giving me a good new price, Scott also gave me a good trade-in allowance (I know - I shopped other dealers) so I was happy. Finally, he got me a low 5.5% interest rate to match my credit unions current rate (amazing for a non-buy down rate of interest).
The only negative in the experience is that I was offered a non-Honda extended warranty during the usual sales pitch in the finance office by the finance person. I asked about the Honda warranty, but El Cerrito Honda doesn't offer it, which I thought was strange. I didn't mind them offering their own warranty contract, but they should have disclosed that up front and given me a choice. Offering a non-factory extended warranty strikes me as disturbingly similar to savings and loans offering customers non-federally insured savings accounts - some customers might not know what they are getting into, and most people have their guard down by this stage of the process. The finance guy was nice, so I think this policy is just a top-down mistake on the part of an otherwise very nice seeming, new facility dealership. Well, I guess the other "negative" is the cost of recommended 7,500, 15,000 and 30,000 miles services - especially since only the 30,000 mile service is even in the owners manual, which is based on 10k intervals, and requires virtually no inspections until the 20k and 30k levels. However, Scott joked about the service departments, like other dealers, propensity to go their own way. I'll just take it into the express lube at the dealer until the 30k service.
In fact, a big part of the decision to buy was based on the express lube at $27 for factory filter and top offs with factory coolant, brake fluid, etc. The only negative of the express lube lane (and possibly of the regular service wing, but I didn't check) is that they use 5-20 Quaker State, and I prefer 5-20 Honda factory oil since Honda has a specification overlay to the "normal" 5-20 spec (as does Ford, the other big promoter of this somewhat dubious viscosity range of oil) and since it is made by Exxon-Mobil - the same manufacturer of my beloved Mobil 1 oil. To preserve my warranty I will buy Honda 5-20 at the Service Counter ($1.59 per quart) and the express lane will then credit me for the unused Quaker State oil, and change oil at 3-4000 mile intervals to make up for the unavailability of Mobil 1 in this grade, and to make up for the inevitably crappy quality of oil filters in America (STP, Bosch seem better than most), then decide whether to use Mobil 1, my oil of choice - maybe Mobil 1 will make a 5-20 by then. But even if I had Mobil 1, I wouldn't take it past 5,000 miles. To put it in perspective, "normal" service cycle (usually drive more than 5 miles, basically) is 10K miles on the new Hondas!
I highly recommend the buying experience with Scott at El Cerrito. Remember that the car market is in a state of flux, and comparison shopping is always in order. In terms of friendliness and efficiency, though, Scott was *****. (Five star, not expletive deleted!)
thanks
becky
Lowest in my area (Chicago) is $14,933 at Continental Honda.
Question is, should I get the problems fixed before I sell the car OR try to sell it as is.
Thanks.
Anyone had any better deals in the Boston area?
Is this a decent quote for a 4 door EX automatic (no side airbags)?
Thanks,
Also what is reasonable price for undercoating and do you recommend it? Live in s.e.
Runs great and am really satisfied with it.
After checking out all the region dealerships settled with Bellevue Honda ( salesperson, Sheila Locke ). They offered the most competitive pricing.
Dealing with Sheila was a pleasant experience, even though there was an elongated negotiation phase.
Really liked her affable and friendly attitude.
On my way with the new slick m/c.
Another dealer is offering Si for less than $15K. Fantastic value on this car for this price.