This has been an excellent site for me..thanks to you all. I want to know if any of you are tall, and if so, how well does the CRV work for you. I'm 6'6" and currently drive a Tahoe. I bought the Tahoe to pull my boat, but have since sold the boat. The gas is killing me since my commute is about 55 miles per day. I need something more economical, but I've gotten used to being off the ground. The stats in Edmunds show that the CRV has more leg and head room than my Tahoe...is this true. How about power? I know the CRV will have less power than the Tahoe, but does it have enough power? I'm looking at the LX model, but I think they all have the same engine. Any input regarding the ride for tall people would be appreciated.
Has anyone tried to remove the warning decals from the sun visors? I didn't know if they would come off cleanly or come off in pieces and look nasty. Thanks for the advice.
I've read hundreds of posts from this board and am grateful. In my first post I have the following questions:
1. I'd like auto, so I think LX makes more sense than Ex. I love the fact of ordering remote keylocks for $66.
2. Does anyone know about any factory-to -dealer incentives, or what the standard holdback for Honda is?
3. Does $300 over invoice seem to be the desired price?
4. Does anyone know of any good dealers in the Western New York (Buffalo) area? There are 3.
5. I've tried submitting info to the online services for a quote 2 weeks ago and have not been contacted back. The best price by far of the instant quotes was carorder.com., and I hear that they are out of business. Any thoughts?
Oh, yeah. I'm dying to get an answer to (herbie's) question about the visor warnings. They seem annoyingly permanent. I've worked on them a bit w/ fingernails, but can't get a piece of it to show signs of loosening. Right now, they are distracting. I imagine I'll eventually stop seeing them, however.
Jkunert - The amount of head and leg room in the CR-V is considerable for a car of it's size. However, while the linear measurements may be greater than the Tahoe, the actual difference may not be significant.
For example, I test drove an Acura TL a few months back and found headroom to be rather cramped. It measures 39.9 in. I test drove a Mazda Miata yesterday and (with the top up) I found headroom to be equally cramped, but not significantly more so. It measures 37.1 in. There's a difference of nearly 3 inches between them, but they felt the same to me.
I *think* that they measure headroom by taking the distance between the seat cushion and the roof directly above it (like a plumb line). As soon as you lean the seat backward, it extends the linear distance. The difference between the Miata and TL may be that the Miata seating position is angled back farther as the seat is right on the floor.
Anyway, the point is you can't always trust the numbers. Go take a test drive. (BTW, I'm 6'2", I sit bolt upright, and I have about two inches clearance above my noodle.)
Regarding power: The CR-V will probably accelerate faster than your Tahoe, but it won't feel that way. Off the line the CR-V feels like an econobox (which it is). It doesn't have a great deal of low end torque, but once you get it rolling, it'll giddyup. I recommend driving the 5 speed as it allows you to make better use of the lil 2.0L rice burner.
I get a kick out of this link. For all the hype about the CR-V being underpowered, it's the only mini suv to make Edmunds "performance truck" list. (You have to scroll to the bottom.)
3. $300 - 500 over invoice is a good price to aim for, but if demand in your area is high, it may be tough to get. Comparison shop and use the internet sites to get good price quotes.
6. You should pay the price of the car, tax, tags, and license. Doc fees are pretty standard and typically aren't that much, but you can fight them if you want. Anything else that has the word "fees" in it means extra profit for the dealer.
(April65)--Internet prices were useful for providing a price ceiling. They were very high as compared to dealerships in my area. Greenlight.com had the lowest price quote of web sources, but had magic words of "limited availabilty". I tried autobytel, but didn't trust choice they made of dealerships would be the cheapest. As it turns out, I ended up there and it was the best deal. (Don't know how it would've been different w/ them.) I was able to buy EX w/ autom. around $200 above invoice. They were very upfront about a $95.00 fee. Intellichoice.com, I believe, offered True Market Value pricing. I used that as a target, but aimed about $175 below it and got it. It may be there is more negotiating room in an Ex price than LX, but maybe not. They are getting ready for 2001, so this is a good time! There are no dealer incentives--too popular. In fact, I keep getting flagged down in parking lots by strangers wanting to ask me about the car.
(varmit) Thank you for topic discussion about fitting large items in CRV. My uncle called to ask me if 8ft. boards would fit if used "bed" method. He's still deciding on whether to buy SE. This may help!
I paid 20,865 for the SE not including tax + title. I think it came out to be about 22,800 out the door (8.75% tax in Chicago). That was 5 months ago and the wife still loves it.
Has anyone purchased their CR-V using Costco auto purchasing service? How would you describe the experience, price, ease of use, etc.? Are prices via Costco much different than prices that can be achieved through walking into dealership armed with pricing info off the web?
Also, does anyone have any recommendations re: reputable dealerships in northern NJ / NYC area? I already know, from reading prior posts (thanks y'all!), to avoid Bob Ciasulli Honda... Any other suggestions? How about Route 23 Honda in Pomptain Plains? Has anyone out there used them? They are the designated dealer for this area for purchases through Costco, so if Costco pricing is significantly better, I may have to use them. Any thoughts?
Richcats - No problem. I read a lot of posts about how much to pay (which is good) and not so many about what to do with it after it's been purchased. I thought a question like that would be good for those of us who already have our CR-Vs.
Time for the next one. What would be the best modification to make for the CR-V (V-6, yeah, I hear ya, but what else)? Reading posts over at the CR-V IX, I see a lot of nice aftermarket mods being added. What would everybody here like to add?
Me? I'd like to have the SE's painted bumpers available as an option for the EX in all colors. They look pretty darn spiffy, and I like the fact that the lower section is left alone (less damage that way).
BTW, you don't have to own one to give your $.02 on the subject.
I bought a keyless remote over the internet for my 97 CRV about a year ago. A friend of mine would like to buy one for his 97 Accord. The newest parts listings seem to indicate the need for installation of some hardware. This was not needed before. Is this only for the newest models? Is there still a source for the remotes for earlier Hondas?
More seating. Maybe an additional seating for two in the rear with a folddown seat much like the Odyssey. You have the well where the CR-V table rests, you could use the space to hide the foldable seat and do away with the table (I've only used it once).When not in use, you still retain the cargo area in the rear. Of course with the added people cargo, an increase of engine power would be a necessity (though not necessarily an increase to a V6). Just an idea.
The Costco car buying program is one of the best kept secrets around. I just received the VIN # for my new CR-V. My salesperson was a gem. I shopped two other dealerships and was not able to negotiate anything near the $800 over invoice that I paid. The CR-V is a hot item and alot of people are paying sticker price. The only thing that I am having the dealership do is put in my sunroof everything else you can get aftermarket on the net.
Hi all, Has anyone put a double DIN or ISO non-Honda stereo in themselves? I bought a double-high Kenwood DPX600, and I am looking for the brackets to do it right. I understand that they come already installed in CRVs in the Phillipines (other places too?), so there must be brackets available. Kenwood has not provided any answers so far. Thanks
Although more power would be nice, I think mpg would suffer. I'm quite happy with the current engine and its output. 1. A vtec would be nice - just would like to rev up to 8K. 2. More towing capacity. 3. Factory installed sunroof - I don't trust aftermarkets.
thanks for the input re: Costco. What dealership in NYC did you deal with? And what model cr-v did you get? By going through Costco, did you have to buy in bulk, like a three-pack of CR-Vs? Sorry, couldn't resist! Not that 3 CR-Vs would be a bad thing or anything...
had an interesting experience the other day, went into Hinshaw's Auburn Honda(Seattle area) to sign papers, and got jerked around at the last minute on price. highly do not recommend going there -nasty little men.... but one interesting thing did occur, i got to see the dealer transfer paperwork (i.e. the actual invoice) for the ex automatic i *was* going to buy. the dealer transfer invoice was $19,623.... (this included destination!) so the dealer was still making $370.00 on the invoice price before hold back (another $411.00 dineros in holdback -for a grand total profit of $781.00!!! before they got past printed invoice pricing) honda sales people are apparently not allowed to see the invoices, but if you get a bunch of bs about invoice price, request to see the invoice -this usually has to be done with a manager, but it can be a great bargining tool. and never for one moment believe they aren't going to make a buck on you (i don't sound bitter do i? :-) -just thought ya'll might find that interesting.
Visited a dealer tonight- didn't buy yet, but will soon... But I have some questions before buying, and I'm hoping some of you will share your insight...
1. The dealer said he could sell me an EX automatic, with passenger armrest, fog lamps, alarm system, and roof rack for "under $21000," including tax, title, license. I thought this was a GREAT deal. Is it too good to be true? He quoted the options roughly as follows:
fog lamps: $350 alarm system: $200 roof rack: (I don't recall) passenger armrest $80
So, depending on the roofrack price (anyone out there know what dealers typically charge for it?), he's adding probably between $630 and $1000 in options to an invoice of $19,500. Adding in TTL and keeping it under $21,000 would mean he's selling it under invoice, unless I've missed something...
2. Has anyone gotten dealer installed fog lamps? Are they effective and worth the $350? Is buying them at an online parts store and installing them myself a comparable alternative? How difficult is installation?
3. How about the alarm system? Has anyone gotten it? Do they actually do $200 worth of parts and labor or is it another preinstalled item, like keyless remote entry, that dealer simply activates in seconds and makes a big profit?
4. Finally, is it worthwhile to have the dealer install the roof rack? I'm inclined to let the dealer be the one to drill holes in the roof rather than me, but I'd be interested in hearing about other people's opinions or experiences.
Thanks in advance for your commentary. I've been reading this board for a few weeks and find all of you very helpful.
gonzo: There's no way that any manager will show you their actual profit. I'm sorry to hear that you couldn't negotiate a better price. Remember, if they don't make a dime, then why would they stay in business? Who's going to pay for the dealership's overhead?
caritis: I am considering adding a roof rack to my CRV-SE. The dealer qouted 450.00 at the time of purchase but I decided not to do it. I called again and they qouted 500.00. I checked a few places online and the OEM is about 200.00. I had a friend (who's a mechanic) installed one on his '98 and is quite happy with it but complains of increased wind noise. Also with the alarm and fog lights, I believe it's best to leave it up to the dealer as to not void the warranty. That said, I think I'm going to have my roof rack installed by a dealer next month. I'll keep you updated.
OEM roof rack. You buy it for a little over $200 and install it yourself in about two hours (no drilling into the roof required. Mounts on existing hardware). Depends on how much they want to charge. Seen prices ranging from $400-$800 from dealer.
OEM Fog lights. About $170. Requires wire harness ($30) and switch ($15). Must cut bumper cover and drill in bumper to install. Aftermarket lights offer much more flexibility for the price.
Passenger Armrest. $42. Requires small cut in seat. 20min install time. DIY
Alarm. $145 for the module $50 for attachment harness. For $200, let them do it.
From the installation notes on the roof rack, it does not require drilling but uses self tapping screws. In either case, you're still putting a hole into the sheet metal. Just doesn't leave much room for errors. Sorry, the wife would kill me if I messed up her new toy. Just not worth it me.
The self tapping screws refer to the ones connecting the crossbars to the sidebars. No screws go through the sheet metal. I installed mine in about 1&1/2 hours with a lunch break, and I am not a mechanic. Very simple to do.
I have had my EX model for a month now, and I have 2 complaints. The lack of power going up hills being the biggest one. I can't stand going from 75mph to 50mph going up a hill. EVERYONE passes me by. The only solution is to tromp on it and let the engine downshift and run up to the 4-5 zone on the tach. Then the engine sounds like it is being killed. The second beef is the stereo. It is pretty weak. Some of my older cd's that are not digital cannot be played at a loud volume even when the dial is maxxed out. Also, the sound quality is nothing to cheer about. I definately need an upgrade in speakers and probably an amp.
If the price you got includes installation, I think you've got a good deal. My only quibble would be the aesthetics of the OEM fog lamps; I think they give the appearance of spectacles on the top of the bumper.
The alarm system isn't keyless-remote simple; there is stuff that needs to be added under the hood and under the dash.
You may be my hero - since you're the first here I have met that installed the roofrack. 1. After removing the roof molding, were there holes in place for screwing in the adapter block? If not, then did you need to drill? 2. Are you happy with the installation? Any problems? 3. What was the hardest part?
I am anxiously awaiting your reply. I may consider doing it myself. Thanks.
Downshifting is normal for the CR-V (and most 4cyl vehicles) going up hills at highway speeds. Don't worry about the revs killing the engine because you won't. 4 to 5 grand puts you in the thick of the powerband, so rev away. I have to downshift up long hills when I drive my wife's 6cyl S-10. I used to downshift going up long hills on the highway with my V8 powered '73 Torino. Never been an issue for me.
As far as the stereo goes, get some good speakers, subwoofer, tweeter kit, an amp, and a new head unit. Be forwarned that a big investment in aftermarket audio may not give you the sound you're looking for. If you want more highs for clarity, get the tweeter kit. It really improves the high end.
when you pull off the black molding there are 2 studs at each mounting site. the mount plate goes over the studs and you then screw caps onto the studs to hold the mount plate on. the only half-way mechanical thing that you would have to do is to cut the molding so that you can re-install it around the mounts. I used a hack-saw (there is a metal strip in the molding). the ends of the molding where they are cut may look ragged, but they are covered by the mount plate pads (rubber pads). just measure them within a 2-3 inch accuracy and you should have no problems. just make sure when you re-install the molding to gently tap it back on. if you thump it with a hammer it could get a dent/ding very easily. luckily i found this out in a place that ended up being covered by the mount pads.
Allright! I think I'll order the roof rack either from partscheap.com or hparts.com. Where did you get yours? Now to convince the wife. ;-) Thanks again.
i think it was partscheap.com. i screwed up though cuz their price was cheaper until they tacked on s/h at the very end to end up being $228. I think the other site, hparts.com, already has the s/h built in to the price they display. actually if i did it over again i would not have purchased it over the net. after i had come to an agreement on the price of my crv by phone, i went and ordered the rack over the net. then 2 days later when i picked up the crv i asked the salesman if he would match the hparts.com prices for the front splash guards and touch up paint. he said he couldn't but to ask across the street at their parts / repair site. i handed the guy the net printout with the prices and he said no problem. i could have bought it all right there and had it in my hands right away. i had to wait a week to get it in the mail after ordering from the net. as far as any problems / complaints about the install processe... not really. except that it was a really hot day when i installed it....
crvse, i didn't mean to confuse anyone, i was just marveling at the some of the lines used by car salespeople about how they have to make a profit. i find it interesting to note that on the vehicle i was going to buy, they still cleared a decent profit before it even hit the public invoice price. just something to think about...i figure there are far too many buyers who get back ended by payments, unfair trade in prices or who just don't do their homework to ensure dealers don't go out of business. this i will not lose sleep over.. :-} btw, the price was already negotiated -but when i went in the sales guy essentially refused to honor the deal. that's why i was not very happy.
I purchased mine from Partscheap and had dealer service dept. installed. I called the service dept. I have dealt with since I bought my CR-V and they told me one hour's worth of work at $65.00. Overall total installed was less than $300.00. Service Dept./Dealer here in Metairie LA was Royal Honda. Top notch service. They have been corrected misdiagnosed problems by other service depts on other Hondas' I have owned.
I have been looking into a CRV. Everything seems great...but I would like to pull a small (1200 lbs) pop up camper. I have read some info on hitches rated up to 2000 lbs, I think it was a pullman. Any info would be appreciated.
I live in Seattle as well. Hinshaw Honda has had a bad rep for awhile. I used to sell cars in Olympia about 7 years ago. The salespeople I worked with talked about several of their experiences as employees of Hinshaw. There were a lot of stories of how they were treated and how mgmt would do everything in their power to stick it to the customer. My advice (not that I have to tell you this now)is to stay far away from them. I also am not fond of Downtown Honda (same folks own Downtown Toyota). I tried negotiating a deal on an Accord last year for a friend of mine. They wouldn't budge from 6% over invoice as they knew we were interested in the Camry as well and they needed to move them more. I told them basically to kiss-off (ok, it was more rude than that!). I know the biz (told them at the onset) and said they were idiots for even trying any BS. Unfortunately, in my experience in the NW, there are a lot of arrogant Honda dealers. I suppose I should thank them though. I ended up with a multi-talented, can't get enough of it 00'Subaru OB Ltd wagon.
I dealt with Bay Ridge Honda. My new baby is a SE and it is gold. I don't have it in my possession yet, the dealer is putting in the sunroof. Costco has brochures which list dealers located conveniently near you. Thanks for the bulk joke:()!
I visited the Costco-affilliated dealer in New Jersey and got a price that I think I'm going to act on. I posted a few days ago that he quoted me "under $21000" for an EX automatic w/ dealer installed passenger armrest, roofrack, alarm system, and foglamps. When I wrote that I mistakenly thought that TTL was included. It's not. But I still think it's a good price, so I think I'm gonna get it. No other dealer has been able to match it. If that price is due to my being a Costco member, then my Costco membership was the best $35 dollars I ever spent!
I have two cars to choose from, both are Honda CRV-EX's with identical equipment. The first is brand spanking new and with a beater of a trade the dealer wants 16,500 cash. The second at another dealer has 547 miles on it and I can drive home, minus the same beater of a trade, for $15,000. Thoughts?
I am not sure what it is the dealer claims it was a leased car, thus titled, that was turned back in within two weeks as they found out they needed a bigger vehicle. The other dealer will now add a sunroof for an out the door price of $16,800.
I would definately go with the $16,800, since I like sunroofs.... provided it's an electric one, not a pop-up. Plus, since the other car was previously registered, it's considered used and the original factory warranty took effect when it was first sold.
It sounds fishy that the car was leased and returned. Once a leasee signs a contract, they are bound by it and can't easily break it, without a huge financial penalty. I bet the car was purchased and returned when the owner couldn't get financing. You can go to www.carfax.com and enter the VIN# to find out whether it was really leased or not. Costs $10 though. Anyways, I think the CR-V with 5 miles is the better choice.
I would agree with hondabro. If you are planning on keeping the car for a long time, go with the new one. I personally don't like used cars because I am rather meticulous about caring for my vehicles. Besides, the first 600 miles is the critical break-in period. You don't know if it was 'beaten' by someone. Hope this helps.
I've read about the unusual automatic transmission on the CRV, but we're having an unpleasant experience with the manual transmission: Sometimes when we're in stop and go traffic, the CRV won't go into gear after a full stop. The only thing we've figured out to fix it is to turn off the ignition and restart the car. We've taken it in twice. The first time they replaced the fluid and supposedly found some gunk in it. The second time they replaced the cylinders. We're taking it in again on Saturday, but I was wondering if we just got a lemon or if anyone else has had this problem.
Comments
I've read hundreds of posts from this board and am grateful. In my first post I have the following questions:
1. I'd like auto, so I think LX makes more sense than Ex. I love the fact of ordering remote keylocks for $66.
2. Does anyone know about any factory-to -dealer incentives, or what the standard holdback for Honda is?
3. Does $300 over invoice seem to be the desired price?
4. Does anyone know of any good dealers in the Western New York (Buffalo) area? There are 3.
5. I've tried submitting info to the online services for a quote 2 weeks ago and have not been contacted back. The best price by far of the instant quotes was carorder.com., and I hear that they are out of business. Any thoughts?
6. Are the advertising and doc fees standard.
Thanks in advance.
For example, I test drove an Acura TL a few months back and found headroom to be rather cramped. It measures 39.9 in. I test drove a Mazda Miata yesterday and (with the top up) I found headroom to be equally cramped, but not significantly more so. It measures 37.1 in. There's a difference of nearly 3 inches between them, but they felt the same to me.
I *think* that they measure headroom by taking the distance between the seat cushion and the roof directly above it (like a plumb line). As soon as you lean the seat backward, it extends the linear distance. The difference between the Miata and TL may be that the Miata seating position is angled back farther as the seat is right on the floor.
Anyway, the point is you can't always trust the numbers. Go take a test drive. (BTW, I'm 6'2", I sit bolt upright, and I have about two inches clearance above my noodle.)
Regarding power: The CR-V will probably accelerate faster than your Tahoe, but it won't feel that way. Off the line the CR-V feels like an econobox (which it is). It doesn't have a great deal of low end torque, but once you get it rolling, it'll giddyup. I recommend driving the 5 speed as it allows you to make better use of the lil 2.0L rice burner.
I get a kick out of this link. For all the hype about the CR-V being underpowered, it's the only mini suv to make Edmunds "performance truck" list. (You have to scroll to the bottom.)
http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/highperf.html
2. Holdback is about 2%.
3. $300 - 500 over invoice is a good price to aim for, but if demand in your area is high, it may be tough to get. Comparison shop and use the internet sites to get good price quotes.
6. You should pay the price of the car, tax, tags, and license. Doc fees are pretty standard and typically aren't that much, but you can fight them if you want. Anything else that has the word "fees" in it means extra profit for the dealer.
(varmit) Thank you for topic discussion about fitting large items in CRV. My uncle called to ask me if 8ft. boards would fit if used "bed" method. He's still deciding on whether to buy SE. This may help!
Also, does anyone have any recommendations re: reputable dealerships in northern NJ / NYC area? I already know, from reading prior posts (thanks y'all!), to avoid Bob Ciasulli Honda... Any other suggestions? How about Route 23 Honda in Pomptain Plains? Has anyone out there used them? They are the designated dealer for this area for purchases through Costco, so if Costco pricing is significantly better, I may have to use them. Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance for your input.
Time for the next one. What would be the best modification to make for the CR-V (V-6, yeah, I hear ya, but what else)? Reading posts over at the CR-V IX, I see a lot of nice aftermarket mods being added. What would everybody here like to add?
Me? I'd like to have the SE's painted bumpers available as an option for the EX in all colors. They look pretty darn spiffy, and I like the fact that the lower section is left alone (less damage that way).
BTW, you don't have to own one to give your $.02 on the subject.
Thanks!
Marti
-Trevor
www.Honda-Accessories.com
Where do you live???? CR-V's are going for under invoice where I live. And Carsdirect is selling them at invoice.
I live in N.Y.C. where under invoice is not going to happen. I am confident that I got a good deal.
Has anyone put a double DIN or ISO non-Honda stereo in themselves? I bought a double-high Kenwood DPX600, and I am looking for the brackets to do it right. I understand that they come already installed in CRVs in the Phillipines (other places too?), so there must be brackets available. Kenwood has not provided any answers so far. Thanks
1. A vtec would be nice - just would like to rev up to 8K.
2. More towing capacity.
3. Factory installed sunroof - I don't trust aftermarkets.
just my short list. ;-)
thanks for the input re: Costco. What dealership in NYC did you deal with? And what model cr-v did you get? By going through Costco, did you have to buy in bulk, like a three-pack of CR-Vs?
but one interesting thing did occur, i got to see the dealer transfer paperwork (i.e. the actual invoice) for the ex automatic i *was* going to buy. the dealer transfer invoice was $19,623.... (this included destination!) so the dealer was still making $370.00 on the invoice price before hold back (another $411.00 dineros in holdback -for a grand total profit of $781.00!!! before they got past printed invoice pricing)
honda sales people are apparently not allowed to see the invoices, but if you get a bunch of bs about invoice price, request to see the invoice -this usually has to be done with a manager, but it can be a great bargining tool. and never for one moment believe they aren't going to make a buck on you (i don't sound bitter do i? :-) -just thought ya'll might find that interesting.
1. The dealer said he could sell me an EX automatic, with passenger armrest, fog lamps, alarm system, and roof rack for "under $21000," including tax, title, license. I thought this was a GREAT deal. Is it too good to be true? He quoted the options roughly as follows:
fog lamps: $350
alarm system: $200
roof rack: (I don't recall)
passenger armrest $80
So, depending on the roofrack price (anyone out there know what dealers typically charge for it?), he's adding probably between $630 and $1000 in options to an invoice of $19,500. Adding in TTL and keeping it under $21,000 would mean he's selling it under invoice, unless I've missed something...
2. Has anyone gotten dealer installed fog lamps? Are they effective and worth the $350? Is buying them at an online parts store and installing them myself a comparable alternative? How difficult is installation?
3. How about the alarm system? Has anyone gotten it? Do they actually do $200 worth of parts and labor or is it another preinstalled item, like keyless remote entry, that dealer simply activates in seconds and makes a big profit?
4. Finally, is it worthwhile to have the dealer install the roof rack? I'm inclined to let the dealer be the one to drill holes in the roof rather than me, but I'd be interested in hearing about other people's opinions or experiences.
Thanks in advance for your commentary. I've been reading this board for a few weeks and find all of you very helpful.
caritis: I am considering adding a roof rack to my CRV-SE. The dealer qouted 450.00 at the time of purchase but I decided not to do it. I called again and they qouted 500.00. I checked a few places online and the OEM is about 200.00. I had a friend (who's a mechanic) installed one on his '98 and is quite happy with it but complains of increased wind noise. Also with the alarm and fog lights, I believe it's best to leave it up to the dealer as to not void the warranty.
That said, I think I'm going to have my roof rack installed by a dealer next month. I'll keep you updated.
OEM Fog lights. About $170. Requires wire harness ($30) and switch ($15). Must cut bumper cover and drill in bumper to install. Aftermarket lights offer much more flexibility for the price.
Passenger Armrest. $42. Requires small cut in seat. 20min install time. DIY
Alarm. $145 for the module $50 for attachment harness. For $200, let them do it.
The second beef is the stereo. It is pretty weak. Some of my older cd's that are not digital cannot be played at a loud volume even when the dial is maxxed out. Also, the sound quality is nothing to cheer about. I definately need an upgrade in speakers and probably an amp.
The alarm system isn't keyless-remote simple; there is stuff that needs to be added under the hood and under the dash.
1. After removing the roof molding, were there holes in place for screwing in the adapter block? If not, then did you need to drill?
2. Are you happy with the installation? Any problems?
3. What was the hardest part?
I am anxiously awaiting your reply. I may consider doing it myself.
Thanks.
As far as the stereo goes, get some good speakers, subwoofer, tweeter kit, an amp, and a new head unit. Be forwarned that a big investment in aftermarket audio may not give you the sound you're looking for. If you want more highs for clarity, get the tweeter kit. It really improves the high end.
the only half-way mechanical thing that you would have to do is to cut the molding so that you can re-install it around the mounts. I used a hack-saw (there is a metal strip in the molding). the ends of the molding where they are cut may look ragged, but they are covered by the mount plate pads (rubber pads). just measure them within a 2-3 inch accuracy and you should have no problems. just make sure when you re-install the molding to gently tap it back on. if you thump it with a hammer it could get a dent/ding very easily. luckily i found this out in a place that ended up being covered by the mount pads.
Now to convince the wife. ;-)
Thanks again.
actually if i did it over again i would not have purchased it over the net. after i had come to an agreement on the price of my crv by phone, i went and ordered the rack over the net. then 2 days later when i picked up the crv i asked the salesman if he would match the hparts.com prices for the front splash guards and touch up paint. he said he couldn't but to ask across the street at their parts / repair site. i handed the guy the net printout with the prices and he said no problem. i could have bought it all right there and had it in my hands right away. i had to wait a week to get it in the mail after ordering from the net.
as far as any problems / complaints about the install processe... not really. except that it was a really hot day when i installed it....
i didn't mean to confuse anyone, i was just marveling at the some of the lines used by car salespeople about how they have to make a profit. i find it interesting to note that on the vehicle i was going to buy, they still cleared a decent profit before it even hit the public invoice price. just something to think about...i figure there are far too many buyers who get back ended by payments, unfair trade in prices or who just don't do their homework to ensure dealers don't go out of business. this i will not lose sleep over.. :-}
btw, the price was already negotiated -but when i went in the sales guy essentially refused to honor the deal. that's why i was not very happy.
Good luck in your purchasing adventures!
Stephen
I visited the Costco-affilliated dealer in New Jersey and got a price that I think I'm going to act on. I posted a few days ago that he quoted me "under $21000" for an EX automatic w/ dealer installed passenger armrest, roofrack, alarm system, and foglamps. When I wrote that I mistakenly thought that TTL was included. It's not. But I still think it's a good price, so I think I'm gonna get it. No other dealer has been able to match it. If that price is due to my being a Costco member, then my Costco membership was the best $35 dollars I ever spent!
CRV-EX's with identical equipment. The first is
brand spanking new and with a beater of a trade
the dealer wants 16,500 cash. The second at another dealer has 547 miles on it and I can drive
home, minus the same beater of a trade, for $15,000. Thoughts?
a leased car, thus titled, that was turned back in
within two weeks as they found out they needed a
bigger vehicle. The other dealer will now add a
sunroof for an out the door price of $16,800.
I appreciate the thoughts.
It sounds fishy that the car was leased and returned. Once a leasee signs a contract, they are bound by it and can't easily break it, without a huge financial penalty. I bet the car was purchased and returned when the owner couldn't get financing. You can go to www.carfax.com and enter the VIN# to find out whether it was really leased or not. Costs $10 though. Anyways, I think the CR-V with 5 miles is the better choice.
Hope this helps.