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Comments
i have been lurking here for a few days now and i finally decided to join in. i'm in the market to buy a 2002 cr-v EX. i live in the albany, ny area, does anyone know of a good dealer? and i'm new at this, i'm sooo worried about being taken advantage of at the dealership bc i'm young and female, so any tips are welcome. ALso, should i look online for my cr-v? any particular sites? Thanks a lot for your responses!
I will do the first service at 5000 mi as severe condition, though I belong to normal condition. But i do not want to wait to 10k for first service, that is too long.
BTW, i am living in south carolina. it is 75F today.
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/
Your best defenses against being taken advantage of are preparation and patience. Monitor the Edmunds TMV for any model you are interested in. Be wary of any bogus charges for stuff like "paint protectant."
Hit the websites of all of your local dealers and get in contact with a manager of Internet/fleet sales at each. The dealers that are "with it" should answer you with a decent price from the get-go. Perhaps you can even attempt to start a bidding war. Remember that no one can tell that you're young and female through email . . . unless your address really is something like Young@Female.com <GRIN>.
If you intend to finance the vehicle, seek pre-approval from other lenders before walking into the dealership. I did this and the finance guy gave me a better rate than he would have otherwise.
And if you're not convinced that you're getting a good value for any reason, be prepared to hold firm to what you think is reasonable. To borrow from the old Doritos ad, "Walk away all you want. They'll make more."
parking break. I will wait to the oil change service to request and adjustment
I guess the clicking noise mystery has been solved. In my car, it is audible if you pay attention to it and the radio is off, but I agree, shouldn't that have been informed to the customers and specially, the Honda technicians? C'est la vie!
Well, I won't pay for something I don't want. Especially when I am told I "have" to buy it. Funny, its not listed on the Honda Brochure. All this and I was willing to pay MSRP!!
I have to strongly recommend not using Sunset Honda in San Luis Obispo!! If I end up getting a CRV I will be sure to spend the extra 20 minutes to go to the next closest dealer.
http://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/
and it will tell you what the intervals are for your vehicle, based on year and model. The very first thing it says is:
Following the factory-recommended maintenance schedule in your Honda Owner's Manual is the best thing you can do for your vehicle.
For a '99 Milano Red CR-V EX 5 spd (what I own now) the oil change interval is 3750 mi/6 months for severe, or 7500 mi/12 months for normal. This information is from the Owners Manual. The web site linked above doesn't specify months.
From the above website, an '02 Eternal Blue Pearl CR-V EX 5 spd (what I wish I owned) the oil change interval is 5000 miles/8000 km for severe conditions, or 10,000 miles/16,000 km/1 year for normal conditions. It doesn't specify months for the 5000 mi/8000 km change.
Your dealer's 3000 mi/4 month suggestion sounds like he wants more of your money.
Who are you going to believe? Honda that made your CR-V? Or your dealer that sold it to you?
And no, the color of your CR-V doesn't make any difference.
I do think Honda Builds a great vehicle in the CRV but their marketing people should be hung out to dry.. I will wait thru spring so see if deals become more reasonable. I have never paid sticker in my life and will absolutely not now pay MSRP or any overcharges the dealers are imposing... If necessary,,, I will go the Forester route as I hate auto makers that take advantage of buyers in this fashion... I know that there are some,, especially car salesman, who say no foul has occured because people are paying what the market will bear. Well, you may be able to get the weak minded to swallow that, but I've been around for a while and know what fair pricing is.... As far as I'm concerned, the current price of CRV's is blatently unfair, unreasonable, and a ripoff of loyal customers. Fair warning honda,,, I may not be with the majority out there,,, but I'll bet there are a lot of buyers out there that might agree with me...
People with intelligence,,, stand up and be counted.
INKY
I agree with theracoon, it's the dealers who inflate the price, not Honda. You can't fault Honda for building a vehicle that so many people want. Shop around and wait for prices to come down. Good luck.
Rick in NY: check out fitzmall.com. Sounds like you are ready for a no-haggle dealer. They set internet prices that are very competitive, and even include freight. Plus they add no extra fees, nothing at all. My cousin and my dad have bought cars there, and the only surprise was - no surprises!
Go elsewhere, and odds are, even if they advertise "$100 over invoice", you get there and they add a $400 processing fee, then freight, then a fee to get you tags, then the accessories they already put on without your consent (like perma-plate for example). This is certainly not unique to Honda, BTW.
It's a shame they (Fitz) don't have a Honda franchise, but they do have Toyota and Subaru. And FWIW, the 2003 Forester will debut next Wednesday, so it's worth a wait to see it.
-juice
"Your Honda engine was delivered with an oil that is specially formulated for new engines that have not yet developed their "natural" wear patterns and may contain minute particles from the manufacturing process."
I guess it is a good a idea to wait until the recommended mileage (5k severe/10k normal) to have the first oil change. Any idea what is so special about this "specially formulated oil"?
Honda suggests using 5W30 all year long. The dealer I purchased my V suggested 10W30 or even 10W40 for the summer. I am in Texas so it gets hot here in the summer. I think a thicker oil probably makes sense for the summer. Any opinion on this issue?
Let me put another spin on it for you. If reduced production were a good thing, then why would Honda be expanding their Ody production with a new line and have added the CR-V to the production lines in England?
Good luck.
I'll be looking for that Soob.
Tmanmiata - I would double check that recommendation with another Honda mechanic. It seems pretty reasonable, but a second opinion would ease my conscience.
Saw a blurb in Canadiandriver.com re: a NHTSA 2002 CR-V recall for front seatbelt pre-tensioners
....is this the "official recall" of the earlier problem, or is it something new?
For those intested, here is the article:
http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/020131-1.htm
The dealer in the Seattle area is charging over MSRP which I have no interest in paying. I am now considering the Toyota Highlander because of special financing (2.9%) in the Northwest and with the Highlander selling below MSRP. The gap between the Highlander (4 cycl) and CRV EX (4 cycl) is close.
Until demand on the CR-V settles down, I would be taking a serious look at the Highlander as well.
The previous generation CR-V actually revs higher than the new one. It's been rated as the most reliable vehicle on the road. There are now a number of us with high mileage CR-Vs that never had engine problems.
Varmit, are you familiar with the Life or Life Dunc?
I don't see how Honda (or any other carmaker) would benefit from artificially limiting supply. Don't the dealers buy them for the same unit price whether they get five or fifty? Besides, there are downstream revenues from financing and parts that would missed.
Your right about the seatbelts. While the CR-V's recall was a while ago, I wonder if there is a problem with the supplier?
BTW, the Model X was approved for production (and it's CR-V based). I wonder if they'll keep the suicide-style doors. That thing is wild!
-juice
I like the Model X (dunno that I'd buy one), but I would rather have seen the Stream brought over.
-juice
http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~wstef/hist.html
Actually it seems they had alot of models with more Torque than horsepower, I guess that just goes to show how much research reviewers actually do.
http://www.honda.co.jp/LIFE/
slugline - Yeah, you are in Houston if I remember correctly. Temperature wise Houston is even hotter than Dallas. I guess I don't have worry using 5W30 then. Thanks!
juice - Did you check out the many different editions of the Forester on that Subaru web site. They are quite cool! Unfortunately, like the S/tb-STi II version, they will only make 500 of them.
1. The Stream interior seemed more cramped, less airy than the Civic 5-door.
2. The 2nd row has significantly less leg room than the 5 door Civic.
3. The last row in the Stream, with 2 seats for small children is not likely to be used, except in a pinch. In effect, I found the Stream to be more of a 4 seater than a 7 seater(because the center seat in the middle row is not that great).
4. The Stream has a hint of minivan styling, even though it is lower in height than a minivan.
Nevertheless, I think both the Civic 5 door and the Stream would have a market in the US. The Stream would be a good choice for parents of small children looking for an entry level minivan, while the 5 door would be a good vehicle for those buyers who want a stylish utility vehicle like the Mazda P5 or Toyota Matrix. Being a Honda loyalist though, I'd settle for the Stream if that were the only one that Honda decided to bring in.
PS. The Fit subcompact would be a big hit in the US, IMHO. Sometimes, I think it must be a no-brainer being a product planner for Honda in the US!
The articles about buying in Edmunds as well as Consumer Reports magazine are excellent! Read them! The more informed you are the better.
AFTER reading the articles, you'll recognize the saleman's bull befor he finishes his pitch.
Decide what you want, what you are willing to pay. Let several area dealer's know you are price shopping. When one meets your requirements...go for it. If the terms "change" when things are being finalized......WALK OUT!!
There are dozens of salesman throughout the Capital District to buy that car from. Good Luck!!
I don't think their insurance company will cover their purchase cost...just the car's value. Am I right? Wouldn't the owner be out anything over MSRP??
LOL. Now that is a great way to review vehicles. I never thought that CRV would have any less torque than it does if it made 143 lb.-ft @ 6000 rpm (instead of 140 lb.-ft @ 6000 rpm) resulting in 163 HP.
But it's the same with Honda, we don't get the Type R models here.
BTW, comparing torque to horsepower isn't even relevant, because they are in different units of measure. It's like saying 10 pounds is more than 9 miles. LOL!
-juice