2013 and earlier-Honda Accord Prices Paid and Buying Experience

ragtop

Anybody have any experiences with Curry Honda in Weschester, NY ???? This is my next stop.

indyfan

How about the Indianapolis area? Can anyone recommend a dealer here?

orangehb

After some discussions w/ a few dealers, I've found that you can estimate what they'll give you for the car.

First configure all of your options on the estimator (mileage, air, power, etc.) then, (even if your car is in perfect/excellent condition), select "fair" and calculate. Repeat and select "good" and then calculate.

Your price will be somewhere between these numbers (near the lower-end most likely).

I agree, it's not fair, but the price you pay for not selling it yourself.

pat

Something else you can do is check the Edmunds TMV (True Market Value) of your trade-in by clicking on the blue USED CARS tab at the top of this page. And you can stop by our Real-World Trade-In Values discussion to see what folks there think a trade-in is worth.

Those figures will give you some bargaining strength. Good luck!

aqpham

and got an offer of $24,614 for a 2004 accord EX/V6; that's about $1675 off of sticker. I thought this was a really good price. The manager told me straight out that the hold back and destination charge are there because, first off it costs money to have the cars delivered to their dealer, secondly the salepersons are not working for free, and thirdly the office supplies (desks, papers, pens...) don't just fall from the sky. Seriously, these people have to earn something running a business, and I thought $1675 off for a 2004 is pretty good.

ken972

Sounds pretty good to me. I paid 24,700 for the same 04 EX V6.. That was 500 over invoice. Did you buy it??

aqpham

No, I "had" to walk away from the deal, because my brother, who came with me, did not like what they offered us on the trade-in. He wanted to give me his 2001 corolla LE as a trade in if the offer was close to what he has researched. The dealer offered $2000 less than his goal price. Anyway, I am trying to convince him on what a dealer can only give you on a used car, so they can make a profit selling the car.

ken972

Yeah that is true. That is a good deal on the new accord though. I imagine the dealer will honor that if you go back. As for trade in..I got book value for mine. I think thats fair. Probably could have gotten a few hundred more for it. But a few hundred on a 24k car isnt worth the time for me. Suppose you pay for the convenience of selling it to the dealer. Your brothers car may be worth $2000 more..but like you said thats their cushion to make a profit on it. They may give a little more for the trade in if you call back.

gatrhumpy

Was that figure that you quoted ($24,700) with tax, tags, title, and everything else?

ken972

24,700 was just the price for the car. Taxes etc extra. Still think it was pretty fair. 500 over invoice. I imagine you could get them down lower..but I figured you are only haggeling over a few hundred..not worth the time and aggravation to me.

aqpham

I am going to call them back today to see if they can give me a little more for the trade in. I definitely think this price for the accord is good though. I liked the fact that the manager was straight forward, and wasn't playing games. He told me that with this early for a 2004, I am not going to get a better offer anywhere else, including emailing other dealers. This man, to me, seems to know what he was talking about. Anyway, if everything goes well I should be driving the car in a week or so.

sagarwal

I am picking up a 2003 EX-L sedan tomorrow. Made the deal over the phone with McDavid Honda in Houston, TX. Price $21,900 + TTL which is $118 over invoice, but INCLUDES a rear spoiler (dont know the invoice on that). No other "doc" fee, etc. Salesman tried to say how he was not making any money and would I give anyone something for free. I laughed and told him I was a physician and provided free service to the uninsured all the time. Anyway, agreed to this price. Hope deal is ok and looking forward to the car.

ken972

Im not sure how salesmen make their money. My salesman at honda said he only made $50.00 on my car. He gets the difference between what I pay and the dealer cost. I asked him how he makes a living on that when he sells between 20 and 30 cars a month. He told me he gets incentives from honda for selling x number of cars. So i guess that might explain sagarwal's experience.

kentkmok

My salesman told us the same crap when we got our 2003 Accord LX $200 below invoice back in July. I really doubt if that is true, as we all know how honest dealer salesman are...

pat

Well actually, there are some very helpful salesfolks who hang out here in the Town Hall. Check out the discussions on our Smart Shopper board to meet up with some of them and talk to them (and others) about how they make their living.

bigsweaty

23,675 with ttl. in Illinois.

Bought it first week of September. Fantastic car.

geocacherfl

Started with the largest Honda dealer in NE Florida on Tuesday (that automotive group has an $895 "Protection Package" they apply to all deals - watch out, it's the built-in profit!). Got a 30-day commitment to $23,555 + $460 destination, $24,015 total, before TTT + Pro Pack.

Went to other 2 Honda dealers Wednesday and tonight - both choked at first on my "beat the $24,000 price." Smallest area dealer matched the $24K price but offered documentation/tag/title fees $657 lower. Middle-sized dealer also matched price, but went $245 lower than the smallest guy on their fees.

Have an appointment with the smallest dealer tomorrow - will give them last chance to reduce their doc fees (highest of 3) by $245 and I'll sign on the spot! Both of the larger guys said to watch out for the "$200 added fee for paying cash!"

Large dealer - $27,064 out the door (BTW - 7% sales tax in my area) - said dealer invoice for this car was $24,303. Couldn't find that mentioned anywhere yet, but seemed reasonable, given delta between 2003 EXV6 MSRP and dealer invoice on this website.
Middle dealer - $26,161 out the door (lowest fees of the 3)
Smallest dealer - $26,406 out the door, but with a chance to get the sale if they come down to $26,161 (they have loaner cars for service/repair work, big 2 don't!).

Edmunds provided some great data and info for making the deal. Felt very prepared doing this deal. Especially with blank pre-approved bank draft in my back pocket.

kennyg5

What do you mean by watch out for the "$200 added fee for paying cash!"? Are you saying if you pay full cash instead of financing thru dealer, they charge you $200 more? BTW, I think you've done a very thorough job with price comparison. Hope you get a great deal. Report back when you become the titled owner of a new 2004 EX v6.

hondasellertx

If you buy your car for less than $800 over invoice then it's 99.9x% certain the salesman who is going to put in a few hours work for you is going to make no more than $100 on the deal. Starting from the invoice price you have to add pack, which is a figure set by the dealer and will be around $400-500 if not more. The difference between that figure and what the car sells for is the commissionable amount.

If the invoice is $10,000 and the car sells for $10,750 then the commissionable amount is around $250. The salesman most likely makes 25% of the commissionable amount with a "mini", a minimum deal, paying $50-100. Our mini is $100.

The salesman "may" make bonuses based on units sold or other criteria but there is no guaranty of that. He may only make what is in the commission.

When you've worked them down to an extra low figure and then at the last minute tell them you are going to walk unless you get wheel locks you will probably get them and often that is because it is coming out of the salesman's pocket to keep from losing the deal. Why? He may be close to a bonus level and by buying a set of wheel locks out of his pocket he can earn a gigantic $100 bonus.

When you meet a salesman that seems anxious or whatever it just may be because he can already feel a hand in his pocket doing to him what everyone accuses the salesman of doing to them.

Yes, there are some bad salesman out there just like any other vocation. No, they aren't all bad and in fact a large number are good. They just don't want to be taken any more than the consumer does.

geocacherfl

The little guy matched the middle guys price, coming down on the car price by $245 (to $23,295 + $460 Dest). Couldn't come off the $599 doc fee they said, but coming down down $245 on the price saved on taxes too! (Doc fee = prep, doc, extras, etc.). Signed purchase order/commitment this AM and delivery looks like Monday/Tuesday.

For "kennyg5" - I asked the little guy that question today. Turns out they've had 3-4 credit unions try to charge them fees to do money drafts for full payments from buyers. So they charge the buyer using those CU's an "up to $200 fee" to offset the CU fee. My CU's (Navy Federal CU and Vystar CU - f/k/a Jax Navy Federal CU) are OK with the dealer. Paper pre-approved drafts, or any financing through them, does NOT generate the $200 fee. Naturally the competition says "you're gonna pay $200 extra if you pay cash!!" But that's not the full story - just a misquote (scare tactics?).

Will let y'all know when I'm the titled owner. It's been a "ride," but fun. Through it all the dealer was fair, but I felt more in control of the process by having them match my desires, and having the draft ready in my back pocket. Later.

hondasellertx

You are right to expect the dealer offering more value to accept the same money as the dealer offering less value. A reasonable person wouldn't think "hey, for a little more money I've got access to a car when mine is in service. I don't have to rely on anyone or pay for rental or cabs. That's worth a premium" A reasonable person should really explain to them that they should offer a lower price than the guy offering less value. After all, that's the American car buyer way.

pat

The sarcasm really isn't necessary and it is not a very effective way to get a point across. It tends to just annoy the reader and then whatever impact a thought might have had is completely lost because of that.

In any case, this is a discussion where folks are invited to share their buying experiences and what they paid if they care to do so. There are many conversations well underway on our Smart Shopper board where the "American car buyer way" is dissected in the greatest detail.

I invite all of you who are interested in that subject to check out the list of discussions at that link. Enjoy!

aqpham

So I called the dealer today to see maybe a better deal can be reached. They gave me $1000 more on the trade-in and dropped $413 on the accord. So on second try, I saved $1413 dollars more. How cool is that? Anyway, I came in and signed the papers today and will be picking up my redondo red/ gray interior on Monday afternoon.

geocacherfl

Both of your postings were cogent and informative. Thanks!

BTW - the little guy I went with who has the loaners...turns out, when I pressed them this AM, that they provide loaners to *anyone* who brings their car in for service (what dealer in their right mind would turn away a service customer!?). So...buying from them, and paying the exhorbitant doc fee that supposedly helps pay for their loaner program, means I'm subsidizing the non-buyers (should have seen the face of the manager when he tried explaining that one to me). And to get the loaner, the service dept further clarified it means for service that extends past 2 hours waiting time (that's fine with me).

What's your take on the extended warranty (or Car Care Protection Plan) for $1,048 this dealer (Honda?) offers? Gets me a 3.9% financing rate (since the car is now "certified" in the CU's eyes, and beats my CU's 5.5%) and 6 year, 72K mile bumper-to-bumper, $0 deductible protection coverage.

They also offer a Car Care Service Plan for $571, covers all service costs for each 5K mile interval I bring it in. $1,575 if purchased together. Both are through JM&A group.

Would be interested in hearing from ANY buyers, as well as dealers.

kyfdx

I would stay away from any third-party warranty or maintenance plans. If you want an extended warranty, Honda offers a great plan. If your dealer isn't competitive on price, check out Hondawarranty.com. Honda maintenance is pretty cheap. I wouldn't get a maintenance contract.

regards,
kyfdx

geocacherfl

Way cool!! Nice job!! I was wondering what happened. Glad to see you stuck with it and persevered! Money in your pocket. Mine's graphite pearl/black!!

geocacherfl

Thanks...that's what I was tending toward. The dealer offered the 3rd party plans, probably in response to my inquiry about lowest financing rates. I'll ask them next week about their Honda plans before $$ leave my pocket. Appreciate the feedback.

geo_cacher_fl

hondasellertx

My previous posts may have been a little emphatic and if anyone was offended I apologize. One shouldn't post soon after learning that one of the people you worked very hard for nailed you in their survey.

A Honda warranty can be a good thing. Honda is definitely going to be around for as long as the term of the warranty. Some of the aftermarket ones have gone out of business and people are left with nothing. The Honda warranty has a higher price but potentially much lower cost compared to needing the "cheaper" one after they're out of business.

The car care service plan might be worthwhile provided you will definitely keep the car for the full length of the services provided and always take it back in to them for the services. I'd find out exactly what and how many services are included and then compare the cost individually to the cost of the plan. Don't forget to factor in the finance cost, presuming it's rolled into your monthly payment.

FYI, and for anyone else who's interested, when they call you on the survey they'll ask you several questions and ask for an answer from 1 to 5. One would think that a 4 is desirable, being above average. Nope. It's a pass/fail system. A 5 is a pass and 4, 3, 2 and 1 are failing scores. If your salesman was decent give him all 5's, otherwise it's cutting his legs out from under him.

jebinc1

Agree. I gave my salesman all fives. When I bought my 2000 EX V6,I think that generated $50 for him. I'm not sure what it does now (I bought a 2003 EX V6) other than keeping him out of hot water. On referals and finers fees, I also tell him to keep the $50 he offers for that service. Treat me right, and I'll see that you're rewarded for it. Trust is earned, it isn't given.

giyoon

Getting 25500 for the above specs.Do u think its a fair price or i can do better...

bond007jb

I bought an 04 4cyl. EX-L with nav. for 23.6 in california. Is that a good price ? Though I would like to mention that it was the most stress free buying experience I have ever had.

msf2

bond007-I think you bought the Sedan-that's a nice price if you did! Basically, if I'm correct that's around invoice before TT and other costs. Tell us more about the buying experience. What was your first offer, was it countered, etc.? What color did you get?

msf2

What are "doc" fees, and is the Honda warranty you can get online cheaper than one purchased with the car? Does it cover the same items?
Thanks ahead of time!

aqpham

That is a good price with/without destination charge. The invoice for the exact car that you got is $24,259 (from www.cars.com). It was a hassle free experience when I bought my car too. Enjoy your car.

kyfdx

The one thats online is the same exact Hondacare warranty your dealer will sell you. I believe the website is run by a dealer in Massachusetts. If you print out the online offer for the warranty terms you want, you can usually get your dealer to match the price or come close enough to not make it worth doing online.

regards,
kyfdx

tblazer503

as long as a dealer is fair and straight up with me, I am completely satisfied.

Last time I went, it went like this... these are the trim's I'm interested in:4cylEX/EX-L 5MT 4dr. I have a certified letter from my CU for 4.blah percent 72mo 100%, for Full MSRP. I am upside down on my truck. What is your best deal? I will take your financing if you can beat my CU.

Worked well, spent under an hour in the first place, he wanted 5k out of pocket(yeouch) and did a phone in to internet sales across town, and he gave me inv +500 for the car, trade, gotta bring in... understandable. made an appointment, brought it in, he put the trade out, and offered me 21k for it(02 Trailblazer 4x4) so all in all, he wanted 2200 out of pocket... (still ouch). So he did some fanaggling, and got it to 2k, I had to have them remove the $150 mudflaps, and the $200 moonroof wind thingy, but he did let me keep the wheel locks since it wasn't on the add/remove dealer options list thing....

overall great experience... (wish they let me whip out my screwdriver there to remove the stuff, but you can't win them all)

gave him and the whole experience a 5...

msf2

thank you sir!

cathexis

Bond007, great price for your 2004 4cyl. EX-L with nav. for 23.6! Congrats. What interest rate did you get (is 2.9 still around?). I live in southern California, and would appreciate the name and location of the dealer.
Does anyone have a any idea of what a 2004 V6 EX-L with navigation price would be? I am probably too late for getting an 2003 huh?

gat21

When I try to look up the Edmunds price for this car, I can't get to 2003. Only new 2004 or used 2002. I would appreciate any suggestions. This car has leather, and 15K miles.

bond007jb

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the replies. I am in the Bay area and I got a Silver with Black interior. I love the color. We were also thinking about the Graphite which is another good color but then decided on the silver 'cause our other car is also a dark color. The price I paid included destination, with TTL the price came to about 25.8, still much less than MSRP.

The car is great and am enjoying it. The only complaint are the seats which are a tad bit uncomfortable. The lumbar support seems to be incorrectly placed and gave me a back ache.

Cheers

richards38

I bought the same car--same great color combo with black leather interior ('04 EX-L 4 cyl. without NAV for an out the door price of $24,876 ($22.7 before tax, etc.) so you paid only about $1000 for the NAV which is probably very good. Most of the people posting here will probably have done better than those who bought at a Connecticut dealer who advertises supposedly discounted prices. I live in San Francisco, so have no connection at all with this dealer:

http://www.manhonda.com/new/index.cfm?pg=0&selId=51

The prices quoted on the above site are quite high and I suppose that anyone shopping there must negotiate the price much lower.......Richard

richards38

I forgot to mention--you probably know this, but there's a knob on the inside edge of the seat back that adjusts the lumbar bulge. You can't change its position on the seat but you can turn the knob to reduce the bulge--hopefully enough so that it won't be annoying.......Richard

anonymousposts

We paid $23,600 OTD for our 2004 EX-L automatic without NAV in silver/black. We only paid about $500 in tax though because we traded a 2003 EX-L coupe. That price includes fog lights, spoiler, splash guards, and fenderwell trim. Received 3.49% through our credit union and we are happy campers.

phickster

Hi,
Any advice on what would be a fair offer for a 2004 EX-V6 Sedan, Silver with Black Leather and Navigation System. List price looks to be $28,400 according to Honda Web site. I am going to be using credit union finance so that won't be part of deal. I am in the San Fran/North Bay area.
Thanks

richards38

If the invoice figure (including transportation) at the site below (scroll down to see it) is correct, then invoice for that car is $24,011:

http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/new/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/- 37579

Depending on how eager the dealer is to sell you a car, maybe a price of invoice plus $300 or somewhere near that amount would get you a favorable deal..........Richard

z71bill

I am starting to shop for an Accord Coupe or Toyota Solara - the main problem I am having with the Accord is interior color selection. I like the Silver, Blue and Black - but do not like black interior color. Anyone with black interior have any input. I live in Houston and think the dark color would be hot in the summer.

Note about Doc fees - I always tell the salesperson -in plain straight forward english - the price I am negotiating is $X plus I expect to pay - SALES TAX, TITLE & LICENSE FEES - If you must have an advertising or document or property tax or any other fee you need to include these in your price quote - do not try to add these in after we have set the price. Still about 3/4 of the time at closing they still try to add in these fees. I have never allowed these fees to be added on the back end of the deal. I have had to walk a few times. You can cut this up any way you want these fees are just an increase in the sales price and should be negotiated as part of the deal.

bond007jb

Hi Richard,phickster I don't think the price on the consumerguide site for the V6-NAV is correct. It is less than the invoice for a 4Cyl. EX-L with NAV, which dosn't make sense. Everyone would go for that if the price was so low.

anonymousposts, you got an awesome deal. Where did you buy the car ?
Cheers

mdconsumer

Hi, richards38 and bond007jb and others, the Consumerguide-listed 2004 invoice prices seem very odd, as you (bond007jb) pointed out. The EX V6 Sedan w NAV's invoice price is listed as $23551 (excluding dest), and the EX-L Sedan w NAV's invoice is $23664. So, although the EX V6's MSRP is $2100 more than EX-L's MSRP, its dealer's invoice is actually slightly cheaper?!

Does this make any sense to anyone? Knowing this, wouldn't most people choose the V6 and bargain from that cheaper V6 invoice price? Does anyone know if the consumerguide's invoices are correct, and if not, where one can get the correct info? (Right now Edmunds and Yahoo don't show the 2004 Accord invoices yet).

For your reference, the consumerguide site is:

http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/new/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/- - - 37579

Thanks in advance. (I'm in the midst of shopping for the EX V6 NAV, hence the question).

richards38

Yes, it looks like Consumer Guide is off by $2000 on the top-of-the-link EX V6. Accord EX models seem to have invoice prices of about 90% of MSRP (not including the $460 transportation cost). So the invoice on the $28,400 + transportation car is probably $25,551. With transportation of $460, the total invoice is likely to be $26,011 and maybe $300 above that would be a good pre-tax, etc. deal if you can get it...........Richard

hondasellertx

The city of Houston charges an inventory tax that is required to be added to the selling price, just as the sales tax must be added to the selling price. Those are not additional profit margins to the dealer as you perhaps think they are, they are fees that have to be collected and then forwarded to the collecting entity. The only thing potentially adding profit is the $50 doc fee. Oh, and if you really want to to get the most bang for your buck then have him put them in on the back end where you aren't paying higher sales and inventory taxes because they put them in on the front end where you requested them.