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Comments
(1) Chicago appears to have slightly higher prevailing prices than some other metro areas, at least according to what has been posted here over the last 2 months. But the dealers have less gimmicks and no games with fees -- everybody had the same $55 doc fee and nothing else. I paid $400 over invoice (including doc fee) and had a very pleasant experience. I may have been able to get a better price by expanding the geographic footprint of my price search, but for various reasons it made sense to go with a "decent" price close to home with a low time investment.
(2) Don't believe dealers who say "the Odysseys are going fast, these are the last of the 2005 and people are snapping them up" (which several did). Of the 6 dealers who gave me a quote, 3 had the exact trim level and color I wanted, 2 more said they were expecting delivery of one in less than a week, and one of those had my second-choice color on the lot.
(3) Windy City Honda was the winning dealer and was very up-front, professional, and friendly. I would recommend them to anyone.
(4) Watch out for Grand Honda -- see my specific experience below.
Process: I solicited internet quotes from the 6 dealers in the city and near west/southwest suburbs, plus Napleton further out (because it is one of the two Chicago area dealers that Edmunds' quote system listed). That's Carr's, Continental, Fletcher Jones, Grand, Jacobs Twin, Napleton, and Windy City. The quotes came in between $28533 and $29210 -- so $600 to almost $1300 over list. The high quote (Napleton) excluded the destination fee from their initial quote; everyone else included it. I called back every dealer, explained that I would write a check that weekend if I got a price I liked or take more time to expand my search to more dealers if I didn't, and told them the range of prices that had been cited on Edmonds for the last 2 months ($27200 --$750 below list -- to $28450, with 1 higher outlier). One dealer went to $28300 + $55 doc fee, and 2 more dealers sounded like they would match. One of them proactively called to check where I stood before the last one returned my call, and that one committed, so they got the sale. The remaining dealers said they would not match $28300+doc, and I doubt I could have done anything to get below where I ended up without spending another week or 2 getting quotes.
Windy City was both the winning dealer and the most pleasant to deal with from the first call, although some of the other dealers were good on the phone as well. The internet salesperson is also one of the sales managers -- young but experienced, trustworthy and personable but professional. We probably talked for only 15 minutes spread over 3 calls to get from initial quote to an agreement and a faxed invoice, and everything else went smoothly as well.
On Grand Honda: Clearly from what they themselves told me and another dealer told me, they have a reputation for problems. I don't know what the broader truth is; I will just share what I personally experienced. The Grand salesperson proactively warned me that other dealers would bad-mouth Grand and said "if I say I have the vehicle, I have the vehicle -- they are just upset at our prices because we deal in volume." He predicted correctly: another dealer told me they would match my good price "as long as it isn't from Grand Honda," and told me that they have had many complaints of "not having the car they said they did, and of selling scratched and repainted vehicles." The initial Grand salesperson who emailed me (call him "A") told me he didn't have my trim & color but had one coming in a few days. Then later that day a second salesperson ("B") left me a message to call him about my request. He made no reference to A or the quote I had received, asked what color and trim I wanted, and said "we have one." I verified that he meant on the lot as we spoke, then said that was curious because I had been told something different by A; he said he would check and call me back. I called the dealership back myself, asked for A, and described my conversation with B; A said "B works for me, I told him to call you. He probably has a vehicle that was a program car or demo model, which may have been scratched and repainted but is as-new and has the warranty. I am really busy answering other quotes -- you should talk to B if you are interested." I called B back and discussed the "on the lot" vehicle -- it was indeed a scratched and repainted one, and when I asked for the price, only then did he say that it wasn't even the trim level I wanted (it had DVD & nav).
30400 OTD, EXL+Tint+Protection Pkg. (Dealer agreed to trade me one for my
color, but did not seems to be able to .... or something else. I am waiting for
his another car arrival at 8/17, anyhow, still not my favorate color, i guess I
have to live with it.)
Another deal is 28600+TTL. Dealer put in a doc fee after deal agreed. However,
$30625 OTD is not bad. Protection Pkg+PinStripe+VinEtch+CrossBar. Insisted on
taking deals on the lot (non of the colors I like).
The vehicle is in shorter supply even after I made the deals, I checked the websites.
Inventories all selling really fast. I was calling the dealers to see if the colors I
want is available, all sold the inventory car shown in website in 2-3 days -- well
maybe my color is moving really fast: sage brush, slate green, silver....
Dealer Markup = 750
Taxes @ 8.1%
License/Title: ~100
Doc Fee: ~35.00
OTD was 31,000
I am now looking for slate green... In any case, there is no dealer looking to make a deal on this minivan. I am going to buy to 2006 and pay the price - of course I'll shop it around as I shopped the 2005 around (paying cash also).
Thanks to looking at the postings here I see that we are all having similar experiences across the country.
Good luck fellow Austinite!
We have had a Honda in our family for over 18 years. I am also an FAA (aircraft)and ASE (auto) certified mechanic.
How must it feel to have purchase my Honda Odessey 2002 new and to endure the turmiol of mechanical failures unheard of in Honda history.
Transmission # 1 failed at 39k miles. Honda fixed no charge.
Transmission # 2 failed at Safely Recall at 85 k miles. Hoda fixed no charge.
Transmission # 3 failed at 125k miles. Now Honda has the nerve to make me pay $800 to get it changed but will pay for the part.
They think it is fair, I say you have a defective product (Safety Recalled) and cannot fix it so now dup the customer..
For more info mazedave@hotmail.com
I can see about complaining about the transmission failures... but complaining about Honda not picking up the entire bill on a transmission almost 90,000 miles over the original warranty period is a bit unrealistic.
Overall I was very happy with the all the people in the transaction. Very knowledgeable, nice salesman that I would do business again and highly recommend the dealership. The car was in great shape
The van was exactly as it was supposed to be - brand new from the delivery truck with 5 miles on it. It was a tough call between the Sienna and the Odyssey but the price on the LX Odyssey with all the extra safety (more airbags, traction control, vsa) without all the extra $ for the packages of the Sienna was the big swing vote. I have an 2000 accord and love the reliability since I've never had a problem yet so I have very high expectations on the van.
Thanks for everyone's help on this forum.
Austin Honda dealers are the worst, they dont't budge. I am surprised how people buy from Howdy Honda? Let me know how your purchase plans go.
thanks everyone on this forum for helping buy an Odyssey
Cesar
Every other business I know of includes ALL overhead in their product pricing. Why car dealers are allowed to include holdback (or document fees for that matter) as a non-negotiable line item is beyond me.
Both are designed to confuse the customer and disguise profit. Period.
Thanks
JW
$25,036 + destination, tax, tag, etc...
Bought on the last day of the month. No trade in.
Palm Harbor, FL
stand behind their reputation. Mine is waiting till 8/17
DETROIT (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co. Ltd. is recalling 85,154 Odyssey minivans in the United States to fix potential problems with their frontal air bag systems, federal safety regulators said on Wednesday.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the problem, affecting minivans from the 2005 model year, stemmed from two external impact sensors that may have been insufficiently sealed during the manufacturing process.
If water enters the sensor corrosion can occur, possibly causing a short circuit, NHTSA said.
It added that front impact sensor failure could cause a delay in or loss of frontal air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
The Honda recall is expected to begin on Aug, 29, NHTSA said.
Last month, the top of the line was 38k.
It must be down to 36-37k this month. It is buyer's market now. You have the bargain power.
Go ahead and test drive. It has tons of gadge you won't find in Ody touring.
When you drive Ody touring, you drive a minivan.
When you drive MDX, you drive a LUXURY SUV.
The DVD and Nav are the same between Ody and MDX, but MDX has a lot more.
The bottom line, if you prefer SUV over MiniVan, MDX is your first candidate.
I once thought about MDX, but I have to admit that I am a minivan guy.
Good Luck.
After I read your post and did a little bit more research, I found this:
http://www.autobytel.com/content/own/service/index.cfm/action/RecallsView/seriesid/38684
I have a big question. Is Ody the right minivan for me ??
The second recall is what make me to reconsider.
Sienna on the other hand has only 1 minor recall on their 2005 model.
We love ours so far.
The Toyota, Hyundai and Chrysler minivans are looking very good in terms of quality control and defects per vehicle.
Recall notices are being sent to 86,000 owners. I believe there will be a couple more recalls in the near future. NHTSA is still investigating. Buyer beware.
And, most recalls aren't as sinister as they sound. They are to prevent the possibility of somthing happening.
Why do you believe there will be "a couple more recalls" in the near future?
Just guessing or wishful thinking on your part?
My 2001 Sienna now has 78,000 miles on it, has been on several road trips, and the only thing I've changed is the oil and the tires. It still runs great, smooth and quiet like the day I purchased it.
Im looking to have the same positive experience with my ODY which is really great to drive and very comfortable. I appreciate everyone posting their problems, because "now we know and knowing is half the battle".
We're considering the Odyssey Touring - but if I am going to have a van, it will be the *anti-minivan* - black exterior, black leather interior!
Just guessing or wishful thinking on your part?
Honda has acknowledged that the 2005 Odyssey launch was "bothced". Just look at the JD Powers New Vehicle Initial Quality rankings.
A couple of the problems posted are serious and have the potential of a recall. Whether this happens or not depends on NHTSA.
It is my wish that some day all cars be defect free and we have no recalls!
No chance of that, if NASA can't make the launch of the Shuttle defect free, it'll never happen for cars!
There will never be a day when all cars are "defect free". As far as recalls go, there was a time not too long ago when there was no such thing as a recall.
We just fixed the problems as they happened or we lived with them.
Recalls is a good thing. Hiding defects is bad.
kirstie_h
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Here is my brief experience in Dallas/Ft Worth...
After sending out my emails, the only dealers around who were willing to deal were Vandergriff and John Eagle. David McDavid of Frisco was offering invoice+$500 on anything in stock, but they did not have the color I was looking for. David McDavid of Irving was only willing to offer 1500 under MSRP. John Eagle came in at $100 over invoice but again only had the van in Sage at the time. So my only option at the time was Vandergriff who said they would not lose me over price.
After emailing with Vandergriff, I finally went in and began to negotiate. I was looking forward to talking this out with them and hopefully getting this deal done that day; however, my very first impression came when sales rep #1 came and met me and within 5 minutes informed me that the model they had in stock (my wife called only a few hours earlier), was in fact not. Then we sit down and I re-inform them what I am looking for in terms of a vehicle. After letting sales rep #1 write it all down he tells me that he will see what he can do.
The first offer he came back with was MSRP for the vehicle and $2000 lower than wholesale on the trade-in along with the following "we include this on every deal" extended warranty, some $300 door ding package, and $200 tint for the front windows. I laughed to myself when sales rep #1 circled the OTD price for a EX-L RES (they did not have in stock) for $41,000. I then asked to borrow his pen and scratched out whatI told him I would not be buying and wrote what I though is a fair deal ($300 over invoice and 8500 for trade-in and no options). Sales rep #1 then leaves for what seemed like an eternity and then comes back with sales rep #2. #2 sits down and then begins to tell me that the first outrageous offer was just something that they had to offer because they know that they will have to come down. So far I am trying to be as friendly and honest as possible and was able to have #2 agree with me that my numbers were fair (I am trying to make this short). He then reaffirms that there is no Silver EX-L RES in stock, but they do have one with RES and NAV that they would be willing to sell me at the price of $300 over invoice and 8500 for trade in. Sales Rep #2 then says he will need to take it to the "man".
After again waiting forever, sales rep #3 comes into the office (this was the original salesman I had been emailing with) and begins to start all over again with the whole MSRP talk. I asked him if he had the chance to talk with the other two guys I had already talked with. He said no so I quickly caught him up to speed. We then talked about the model with the NAV and, althought It was a bit more, I spoke with my wife and we agreed that it may be a good buy for the price, so I agree to take a look at this other "new" van. #3 pulls the van up and I look inside. Looks pretty good I say until I notice how many miles are on the odometer....3000 miles. I immediately point this out to #3 and tell him that this is basically a "used" vehicle. He tells me that it is a "new" car because it has not been titled. I just laughed. He then asked me what we were to do. I told him that I would need some sort of compensation for buying a vehicle that is "used" like an extended warranty, etc. We go back into the office and he tells me that he will have to talk to the "man".
This is where Vandergriff shows it true colors. As I am walking around the showroom floor waiting for #3 to come back, I am grabbed by sales rep #4 (I will call him Alex...well, because that was his name). Alex,sales manager, has me come into the office and we sit at #3's desk. Alex begins to go into his routine he has probably done for many years. I, being a young spikey blond haired guy, was supposed to realize that I had no idea what I was talking about and that he was bringing the real wisdom to the table. He began to explain why they low balled me on my trade and that he used to work at a Chevy dealer so he really knows what the actual trade-in value should be. That did not work because I had received a few other quotes from some other dealers, so I knew what the number should be close to.
Continuing to speak with his smug attitude and his constant need to interrupt me, he looks at me and asks "You really don't like doing this, do you?" .............. As shocked as I was, I looked back at him and politely said "No, actually I just don't like being interrupted." At that point, he tried to make the discussion all about the payment by saying that it was pointless to talk about the "hard numbers" (this was after I told him I was buying with a check from a Credit Union so I would worry about what my payment would be). To try and wrap this up, he then asked me what I wanted, I told him and he went back into the "office". After passing the 3 hour mark of being patient and trying to work with sales reps #1-4. Alex comes back out and tells me that the offers I had agreed with with #1-3 was out the door and they would only offer the van to me at $1000 over invoice. I said thanks but no thanks and walked out after being "shown the door" with the price they offered. I was never mean, offensive, rude, or impatient. My goal was to have it be a fair deal. Apparently Vandergriff had other things in mind. Basically what I learned is that I will never go into a dealer again without a firm price already agreed upon.
Over the next day or so I recontacted John Eagle Honda in Dallas. It was the absolute easiest transaction of my life. The sales rep I talked to had the exact model coming in from a dealer trade. I went in to the dealer and negotiated the trade last Fri. On Tuesday evening, He brought the van to me and then came Thurs morning and picked up the check from the credit union for the rest of the financing. We got the van for invoice +$100 and the only extras we paid for was tinted windows as well as the protection package. In the end we were at 29960 + TTL w/o the decent value I received for my trade. I would highly recommend the sales rep I used just based on the customer service (PM me for additional info).
Now I get to enjoy my new Odyssey...well my wife's new Odyssey. :shades:
-sccrzeus
I have an offer for a Black 05 Ex with Leather for $29,500. I think this is not a good offer and it should be $28900. But since my van is coming in later next week, not sure if I can use the recall and the proximity to the 06 models as a bargaining tool. Anybody care to share numbers for EX with Leather prices?
I'm sure the dealers won't be selling the '06's so close to invoice as they are the '05's, but how much more money are we talking about? Thoughts?
This is my story .....
Went to CRYSTAL LAKE Honda northwest suburb of Chicago IL.
They did NOT have any NEW ody in stock.
The only ody they had were 2 touring which had been used by the owner (model cars). Both had over 6000 miles.
Both had been equipped with a list of dealer's option that I don't want.
They want to sell it at MSRP, and call it a new car.
I laughted my azz off, but tried to be polite to the sales lady. I didn't even want to tell her the price I would pay for that crap. Basically, I wouldn't take that crap at any price.
+6000 miles and want to call it a new car at MSRP ???
Sometime... I think that crappy dealership has no brain.....
Decided to look only for EX or great deal on EXL-RES. Called yesterday to start negotiation again - saleman was pretty busy but he finally got back to me to say they had 1 EX remaining. The one they obviously wanted to sell was white. Wife wanted silver or slate green.
White wasn't appealing to us. But we saw a silver EXL-RES on the lot at that time.
Anyway, I used the Honda.com site to send out requests for quotes from some other dealers. Only one of the 2 responded (Mike Pruitt). The gave me everything via email - and offered all 3 - EX, EXL, EXL RES for 300 over invoice. They only had the slate green though in the EXL RES.
I called Roush back and told them I wanted the silver EXL-RES - they asked about price and I said $300 over invoice. I think he was surprised at first and asked me why i thought that was fair - i said, b/c i have an exact offer for that amount for the slate green. He called back 5 minutes later to confirm our deal.
So, I got the EXL-RES for 29686 +TTL. I think this is a pretty good price.
I'm in the midst of purchasing a 2005 EX-L RES&NAV in Redrock Pearl from Keenan Honda. I feel like I brokered a very fair deal for both me and the dealer. Problem is, the deal was agreed upon in early July. They say they have my car coming in around Aug 20th. My car included the following options: crossbars, fog lights, storage arm rest, wheel locks, splash guards, and cargo tray. Total price before trade, taxes and tags is $33,777, invoice shows as $30,849. Agreed upon profit to the dealer was 5% of invoice. Where I think I did well was in the value of the options, however, I'm not so sure about the $32,906 before what they're valuing as $871 in options ("greatly reduced from their real price", they say).
On top of all this we've slipped into August and are facing '06s coming soon. Any thoughts on the deal at hand?
1. Can you wait couple of months?
2. You can get an 05 model now close to invoice (in some markets), but 06 models will sell closer to MSRP (that is, about $3K more). It appears that there will not be any significant changes to the 06 models, so why pay more? Well, I was told by the folk who I am working with now (to get my 05) that 06s will go probably $500-$800 bellow sticker (who knows).
3. 05 models have some 'defects', which is not unusual for a 'first year' model, which, most likely 06 models will not have.
So, if you have not made a deal yet, and have the extra money (some of it is worth spending) to spend, and can wait few more months, maybe you can get an 06 model. Oh, by the way, you may get different color options (who knows).
Friends of mine from milwaukee told me that touring w/ dvd & nav in milwaukee is at invoice price. At least 2 honda dealers quoted. one of them has the color that I want. I will go to milwaukee this weekend to visit my friends and hopefully I will drive a new van on my way back.
if the stock turns out to be lemon over there, then 06 model is definitely my next option.
There are 3 deals to do when buying. 1. Get best internet quote for new vehicle 2. Get best deal for current vehicle, and finally 3. Get best financing rate available.
I emailed several dealers for their best OTD price and from the 12 replies I narrowed down to three that were real players. As I played the best price on the table back to the others, many of them said they could not come close. I also wanted the Ocean Mist color which was in short supply. The best price I had on the table was $32,916 OTD from Dealership in Hickory but they did not have the color. Crown Honda of Greensboro said they would beat my best deal by $100, but they would have to search and do dealer trade but assured me they could get Ocean Mist. I agreed and gave him $500 refundable deposit.
In the meantime, I had asked several dealers about my current 2001 Ody Ex and what I could expect for trade-in. Most said they would have to inspect but thought around $10,000-$11,000. So I cleaned up van REAL good, took photos and listed on Cars.com late friday night for $12,950. Got a call next morning, they came out and looked at and offered $12,500 which I took ($2,100 better than CarMax) Dealership prices for same car was $14,900-$15,000, so I priced it to sell! It was a win-win vs. a trade-in. Now we were without a van and I called Greensboro to see status. It was 2 days later. I had continued to view dealer inventories thoughout NC, SC and VA and would email the dealerships to Greensboro when I found the Ocean Mist. Greensboro said no one was willing to dealer-trade and that inventory was low. The internet manager was very good to work with and understood I needed a van right away. The $500 was held with my credit card number and never ran through.
My idea was to search smaller towns vs. larger cities where the demand for the EXL R&N may not be as great and it worked. I found the Ocean Mist at Honda of Goldsboro which was 210 miles from Charlotte. I called and talked to the internet manager and told him the best price I had was $32,816. He called back and said he could do $33,193 OTD because the Ocean Mist Ody had Pin Stripes, Mudguards, Wheelocks and Cargo Tray added on. I countered with $32,950 and he said he would have to call me back. He called back with $33,125. I told him that $9.99 always sounds better than $10.00 and that if he kept it under $33,000 OTD, I'd make the 3 1/2 drive to pick up next day. Ball was now in his court and he said $32,995 OTD and I said DEAL!!
Funny thing was, the Hendrick dealer in Charlotte had the exact trim level in Ocean Mist but would not come close to the price I had. They said they were selling at $1,000-1,500 over invoice and would no doubt sell it within the next couple days. I saved $660-1,160 by driving to Goldsboro!
I had also been searching on-line for best financing. 5.35% was best I found for 60 months with CapitalOne through LendingTree.com. I then searched credit unions and found 4.5% for New and Used auto loans. I joined the credit union with a minimum balance of $5 and applied for a loan on-line and had my approval well before I found the van at Goldsboro. I called Goldsboro and asked if they could beat the rate and they said NO WAY.
SO, I had my financing in place (I also refinanced my other 2004 vehicle at the 4.5%), sold my current 2001 Ody for better than trade-in, and found the Ocean Mist Ody EXL R&N for $32,995 OTD. I figured it to be around $340 above invoice.
My wife and I drove the next afternoon the 4 1/2 hour drive (Friday traffic!). When we drove up the van was sitting at the door ready for inspection. It was awesome. We went in, signed the papers, had the checks already made out to total $32,995 so no surprises and then did the overview of the van and we were done. No haggling, no negotiating, no hassles. We decided to celebrate by staying the night and having a nice dinner without the 4 kids (Home with grandparents).
It pays to do the research on not only the new vehicle, but also your current vehicle and the financing. You'll never know if the rate the dealer gives you is good unless you do the homework first to see what is out there. I have ordered the crossbars, moonroof visor, 3rd row sunshade and fenderwell trim from hondapartsdeals.com at below dealer pricing and will install myself. Can't wait to add the accessories.
kirstie_h
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Following are ALG projections.
Honda Monthly price paid