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The lowest quote I've received thus far was from Honda of Concord which is, as you pointed out, about $500 more.
I am going to try another dealer on Monday or wait until March to see if they increase the discount. Any idea if they will continue with the program after March 3? Thoughts?
Not sure what kind of inventory they have with the VP 2WD but I did email him back asking and I also mentioned to him if he can get me to $22K even OTD I would buy. But we already bought but I like to see how low they will go!
Good luck and let me know how you did!
Purchase price: $25,600
Basically, I got through the entire $641 holdback and even $58 more.
The 2.9% financing was not available (Houston area) but they offered 5.05% for 60 months with nothing down.
For reference, the Doc/Lic/Etc. fees were $244. I got talked into the "environment protection plan" for $299 (down from $399). I also bought the hondacare extended warranty at the dealership since it was only $35 more than myhondawarranty.com.
The internet salesperson initially quoted me $26797 including destination. He was very forthright that he wanted my business by yesterday because he was trying to meet an individual sales goal. Because of that I countered with a firm offer of 25600 for me to do it that day, and he (and his management) agreed. Later on the salesman even asked how I came up with my number, because it was pretty much exactly their break-even point, and he did the math for me. It turns out I got a little lucky because I thought the holdback was still 3% and I didn't think I was asking for all of it -- and had I asked for what I thought was all of it my offer might have been too low.
Thanks to all of your for sharing your experience and expertise -- I definitely could not have known how good of a deal was possible without you. We're very excited about our new Pilot and the great price!
Dennis
Which dealer in Houston?
Counting all the add ins, you are at $25,984.45 - $26,151 is invoice less the $3,500 dealer money, so you are $166.55 over. Not a bad price, but not down into the hold back. The real deal maker is getting the price that low AND getting the cheap money
The tax is probably a gross receipts tax, some of the local dealers try to make the customers pay that - and most customers just think they are supposed to and pay it. This tax is based on the gross receipts of the dealership and is not a tax levied on the customer but on the dealership itself - but these clever dealers just pass this "tax" on to the customers as if it is legit but it is not. Some folks may even have to pay sales tax on this "tax". When the tax bill comes due at the dealership, rather than pay it out of profits they pay it out of all the extra money they charged customers.
Dennis
Can you help me understand this holdback? I am planning to get a EX-L 2WD and not sure what will be a good price. I appreciate your feedback.
Here is the email ad I got from Larry Hopkins Honda in the Bay Area, Northern CA.
2008 Honda Pilot EXL 2WD w/Navi Stock #208660
$27,300 + tax & license ($4,650 Below Invoice)
This should give you a bargaining position to work with.
2008 Honda Pilot VP 4WD
MSRP........................$29,630.00
Special.......................$22,850.00*
H80138 H80143 H80241
*Prices valid with special financing of 1.9% financing for up to 36 months and 2.9% for up to 60 months. Specials are valid through 2/18/08
I am in Nocal and would love to hook up th NAVI deal you mentioned. Could I possibly get you to email me the ad?
I am in Sac Town and not getting anywhere close to that number. I am even willing to travel,
mattnday@yahoo.com
My basic understanding of the holdback is that it's another layer of profit for the dealership, paid by the manufacturer. For Honda it is 2% of the MSRP, so it is fixed for each vehicle no matter the selling price. Here is how I look at it:
Dealer profit = Sales price - Invoice + Dealer Incentives + Holdback
So in my case, this was: Dealer profit = 25600 - 29799 + 3500 + 641 = -59
Obviously there are other considerations, like wanting to move cars, and additional sales incentives (like in my case where the salesperson was trying to hit a certain number). Personally, eventually I was prepared to buy at invoice minus the $3500 incentive, but I knew other people here were getting into the holdback, plus this salesperson had additional motivation to sell low.
Wow! Love reading the deals people are getting!
Am THISCLOSE to buying a 2008 Pilot EX-L, no nav, no dvd. Lowest internet price (before tax/license/doc/etc) is $25,380. OTD price $27,798.34, purchase outright, no lease/financing. Yet now am wondering if I should go for nav or dvd to take advantage of the deals....Am in So. Cal and it seems prices are higher than No. Cal (see post on 2/17/08 by parvis). He/she seemed to get a great deal ($27,300 + tax/license).
Any thoughts? Dennis? Should I stick w/what I'm looking at? Trying to buy by end of month (Feb. 08.)
Many thanks! I haven't purchased a new car in 15+ years and am nervous!! I just need a bit of guidance
2.9% for 60 Months.
Unbelievable deal. I sold Hondas up until about a year and a half ago and this was unheard of!
We bought a Beige one for $22,500 from a dealer in TN. So if you can live with any of those colors....you can get a great deal!
If the dealer is offering you this car for $25,380 for the Pilot, destination, and dealer fees then I would snap it up.
The Nav is nice, but WAY over priced - you can now get a Garmin for $200 or less that will work just fine - pay a bit more and get a better/larger GPS.
It is up to you if you want the extras or not, but if you decide on RES or Nav then just be sure your price is comparable to the one you have on the EX-L - which is a super price.
Dennis
Also, since you are in the northern Cal, send an email to the internet manager in Grace Honda too, I bought my accord from them a couple of months ago and got a good deal. I bought an 06 Pilot EXL V6 from Lodi Honda over a year ago at a very good price so send them an email too to get price quotes. Good luck.
I think I'm ready to take the plunge w/this great deal! Thanks again~
I am interested in a 4WD EXL, invoice $30,282, msrp $33,445. Is this number
26735.4=30282-(33445+635)*0.02-3500+635 a reasonable bargaining start point?
Thanks,
Dennis
Thanks again for all the info
Bernardi and Saccucci are usually the cheapest, but last month Hyannis Honda was a little cheaper. You will have to check the current prices for the term you want to see which is best.
Some of the discount HondaCare dealers will also give you a $25 gift card toward accessories in their online stores when you purchase the HC from them, that may make one better for you than another depending on their prices.
H&A used to be a pretty good place to buy stuff, but I would check around as I have been finding other places carry the stuff for a lower delivered price. I got the cargo cover (two thumbs up) for our VP from a Honda dealer via ebay, ditto the cargo net (two thumbs down) - both were cheaper there that any of the online dealers I checked.
Dennis
Thanks.
If you check online, you can get HC for 84 months/80k/$0 deductible for $725 or 96/100k/$0 for $1,100. Hyannis is running a special with $25 off these prices or Saccucci and Bernardi will do it for that price and give you $25 off accessories in their online stores.
You have a Honda, so the odds are slim you will ever need a service plan at all. The bumper to bumper warranty is 3/36k and the powertrain is 5/60k. If you do decide you need one, only get HondaCare and buy discount from an online dealer.
HC includes roadside assistance and car rental coverage, if you can live without those then you can wait until just before your 3/36k coverage is to expire and buy the HC plan then. You will pay a little more for it at that time, but you have had the money socked away for 3 years.
Note that if you live in FL you can't buy online for a discount, you have to pay full price from a FL Honda dealer. Don't blame me, blame the stupid FL law.
Dennis
Their initial offer of $22,873 out the door increased by $2000 when I finally made them nail down the paper work. They failed to mention $1400 of add-ons and several other fees in their first price quote. What a waste of my time!
Would you email me your salesmans name? I'm not getting a very good offer from David McDavid. They even tried to add a $399 paint and fabric protector charge. My address is posted: here.
Thanks,
Bill
Thanks for your reply. I went to McDavid here however they offered me $26.9 for Pilot EX-L 2WD with some std accessories (splash guards, mats, sunroof visor, etc). Also, they offered 15% below KBB on my trade-in. As such, so far not very promissing.
One question - What does your $25.6k include (destination, any accessories, etc)? How much was the OTD price? It will be helpful if I knew, since they are the same dealership. Let me know. Thanks
matx08
Has anybody else purchased or gotten prices on Special Edition AWD's lately? I'm 3800 under the invoice it looks like so that seems like a good deal but wanted to see if I should try and do a little better still. Thanks in advance.
Anyway, we agreed on a purchase price of $23,480 minus my trade of $2,250 for $21,230 plus tax, title, tags, etc.... When we went back to discuss the financing with a loan officer, she made a comment that she was shocked to see our 4.99% and was having a hard time matching. I thought "here we go, time for another hard sell", but she then went on to explain that she had to increase the purchase price along with the trade-in value to get a better rate. I did the math and it all looked fine.
The real shock came when she began running through the purchase agreement with all of the taxes, title fee, etc... and the end total was only $21,535!!! Her math must have gone wrong somewhere in the calculations and we received an additional couple grande off. We signed everything as fast as we could and got out of there before she noticed. It may have been a bit dishonest, or maybe they just decided to give us an extra discount
After negotiations with multiple dealers, they slowly emailed me that they could not match or compete with that price (this happened on the SE trim level too, but we decided we really wanted the leather package, etc. The low quote for the SE was $27,010). They threw in a $100 gas card and I asked for the cargo mat at no additional charge either (I did inquire about different tires if I went with a particular dealer once I was down to two dealerships because manufacturer tires are typically cheaper than a Michelin, etc.). The info includes the dealer incentive of $3,500 + $400 more and the 2.9% financing. If anyone needs a versatile car at a very good value with Presidents Day Sales now going on I recommend it. Hope this helps someone. Good Luck and keep negotiating.
However I'm wondering...how many miles should a new car have on it? I have a 2008 Pilot, 2WD, EX-L picked out. Saw it over the weekend. Looks clean, local dealer, car has 33 miles on it. Should I ask for lower mileage car or go w/that? (Not sure what is considered "normal" mileage. I haven't purchased a new car in 15+ years!)
Also, given all the great deals going on right now, should I ask for a few accessories thrown in or will that blow the whole thing? This dealer will meet my lowest internet price quote & wants local business (as I told him I'm willing to travel for the best deal). Was thinking of maybe a back cargo liner or cover or floor mats....I don't want to appear greedy however if they're willing to, should I ask...?? (I guess I can always buy them on eBay but if he's really wanting my biz, should I go for it?)
Thanks everyone - especially Dennis. This is an awesome forum!
I'd say that's new enough.
I'm stuck at $3800 under invoice as the best local price for a VP 2WD.
The large local dealer refused to match super low price ($4300 under) quoted at Gwinett.
The cargo cover is just over $100 online from a discount dealer and is very well made and worth the money (some trim lines include it, some don't). It works with the 3rd row folded or up, neat. If you can swing one for free then go for it.
Better to seem greedy or embarrass yourself before you buy then to kick yourself for not asking for more later. Just don't keep on and on trying to get something free, give it a shot and pretend to be firm. If they cave, you win
Dennis
$3,800 under invoice for a new Honda if that includes destination and dealer fees is really not a bad number to be stuck on
Dennis
I also got 2.9% APR for 60 Months.
Thanks to Edmunds Car Space and all you guys sharing your deals/experiences.
If you are in MA area, my personal advise is AVOID BERNARDI HONDA!
Wish you all the very best with your search.
Final price OTD on 2008 Pilot EX-L (with few accessories - splash guard, sunroof visor, wheel locks, etc) = $26,315. And they gave me what I asked for my trade in. In terms of finance, 4.8% 48 months (2.9% not available in TX).
I want to thank all of you for your help. This forum was very helpful for me to get a good deal. Thanks.
matx08
From the offices of American Honda:
In an effort to maintain and protect the Honda brand image, American Honda Motor Company (AHM) will be implementing a new internet policy as it related to the Honda Care and Acura Care Vehicle Service Contract (VSC) products. This new VSC Internet Policy will become effective April 1, 2008.
After careful consideration of the Honda National Dealer Advisory Board recommendations, AHM has determined that internet selling of Honda Care and Acura Care VSCs negatively impacts the Honda and Acura brands as well as the Honda and Acura automobile dealer network.
There are a few dealers that have full money back HC deals, but you have to pay a good bit more for the plan AND have to keep the Honda until the plan expires in either months or miles AND have never used any of the benefits of the plan (no repairs, no roadside, no rental car, etc). Paying more for something you are not going to use does not make sense to me
Where did you find the note about the dropping of "Internet selling" of HC?
Dennis
Have been checking your posts. Not sure what the $3,500 incentive is. Can not find anywhere but on your message board. Love the deals you all are getting.
Best price I have gotten so far is $26,997 NO Nav, incl mud guards and destination fee. + 250 doc fee + ^.25% tax + $25.50 title. Says includes $200 internet pricing disc (whoa!) I think this is $3285 below invoice plus cost of mud guards. Not such a great deal. Can you help me?
Am also looking at Higlander 08. Price quotes so far are vs sticker (much more for base model 4x4 with aftermarket back up camera and heated cloth seats).
Looking for your input!
Invoice on the EX-L 4WD w/Nav is $32,905 including the destination fee, so $29,405 for the Pilot including destination and dealer doc or prep fees would be a nice price. Anything less than that would be a great price.
Dennis