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I am looking for a 2007 Honda Civic LX Automatic in DC metro area. Please share the prices/experience with the local dealers.
Thanks
kingnomad
Still under invoice; $20500 is pretty good + title/license?
How can they possibly go so low?
we just paid 21k +ttl for a loaded EX cp auto, w/HFP (front/rear/side aero kit, fogs), 18" HFP wheels and tires, tint and all the dealer's fluff (tint, cargo tray, scotchgard, etc). Didn't work too hard, probably could have gotten lower. List (including dealer fluff) was about 27k.
doc fee can often be negotiated out. it is the fee they cahrge to get plates, register, etc. to me I consider it just a cost of doing business.
the dealer invoice is exactly what you can find if you look it up on Edmunds.com.
people I ask you to do some research before you post irresponsible things on these boards. (for example if the poster you replied to believed what you said he will never get the car he wants because he truly believes that he can get a better price.
If he can get near or under invoice on a Civic SI he needs to buy it right away.
"holdback" is a form of incentive, an incentive to move inventory quickly (typically <90 days). As are volume discounts which will vary by dealer. Honda's holdback is 3% btw.
the bottom line is that you need to negotiate your best price compared to other dealers and take it. Invoice price is a good starting place, and your final price may be close to it in many cases.
I am in Boston area and want to buy a 2007 Honda Civic LX, 4 door sedan with Auto transmission. Could you please share your buying experience in this area, like what kind of price we are talking about and which dealer offers better price/service?
Thanks a lot!
Congrats on your purchase. I picked my Honda Civic EX-AT 4dr sedan with Nav on April 16th.My price with registration and taxes came to $21,225.00(I refused to pay the vehicle etching fee). I pd cash using a home equity loan so I have 9.5yrs to pay it off. I was able to get the vehicle itself for $21,750. The reason I didn't go for the Manual is the MPG is lower and I do alot of highwy driving. This past weekend the wife and I drove over 300 miles just to see what the mpg would be. We came out with 39mpg with a combination of city and highway driving.We also gave the Nav a real workout!! My wife keeps turning it to the male voice when she thinks I'm not looking.
Enjoy your new toy, I am.
If we were talking about some domestic brand you would probably be correct. You really shouldn't post incorrect information because people will believe you and expect pricing that can't or won't happen. You are also wrong about the holdback percentage it is 2%.
Holdback ***helps*** pay for flooring and some advertising it certainly DOES NOT fall to the borttom line as profit.
But, none of this really matters anyway. Cars will sell for what they are worth. The MARKET determines pricing!
" all sorts of incentives and rebates"...WRONG!
put a www. on the front and a .html at the end.
HONDA: 3% OF MSRP
ask your mommy to explain.
Is this too good to be true?
The price I asked about $20500ish is with Navi.
Thoughts?
I just purchased my new 2007 Honda Civic LX – Galaxy Gray. Here is my sales report. Because different numbers mean different things to people here, I'll try to list everything.
ACCORDING TO EDMUNDS
MSRP: $16,960
INVOICE: $15,616
DESTINATION: $595
What I paid – O'Donnell Honda, Ellicott City, MD
Car: $15,302
Destination: $595
Subtotal: $15,897
Doc: $99 (not required in MD, but apparently tough to drop)
Sales Tax: $799.80
Subtotal: $16,795.80
I transferred the plates, so -
Registration: $30
Title: $43
MD Tire fee: $4
TOTAL: $16,872.80
Method used: Email blind bids
A little more detail:
I knew I was going to buy at the end of this month. I did not want to wait any longer because of the car I was driving (97 Nissan Sentra with 147,500 on it) and I wanted to take advantage of the financing deal in the region (I was fairly certain I would qualify). On Sunday, April 22, I emailed every dealer that appeared on the Honda search engine when I punched in my zip code. I did an additional search for dealers in Frederick, MD, and added Criswell in Germantown because of discussions on this board. For every dealer site where I could find direct emails, I emaled directly to a person. On the sites I could not, I requested a quote. Here's how I emailed – I BCCed all the dealers. I told them specifically what I was looking for (LX, no options) preferably in one of 3 colors, and I told them about the 2 colors I would NOT drive. I asked for their best quote up front. I told them I would be financing, but ONLY if their rate beat my pre-approved rate through my credit union. I did NOT disclose that I MIGHT trade in my current car. I asked all the dealers to give me the base price of the car and itemize all the other charges. I told them if they had something close, but not exactly fitting my request, that I would like to see the quote, but to itemize the difference. I included my phone number to help prove that I was a serious buyer, and told them they could call, but that I would NOT call back unless there was also a detailed quote in my email box.
I had a number in mind from a soft quote in March – about $15,200. I was willing to go with a bid of $15,400, because I felt conditions had worsened for BUYERS; namely, gas prices have increased, and so have sales of Civics after a BRUTAL February and March for them.
The response was sudden and VERY interesting. I received LOTS of emails (some very entertaining), and I only received about 5 or 6 calls, but some have called twice now. Some quotes were well above STICKER. Some were close, but admitted to having “appearance packages.” There were a couple $15,400's. The only quote that came close to O'Donnell's was from Norris Honda, also in Ellicott City. They quoted me an OUT-THE-DOOR price of slightly more than $17,000. Since O'Donnell itemized the deal, and showed me the out-the-door price below $17,000, the winner was clear.
I might have done better had I engaged in an email bidding war as some here might suggest, but I did want to reward the dealer with the best quote if it was close to what I thought I could get, and make the process easier for me. $100 was close enough. I was not sure any dealer could drop the price seriously enough to make a difference. Perhaps I should have asked, but I felt $300 below invoice was good enough.
Once at O'Donnell, the process was very smooth. Everyone was friendly. The test drive went very smoothly. They did ask me about buying an extended warranty (declined), and about purchasing LoJac (apparently, a requirement in Maryland – also declined). In F&I, they did NOT ask me to buy ANYTHING – it was also very late in the day. The whole process, including the test drive, took about 2 hours, but that's because of me (I was checking EVERYTHING) and because they were closing 2 deals ahead of me.
My suggestions for others -
Get direct email addresses of the internet people at the dealerships. Those responses were definitely better. Email everyone you can. My employer allegedly has a relationship with Mile One, but it didn't pay off. Their quote was about $400 too high.
For people who have been following my postings, I decided to trade-in my Sentra. I was interested in selling it myself, but the driver-side window failed to function. I felt it would have been much more difficult to sell it myself in that condition, or too costly and time consuming to repair it myself and then sell it. The dealer gave me $500 for it. Honestly, I hope they make an extra buck on that – it was a good car.
Thanks to everyone on this board. I am a novice car buyer to be sure, and these boards contain all the information you would need to buy a car. A special thanks to GGG5. I loved his advice about what to do on the delivery drive/inspection. But (if you are reading this), I used it as more of a guide – I left my tape measure at home.
BTW, I did my initial email from Seattle – I was on vacation at the time. Gotta love the internet!
I think I've answered just about every question I would have, but feel free to reply. I'm curious what everyone thinks.
...and it's been driving great for the first 50 miles.
Loki
Loki
I did the same thing -- didn't discuss trade-in until on the way to the dealer with price set on the new car (I didn't hide it; they didn't ask). It was up to the dealer whether they wanted my 95 Neon or not; if not (i.e. they offered $100 or to charge me to tow it away
Obviously if negotiating some complex financing/payoff deal where the tradein is a key component to making it happen or not, it should be discussed early in the process, but in my (and the original poster's) case, we were definitely buying one car and possibly selling another.
If you think it's "springing" something to mention a trade after the new car is negotiated, then the dealer is free to refuse to even look at the old car; in my case I would still have bought the new one; others may look for a more accomodating dealer (which they may or may not find). I would think that most car dealers will see an opportunity to make a few $$ on the old car also and make a "take it or leave it" offer that they can break even or make money on, but that's just me.
Josh
Anyone who has been in the business awhile can smell these "hidden trades".
"Will you be trading in your Neon?"
" Ah...I think I'm going to sell it myself" or...
" I haven't decided"...or...
" "Let's keep that seperate"
We know.
And, it really doesn't matter. The trade is worth what it is worth. This just causes us extra trouble and paperwork.
When it becomes a problem is when the trade ends up being a dealbreaker. You think your Neon is worth 1500.00 and we know it's car nobody wants. We know our wholesalers will MAYBE give us 500.00 for it. It's a Neon with 120,000 miles and it's saleproof.
In your case, it wouldn't have killed the car deal but often it can.
Not some fake "over-allowance" to make me feel better...
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Just to be clear, I made no mention about my current ride in my initial email, and the quote from O'Donnell came without me saying anything, and they didn't ask about it until WELL into the sale process. The price of the new car and how I was paying for it had already been clearly established.
Yeah, from a dealer standpoint, it would probably help if consumers were more informed about their trade-in values. I knew mine, and had it "appraised" here on the boards... and also did some reading about trade-ins. I was prepared for the "low" offer, and knew it would be going straight to auction. $500 was what I was expecting and wanted, and it's what I got. If I had the time and motivation, I would have put the work into it to sell it myself, and probably get more money... but the dealer hit my number.
Loki
Just don't sit there and try to pretend you don't have a trade in.
Price - $18,600
+ 599 Dealer Fee
+ 6% state tax
+ 50 county tax
+ about 278 tag and title fee
= Out the Door Price - $20,678
I am still waiting for other quotes, but I just wanted to gauge this one with you guys.
Thanks in advance!
If you remember, I was looking for the same car too. I saw your price and gave those prices to the dealer I was speaking to and told him a "friend" had bought it at that price so I expected naturally that he would be able to do the same for me too . Waiting for him to get back.
Just curious, what color did u get?
As a note to the other ongoing discussion, I have a Ford Taurus 1997 with 140000 miles on it. My trade-in value is expected to be between 500 and 900 (depending on condition). I'm going to put it on a classified site with a $1200 or $1000 no questions asked offer non-negotiable. I mean, it has been an awesome car for two years and the only reason I'm selling it is, I want a smaller car with a smaller engine that can feel agile.
We have the perfect discussion for your question.
Real-World Trade-In Values
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I would like an experience similar to what others have talked about -- a confirmed bid by a dealer within my area that is between $17k and $17.1k OTD. I have no trade-in.
Suggestions? Of course, if anyone has purchased a car like I'm looking for in my area recently and has a suggestion of a dealer / contact please drop me a response by email. Thanks.
How much time does it really take for you to pick up a phone?
There seem to be a lot of them out there. I don't know if Honda over-produced that color - it almost seems like it. Everyone who sees it, loves it... of course, what else do you say to someone who just spent $17k on a car ("like the car... but THAT color???";)
About your Taurus... I was told I could get $1000-$1200 on my Nissan. AS IS and CASH seem to be the motivators for that. Also, a good tip I heard... put a "FOR SALE" sign in it, and park it near places with potential cash buyers (laundromats, etc). Might generate a few extra calls.
Loki
I am also in a area not dominated by a single dealership chain. There are a ton of dealers who MUST compete to get your business. I don't know the situation in KC.
Lognom - If you are not getting quotes via the internet and must call or go into the dealership, I suggest looking up bobst's posts. In a nutshell, know your number, and be prepared to WALK.
Loki
which brings me to my question. I assumed you bought a sedan. Am I right?
Quickest way to lose a sale.
Is he trying to shave 2 doors off for lower the price?
Loki
Maybe things have changed in the intervening time? I understand your position as I can see it would be easy for you to feel "burned". But what about my position? If I set a deal over the phone but don't have the specifics in writing, what happens when I arrive with a check for the agreed upon amount only to discover the dealer expects more money?
I'm also curious what other posters think.
bingo! you are equally screwed. You are finding out why people like lawyers more than car salemen.
I have not had a problem getting anything in writing from reputable dealers. The ones that wouldn't didn't hear from me again. They know exactly what other dealers can do. They aren't as stupid as they seem (nor as smart as some of them think).
If he is "burned" it's simply because someone managed to give you a better price THAT HE SHOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU FROM THE BEGINNING. Shop your written quote around, if someone can't meet it, they will tell you. If he had given you a truly "best price" from the start, he wouldn't get burned. But he won't, so he feels like he might get screwed.
What goes around, comes around.
If I get someone so bullheaded that they won't call me, I'll just email them letting them know I would love to hear what thier lowest quote was. they can call me and I'll let them know if I can save them money. I can't remember the last time I couldn't.
Still, once in awhile I'll get a shopper who refuses to do this and demands a written quote. I lose these people and they probably end up paying more than they had to just out of stubborness. This doesn't happen very often though.
The price I asked about $20500ish is with Navi.
Thoughts?
Once the deal is done I'll return to state the details for the benefit of those interested.
Our bottom line price is $20,123(inc wheel locks, destination, doc fee, 1st state inspection) We currently have Habanero Red and Taffeta White. Anybody else has any questions, let me know.
Wouldn't you expect written terms when buying a house? Or taking out a loan to buy a car? Or buying insurance for a car? In fact doesn't the lender REQUIRE a written insurance retainer before granting a car or home loan? Although I'm sure some people shop the written quote to other dealers, my goal in getting the offer in writing is to protect myself, just as vendors require certain things in writing to protect themselves.
As far as whether I'll get a worse deal by insisting on a written offer, that's unknowable. You think that's the case but you can't prove it because you have no evidence. If you tell me you'll sell me a car for 20k but won't put the offer in writing and I buy another one somewhere else for 20k, you can always SAY after the fact you would have beaten it. That's why it's best for the customer to get the offer in writing.
I plan to start soliciting offers in a week or two. I'm curious to see what happens.