2013 and earlier-Honda Accord Prices Paid and Buying Experience

darmarm

Has anyone been charged an additional $399
for the Immobilizer Anti Theft System? We thought we had a good deal when settling on
the invoice price, but when arriving at the finance office to settle we were charged extra for this system. We got taken in the end!
Other than that, we like the car. It drives great
and we get 27-30 mpg in city driving.

compuman1

robtfl, whatever happened to you?

I haven't heard about your experience in Atlanta shopping around for the accord.

Let us know.

tgozdalski1

I already posted this message in general accord topic but did not received any responses.
I am looking forward to purchase 03 accord dx. Right now we own 2000 accord lx 5 speed and after 3 years and 91,000 miles we did not have any problems with it. Any suggestions as to what I can expect to pay for 5 speed dx? Also Honda web site does not put dollar amount for a dealer installed a/c, why? The only feature that I would like to add to dx would be power locks, but for the difference in price between lx I can live without them. With abs, power windows, and cd player I think dx is excellent value.
Tom

apbangi

Tom,

I think a good deal on the DX (5-speed manual)would be no more than $15k (--that is, $14,688 plus <$312). Your max price should be no more than $500 over invoice ($15,188).

Good luck.

hotneutron

I thought the Immobilizer Anti Theft System should be standard for every accord. It's clearly stated in the brochore.

andrewdna

Not to rub it in man but it is obvious you dont due as much due diligence as you should considering the vast amount of posts here. I havent bought my first new car yet but have learned a lot just from reading all the posts here and the articles posted by Edmunds. There's a wealth of info out there. It's going to hurt you more when you find out peoplefirst dot com will finance you at 4.24% for 36 months and 4.74% for 60 months. Why would you buy a car at 107 miles? That's a used car my man. More bad news, I bet almost 90%+ punch the engine while test driving. We can take an unofficial poll right here. I always punch the car on the freeway, how else would you know how the car handles whiling trying to merge? I stomp on the brakes too to test braking distance. As a matter of fact, the salesmen here usually tell me to punch it to feel the power! If I were you, I'd pester the dealer in taking the car back and giving you a new one since you didnt really get any deals whatsoever...including the price, paying full price basically and getting a used car. Take it to your local tv station's consumer help line if they wont do anything. When you are buying a new car, your car should not have anymore than 1-2 miles on it....afterall how far is the truck trailer to the dealership lot or the factory floor to the truck trailer? 107 miles, they may have even used your car as the courtesy vehicle. Not trying to rub it in, but I really think you should take the car back...if nothing else, get a 100k warranty out of the sucker.

heisnstein

heisnstein

A recent review has stated that Honda may insert IMA technology into the Accord "fairly soon." Here's the link:

http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/new/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/23230.htm

hotneutron

I have a feeling that 2003 accord is not going to sell well, not only because of the current economy, but also the rear part design and the competition from cars like altima and mazda 6. Here is my goal, invoice or nothing... I can wait for another one month...

btw, I don't think the IMA worth the extra money... unless the government put the gas guzzler tax on accord... How could that be possible?

aming

" have a feeling that 2003 accord is not going to sell well" :What do you mean in terms of sell well? Do you mean "as good as last year"? or do you mean "less then the competition"? I believe the last 2-3 months they have lead in sales...

cds12

I think Accord sales would be better vs. the competion in a "bad" economy because of its value.

bobby20878

I am interested in buying a Honda LX 2002(Silver). Shud I go for a new car or a demo? My budget is 14K-16K. Any particular dealer in MD?

qgu

It was advertised on last Sunday's Boston Global. They do honor their price because I bought a CR-V from them. It is obvious that Accord is not selling well here in Boston area. It is very possible to buy an Accord here below invoice.

cds12

that is a good deal!!!

ajchesak

I currently have a V6 6Speed on order with a dealer at $800 over invoice. My question is, do you think they will sell for at, or under invoice during the 04 model year?

hotneutron

What do you mean "discounted to $4003", if that means the price for the 03 accord is $4,003 (USD), it's a VOCANO HOT deal.

robtfl

I was in Atlanta, but I actually didn't have any time to do any investigating on the dealers there. The more I think about it though, dealers in Florida may be lightening up to the reality of the times, and may lower their pricing. Plus, the cost of going to Atlanta, and driving it back, plus your time, it may not be worth the couple bucks difference in the end. I'm going to call a couple tonight and see where they're at now on pricing. Will advise.

northwest1

I checked on a 2003 Accord 4-door DX 5-speed with Anderson Honda in Palo Alto, CA ($14938 internet price + 45 doc + $5 tire fee). Capitol Honda in San Jose, CA offered about $14600 (I do not have the exact number handy). Problem is these dealers do not seem to have any DXs in stock or on the way, which makes me think that the factory has not really started cranking DXs out in any real volume yet. Anybody out there actually bought a DX? There is a $3K price difference between DX and LX, and the only big differences are A/C, colored body mouldings, extra speakers, cruise, reading lights and probably upgraded cloth. Seems like the LX is not as good value an upgrade as it used to be. Of course, I think the LX is the cheapest way to get SRS. You can't get SRS on a DX.

wesbc

Ok, I was first quoted $21,000 for a 03 EX coupe, and that's with a little bit of dealing. Afterward, I sent a couple of emails to other dealer stating what I was quoted. Next deal quoted a $20,709. Which was just $90 over invoice and I was happy with that. Now I'm quoted $20,599!

It will all depend on what they will offer for my 99 Jetta!

liquidh2o

My wife and I just finished up purchasing a pair of new cars. She ended up with an 03' civic lx coupe(automatic) and I picked out an Accord. Total for the two was just $500 over invoice(15.2k for the civic, 18.1k for the accord).

On top of that they threw in free wheel locks for us, and gave us free window etching I couldn't have been more satisfied w/ my purchase.

Out the door, after TT&L was $35.6k

managed to get the 3.9 & 4.9 percent financing for the civic/accord as well, so we decided to purchase the addon 6yr/100k mile warranty so we'll never have to worry about paying for repairs while we own the cars.

This was my first experience with a honda dealership, and I can honestly say they'll definitely have me back for repeat business. No haggling, and they were honest and up front with me and my wife.

hotneutron

Could you tell me the name of the dealers?

daytona01

To all,

I'm planning to purchase a new Honda Accord 2003.
My target is the I4 EX-L. I like the I4 instead of V6 b/c :
- enough power for me (I live in Bergen county -Northern New Jersey... there isn't a lot of hills here)
- little better mpg
- and less cost in service.

My friend (he has a 92 Accord) told me I should get the V6.. b/c
- It is better when AC on (which I agree)
- has traction control which is good for winter
and V6 engine will last longer than the I4...??
He explained to me that for the car to travel the same distance... each cylinder in I4 would have to do more work than each cylinder in V6... as the result.. the rpm in V6 is lower than I4 to run at the same speed... Sounds logical...??

Is it worth to pay about $5000 extra (
$2000 in price,
$120 extra for insurance per year,
$100 extra for service per year,
$100 extra for gas)
to own the V6 for 10 years ??

Any advice will be appreciated..

Thanks for your advice,
-Howard

northwest1

My general philosophy is to get what you want. You'll quickly forget about the money spent, but you have to live with your choice (good or bad) every time you hop in the driver's seat.

That said, both the I4 or V6 will easily last 10+ yrs, so the wear and tear on the engine is moot. Your resale value after 10 years may be more dependent on whether you have taken good care of the engine, as opposed to what engine it is. Also, there is no guarantee of an endless supply of cheap oil (which will affect operating cost and resale value if high gas mileage is a selling point 10 yrs from now).

Since we can hardly predict the future on these matters, the only factor under your control is to select the car with the features you want that is within your budget.

qgu

darmarm

I thought so too! So, I went back to my dealer
and asked why I should pay an additional $399 for an Immobilizer Anti Theft System when it already exists on this car. The answer
I received was: we installed an additional system called KARR SECURITY SYSTEMS which is a keyless entry alarm upgrade module, Model KARR 4040. It is a chip im-bedded in the key which disables the starter and provides audible alarm when glass is broken, among other things. With it no car theft should occur, short of hauling your car
away. Has anyone been sold this KARR system in addition to what exists on the LX
sedan?

tblazer503

your friend has some strange insights on the I4 vs V6 arguement... first of all, the I4 and the V6 should run at the same RPM since the transmission is the same... therefore, same gear ratio... The V6 also has more things to break on it, and will cost more to repair if it should catastrophically break, but then again, the I4 will cost a lot also.

The engine load of the accessories is another story, though, but my I4 2.4L has no problem turning the a/c compressor.

Why not get a handshaker? I like 5mt's they make a measly 4 cyl really move. If you get the AT, I would go for the V6, though... the I4 had no power, IMHO with the AT, but worked perfectly fine with the 5MT(and it saves you money in maintenance)

As for the mileage, I have a buddy w/ a 3.2TL-S, and he drives about the same distances I do, I currently get about 25MPG(2nd tank) and he has almost always gotten about 18MPG. Thats almost 50% better MPG! On a tank of gas thats about another 80miles or so(the gas light goes off w/ 4.5gal left in the tank).

Buy what makes you happy, afterall, you will have it for 10 years.

mcali

I just bought my 2003 LX Accord Sedan from San Leandro Honda. I paid $250 over invoice - $21,$406 before tax & fees. I dealt only with the internet dealer, Nick Lozovsky. Palo Alto gave me the same quote at first, then when the sold the car, he told me that the price would go up to $600 over invoice. I decided not to deal with Palo Alto if they were going to play games. San Leandro did not have the car at the time, but they gave me a written quote & looked for my car in the color that I wanted. No other dealer was willing to look for the car for the price I wanted. In the end, I got exactly what I wanted for the price I asked for. Hope this helps as much as the other posts have helped me.

fotomaniak

Hi, Wesbc!

Could you please tell me the name of the dealer who sold or quotes you accord below or at the invoice?

So far the best quote I've got for EX V6 sedan was 500 over invoice (through costco auto program), other dealer's quotes are about 700-900 over invoice.

Thanks!
Igor

compuman1

Sorry to burst your bubble, but $21,406 is not 250 over invoice for an Accord 03 LX sedan auto. The invoice on that car is 20,000 + 460 S/H = 20460. Unless they installed lots of extras at the dealer, I'm afraid they took you for a ride.

Below are the true invoice prices:

Accord DX
Manual - Retail $15,800 | Invoice $14,228.42
Automatic - Retail $16,600 | Invoice $14,947.32

Accord LX
Manual - Retail $19,200 | Invoice $17,283.77
Automatic - Retail $20,000 | Invoice $18,002.68

Accord LX S-SRS
Manual - Retail $19,450 | Invoice $17,508.43
Automatic - Retail $20,250 | Invoice $18,227.34

Accord EX
Manual - Retail $21,600 | Invoice $19,440.49
Automatic - Retail $22,400 | Invoice $20,159.40

Accord EX-L
Manual - Retail $22,900 | Invoice $20,608.72
Automatic - Retail $23,700 | Invoice $21,327.63

Accord EX-L NAVI (Available Nov 02)
Manual - Retail $24,900 | Invoice $22,405.99
Automatic - Retail $25,700 | Invoice $23,124.89

Accord LXV-6
Automatic - Retail $23,000 | Invoice $20,698.58

Accord EXV-6
Automatic - Retail $25,800 | Invoice $23,214.76

Accord EXV-6 NAVI (Available Nov 02)
Automatic - Retail $27,800 | Invoice $25,012.03

Destination and Handling add $460 | Effective Date: 09.05.02

calypso2

I want to buy a 2003 Accord LX but my current car (a 99 Dodge Stratus) won't be paid off untill April.
With interest rates lower right now I don't know whether to go ahead and pay off Dodge and trade for Honda now or keep my cash and finish paying off Dodge and wait till Spring 2003 to buy Honda.
Anyone have enough experience with car manufacturers and dealers to guess whether I can get good enough price now on Honda or don't have anything to lose by waiting till spring?

Hellllllppp!!...dumb about car buying.

andrewdna

was that Anderson Honda in palo alto?

umyaya

Hey man,

I'm looking to get a O3 EX-V6 NAVI and might try using my Costco connection, where were you quoted 500 over invoice. That's not a great price, but if I can get it in my area it might be worth the money not spent traveling for a car, besides that the dealer process should be pretty painless using Costco I'd think. Let me know the area, and if that was 500 over invioce, with the 460 destination fee on top, or included in the 500 over invoice. Thanks!

ttomm

Just picked up my new noble green pearl 03LX at Art Moehn Honda in Jackson Michigan for $287. over invoice. I believe I could have purchased the car at invoice from the dealer in Bloomfield Hills, but this was much more convenient. Seems like a real nice ride.

reidj

Don't expect too much yet on the Costco connection for the EX-V6 NAVI. I just tried it in the Virginia area and I got a "Costco Quote" of approx. $1550 over invoice. Yeah, right. I think Nav systems are just too new for them to drop the price down too much. I would hope that when prices are like that, you should be able to deal down even a Costco pre-negotiated price.

BTW, That does not even include the inflated prices they gave me for the accessories. Most were significantly over the installed retail on Honda's website. With Mp3, wing spoiler, splash guards and mats, and after taxes, etc. it was just shy of $30k. Too much for an Accord.

bobby20878

I found a Honda Accord'96(Sedan) having 60K. On checking the VIN # I found that this guy bought it from an auction in Oct'02. He is asking for $7000. It HASN'T got the 60K mil service done.

Please advise as what shud I do and HOW MUCH should I offer?

Below are the features.

Color : Silver
Engine : 4 Cylinder
Transmission: auto
Drive Train : 2WD
4cylinder

ABS,A/C,AM/FM, Cassette Radio, Cruise, Driver side airbag, Moon Roof, Power locks, Power Seats, Power Steering, Power Windows, New Front Tires.

Bobby

andrewdna

I doubt you'll get much answers here. Look at the kelley blue book kbb.com. Then look at ebay motors for the same car. Car bought at auction is suspect for salvage title. I suggest you look up the VIN on carfax.

bobby20878

Thanks a lot for ur response. I have checked abt the car n CARFAX.com and it has a clean history. No accident records are shown and they say it qualifies for clean title history gaurantee. The trade in value at Kelly's blue book is $6775. Please advise me how to negotiate and if I take it to a mechanic will he be able to tell me whether it's a salvage car?

Thanks ... Bobby

test007

My car buying experience,

I don&#146;t know what the deal is here in Austin, Texas, but it&#146;s almost impossible purchase a new 03 Honda Accord over few hundred of dollars over invoice. I called around and just about all Honda dealers in Austin wanted few hundred dollars below MSRP. Now this was back in last week of October. I ended up driving to San Antonio to buy one.
I didn&#146;t get the best deal, but make a long story short, paid $24,700 for 03 Honda Accord EX V6 Silver. The car came with a matching spoiler attached and sunroof visor.
At that time they had another car without the spoiler and sunroof visor for $24,500.

What did I really pay?
24,700 + Title Fee + Inspection Fee + Inventory Tax + State Tax + License Fee + Documentary Fee = $26,449.60. I also purchased 10/100,000 warranty for $995.00.
I didn&#146;t think I needed one, but I planned on keeping it for over 3 years hopefully it will be worth it. That I will have to wait and see. Is $995 too much for extended warranty? The finance guy said it covers everything except for window wiper blades.
Don&#146;t laugh I know (also purchased Life Insurance $449.43). I didn&#146;t realize this at first until I got home and read all the paper (made dumb mistake.. read all of your documents while at the dealership). Also received leather treatment and 1-year car wash.

WHAT?
At first I had gotten financed thru Dealer&#146;s recommended credit union at 5.50 % for 60 months. The next day I called the dealership and I wanted to remove Life Insurance. Finally, I was told if I keep the insurance, he would lower my APR to 4.50 %. That&#146;s one whole percentage. I punched in these numbers into spreadsheet and after number crunching I reluctantly accepted. I feel like I could have qualified at 4.50% all along.

Lesson learned is to read all paper and double check your numbers.

Any comments welcome.

umyaya

I went to an MD dealer to try see the Costco price on a V6-Navi and the dealer, who wanted invoice, said, oh, your with Costco, I guess I could take $100 off. I tried not to laugh as I walked away.

andrewdna

My first car was a used one from a private sale. Take it to a dealership or mechanic to check out everything. There are car inspectors who will go to their house and check everything out on site. Tell them you are buying the car and want to know everything that's wrong including previous damages. Tell the guy you are buying from that you want him to pay for an inspection but you will reimburse him when you buy the car if everything checks out but that you will deduct any repair costs from this price after inspection. This is resonable, if he has something to hide, he will prob spill it out by now. Anyway, offer him a low price and work it up in increments of $150...start with $200 below KBB. Hope this helps. If everything checks out okay, I dont think paying in the low KBB price is bad.

crv16

They are in Manchester NH. I bought my last Honda there, it was a pretty good experience. They have a "fixed price" policy, and have recently put all their inventory online at http://honda.autofair.com/index.cfm?action=home

A few pricing examples:

'03 Accord EX V6 - $23,675 (MSRP $26,260)

'03 Accord EX Auto - $20,394 (MSRP $22,860)

'03 Accord LX Auto - $18,313 (MSRP $20,460)

They are pretty low pressure. Plus, no outrageous doc fees either, I believe they were under $100.

mcali

Yes, this was Anderson in Palo Alto. This was just my experience with one of the internet dealers. I know other people who bought through them without any problems.

mcali

Actually, the invoice price that you came up with is the same - my price already includes destination fee of $460.

fotomaniak

Hi Umyaya!

you can call costco and they will refer you to your local participating dealer: (800) 927 9263
or (800) 801-9806

the've referred me to planet honda (in Union, New Jersey)
I was told to contact Kenny Gordon (908) 964-1600
quote I got over the phone is $24175 (invoice + 500)

I don't know what they offer "regular" customers. When I went there to get a quote, sales rep said that he won't give it until I choose the specific car and "will be read to buy it" ;o))

You might try calling there, then come in and don't tell them you are using costco and see what will happen. That's what I will try when I am going to buy a car.

I've also went to Route 22 Honda
they initially offered me a quote: Invoice + 825 = $24500, then called me later and asked if I am going to buy from them, I told I got a beter quote from another dealer, they said "get your best quote and we'll beat it"... I don't know if they will, but I don't really like their approcah to negotiation, first they tried to sell the car for MSRP;o)) then said that price is 25500, then 25000... etc... however they were nice enought to let me & my wife test drive a car, for about 15 min and sit in the car for another 15 min to play around with the controls, settings etc.
But before test driving, the salesman tried to find out "what kind of monthly payment we are looking for".

I think that it might be actually possible to buy a the the invoice price.

Good luck!
Igor
PS Let me know about your buying experience
PPS I also got a quote from Madison honda(New Jersey) their sales man is funny. First he gives a quote of 24200, but then tries to add a delivery fee(460) to it... saying "no that's not a destination charge, we pay this to the truckers..." he also offered me window etching and some other stuff... I don't recommend going to this one, too many tricks...

umyaya

Thanks for all the info... I'll try it. Like I said, my local one in MD was a joke. I agree that you should be able to get invioce, at least with the non-NAVI EX-V6. I strongly urge everyone out there to seek the invoice price... some markets are tougher than others for that but you should be able to get it if you want to put out the effort. Unfortunately for me, the NAVI's are so new I haven't heard any quotes here from buyers, and carsdirect.com, etc., don't have them listed yet. I'm almost pissed this new NAVI system is getting so much publicity, as I wanted NAVI anyway. Oh, well.

Anyone out there got, or been quoted a good NAVI price? Near invoice? Hey, I can dream can't I. If I find one I'll pass it along (I've only begun to look)... I love how supportive everyone is in here!

fotomaniak

two things I forgot to mention:
- $460 destination price was already included
- the quote was for accord EX V6 4dr without navigation

also, as edmunds.com and other websites/books recommend:
"don't buy accessories from the dealer, try to buy aftermarket accessories"
may be you can make a better deal buying car without navigation and then shopping around for the navigation system separately.(especially if dealer won't give you good deal on the navigation model)
And you'll have more choice, that's for sure.

rainbow24

Once again allow me to re-state myself. You buy groceries correct? What does a gallon of milk cost Mr. Grocer? Do you pay MSRP or over invoice on milk? Do you negotiate a gallon of gas price, better yet, do you ask a plumber for a discount when you have a leaky water line? Every business has bills and needs to make xxx amount to cover monthly bills, anything left over is profit. So what happens when you get insulted that you are paying over invoice, I guess you can buy a dealership and see you don't make $1000 a customer profit when you sell for invoice.

BTW, the sooner you get your car, the sooner you can enjoy it, unless you are holding out for a couple hundred dollars. 6 months is a long time to wait for $200 or driving a kick [non-permissible content removed] car now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ssaclub

rainbow24 - good analogy. Taking it a step farther, if your grocer doesn't give you the price that you want to pay for milk, you can either buy some other drink, or find another grocer who is willing to sell the milk for less.

 You're not asking the next grocer to open their books for you, you're just asking if their price is less than the other person's. I agree with you that no one should be insulted if they can't get the price they want, they can always look for another store.

Unfortunately cars don't seem to be priced the way you can price milk - where you can go to the store and know what everyone is paying for the product. If they were, there would be no need for a discussion board called "How much did you pay" in the first place.

Toyota's trying something new in Canada with no-haggle pricing - what's your take on that? http://access.toyota.ca

compuman1

Maybe the dealer that offered you $100 off is not a Costo program participating dealer. If it is, I would report them to Costco.

Call the Costco number listed earlier on this board and make sure you go to a participating dealer, then ask them to show you, not just tell you, the "costo invoice". This is a special document ( I understand it has a Costo logo on it) that spells out the special price. Hope this helps.

tgozdalski1

Anybody knows what is an invoice for a dealer installed a/c on accord dx?