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'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Howard Kool, McCook, NE 69001
Regarding to the Ralph Schomp 7/100 warranty, you have to agree to use their services such as oil changes, ect. Otherwise, you warrenty is not valid.
Please let me know, thanks!
Frankly, I do not know how the "MPG looks like about 21 MPG for the first tank of gas"? If you filled up you would know exactly?
If you want to take a Pilot off-road, go ahead, but it has no skid plates and lacks the real low gearing or serious clearance. Take this as some words of wisdom from someone who has scrapped every skid plate in my "other" SUV! I love the way my Pilot rides but it is no off-roader.
Furthermore, I would not suggest that the Pilot corners like it is "on rails" and as in any SUV, only a moron would suggest doing 55 mph though a 35 mph corner.
I smell a rat!
Wisdom for the real buyers: negotiate over e-mail so as to not to waste your time! Do not get off your office chair without a price!
OH: If you purchase a NEW Pilot from OH (as I did in Feb '03) there will not be any problems. Your door-jam info will be pretty clear and no Canadian Pilot can be sold as NEW in the US by a real dealer. Given the current exchange (about US$0.75=$CDN1) there is no reason to buy in Canada where the EX-L retails for about $43k. I thought about it when the exchange was under 65 cents.
Do NOT buy from the places that lie or lie about others lying!
If anyone has ordered a 04 Pilot EX with NAVI (they are a little hard to find)can you tell me what you paid for it. I'd like to figure out what the people on this post on the average are able to get off the MSRP on a vehicle such as this. I live in Western PA.
Robert in San Diago - You need to stop wasting peoples time on this post. If you can't tell us what you actually paid for your vehicle, please post your silly opinions somewhere else. I have a MAZDA RX-7 twin turbo - I know what corners like it's almost "on rails" feels like, and it's certainly not the Pilot. People are not buying the Pilot for that reason.
For additional price discovery you should check mycarmyprice.com, that is a reverse auction for cars. In particular here is a link for Honda prices: http://www.mycar.com/new_cars/new_car_auction/historical_prices/d- efault.asp?make_id=12
Does this help with price info? Best of luck!
PS I sold an MR2 Turbo to get the Pilot and I still miss the cornering ("on rails")... but the Pilot has slightly more utility! And I suspect it is a better winter car.
Is that Bianchi Honda in Erie, Pa? That's my hometown (now live in DC area) and when I was shopping for an S2000 in late 2001, they could not match the DC area prices. Please post what they quote you on a Pilot.
rlonn,
Ever heard of a thing called a "paragraph". It allows you to group and write your thoughts in a consistent manner that someone else can actually read them. I like to get all perspectives reading these forums, but found your last post way to tedious to even try.
rlonn, I find your reasoning of not disclosing the pricing deceptive and/or absurd! Even if you buy a Pilot at invoice the dealer still makes the holdback which is almost $1k. I am thinking that you have other motivations for non-disclosure; you are not doing this "out of the goodness of your heart". Why would not you want to same someone else some time? You liked spending a bit of YOUR time at the dealership where staff were playing games with you and lying about "duking it out with the manager"? Get real! If you value your time: "Negotiate over e-mail so as to not to waste your time! Do not get off your office chair without a price!" I would also recommend that you have the dealership send you the paperwork to sign so that you do not even have to make an appearance. The greatest thing about buying from longer distances away (about 400 miles in my case) is that you may not have to show up!
Bottom line: I am here to help fellow buyers with information. I am up front about my what, where, why and how much! Are you here to cheer on your dealership?
A friend of mine bought an Accord last year from College Park and got a very good price, but they seem pretty low class. I suspect they would bait and switch you on a high demand vehicle like the Pilot.
I am considering the Pilot as well and think Sheehy will give me my best local deal, although I doubt they will match the $1,000 over invoice I've been quoted from an Ohio dealership near my hometown.
Pretty neat, he goes for a ride in his friends 4Runner and suddenly he is no longer an "uneducated or inexperienced" off-roader.
**price -- $27,590 (included splash guards & dest) $162 for air deflector. Less $750 -- total $27,002 plus tax/title. After the deal I mentioned that we wanted the cargo tray. They wanted $95, I said on the Honda accessory web site I can get it for $70. He sold us one for $71.20 plus tax. Four hour drive home.. nice ride. (live in NJ but purchased in Saratoga NY).
First, I sent emails to the internet managers of dealers within a 200 mile radius (San Ant, Austin, Houston, San marcos, Killeen, etc) asking them to provide me their best quote on a 2004, EX-L RES (Sage Brush Pearl) and that I did not want to pay more than $500 to $1000 over Invoice. Here's what I received -
Austin (all) - Mostly MSRP quotes ($32,830)
Houston (Several) - $30,400 - $30,600
San Ant (Gunn Auto) - $30,540
Killeen (Cleo Bay) - $30,600
Second, I then went back to the top 3 and negotiated further and was able to get my vehicle from Cleo Bay for $30,100, which is $521 over invoice. The Cleo bay dealership was a pleasure to do business with. They faxed me the quote along with the VIN number and had there manager sign it so I could be assured of its validity. I drove up there and they had everything ready for me to sign. The only delay was for me to swap out the kid's car seats. :-)
Here's the breakdown
2004 EX-L RES - $30,100
Sales Tax - $ 1,881
Inventory Tax - $ 68
Title,Lic,doc - $ 174
-------
Total $32,223
Who knows if they can give you the exact same deal, but I know Gunn had the same vehicle on their site for $30,250. Good luck and don't take the first offer or the standard tag line "we don't have to discount this car, since it will be sold in 2 days". Let the other less informed people pay those higher prices, at least here in central Texas.
I used Edmunds' service to contact several area dealers via email. The message I sent stated my intention to buy within 24 hours, the color(s) and extras I wanted, and asked for each dealer's best driveout price (all-in, no surprises). Once I had their numbers, I went to the dealer with the 2nd lowest price to test drive. After he'd invested 45 minutes in selling me, I told him I'd be glad to buy it IF he'd beat his competitor's driveout price (the lowest price I'd found via email). He agreed to beat it by $100, since he wanted to close the deal and I had cash in hand.
I then told him that, as a courtesy, I felt it was only fair to give Dealer #1 one last chance to give me his best "take it or leave it" driveout price. Dealer #2 would want that courtesy, right?
When I called dealer #1, he didn't want to lose out over $100. He agreed to match dealer #2. I reminded him I'd have to drive across town and he needed to make it worth the effort. He agreed to drop the price by another $100 and throw in a cargo cover and cargo liner at cost. Did we have a deal?
I called dealer #2 to report this news. I told him I'd rather buy from him (he'd put in the time with me), but he had to beat the competitor's price or I couldn't justify it. He lowered the price another $100 and threw in the cargo cover, liner and all-season floor mats at no extra charge. Dealer #1 agreed to match that offer but wouldn't beat it. So, dealer #2 and I had a deal.
The thing I loved about this process was... no negotiating! It wasn't me against them. It was them against each other -- over such tiny amounts that it wasn't worth losing the sale. I just kept reporting their offers and counteroffers to each other until one finally dropped out of the bidding. It worked beautifully. And I'm fairly confident that I got a good deal (Dealer #1 said so when he finally dropped out).
When it's time to hand over my check tonight, I think I'll ask about getting a DVD system at cost. I doubt they'll go for it, but I figure I have nothing to lose!
I hope this will be helpful to other inexperienced buyers who hate negotiating as much as I do. It may be a market-specific success story, but it's probably worth a try anywhere. Good luck!!
Allow me to share with you this. I just picked up my 04 EX-L RES last week from a Honda dealer in Boston. As you are aware MSRP on this baby is $32,860.
I walked away paying $31438 with the Honda 6 disc changer, rear splash guards, wheel locks, cargo tray and all season mats throw in. Punch those numbers in your calculator and see maybe I'm not such a novice buyer am I? If I remember correctly, I spent about 15 minutes negotiating on the phone and then giving a deposit with my credit card.
I have purchased many vehicles before and my theory has always been to do research and determine what is fair and what you are willing to pay and go from there. Keep in mind where you are as well. You may be able to get $1000 over invoice in one part of the country easily and spend 4 hours negotiating and not get $500 under MSRP in another part of the country.
Sure your tactic may worked in this case but if you come up to Boston and try that, I am certain the sales guy would be more than happy to show you the door.
Just something to consider before you run off patting yourself on the back sharing with us "novice" buyers your story.
Good luck with your Pilot anyhow.
I have been reading this board for quite a while and although I have a good idea of how much I can get a Pilot for in Ohio, I have no idea if I can get a comparable deal in Southern Oregon. I have a feeling that Oregon is similar to what I have seen in California - MSRP or close to it. If anyone out there has buying experiences for anywhere in Oregon, I would be very interested in hearing about it.
After reading the posts from Bdwyer1, Sueradu2 and Itsmedude, it is apparent that there are good deals out there on 04's. At least that is encouraging to see. Congratulations on getting terrific deals!
I left out a few facts by mistake:
1) I bought my Pilot in Atlanta. The internet dealers at the various dealerships were most able/willing to discuss price without any of the unpleasantness I associate with negotiating.
2) The dealer talked me out of the factory-installed DVD and recommended a less expensive aftermarket DVD installer. That option will enable the kids to change the DVD themselves, and the installer will come to our house. Sounded like a better deal to me, and I appreciated the advice.
3) As we closed the deal, they agreed to give me free oil changes, coupons for maintenance service, and other "tokens" of appreciation for the business. They didn't offer these, but when asked, seemed happy to give them.
4) Buying at the end of the month seemed to give me more leverage.
5) I traded in a BMW X5. I found a BMW dealer who would buy it from the Honda dealer and negotiated a price with him, then informed the Honda dealer of the terms we'd agreed to. That saved me the taxes on the deal, and insured I got a good price.
I hope this information is helpful to future buyers. I'll check this board when it's time to buy again.... hopefully, not for a while!
I'll try not to judge you, I'll just say that not everyone wants to or will want to go through that process to save a few hundred bucks.
I'm glad you got a deal you are happy with and hope you enjoy your Pilot.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I am looking to buy soon.
Jeez, I didn't realize that trying to get the best deal you can is shady, unethical or unseemly. Perhaps you wouldn't work that hard to save a few hundred bucks, but to condemn someone else for doing so is asinine. If the deal wasn't a fair one for the salesman, he need not have agreed.
By your implied logic we should all just pay MSRP or MSRP plus markup. That would be the easiest and least unseemly way to buy a car.
By YOUR logic, we should drop 2 salespeople in a steel cage with bats and whoever lives gets your money. I apologize a thousand times over for actually seeing salespeople as PEOPLE who have better things to do than jump through a hoop to get your business, then you ask them to jump through a hoop with spikes, then a flaming hoop with spikes, then... . I wouldn't want to be treated like that if I was selling for a living (and I have done so for a period of time and always sent people like that packing), so I won't treat others that way.
But that's just me. If someone else can do that comfortably and it makes them happy, then so be it.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Speaking of closeouts, it's getting late for finding '03's, but:
Bargain Hunters Find Closeout Vehicles at Significant Discounts
Steve, Host
By the way, I LOVE my new Pilot!!!!!
Anyhow, I was just curious that when you were dealing with these folks, didn't you come to any kind of agreement or did they just give you their best price and then let you go back to the other guy? I mean when I negotiated on the phone directly with the sales manager, I told her a price I am willing to pay and that is that. She never said Yes or No. She simply kept saying "if I can do that for you right now, do we have a deal?" and then she would ask for my credit card number before she gives me an answer just to be sure I am not playing games. And then I would give it to her to prove that indeed I am serious. I mean not just this purchase but everywhere I purchased has been like that. They want to be sure you are a serious buyer and not someone running back and forth. So basically I tell them my price and give them a credit card and if they accept then we have a deal. I don't turn back on my end and then start using that to negotiate elsewhere. But I have not came across where they would give me their rock bottom price without having me agree to purchase if they accept. So with that said, did you agree with one guy and then went to second guy and had him beat that deal and came back and told the first guy "well, cancel that deal we agreed unless you can do better than this guy..."
I agree with gbrozen that salespeople are people too and don't deserve that and if that was me I would be more than happy to show the customer the door. But then that's me and everyone is different.
I am glad to hear you like the Pilot as we love ours. We went with the factory RES because I would not want Best Buy or those places to take apart my brand new vehicle. Not to mention the aftermarket weren't that much cheaper and do not carry the factory 3/36 warranty.
She's obviously playing games with you. Next time as her for her credit card number ... just to be sure she's not playing games! Better yet, go for the corporate card number. :-)
tidester, host
In regards to "grinding ' the salesperson, I would not hesitate to do what I can to get the best deal possible. Yes, they are fellow human beings (I think), but most of them are seasoned sales people who are use to rough negotiations. They are also the same "human beings" who would have no qualms about selling the car to us for MSRP. I don't begrudge them for trying to get the greatest profit margin that they can, and conversely, they should not begrudge us for trying to get the best deal we can. I believe that they probably get there fair share of buyers who come in and are willing to pay MSRP from the moment they step foot onto the dealership.
Not exactly. It's the attitude that I am objecting to. This was simply a request for information over the phone! The presumption is that you are not serious and it serves no purpose but to impose a feeling of obligation on you. It's called control!
If it's their policy to not give out pricing information over the phone then they should just say so. I have no problem with providing my credit card number (or the card itself!) to a dealer if I'm taking the car out for a test run or using my card to make a down payment.
Imagine Domino's asking for your card number the next time you call for pizza prices? :-)
JMO.
tidester, host