2013 and Earlier - Hyundai Sonata Prices Paid and Buying Experience

m6user

The term "Out the door or OTD" is just what you have detailed in your post. The base price agreed on for the car and then adding up all the other costs associated with buying the car such as tax, title/tags, dealer fees(by the way $599 is on the real high side but that may be what is being charged in your area)or doc fees, etc. Basically the total price you pay to get "out the door" with your new car.

I still think you are paying about $400 to $1100 too much for this car. You seem to be paying about $800 under invoice when good deals on this car are usually going for about $1200-1900 under invoice. Not knowing your local market conditions like competition etc, I would say if you could get them down at least $700 you would would be doing ok. They are making a good chunk of money on that dealer fee. Let us know how you come out. When buying a car you have to be prepared to walk out and not let your emotions carry you away. You'd be suprized how often they will call you back with a lower offer. Good luck.

jmr15

Are the dealer's fee set in stone.... and does the leather seats & blue tooth count for much??

nhphd

Tax rate for each state is written on stone but everything else is written on ICE CREAM. You can melt them.

iamnotaweirdo

I'm going tomorrow to help my parents negotiate. They want a:
2009 Sonata GLS (AT)
4-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC
Popular Equipment Package
Ebony Black (Actually no preference, just not white)
Gray Interior (Again, not a huge preference)

Buying in NH but we live in MA, so we'll have the 5% sales tax.
Dealer offered for $17969 before TTL
Are the incentives regional?

merf1

We purchased a new 09 GLS 4 cyl. with package 3 , Floor matts, and body color trim package. [ -door edge guards, wheel well moldings and side pin stripe]
[Medium silver blue] For $16,900 with no trade in at Elgin Hyundai, Elgin , Illinois.
After taxes and Misc. it was $18,551 out the door.
We love the car and were happy to find a GLS with package 3. [convenience package plus sunroof]
It seems in this area that not many are available.

P.S.-- That price was with $2,500 in rebates.

ramtajogi

Before I bought Sonata V4 Limited, I was looking at Sonata GLS Auto with PEP [Popular Equipment Package].
With NJ's 7%, I had a confirmed offer of 18k OTD from Towne Hyundai. So in my opinion, 17,969$ without taxes and title is on higher side. You should be able to get Sonata GLS Auto with PEP for around 18k OTD, giver or take 200$.

Good luck!

RJ

impala2002

Thanks nhphd for your suggestion on what I should offer. Unfortunately, at the last moment, we changed our mind and went with a different brand. Only reason for mentioning this is so that if anybody else was following this message chain, they are not left wondering on whether your suggested price worked or not.

aalsherri

How much you paid OTD for the limited V4? Let me know if it comes with the navigation system and other options.

jmr15

Anyone in Tampa or Orlando with a good deal please post....it would help me a lot

nhphd

If you want to buy in NH, I might help you get a better deal. email me at hajimow@yahoo.com.
FYI: If you get a good deal from that dealership and you buy a car, I will get $100 referral fee.

m6user

nhphd, please consider when giving people advice that there are 50 states and many different statutes which deal with dealer fees/doc fees. In Illinois for example, if a dealer charges one person the state maximum of $150 for the doc fee(which every dealer does to my knowledge) then it is mandated that they charge each and every customer the fee and in the same amount. There is no negotiation.

nearphila

iam:

For what it's worth, in June in NJ I paid $16,730 for 09 Sonata GLS with PEP package (including floor and cargo mats and mudguards). Added to that was PA tax, tags, and a $200 doc fee, for total Out-The-Door of $18,073. Although VIN window etching had already been done, I refused and did not pay for it.

(In June, the national rebate was $1500; I did not qualify for any others.)

Good luck. It is a great car - highway mileage for me has been 36-37.

nhphd

Somehow you are right but let me give you an example. I bought my Sonata Limited 4 with Nav with all bells and whistles for 21.5 when the rebate was 1500. I told the dealer I don't care how much is the fee or air conditioning fee !! or hot coffee fee!!. I want everything all together for 21500. I told them, ok charge me 5000 for doc fee but reduce the price of the car by 5000 !! so the total would be 21500. I also paid everything with my credit card and got 1% cash back by my credit card company. I believe maybe the dealership had to pay the 2-3% fine to the credit card company as no other dealership agreed to put more than 2500 on credit card. When I say everything is negotiable, I meant put a final tag on your price and don't let the dealer to charge you hear and there. For example Fitzmall has good price on cars but they ask you to pay about $200 window etching fee that I don't even know what is that.

m6user

I understand what you're saying and that's the way it should be explained to people that are new to buying cars. Telling them the dealer fee/doc fee is totally negotiable("like ice cream it melts") when it isn't is passing bad information and could cause great confusion.

Also, you live in an area of the country that has some very competitive markets and subsequently you have access to some really good prices that many other areas of the country simply don't have. Telling someone they should not pay over a certain amount under any circumstance is just not helpful as they will think they are getting screwed when in fact they may be getting the very best deal that is available to them in their area of the country. It's very possible that someone in Ames, Iowa(just an example...no knowledge of local market implied) can not even touch the price you paid even within $1000-2000. The dealer would simply say "Well, go to New Jersey to buy your car then". They are smaller volume dealers all over that simply will not match or come close to some of these megadealers on the east coast.

You are being very helpful here. I'm just suggesting that you temper your helpfulness with a dose of realilty.

nhphd

I don't expect everyone to get the squeezed price but I don't want anyone to pay more than $500 than I paid. (We have some examples who paid less than I paid which made me happy and jealous). Cars are not a peice of art that are unique . The car factories are making cars like hell and they should sell. In this market that dealers are looking for buyers should offer competitive prices. If Hyundai dealers would not give competitive prices, buyers would swith to Toyota or Honda or .....
If I live in IOWA and local dealers ask for over $500 (like $2000 as you said) I would rather take a flight to NJ and stay in Ritz Carlton Hotel for a night and get my car $2000 less there. It would be much cheaper.
About my location in NH, believe me the dealer in Manchester had priced the cars $1500 over the MSRP !!!. Not all the dealers are the same.

dulfelder

Dealer "fee's" are pure profit and VERY negotiable. Good luck. Ulf

kyfdx

I have to agree... the thing about "we are required by law to charge everyone the same price" is a bunch of hooey..

That doesn't mean that any individual dealer will take that charge off... you just have to consider it part of the price of the car... If the total price with dealer/document fee is more than you want to pay, then offer less... or shop elsewhere..

So, $14K selling price +$500 document fee = $14,500 selling price w/zero document fee.

What sucks is thinking you have a firm price, and then they spring that extra fee on you at the end...

regards,
kyfdx
Host-Prices Paid Forums

msmb

I have a 2007 sonata 2.4L with standard transmission and I am now working on my 3rd oil change (I bought the car with 24 miles on it back in January; see messages back around January 18). I am getting ready for my next oil change and until now have been buying oil filters from the dealer. But the dealer is charging me $12 for the filter; and it is not a cartridge filter or aanything but the normal Hyundai filter for the 2007 4cyl. So I am looking online for filters. I find 2 that claim they are OEM filters: Full or Bosch. Can anyone tell me if these are indeed they manufacturers who make the Hyundai filters and if these would be considered just as if I went to the dealer and bought the filter there. However, I assume that these filters have either the Bosch or Full name on them.

nhphd

How much you pay for the full oil change? If the dealership decides to rip you off, even if you get your won filter, they would say:
Mr. ****** we found a bolt under car that needs to be changed and it is only $72.55 and it is vital to change it !!!!!!!!!
Call other dealers and ask for their oil change service.

m6user

I have to agree... the thing about "we are required by law to charge everyone the same price" is a bunch of hooey..

That doesn't mean that any individual dealer will take that charge off... you just have to consider it part of the price of the car...

Exactly and I believe you are correct for at least the states I'm familiar with if not all. I didn't say it was'nt legal to negotiate the fee, just damn near impossible in most cases.

Most auto dealer associations have lawyers advising their members that to avoid any kind of problems with the treatment of different groups, all customers should be charged the same. For example, women getting charged the fee and men not. So to avoid any lawsuits they advise one size fits all. So, again you're right, they will probably rather lower the sale price than eliminate or lower the doc fee. This could benefit the customer because a lot of states will not allow sales tax to be charged on the fees(however Illinois is not one of them and does allow retailers to charge sales tax on the doc fee)

The "required by law" business is probably the perception of what has been told them by attorneys and it becomes a real easy alibi.

i360

Try Fitzmall in clearwater, their prices are pretty much set though so not much wiggle room. I delt with Hyundai of Wesley Chapel on my previuos purchase, deal went smooth but afterwards...omph. I recently went out there to drive a Limited I4 and they had told me one number in our emails then wanted to switch it around once I was there. I would not recommend them.

Courtsey Hyundai doesnt seem to make any good deals either, or at least when I spoke to them they kept talking MSRP.

You can also try Hyundai of NPR, they are a higher volume dealership.

Also the end of the month is best, and not just a rumor since both dealerships confirmed they were pressured to close as many sales as possible.

kyfdx

I agree... If you know the fee is there, it's just easier to negotiate the price, knowing that much is going to be added in the end..

Ohio used to cap doc fees at $100.. so, everyone charged $100.. Now, they cap them at $250.. so, everyone charges $250.. and says that it's required by the state.. :surprise:

It's just one more way to obfuscate the actual price you pay... It's a pain, but you just have to keep your eyes open...

regards,
kyfdx

nhphd

You tend to agree with what everyone says but then you still believe on God's rule of doc fee. I say go to a dealer and tell him :
"I don't care what is negotiable and what is not. I pay you x amount of money for the whole deal. now you can put $2000 of it for doc fee and the rest for the car or $1000 for doc fee, $88 for clean air fee, $44 for tire shining fee, $172.88 for new car smell fee, $402 for support our troops fee and the rest for the car. !!!! "

m6user

"God's rule"???. Settle down my friend. I'm just dealing with reality and not making blanket statments that are meaningless to a lot of people. I am not saying that doc fees are good, right or moral----I'm just saying that in just about every case, and in reality, the dealer is not going to negotiate them. If you want to keep telling people that "doc fees are like ice cream and they melt" go right ahead.

So now I am agreeing with you to just negotiate the price you want to pay and take into consideration the extra charges, be they doc fees or whatever, and adjust your offer accordingly.

tkachuk07

I'm in Illinois & they charge everyone $150 for docs. The dealership told me they had to charge everyone the same doc fee. Well I played hardball and forced them to eliminate the doc fee & now they charge no doc fees to anyone. I'm that good. You can thank me later.

kyfdx

CarSpace.com members.... protecting the car-buying public.... One doc fee at a time!!

drraju123

hi,
i spoke to few dealers and finally towne hyundai (joe) agreed to give me sonata v4 ltd with navigation, carpet foor mats and cargo net for 22,000 out of the door. i wanted black exterior with camel interior and this was the best i could get for my color preference.

thanks to every one especially bhmr59 and ramtajogi.

would the rebates going to be changed for better or worst for august month.

nhphd

I am very sorry if my words made you feel insulted. I did not mean anything. I see my words were strong. I am deeply sorry. I hope at least the readers could get something out of our discussion. I am grounding myself by not posting anything for two weeks.

bhmr59

Nice to hear that Joe gave you a great deal. While the I4 is less expensive than the V6, the dealer discount is apparently not as much; plus you added nav.

I found Town to be great people. Good luck with your new car.

prosource1

I recently negotiated a deal with a salesperson (JB) at Major Hyundai of Stroudsburg. I found him deceitful and misleading. I was told I would get a referral discount, as I sent him two customers who bought cars. Nothing. The dealership is not my gripe but the salesperson. Stay away from the guy in the second desk on the left. Run. Buy your car on Wednesday as this is his day off.

ramtajogi

Great going Raju!

When I was buying my car, I did feel that Towne Guys work for your business. I am glad that they gave you a great deal! Black exterior are bit in short supply so I am glad that you were able to find your color. BTW, Did you finance through them OR you managed your own financing? If you did finance, what APR did they offer?

Enjoy your new car and may be buy us a beer!

RJ

ramtajogi

nhphd,

Please don't ground yourself. Your input was critical to scoring a great deal for my car.

Actually, both, you and m6user, have been very helpful.

Summary for all other readers:
1. ALWAYS negotiate OTD (Out of The Door) price. It doesn't matter how many fees are there in your invoice and how much are those fees, what matters is the final cost to you.
2. Read through posts in this forum and arrive at an approximate OTD price you are willing to pay.
3. While comparing OTD prices posted in this forum, keep in mind that different state has different sales tax and it can affect final OTD price by as much as 1500$, [e.g. NJ has 7% sales tax where as NH has no sales tax.]
4. Haggle and haggle hard. Be ready to walk out of the dealership. Remember a sale should happen when both parties [you and dealership] are happy.

Good luck everyone and enjoy your Sonata, it's truly an awesome car!

moocow1

I'm honestly amazed now. I must have found the 2 cheapest dealers ever here. One charges $65 for doc fee. and the other charged me $45!!! And these were with some awesome prices prior to that. Neither price was even HAGGLED! I never made them drop a cent myself. I love both these dealers even more now! I can't imagine paying over $100 for a doc fee even. And neither dealer included any bs like etching, handling fees, etc. Also to note, both these dealers give OTD prices OVER the phone. I would never ever deal with a dealer who won't do this now.

drraju123

hi ramtajogi,

i have not yet gone to the dealer. the deal was made over the phone and i told him that i would make a down payment of 3000. he faxed the finance application.
with my credit score of 720 i am expecting it to be somewhere near 6.25%. what do you think. could i get a better deal.

i am going there on saturday to pick the car. i will post the break down once i receive the invoice today.

ramtajogi

Oh Okie. My score was 780 and but I financed it from the credit union at 6%. The credit market is very bad so I think 6.25% would be a great rate. Though be prepared to negotiate with them. [Start at 5% and work your way up.] Also, tell them that if they don't give you your desired rate, you will finance from Credit Union. If you talk about Credit Union, they will definitely get you 6.25%.

RJ

yysyys

CapitalOne Auto Finance:

36 Months— APR as low as 5.19%
48 or 60 months— APR as low as 5.29%
66 or 72 months— APR as low as 6.19%

Good Luck!

ramtajogi

Yes, Capital One does advertise those rates but did you actually apply and see if you got that rate. My FICO score is 780 and I didn't qualify for 5.29% rate.

One thing is for sure, you should definitely shop around for better APR as you shop around for a best car price. Even 1% APR can mean paying 1000$+ more over the course of the loan.

RJ

i360

I would recommend financing through a credit union opposed to a bank.
Their rates are usually better (Mine has 4.5%) and are more friendly and workable.

drraju123

hi all,
finally i got the car on aug 02, 2008.
thank you to all for your precious postings which helped me a lot.

here is the process. i called few dealers with the best quote shown in this forum and finally towne hyundai(NJ) agreed for 22,000. it includes v4 ltd with navigation, carpet floor mats, all season floor mats and cargo mat.

when i used to call the dealers i used to tell them that my friend had got the car for so and so amount and they would ask me for the last and first name. this created some problem. if any of you want to you please mail me torrent123@inbox.com
and i would let you know my name and number. i guess this will help you.

back to mu purchase:

i financed my car for 9.10% for 60 months for 19,000(after making a down payment of 3,000). first they quoted 11.10% because as per their calculation my credit score is 636 but on internet it shows as 684. i am not sure how they didi it. they reduced it after i told them that i have been approved for 7.5% from credit union. i could have gone with the credit union but it would take till august 04, 08 but wanted to have the car on saturday(aug 02,08), so anyway i have gone a head and got the car through hyundai finance.

here is the breakdown.

price of vehicle 22,208.49
state sales tax 1332.51(connecticut)
triVIN online process fee 5.70
reg/title 270.00
doc fee 188.00
total 24,000
rebate 2,000

final price 22,000.

hope this will help future buyers.

one important thing get the finance from credit union before buying the car.

one more thing. i feel that when i drive the vehicle at or above 65mph there is some shakiness in the steering. it this a problem with my vehicle or is this characteristic of sonata. should i call the dealer

thank you
gracious
shukriya
danyavadam

Regards,
Raju.

ramtajogi

Congratulations Raju!

It is true that Car Dealer's credit scoring method is bit different. But I think 9.10% is very high. I hope you don't have early pre-payment fee, you should definitely re-finance the car from credit union at better APR.

aalsherri

Yesterday the dealer told me that the I4 is in short supply. Actually he has only 2 I4's left. He gave me a discount on a car I want but it is not what I am looking for. I do not blame him. He also said that the inventory changes from time to time. It seems to be it is better wait for things to change. When I bought my new Sonata GLS 2007 I4, I got it for $16.6K out of the door with the power package and carpets. I am willing to pay one thousand more for the 2009. I can live with $17.5K out of the door with the popular package. $19.5K is too much. Also, I may wait for the 2010 model because there are some talk of a completely new model coming not just a facelift.

m6user

I would make sure all 4 tires have the correct amount of air pressure which probably is not your problem but is something to check anyway. Then have your dealer check for wheel balance and alignment.

backy

It is possible the I4s are in short supply in some areas because of their class-leading fuel economy. The good news is that a new I4 engine manufacturing line is now operational in Alabama. That should put more I4 Sonatas into the pipeline in the near future. So if Sonata I4 buyers are finding slim pickings right now and can wait to buy, availability should improve shortly. Also, Hyundai sales were down in July, so if that trend continues incentives might grow. The capacity of the Alabama plant is about 25,000 a month (Sonatas and Santa Fes), and the combined sales of those two vehicles is nowhere near that.

Where did you hear an all-new Sonata was coming for 2010? I think that is highly unlikely, given that the current Sonata is only in its fourth model year and just had a major refresh. Given Hyundai's pattern of redesigning cars about every six years, I don't expect an all-new Sonata until early 2011 (2012 MY) at the earliest.

aalsherri

http://www.hyundai-blog.com/index.php/2008/04/09/2010-hyundai-sonata-yf-spy-shot- s/

It will be a 2011 model but very little information is available at this time.

backy

Since the current Sonata was actually released in the ROK in late 2004, and they don't say in the blog whether the 2010 release of the next Sonata is for the ROK or worldwide, it's possible it could come out in 2010--somewhere. In the U.S.? We'll see. Maybe Hyundai will get more agressive with their product releases. Lately, they've been sticking to a six-year cycle and making minimal mid-cycle changes, with one major exception: the 2009 Sonata.

samvij

Congratulations Raju!

9.x is really high. You may want to Pentagon Federal Credit Union (Penfed.Org) - there rates are 4.5%.
Any one can become there member. Good luck with refinancing.

iamnotaweirdo

Just got a quote for 2009 Sonata GLS
4 cylinder, A/T with popular equipment package
15,683.00
295 doc fees

$15978 :surprise:
(before 5% MA sales tax, reg, title)

aalsherri

What is the name of the dealership? I need one.

fullback100

Ok, here is the final verdict after one month of haggling with a dealership and Hyundai motor. Hyundai motor will give $400 to the dealership. Note that it's not the dealership honoring $400 graduation rebate.

The dealership first said I am not eligible for $400 graduation rebate because I graduated from non-accredited college.

then, the dealership changed their words. My college is accredited but $400 graduation rebate is only good for 07 and 08 Sonatas. (which turns out to be true, but the sales contract I and they wrote out clearly shows two kinds of rebates: $2000 manufacturer's rebate and $400 graudation rebate)

And then, they made up another pretext. The dealership said they can't get a loan from Hyundai finance because of my credit problem??? (I have 720 Fico score with one delinquency from 8 years ago) And the sent me a notice of rescission of the whole transaction. Basically, then wanted to cancel this deal upon giving back my down payment. God, good thing I found out that they could only do that within 10 days from the purchase date. (Guys, beware! there's a clause of seller's right to cancel on the back of the auto sales contract)

After all, they couldn't take my car back, and Hyundai Motor decided to pay $400 rebate instead of dealer paying for their mistake. I don't deny I did get a very good deal on this one but the way the dealership handles when they are about to lose money from a deal really disappointed me again. Very poor businesss conduct.

Thank all of you guys who helped me with this issue.

Regards, Sean

aalsherri

I found Kia cars (the small brother of Hyundai) to be as good as Hyundai cars and the price is so attractive. The reliabity is excellent. If I do not get a good deal from Hyundai, I will buy a Kia.