2013 and earlier-Honda Accord Prices Paid and Buying Experience

isellhondas

It's been nearly a month since you asked me this question so I'm sure this is too late. As you can see, I don't come here often. Too hard on my blood pressure and I simply can't keep up.

But, just in case...What determines what a car will sell for is the prevailing market. What the dealer happened to pay for the car means nothing. A merchant doesn't invest 20 million dollars in a store just so he can sell his goods for what he paid for them.

Some markets have, literally been ruined and So. Calif is a good example of this. It is so dog eat dog that cars sometimes have to be cheap sold. These dealers can and will find other means to stay alive. They may charge outrageous doc. fees ect. these stores have constant turnover and can be miserable places for people to do business.

Accord coupes represent a small percentage of Accord production. As a result, they are in short supply. It is highly unlikely that any dealer would be willing to cheap sell one. In the case of NAVI V-6 coupes, they are so scarce that it's been months since I have seen one.

Holdback isn't 3% it is 2% and it ***helps*** pay a portion of flooring. It is not bottom line profit. Far from it. Most dealers will quickly lose interest if you bring this up and your salesperson may just give you an idea of the MASSIVE overhead that we pay every month just to open the doors.

Lastly, your trade in is a seperate issue.Some customers will tell us about how we will be making so much money on their trade in. Well, maybe, maybe not. A trade in is only worth as much as the dealer can buy one for at the local auction and nothing more. If it isundesirable trade in, the dealer may not want it at all despite what all of the "books" say it is worth. The big SUVS and cars that use a lot of gas are dead in the water right now. The people that we usually call either don't want them or they hit us thousand of dollars "back of book"

In the case of your RSX, there a lot of these on the market right now. They are great cars, but they were never big sellers. in 2005, Acura leased a bunch of these that are now hitting the auctions in big numbers.

Anyway, I'm sorry for the slow response. At this point you are probably driving your new car!

And, I hope I didn't offend anyone. Not my intension. Just trying to explain the realities of the marketplace. A market that seems to change daily sometimes.

theesir

I just finalized the deal on a 2008 EX-L i4 in Polished Metal Metalic w/o Nav. No Trade in. Dealer in Buffalo, NY suburb. Got qoutes from three other dealers in town and 2 would not go below invoice, one offered $150 below, the other, the one I bought from gave me $200 below and was less expensive on the accessories.
Car- $23862 (Includes Destination of $635)
Wing Spoiler- $545
Cargo Net- $127
Sales Tax (8.75%, Damned Erie County New YorK!!!)- $2146
Document fee- $45
Inspection Fee- $10
Tire Tax- $12.50
Total OTD for car- $26,748
Financed about 11k at 0.9% for 36 Months.

rv99

tracemiller,

Shouldn't we benefit all readers by posting details on the public post? Thanks.

isellhondas

This may make you feel better.

In the Seattle area sales tax on cars is 9.3% !

But we don't have any "inspection fees" - What is that?

And no "tire taxes" Again...???

jdunnisher

isell,

Your honesty is appreciated. I'd rather be an educated buyer than one who is overconfident with incorrect information. As far as the holdback amount, the 3% figure is one I got right here on edmunds.com.

link title

It lists Honda as 3% of the Base MSRP. So, I'm not sure why there is a discrepancy.

Anyways, your post was not too late. I am still driving the RSX, as I have been unable to find a deal here in AZ on a Coupe that I've found suitable. The quotes I've received for a 5-speed manual EX Coupe have been about $1,000 over invoice in many cases. Coupled with high doc fees in the area (usually close to $400) and the less than stellar lease rates on Accords right now, I just haven't been inclined to pull the trigger.

I've never had a single issue with my Acura, it still has low miles and is a sporty car, so I haven't been in a real hurry to make a move. If I do finally decide to ramp up my search, I believe I'll expand to So. Cal dealers since the 4-5 hour drive would be worth the extra savings to me.

Thanks again for the info.

isellhondas

Holdback dropped to 2% some time back and it appears Edmunds hasn't made the correction.

Again, it isn't bottom line profit, far from it.

I know I rambled, but my point was simply that the prevailing market is what determines pricing. Not just on cars but on most commodity items. I honestly think that some people focus more on how much profit a dealer may be making than on the VALUE of the car to them.

1000.00 over invoice on a short supply car really isn't a bad deal at all.

Would it be really worth it to you to drive to California to maybe save a few hundred dollars? I'm sure your Acura is in great shape but do remember that every month when a new book comes out, it drops in value.

The fact that you want a 5 speed could help you. These aren't nearly as popular as the automatics are and as a result, a dealer who is sitting on a couple of them may be willing to do a cheap deal.

But then remember that cars that are hard to sell as new cars are even harder to sell later as used cars. If you are leasing, it guess it doesn't matter.

That 400.00 doc fee is nuts. We charge 50.00.

Good Luck!

theesir

In NYS, cars must receive a safety/emissions inspection yearly. This applies to any car being registered as well. So if I bought this car today, got it inspected and registered and then sold it to you tomorrow, you would have to get the car inspected again before you could register the car.

Tire Tax is 2.50 per tire for each new tire sold in NY (4 on car plus the spare, thus $12.50). This is a tax being used to help finance the cost of waste tire disposal or something like that. In reality its just another way to add a fee to everything we do in this state.

isellhondas

I can understand a required inspection on USED cars, but on a brand NEW car, that sounds nuts!

theesir

You have to have the sticker to register, so they charge the fee. I do believe $10 is the minimum fee. When you are getting your annual inspection, most places charge about $20.

mplshondadlr

9.3% WOW. From 2002-2005 I worked for Huling (before AG Dillard). As I remember the sales tax was 8.5%. Then we moved to Minneapolis, 6.5%.

We're considering a move back to West Seattle next year. Both my wife and I miss Seattle.

nickwoods

hello was that a v6??

tampafl1

nope.. it was an i4

nickwoods

still unsure of new accords, i have read the forum sometime now, extreme road noise is my only concern now before i buy exl-v6 would appreciate comments concern this, alot of people seem to be unhappy about it tks

tjta1

Received a quote of $25,669
Out the door - $27,746
Good deal?

loves2read

we test drove an EXL Saturday afternoon == drove on fairly busy freeway in DFW TX area--had a motorcycle burst by us--noise of his engine absolutely screamed inside the car--really felt the transition changes in cyls--enough so that my husband lost interest in buying one--and that was his choice at the beginning

we drove new Malibu, Camry top of the line V6 and 4, and the Hybrid in addition to the Honda Accord--
the Malibu is the most quiet of them all I think but the gas mpg for the V6 is not that great and the hybrid is only 2 mpg more than the 4--that is no reason to buy one

steelblue314

Nickw: I don't know what "tks" is, but road noise isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Also, changing the stock Michelin tires seems to stop any road noise from what I read, and placing a few sheets of Dynomat inside all panels will cut the road noise more than half to almost zero if placed correctly. I know one thing, I like the car a lot overall.

isellhondas

"Extreme road noise"...I don't think so!

Yes, there are cars that are quietier but there will be a loss of handling.

I have had people bring decimal meters and compare Hondas to other cars. The differences are so small that most people wouldn't notice.

Can Honda continue to work on this? You bet they can but "extreme" isn't a fair description.

isellhondas

Oh, the tires will make a HUGE difference! Honda insists on using tires that last forever but are so noisy!

I pulled the original tires off of our 2003 CRV after only 32,000 miles and I replaced them with Michelin X's.

Wow...what a difference!

Honda? Are you listening?

isellhondas

If a noisy motorcycle blasts by ANY car, it'll make a lot of noise.

As hard as I keep trying, I have yet to detect anything when the cylinders change modes? Maybe I just can't feel things or something?

I still try to steer my customers toward the 4 cyl models. I just think the V-6's are unnecessary given the power of the 4 bangers.

Gas isn't getting any cheaper!

jaxs1

It's not about what sound meters say. They don't do a good enough job of measuring what your own ear hear or what sounds more unpleasant to a person.
According to some road test measurements, the Accord is quieter than a Malibu and the Malibu has more rear legroom. Both are ludicrous, but the methods they used to measure obtained those flawed results.
The Accord has a much more roomy rear seat than a Malibu and the Malibu is much more quiet. Anyone who has ridden in both cars back to back will see that.

The Accord does not have extreme road noise, but it's noisier than it really needs to be. The Malibu is quiet and has great handling. The same with the Camry SE.

isellhondas

"It's noisier than it really needs to be"

I agree and we keep telling Honda that.

Still, I hear few complaints. The competition loves to make a big deal out of this too.

The Malibu has come a long way but for those who don't keep their cars ten years, the resale would be a major factor in my mind, not to buy one.

dwynne

isellhondas:

A question: Any dealer money on S2000 models? Edmunds says no, but the featured lease special on them has the car priced at $31,698.46 against a $31,769 invoice. Normally on any published lease special there is still a good bit of room to price the car lower - maybe by $1k or more in some cases. This is the first time I can recall the S lease deal being at or below invoice with no known (to Edmunds) incentives. I have a quote of $30,168 for an 08 S to replace my 05 and I am wondering if there is any more meat on that bone and/or how they are pricing it so low .

Thanks!

Dennis

christinam1

From what I understand, the 4 cyl does not have a power seat on the passenger side. That may not be important to some folks but it is a big thing with me. There are other differences, too, between the 4 and 6 cylinder EX-Ls.
Do you think Honda will offer a different 6-cyl option on the 2009s?

isellhondas

No money on S-2000's that I'm aware of.

S-2000's are a very limited production car that don't sell in big numbers so there would be little need to do this.

Honda leaves very little fluff in thier published lease specials.

For 30,168 I don't know how you could do any better than that.

steelblue314

christinam1:

I have the 4cyl EX-L/Nav, and I'm TELLING you it has passenger side power seats.

isellhondas

I'm always amazed about how something that can be of little or no importance to most people can be so important to others.

Can't please everybody and keep prices withing reason too so the car manufactures try to please the masses I suppose.

I think I've had two customers (out of hundreds) gripe because the 4 cyls didn't have a power pass. seat.

One customer switched to a V-6 strictly because of that!

hp6130

We own our new 08 accord about 2 mos. now. And after driving 3 camries for the past 14 yrs. (we still have the 03 xle) neither of us find the car to be any noisier than our previous camries. Even though our car is a 4cyl., we test drove 4 different V-6's (3 of the cars we drove extensively) and the VCM would not have been an issue as to whether we bought the car or not. Our car is an ex-l non-nav, and my wife does miss the extra power seat, the homelink, and the fog lites. We really liked the v-6, but could not justify the extra $2000 grand. I think Honda should make these standard on the 4 cyl. ex-l, like Toyota does w/ the 4 cyl. xle. I know it's only been 2 mos. w/ the new accord but so far so good. I'm sure some people are having real issues w/ road noise and VCM. But be careful that something you keep reading about on the internet, gets in your head and stays there. Try and be open minded when you test drive. Because that perceived problem may just be a figment of your imagination and you just might dismiss a car (honda, toyota, nissan, etc.) you really like. Just go online and you will find plenty of people complaining about each and every car out there, some of the people don't even own the car and other's took a 5 min. test drive.

twotonetommy

I agree with hp6130. I recently tried a 2008 accord exl 4cyl and right across the street was a toyota dealership and I tried a 2009 camry SE 4 cyl with leather. I drove in the city and the highway and was expecting a huge difference in road noise. The difference was very very little. I was expecting the accord to be so much louder based on what others have discussed here and other places.

If you haven't done so, test them both out on the same route, on the same day. You may find that this is not an issue. For myself, its not.

Just my thoughts.

isellhondas

Good advise.

What bothers one person isn't noticed by others until it's pointed out to them.

Things get hugely overblown in forums like this and some people will believe everything they read.

As an example, we had a beautiful 1999 Accord V-6 coupe and I never, ever noticed the sunroof squeaking over bumps until someone made a HUGE deal out of this in one of these forums.

About a week later, I was in an underground parking facility with my radio off and to my horror, I too, had the dreaded squeak!

The cure was a ten second application of a silicone lube which solved my horrible problem!

dwynne

It is always a good idea to read the "professional" roadtests and the comments of owner's or other folks who have test drive the car you are interested in. They can give you some key things to look out for to see if they bother you or not - things you might not notice otherwise. Often you will find that they really don't bother you as they do others. I purchased a new 88 (IIRC) Civic Si and I remember the road testers complained about the moonroof switch - couldn't find it, hard to see/reach. After just a couple of weeks driving in that (my only car) I could operate it with no problems .

Dennis

spent2much

I had looked at 2008 Honda Accords, all models... I got a 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid off Craigslist for $20,500 (33,000mi) (one owner, no "added charges" for window tinting , etc.you get at a dealer.) The HAH (Honda Accord Hybrid) 2006-2007 models are awesome! They didn't sell due to high price tag and nerdy wheels. I bought it used, (like new) and changed out the wheels to 2006-2007 Honda Accord 10-spoke sport wheels. It is the only Accord with sound-dampening. It is very quiet. It is a MUSCLE CAR! and yet gets way better mileage (and acceleration) than the new V6/s or than BMW's or Mercedes. Rock solid dependability (except there was a notice on the Hydraulic Control Unit for the ABS brakes - fixed under warranty). Much better choice than noisy 2008 Accords, Civics, or Prius, or Camry Hybrid. Although this concept would have sold better in an Acura body with sport wheels initially, it still looks sporty without being "uppity"
and has the light "dance-floor" light sports car steering not in Acuras.

isellhondas

Just never sold well and I don't think the wheels were much of a factor.

They were quite a bit more money then the non hybrids and they didn't get that much better mileage.

I never heard any complaints about the wheels. Most hybrid buyers don't care. It was just a car that didn't sell well.

dwynne

Originally no moonroof and never a folding back seat or spare tire. Then you look at the cost for ownership, no matter if you compare invoice or MSRP I once figured it would take more than 200,000 miles to get your money back out of one - compared to buying a non-hybrid Accord. Yes, it was the fastest of the bunch with mileage about the same as the I4 Accord but it was a niche that few Accord owners wanted. If they had made it an I4 Hybrid with mileage much better than the other Accords it would have been cheaper and probably would have sold better.

Another flaw was no electric only mode. Even if you are stuck in crawling traffic it always fires the gas motor even to pull forward a few feet. The Prius and the current Civic hybrid can move on electric only to really save fuel in slow / stopped traffic.

Once Honda announced they were dropping them from the lineup I saw several dealers giving them away to get them off the lot. At those prices it was not as bad a deal .

Dennis

ahossa1

I test drove the 2008 Accord in Great Neck, NY and I must say overall the car is solid. I am a stickler for quiet cars and I noticed when you drive under 50MPH the car is pretty quiet, however, when you get to 65MPH, you really hear the road noise protruding into the cabin. I never understood that with the Honda line.They make great cars but can't add sound deading materials to make it enjoyable that you want to drive more. I also drove the 4 cyl EX-L same results. I Have an Acura MDX and it's a pleasure to drive. Very little road noise at any speed.

dparker313

Hey, I am a second year college student and am looking to lease a 2008 Accord Coupe EX with a manual transmission. So far I got a local dealer to agree on $21,824 for purchase of the car, which is just about invoice. For a 36 month term lease, 12,000 miles/year, they offered $1,000 down (+$842) in taxes, $316 a month. For $2000 down, +$768 in taxes, it would be $288/month. The Money Factor is .00200, and the residual is $12,849 (54%). Does this look like a good deal? I have been told that before agreeing to anything I should make sure to get all costs up front before going to the dealership. I am totally new to this process and want to handle it the best way possible. I really appreciate any comments/advice! Thanks!

jdunnisher

dparker,

What dealership / part of the country is this? I am looking for a manual EX Coupe as well, and they are pretty scarce - there are two in my entire state. If you can get one near invoice without any hidden charges added on, you are most likely getting a good deal.

The residual looks a little low, but I'm sure one of the dealer / salespeople on this forum can confirm the numbers for you. Almost everyone here will tell you to put as little money down as possible on a lease, since you can't get that money back if the vehicle were totaled or stolen.

You're best off negotiating the out-the-door price on the vehicle, and plugging that number into one of the lease calculators available online to figure out what it will cost you each month. Never negotiate a lease by monthly payment or down payment - there are just too many variables.

Make sure you are aware of any fees (documentation, tire tax, etc.) and dealer upgrades that may change the price of the vehicle. Honda also charges a $595 acquisition fee on its leases. I'm nearly positive that this fee is non-negotiable. Good luck in your search.

mplshondadlr

The S2000 has $1000.00 dealer lease cash.

mplshondadlr

I guess you didn't know those "nerdy" wheels help to charge your IMA battery when braking.

jaxs1

I test drove a Malibu and new Accord back to back. In fact I drove a rental 2008 Malibu LS to the Honda dealer and then test drove a 2008 Accord LX-P.
I could hear more road noise in the Accord than the Malibu driving on the same coarse road surface. On glass smooth asphalt, you may notice little difference.

It is common knowledge that the Accords and most Hondas in general are not the quietest cars you can buy for the money and is not really debatable.
I'm not sure the extra noise by itself is enough of a problem to not buy the car, but it is an additional negative point to the Accord that may push it out of the running for me.

I think Honda has the arrogant mentality of: "People will still buy it even if it's loud, so why bother trying to make it as quiet as other cars?"

isellhondas

Oh, I don't kow it it's arrogance but I do hope Honda corporate people read these forums.

I agree that they should work on this and they have. The new ones are quieter than the provious models but they still have a ways to go.

Most people aren't that bothered by it, I know I'm not. I don't expect a Honda to have the noise level or the ride of a Buick.

What would you rather have? A fast depreciating Chevy?

dwynne

The S2000 has $1000.00 dealer lease cash.

I was the one asking, but thanks for the info. So I can do the fairly cheap lease deal (0.00073 MF and 54% residual) and the dealer gets $1,000 off of invoice as well?

That would explain the price I got, which is $1,600 or so under invoice and using up about all the hold back. I guess there is no more meat on that bone . So I can buy my 05 S off lease or give it back and get an 08. I am leaning toward the 08.

Thanks again,
Dennis

steinad

steelblue did you lease? What were your terms if you don't mind revealing?

dwynne

I always have the tunes on so I would just turn up the XM a little bit more .

If you are leasing, then I would say you should try the Malibu if they have an nice lease deal on it. With the current Accord rates it may be a better buy. If you are purchasing then it is pretty much a no-brainer as to which car will hold its value better and which car will have fewer problems down the road. Since you can get an Accord for invoice these days (and with cheap financing) they would have to be giving away the Malibu for a lot less to make me want it. But that is just me, it is your money so get what turns your crank.

Hondas are not without flaws, road noise may be one thing (which does not bother me). My pet peeve is the cheap, thin paint on them. Way too easy to scratch and chip and it has been that way for several years. I have no chips or scratches on the other cars I have, but it seems like every Honda I have or had lost some paint.

For resale value and overall quality for the dollar Honda products are pretty hard to beat.

Dennis

jaxs1

That is what I'd expect them to say if they had an arrogant "You have to buy our car anyway because the competition is crap. So, just deal with the noise and shut up." attitude.

The Malibu isn't the only much quieter car competing with the Accord anyway. The Camry has been quieter for generations and is not "fast depreciating." Even the Malibu depreciation won't be bad because it is more more popular than old Malibus and is not being being overproduced. The combination of dated, noncompetitive designs and massive overproduction is why cars like the Malibu have had very bad residual values. Few people liked the old Malibu and only bought them because they were much cheaper than what they really wanted..
The new Malibu doesn't have that problem because more people buy them that aren't using discounting off the price as100% of their justification and lease the residuals are much higher than before.

dwynne

The new Malibu doesn't have that problem and lease residuals are much higher than before..

For a CAPTIVE lease residual from GMAC that may be the case, but if you look at the industry standard ALG residual you will see the Malibu is 46% - 47% (LT trim) VS 56% for the Accord (in LX-P trim). On a 3rd party lease this makes the Accord $70 or so cheaper per month than an LT Malibu. End of lease value of $9k to $10k VS nearly $13k for the Accord.

If you hate Honda and Accords so bad, why do you keep posting in the Honda forums? I am sure folks over in the Camry and Malibu forums would appreciate your insightful and accurate comments.

Dennis

jaxs1

I didn't say that the the Malibu residual was the same as an Accord, just that it's much improved over the old Malibu.
I think the resale of the Malibu may be pretty good based on it's ratings and popularity vs the old Malibus and the fact that they aren't overproducing them and then trying to artificially force sales beyond what the market will bear via huge rebates, but it's risky to buy it and find out later.
So, if I want a better guarantee of good resale, I can get a Camry instead and have the better resale and still have a quiet ride. Lots of choices. I don't want to drive a car I don't really like just so I can sell it for more money in 6 years.
I liked the Accord enough to consider it and shop it against other cars. I didn't shop the Aveo or a Maybach or post in those forums because there is no chance I will get either.
Why does someone have to hate Hondas to point out that it's louder than the Camry and Malibu?
So if you like Honda's then you just have to accept them as faultless?

isellhondas

Camrys are SLIGHTLY quietier than Accords.

As long as they keep selling Malibus and Camrys to the rental companies, resale will always suffer when a year later these cars are dumped em masse at the auctions.

Even affects Camrys but nothing like a domestic.

steelblue314

No lease, finance for me. Intend on driving this one until the wheels fall off.

jaxs1

A Camry is noticeably quieter. If they were so close that no one could tell which was quieter than the other, then it wouldn't matter.

Prior daily rental Camrys CEs and very stripped LEs are not much of a resale problem. In fact, I've looked at them and as 1 year old cars with 25-30K miles, they weren't discounted enough for me to see them as attractive vs just getting a new one.
But others are buying them at those prices, so resale value is apparently pretty good..

iwanthonda

I'm in the MD area and I've been shopping around for a sedan EX-L V6 with Navi (MSRP $30,260 w/o dest). At the end of last month, I thought I had a solid quote for a dealer exchange to get the color I wanted for $27,300 (including the $635 destination fee, $99 processing fee, wheel locks, and splash guards) plus TTL. However, as soon as I started talking accessories, the conversation soured and everything pretty much blew up in my face.
I was told to wait the following day to get the general sales manager's approval, but once I let it go into this month, it seemed like the deal just vanished into thin air. My only remaining option (which is still available now) is to accept the color on the lot for the $27,300 price tag, or pay a ridiculous $1,000 more to get the color I want (from either a dealer exchange or factory order). Since I don't feel like settling for the available color, am I still delusional to think that this deal will again become realistic once it reaches the end of this month?
I have been told at different times that my quoted price reflects a $60, $110, and $300 profit for the dealership, so I don't know what to believe. I really want a specific color in this car, but I don't know if I'm going to have to pay an arm and a leg for it. Anyone have any advice?