2013 and earlier-Honda Civic Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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Comments

  • autofiendautofiend Member Posts: 1
    We had the worst buying experience ever at John Eagle Honda yesterday. They are really unprofessional people and try to sell cars which they don't have (just like other dealers). First, they lied to us about the availability of a Honda Civic LX coupe. But we were really shocked when the manager accused me (in front of my fiancee) of talking rudely (using bad words!) to a salesperson on phone!!!

    These guys don't want to do business it seems. How can they treat a customer so badly?? Telling lies is one thing but falsely accusing a customer is really crossing the line. :mad: There was no apology from their side even after I denied their charges. Later when I wanted to ask the salesperson how and when did I offend her, she started avoiding us and appeared very shifty.

    I think I can't take names on this forum but I would never recommend anybody to this dealership. Ironically, the manager said to me in a very condescending way "I hope you learnt your lesson...never to be rude to a salesperson". I wish the manager and the salesperson learn their lesson soon on how to talk to customers.
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    Over the Civic. I've had several questionable experiences while looking for mine. I'm gonna give it more time. I bought a 1996 EX sdan to carry me for a while.
  • newcivicnewcivic Member Posts: 2
    I just bought my EX Coupe from Goodson Honda West - had the best experience there. Dealt with the fleet manager - I'd highly recommend them.

    My car came in on the 20th - they received a big shipment so I'd check them out soon.

    Feel free to email me for more details.
  • jph3006jph3006 Member Posts: 49
    Hi Everyone: First, I stand by ALL of my comments written earlier. You saleman popping off about my info being wrong are out of line. What you hear from Honda and your sales managers can be very misleading. This is about negotiating and having an answer to the sales rhetoric customers will hear at dealerships.

    OK, (cost + 4-5%) deals are out there with the Civic sedans, especially until Friday 3/31/06 if dealerships are close to volume incentives. Luck and timing many times determine if a dealership will deal and negotiate with you. I went invoice x 2%, Honda has a 3% holdback =5% deal. Plus registration, tag, title, tax. What I couldn't determine was any factory to dealer incentives to figure dealer actual cost. Given the Civic's 2006 Car of the Year title, there may be none. If there are any incentives, you can do better than I did. 5% is a profitable deal for dealerships despite what you will hear from them and I stand by this number so please, no whining, offensive postings. So, here are my numbers....

    2006 Civic LX automatic with a 17,310 MSRP:

    15,825 invoice
    x2%
    16,141.50
    +550.00 destination
    16,691.50

    +230.00 Reg, tag, title
    +1049.20 tax
    ----------------------

    $17,971 OTD (out the door) on Monday morning, 3/27/06

    I also learned that a 50% mark up on options seemed correct at all dealerships so these are easily negotiated if you want them.

    Also had a fabulous buying experience with the Honda dealership in northeast FL. E-mail if you want specifics.

    Thanks to all who posted before me about their buying process, I appreciate reading your remarks and they were helpful to me. Best of luck to all.
  • thebillthebill Member Posts: 194
    I can appreciate your comments.

    However, if I were negotiating with you, I wouldve accepted, without ridicule, and gladly tried to get your offer accepted.

    Oh, wait...one last thing. Your math was a little fautly. Destination is added to the invoice BEFORE the addition of profit.

    invoice+550=_____ *______=_______ +TTL=OTD

    it just changes it by a hundred bucks or so
  • jbossmjpkjbossmjpk Member Posts: 2
    hi jph3006. Can you tell me how? The way that I figured is that the car probably has been in the lot for a while, and so they needed to get it out of there. Also, the exterior color is Shoreline Mist (tan) and interior is also tan. I think these colors will be the most unpopular for 2006 Civics.

    Thanks,

    James
  • jph3006jph3006 Member Posts: 49
    Hi James: My deal listed above (3344) was your deal I think. I presented my deal EXACTLY as I have written it above to the sales manager and the numbers on my closing sheet were also identical. It's a good 5% deal; if you have time on your side, you might present an invoice deal where they only make the 3% holdback. At the end of the month with no more weekends to sell, who knows, they might accept it or you might accept a cost + 5% counteroffer deal. Good luck and have fun!
  • jph3006jph3006 Member Posts: 49
    Faulty math issue: Sorry my friend, I disagree with you. The dealer invoice is figured before adding in the destination fee, not after. If you don't believe me, go ask your sales manager if his 3% dealer holdback includes the addition of the destination fee? The answer is no. No informed buyer should pay 5% profit on a destination fee, or any fee. Some sales managers teach the way you are advocating to pad the deal to maximize profit.

    It's invoice x 5% + destination + TTL + tax = OTD

    Best to you in sales.
  • infinitiboiinfinitiboi Member Posts: 6
    how much should i be willing to pay i cant seem to find any invoice info on these so no idea where to start with negotiations(sp?) :confuse:
  • jmurman42jmurman42 Member Posts: 675
    How much to pay?

    You'll find out all the info regarding invoices here on this site. Now, that being said depending on where you live pricing on Civics do vary...especially the Navi Civics.
  • coolchidcoolchid Member Posts: 33
    Boy, is that ever the truth - especially on EX w/Navi!! Those are in such short supply at the moment that there does not seem to be much competition out there. We ended up ordering one, expect delivery in 6 ~ 10 weeks.
    That said, I think we got a fair deal from my local dealer on an EX Civic Sedan w/Auto & Navi. When he reached the point of "no further give" on pricing, we started on "free accessories" to make up the difference to reach the price I wanted and here's how it ended up:
    Price including $550 Destination Fee $ 20,389.00
    Sales Tax @ 8.1% 1,651.50
    Tags, Title & License 365.66
    Doc. & AZ Tire Fee 304.00
    Total Out the Door $ 22,710.16
    Includes Window Tint, Splash Guards & Wheel Locks.

    Perhaps I could have done a bit better with another dealer in a different county or state, but I am comfortable dealing with these guys and they are close to home. :)

    Now I have a few weeks to shop Extended Warranty & Insurance. :D
  • jmurman42jmurman42 Member Posts: 675
    Thats not a bad deal, and it looks like you're getting exactly the color that you want.

    I've been in this busines way too long to know that it is getting the car you want that is what is most important. Getting the rock bottom deal isn't feasable on some cars, but getting it right the first time is.

    Enjoy the Civic...btw, you'll LOVE the Navi!
  • robert8robert8 Member Posts: 13
    I just bought my Civic LX Sedan AT last week at Illinois.
    (16700+tax+license=18030)
    please ref Msg#3259

    I think the out of door price is the most important.
    I have bad experience about lower car price.
    One dealer gave me a lower car price as 16400.
    But after he sum up all strange fee
    the total price is 18700.
    So I went to the previous dealer who gave me
    18030 OTD.

    Good luck

    Hi, where in Illinois did you receive the price and the dealer if you can list. Thanks...Robert
  • kernickkernick Member Posts: 4,072
    Let me explain what I had mentioned prior, with an example. Car dealers are just playing games offering people low "car-prices" and then adding these various non-tax charges. Think of almost anything else yoou buy. Is it as complicated as buying a car for many of you (I'm not just talking about people bpaying different prices."

    Go buy a TV, bicycle, or Lb of bologne. The price of those items includes all the costs. When you buuy a Lb of bologne you don't expect to then see a line-item for the guy to slice and wrap it; nor do you expect to see a charge for the packaging, or a charge of how much it cost to truck the bologne in from the Midwest.

    The price of an item is the OTD price. But it does not include taxes and registration fees paid to any government entity - no sales tax, tire fee, title, inspection fee, registration. Thoose vary amongst the 50 states, and simply make any comparision between people from different states, difficult.

    Pretty simple - if the dealer keeps the $, it's in OTD. If the $ goes to the gov't keeps the $, then that's specific to your town or sttate, and not part of OTD for the rest of us.
  • jmurman42jmurman42 Member Posts: 675
    Sorry to disagree with you.

    Whenever I quote a customer a price, it is a n OTD price. This includes taxes tags fees etc. If you asked a dealer for an OTD price and they gave you for example $16,500, then when you went to pick up the car it was now 17,750 you'd raise hell about it.

    OTD mean just that [b]Out The Door.[/b] The different states with their differing fees are a gauge for someone in that state, or a very close neighboring state to compare with.

    For example; I regularly quote customers from Virginia, as they have up to a $400 dealer processing fee and some folks will weigh that as an incentive to drive north to buy, however I don't really like to sell across state lines.

    You are free to figure OTD any way you like, but in the many years I have run our Dept, OTD means only one thing...what I drive off with.
  • thebillthebill Member Posts: 194
    Price reports on here should be done as such:

    OTD price and Vehicle Price +TLF.
  • kernickkernick Member Posts: 4,072
    And my OTD does not include any taxes, those are paid after the fact. I go to the town and state offices. It is state dependent.

    We are trying to compare what the car costs at 1 dealer compared to another dealer. If your state charges $3K and mine charges $500 taxes, it is misleading to include those in our comparision of what we're paying for the car.
  • budkinbudkin Member Posts: 5
    Wow, here in in Central Texas I've talked to about 6-7 dealers between Austin, San Antonio, and Houston, and no one is dealing on the EX or the EX-Navi especially. All the Navis have been MSRP only, must pre-order (2 months). The best offer I've gotten on an EX w/out Navi is $1045.00 over invoice. I figured that at the end of the month I might be able to get a deal somewhere close to invoice but it just ain't happening. All the dealers must have eclipsed their target numbers long ago. I don't want the car enough to be paying that much and I'm not in a rush to buy... I'll wait.
  • thebillthebill Member Posts: 194
    Look at it logically. 1045 over invoice is only 22 dollars a month on 60 mon. A few cents a day. Is it really worth the strees?? Just buy the thing. Youll love the vehicle!
  • budkinbudkin Member Posts: 5
    Aren't you a dealer? I know how the game works, I know about the 3% holdback the dealers get on each car sold so I don't feel guilty if they don't make a profit beyond that. I'm looking for the best price and I'm in a position where I can wait for the hype to die down. Or I can look at a different car. 1000 bucks is 1000 bucks.
  • thebillthebill Member Posts: 194
    Im not going to get into the whole holdback thing again.

    Yes, I am a dealer.

    yes, a 1000 bucks is a 1000 bucks.

    I would rather live rich than die rich. Id rather pay the extra money and get what I want now, then wait and miss out.

    All you need is to stop at a stop light and see the perfect car that you wouldve bought if you werent too cheap to spend the 22 bucks a month. You would feel it.

    You will not find a ex navi around fall.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Agree totally. I'd like a Civic and eventually I'll buy 1. I'm just not going to pay over invoice to get it. Thebill misses the whole point actually. There's no strees...or stress as he probaly meant, I refuse to get stressed about a car deal. We are just in a position that we can wait until the supply catches up with demand, be it in 2007 or 2008. I agree that the Civic is a great car and I do want it...but my current ride gets the job done and it's paid for. I've put the $20,000. into a money market fund and i'll just watch it grow and get my Civic in a year or 2.

    The Unstressed Sandman :)
  • irislin23irislin23 Member Posts: 5
    I bought it at TwinCity Honda (Champaign or Savoy), IL
    ----------------------------
    I just bought my Civic LX Sedan AT last week at Illinois.
    (16700+tax+license=18030)
    please ref Msg#3259

    Hi, where in Illinois did you receive the price and the dealer if you can list. Thanks...Robert
  • cfeuerycfeuery Member Posts: 1
    Which dealer did you buy from and would you recommend your salesperson? I'm in AZ and I'm currently shopping for a Civic.

    Thanks!
    cfeuery
  • coolchidcoolchid Member Posts: 33
    Hi cfeuery, I made my deal with Tempe Honda. This is the second car that I have bought from this gentleman and have found him to be exactly that - no high pressure tactics, etc.

    I think it is against forum rules to give contact info on the forum, but you can contact me by e-mail.

    Good luck in your search!

    Norah
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Why some people only concentrate on how much evil profit a dealer is making?

    Cars sell for what the MARKET VALUE is. the invoice has nothing at all to do with anything. The car is either represents a good value or it does not. If a person is obsessed with paying invoice for a car, there are cars out there that sell for that. Buy one of those cars and be happy! Of course, you may not like that car, and it may depreciate like a rock.

    And,I get so weary about hearing about holdback. Some people talk about holdback like it's bottom line profit.

    It isn't and those who want to bring up holdback should look at a dealer's P& L statement some time and look at the TREMENDOUS expenses that are required to open the doors every month!
  • rutger3rutger3 Member Posts: 361
    question to:thebill,

    If like you said it is only $1000 or pennies a day, then why don't you sell it for $1000 less. This would get you a new customer that otherwise will buy from another dealer or another salesperson. You would then have another civic on the road advertising for you, the service dept will make some money,and you will have a new customer to add to your database. Good for you, the dealer,honda, and the buyer. A win win. Again , it is ONLY $1000, just pennies a day,so why not just do it.
  • thebillthebill Member Posts: 194
    let me ask you this, if pennies a day was all it took to get what you wanted, would you spend it or buy a Chevy Cobalt?

    being 1000 dollars apart on a deal on a Pilot is ALOT different than a deal on a civic.

    as isell has eluded to....the market is sky high on civics right now, I just visited a dealer about 2 hours away from me and their civics are MSRP only. Ours should be too, but we will work with people.

    Sure, you can wait 6 mos and try to get one later, news flash, what you want may not be there and you may end up paying for something you dont want while everyeone else is enjoying the vehicle that you wanted.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 268,040
    Just look!!.. pennies a day on that Civic loan?... add up to $1000 in only five years!!

    Profits may be debateable.. but, $1000 is $1000.. Pennies a day? That is just a weak argument.. I agree.. if it is a neglible amount, just lower your price and make the deal.. Funny how the $1000 is important to the dealer, but shouldn't be important to the buyer.

    Also, if holdback doesn't help you make a profit, then why not dip into it and lower your price that much more? I mean, if it isn't worth negotiating over, then you must not need it... I mean.. floorplan interest on each car is only... wait for it..

    Pennies a day!!

    The market is the market... Civics aren't going for invoice... At some point in the future, they are likely to.. A great little car.. but a commodity vehicle, nonetheless.. If you have to have it now, you'll have to pay the price... If you can wait, you'll probably pay less... Just another choice that you have to make.

    regards,
    kyfdx

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • budkinbudkin Member Posts: 5
    That's the whole thing... I'm not obsessed with having a Civic. If I had to have it right now I probably would have caved but I'm trying to get a good deal on a new car, and there are several types that I am interested in. I actually wanted to get an Accord but it was my wife who liked the Civic better. Even though the Accord is more expensive overall I can at least deal on it and get more car for my money. You are right about the market being sky high on Civics right now, and that is probably why my chances of buying one just went way down.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    I think you really hit the nail on the head as other posters have about the market. The 2006 Honda Civic deserves all the "buzz" it generates or has generated. I think it is truly up to one (the market) to define what one wants, needs, etc,. in vehicles. So for example I got a below invoice price on a 2004 Honda Civic (longer in the tooth)last gen. So for a plain vanilla 50 mile per day R/T commute, I asked myself if the 5,266 premium 2006 Civic vs 2004 Civicc would allow me to do this commute, with any parameter; better. The answer in my case is and was no. So if I take that $5,266 and use it in the commute that converts to (2.50 per gal 37 mpg 2106 gals or) 77,937 miles or almost 6 years of commuting. This of course does not include how much it would cost extra to borrow 5,266 for however long and at whatever rate.
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    I had signed all paperwork besides the contract. the F&I guy ticked me off and I walked. I really want/ed a Civic. I'm totally over it now. I may check back in 2007 but my 1996 EX seems to be all the car I need for now. Considering it's my third car in the stable right now.
  • ny1911ny1911 Member Posts: 11
    The psychology of buying a new car should be a college major. A Honda dealer would probably be thrilled to make $1000 on the sale of a civic...a vehicle they purchased on revolving credit, insured and put into an expensive building with lots of overhead. Their margin is what, like 5%? That's pretty pathetic when you consider the margin on most consumer goods is 35-50%.

    I bought an LX sedan last week...MSRP $17060 (5spd...only one around and just rolled off the truck). I had 60 minutes to test drive and make a deal. I asked them to take the $550 destination charge off and I'd buy the car. They took my offer with no haggling. Could I have done better than $16510? Probably, but my time is worth something. By most measures, it was a fair price and I don't think I reasonably could have expected to do better than a few hundred $$ less than that.

    There are a number of reasons that they didn't need to take my offer. I was driving a rental car...they knew I was incurring expense the longer I waited. There was a $200 price increase the day before, so they could resticker the car. They knew I had a short time to deal. It was the only 5M they had, which is in high demand around here...it probably would have sold that day anyway.

    I don't know exactly why they didn't push back on my offer. But I presented myself as a serious no BS buyer and didn't hit them with a ridiculous offer that was going to be impossible for them to consider. They only had about a week of ownership on the car and no inventory time, so they did not need to try to get more to cover their costs.

    So it was 90 minutes from my first phone call to a signed agreement. I walked away with a good relationship with the salesman and the dealership. And the car is great too.

    I'm not a dealer, but I am a business owner and don't begrudge anyone's right to make or save a buck. But I don't see the point in burning time and goodwill in the process. YMMV...
  • budkinbudkin Member Posts: 5
    There is nothing wrong with haggling with a dealer for the best price you can possibly get. I'm not advocating being a jerk, but if you are honest with them and what you are willing to pay, they will either sell you the car or they won't.

    If I wanted to just walk into a dealer and pay sticker I'd buy a Saturn, since they prey off the people that can't handle any kind of conflict. I realize that there are always going to be cars that are in short supply where you literally can't get one if you don't pay retail but luckily for me right now I'm in no rush and I don't have to have one of those cars.
  • ny1911ny1911 Member Posts: 11
    I wasn't advocating that one pay sticker unless sticker is the fair market price for the vehicle.

    But if you've got the time and enjoy trying to get a better deal than everyone else, more power to you. For me the opportunity cost is too great to worry about a better than fair deal when the margins are so small.
  • budkinbudkin Member Posts: 5
    I understand totally. For you, the car was worth that price, and that is all good. Glad the deal was smooth for you.
  • penske314penske314 Member Posts: 4
    I just bought a brand new 06 Civic. When I took
    the car home I noticed a slight warping on the right
    side panel where bumper meets the body.

    I contacted the dealer and sent him photos the
    next morning. He called and said he checked his
    computer records and didn't find any indication of a possible lot
    damage/repairs.

    I replied, in writing, acknowledging his not finding
    any repair records prior to sale and that we were worried
    about safety features working properly and would
    always like to be informed of possible prior damage/repairs.

    The next morning, I got a call, that he had checked
    again -- this time with the "service" department and
    had INDEED found that there was lot repair/damage
    and he was going to find out more about when at work.

    So at the end, we were sold a NEW car, that was damaged
    and repaired prior to sale and we were not disclosed this info
    until later. I would NEVER have bought this car had I known
    about this possibility.

    What are my rights as a consumer here? Can this be
    sufficient grounds for demanding an exchange (I only
    had the car for 2 days). The evidence is there, and acknowledged
    by the dealer. I know Honda is very meticulous about
    dealers delivering cars in good shape. Would I be better
    off going through Honda and not the dealer? We are at a
    loss as to what to do now. Any advice would be greatly
    appreciated!
  • mikefm58mikefm58 Member Posts: 2,882
    If I were in your shoes, I would go right to the general manager of the dealership and firmly but professionally demand a replacement. Any GM in their right mind would realize, that it's the cheapest thing to do and besides, it's the right thing to do. I've got to believe, there are some serious legal issues at stake with what they did.

    Did you sign a binding arbitration form when you bought it? In some areas they are pretty much standard.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    Most states have laws that require only body work above a certain dollar amount to be disclosed. If the repair costs are within these guidelines you might be at the mercy of the dealer's good will. Again, check the laws specific to your state.
  • penske314penske314 Member Posts: 4
    I am in California, so I can try to check around for what that amount might be. It's not just a little ding, at the minimum they had to replace the back bumper- can't imagine that is cheap. Not sure about the binding arbitration form.
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    We bought a 1998 Civic that had the same evidence a few years back. Call Honda of America and get them involved. The good part is that you found out immediately and not after 1-2 months and 5000 miles later. It was a much larger pain in the butt. But they allowed us to get rid of our damaged Civic and into a new 1999 Accord EX for mot much more money. Considering the 1999 Accords had just hit the lots, we were very happy Hondaphiles.
  • jmurman42jmurman42 Member Posts: 675
    If you have any damage that needs to be reapired you shopuld have been provided a Damage Disclosure prior to purchase.

    It is a common thing to have a bumper cover that was replaced due to lot damage...or if the trucking company damaged the vehicle when they delivered it. Also damage could have occured at the port.

    In any event the dealer was notified if it was port damage and if it was transportation damage.

    You also have a responsibility to have checked your vehicle prior to your purchase.

    I would speak with the General Manager about the situation and find out exactly what went on before flying off about it.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I'm just curious why you sent photos and did everything in writing. Why didn't you just drive the car back?
  • penske314penske314 Member Posts: 4
    Had bought car during the week and dealership was too far from work to bring back the next day.. did want to let them know immediately so hence the photos and emails.
  • lightfootfllightfootfl Member Posts: 442
    Good for you. We need more people with the guts enough to walk away when the dealers try to pull something. Unfortunately, we are told that "that isn't nice". If more people did just that, although I know it is definitely an inconvenience, maybe the dealers would finally get the message that they are supposed to be thinking of the customers, instead of squeezing out another little profit here and there.
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    There was no way I was going to spend another minute there. I had already spent entirely too much time there "negotiating" my deal. It shouldn't take all that "I need to talk to my manager". I had had enough. Especially since I didn't really need another car any way. I'm gald I had the option to leave.
  • viali_17viali_17 Member Posts: 5
    Hey I just came from a Honda dealer and tryed to get a Civic coupe LX and they said i will have to wait 2 weeks to get it and also said that it is 20,000 plus tax wich is way over the sticker price.
    Just wanted to know if they hold on to the price that much were you guys got it from and if it took that long.
    I am in Naples Florida and i am hoping that maybe in Miami i can get it at an actualy resonable price like they are supose to be.
    Thanx
  • jph3006jph3006 Member Posts: 49
    Viali: Go to post 3344 where I listed my deal on a 2006 civic sedan LX AT. I offered this deal to 10 dealers before it was accepted, sales is a numbers game and I decided to go through the numbers. You have many, many dealers down there from which to try to do business. Also remember that there was a $200 price increase on Civic LX's manufactured after 3/15/06 so add $200 to what was posted. This is a wonderful car. Best of luck.
  • ny1911ny1911 Member Posts: 11
    with jph3006. I bought an LX 5M (MSRP $17060) last week for $16510 (includes delivery) with no negotiating. This isn't as good a deal as jph3006 got on his auto, but I only had a few hours to shop and both dedals are significantly better than what you are seeing. I took delivery the following day.
  • erc1erc1 Member Posts: 21
    Actually, Edmunds, and everyone else I can find, has pulled the invoice data on all civics (but no other Honda cars). Does anyone know why? I am also very interested in buying one, but frankly the attitude of Honda salesmen seems to be that they don't have to deal because of high demand. . .seems like a car that has been out 7+ months would not be so scarce.

    As I remember it, I think the invoice on an EX w/o NAV MT was maybe $1400 below sticker, making it 16,900ish (??). Wish I'd written it down. :)
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