2013 and earlier-Honda Civic Prices Paid and Buying Experience

allfiredup · September 2005

ghulet- I've found that a lot of dealer websites are not updated as often as they should be. I'd suggest emailing the dealership (almost always a link on the site) and ask about inventory and even get a price quote.

It's a little irritating that you can't search for cars thru the Honda website. You have to link to a dealer and then search that dealer's website. Almost every other make, foreign and domestic, has the capability to search multiple dealers. You'd think the most technologically advanced automaker would cater more to internet customers. On the upside, the Honda "Build Your Own" feature is one of the best.

Good luck!

mikefm58 · September 2005

" Should I assume that gas prices are to blame for low inventories "

Bingo!!! I've been searching for an LX SE for a month or so and every time a storm passed through the gulf and gas prices went up, the price of Civics went up and the supply of Civics went down. Basic supply and demand economics.

legalpenguin · September 2005

I bought my LX SE three weeks ago. I was going to buy from one dealer, but then another dealer gave me an even lower price so I bought it. I paid less than $15,000. I bought it from a dealer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They found one easily for me.

mikefm58 · September 2005

Yep, that's about the time Katrina came through and gas prices exploded here in Florida. Then along comes Rita and gas goes up more, as well as the price of Civics and Corollas. I'm picking mine up tomorrow, an LX SE coupe auto white, and paid $16499 plus TTL, not a good deal I know. Dealers know a good thing when they've got it and exploit it at every chance. And the SE package really is nice.

I thought about going out of state, even went to Denver on business and saw two LX SE's on a dealer's lot and thought about driving one home, but didn't like the colors, and couldn't drive that far. They were both gray. If they were a color that I liked, I probably could have got a great deal.

manueltrans1 · September 2005

Since the Civic 2006 is coming off the production lines in doves. I do not think it is hard for the dealer to put in an exact order if they get a good deposit for the car. Do you think that they would be willing to charge less for the car if you order it? Ordering the car does not take any car off the dealer's lot, and the ordered car is sold whenever it is delivered. It is easier for the dealer, isn't it?

legalpenguin · September 2005

I went online and did my shopping that way. I went through a number of different dealers by asking for a quote. Then I went back and forth with the lowest bidders and I came up with a great deal!

BTW, my Civic LX SE is magnesium metallic. That's what I wanted, but boy did I have a hard time finding one. My last car (a Camry) was white, so I didn't want another white car. I'm sure the white is nice in a Civic though.

jrister24 · September 2005

Has anyone tried to use the carsdirect.com card? They are showing the new civic's target price to be about 500 over invoice.

dwynne · September 2005

It's called Total Cost of Ownership. That's what really matters!

And step #1 is reducing TCO is not paying full price

Since you sell Hondas, your job is to encourage everyone to pay MSRP or over and buy now. Most of the rest of us just prefer to wait until you have to sell us the cars on our terms - not yours. Less profit for you, but frankly that is not my problem - unless you go out of business and I need service - which is why you always let the dealer make some profit on a deal.

Dennis

dwynne · September 2005

carsdirect prices vary by the ZIP code you put in. For the ones I tried there is little discount off of MSRP showing. If a dealer in your area is showing $500 over for an 06 then why not just go through carsdirect and buy the car at that price? I don't know of a reason to haggle with the other dealers who want $1,000+ more for the same car. If you want an 06 now and they will do $500 over invoice, then just buy it. Of course, if you wait you should be able to do better.....

Dennis

jrister24 · September 2005

I contacted a VIP dealer who was recommended by carsdirect.com, however apparently Honda's can't be purchased through carsdirect.com. My zip code is 35806: Huntsville, AL. Tameron Honda in Mobile was the closest "VIP Dealer" I told the dealer what carsdirect.com gave me as a target price and he says he is going to get back to me and let me know if he can do that. crossing my fingers

disappoited · September 2005

18,472 EX auto coupe includes s&h also splash guards. other charges 80. for title and 20 for internet reg. plus Pennsylvania sales tax. also dealer willing to discount fog lights and moonroof visor
MSRP was 19060 plus 550 s&h plus splash guards 89.

karenc4 · September 2005

Just wanted to toss this out here and see if this makes sense...?

In a few weeks I'll be buying an '06 Civic LX sedan. Being an AAA member, I called a participating dealership here in GA and asked what their AAA price is. The sales manager said 5% over invoice.

So let's see if I have this calculated right:

Invoice: $15,825
Plus 5%: 791.25
Total: 16,616.25
7% GA sales tax: 1,163.14
Total with tax: $17,779.39
Plus $550 destination: $18,329.39

My understanding is this dealer charges about $350 in doc fees. (Am I correct in thinking it's not negotiable?)

Let's say the $350 is firm: that brings the total to $18,679.39.

I know to look out for advertising fees and dealer add-ons (I don't want any anyway). I'll also have financing lined up before I go in.

So the big questions:

Have I forgotten any fees/costs/pints of blood, etc.?

This is about $500 under Edmunds' TMV in my area, so I'm guessing it's a decent deal for this car at this time. Is it reasonable to think I can walk into this AAA-participating dealership with these numbers, and only these numbers (in other words, if they try to tack even one more dollar onto the price, am I being reasonable if I say "no")?

Obviously, this will be my first time negotiating for a new car. I know there's a line between "confident" and "unreasonable" -- I just want to make sure to be on the right side before I start shopping.

Thanks.

anonymousposts · October 2005

the dealers are required to charge the same doc fee to every customer no matter what. So the $350 will not be taken off of the Buyer's Order but you can try to get them to take that amount off of the total cost of the car.

If you want to make a deal try Gwinnett Place Honda. They have been the easiest to work with and the most aggressive on price in our experience.

rws0131 · October 2005

Disappoited....where in PA did you buy your EX coupe? I'm looking for the same model and it sounds like you got a good deal. Please let me know...thanks.

mikefm58 · October 2005

I'm not sure about GA, but here in Florida destination charges and doc. fees are subject to sales tax.

disappoited · October 2005

Murray Honda, DuBois Pa

allfiredup · October 2005

I know carsdirect deals with Team Honda in Atlanta (under 2 hours from Huntsville). Perhaps you could try contacting them thru carsdirect and get a price quote. Hope this helps.

allfiredup · October 2005

Hi Karenc4-

You also need to add tag and registration fees to the price. It will be in the $400 ballpark in Georgia based on my experience. The dealer fee is usually something they won't budge on, especially if you're getting a "plan" deal thru AAA.

I have another suggestion if you don't mind doing a little more work. Email several other dealers in the area for quotes and compare them to this one you have. None of them may be better, but at least you'll know you shopped around for the best price.

If you don't mind me asking, what dealer is it that you've gotten a quote from? Over the years I've dealt with many dealers here in the Atlanta area and might be able to let you know any experiences/problems I've had.

Good luck!

anonymousposts · October 2005

Other than the doc fee the dealer can only charge the $18 title fee and a $20 tag fee. Not sure what dealer has charged you $400 for registration in Atlanta but that's extremely high.

jrister24 · October 2005

It must just be since the Civics are so new. When I did a search for an Accord, I got the option to buy direct, however that option is not available for the Civic. The only zip code i have found with that option for the Civic is Miami, FL.

karenc4 · October 2005

Okay. So with the AAA discount:

$15,825 invoice
plus 5% of that, $791.25
plus $550 destination
plus (let's say) $350 doc fees
equals $17,516.25
plus 7% sales tax: $1,226.14
Equals $18,742.39
plus title and tag, roughly $40.

Allfiredup, I'm guessing your $400 ballpark figure is tag, title and the doc fees, not just tag and title, correct?

I don't mind doing more work. I've only just started the work, in fact -- I'm not planning on buying until the end of the month.

The AAA participating dealer I spoke with is Honda Carland in Roswell. I spoke to the sales manager, who seemed okay -- enthusiastic, but not too pushy. (Good first impression, anyway.) Someone on another forum actually said he had good experiences with them, so that's encouraging. But yeah, I do plan on taking that quote to other dealers. The dealer in Buford, up the street from the Mall of Georgia, is the closest -- I'd be thrilled if they came in with the lowest price, but I don't know anything yet about whether they will or not.

Anonymousposts, I'm also not too far from Gwinnett Place Honda. I'm glad to hear (read, actually

) something positive about them. They're definitely one of the dealers I'll be contacting. Right now it looks like I'll be contacting Honda Carland, Gwinnett Place, the one in Buford, and one up in Gainesville.

So I'm okay with not expecting to go any higher than $18,742.39? (Plus the $40 title and tag, which may or may not be taxed.) Obviously, I'll let them mention the price first, before I throw out any numbers.

I really appreciate everyone holding my hand and walking me through this. Thanks so much.

allfiredup · October 2005

Tags are very high in Georgia. My parents paid $420 this year for an '04 Explorer tag. It's based on the valuation of the car. It really stinks! Apparently a lot of states have a flat tag cost of $20-$25. That is not the case in Georgia.

The $400 I calculated was simply the tag cost and registration fee (that fee is about $25, I think).

karenc4 · October 2005

$400 for the tags? Wow.

The way you describe it, though, it sounds like the same way they calculate the ad valorem tax I pay on my car and my motorcycle, which is due every year on -- of course -- my birthday (just so it doesn't get too happy

).

I hope you're not insulted if I ask you this: are you sure that $420 wasn't ad valorem tax? (Not implying that you don't know what you're talking about -- just amazed that the fee's so high.)

mikefm58 · October 2005

Keep the tax, tag & title out of your negotiations. Those are fees charged by the state, not the dealer. Once you agree on a price, have them "run the numbers" so you'll know what your final out the door price is.
.
I just bought a new 05 Civic and live in Orange county Florida where the sales tax on a vehicle is 6% of the purchase price including destination and dealer fees, plus $50. For a tag transfer, they charged a flat fee of $150 and if the actual tag & title is less, which I'm sure it will be, they refund the difference. On a vehicle I bought last year, I got a $90 refund. There's also a few small misc. fees the state charges like lemon law disposal fee and tire & battery fee.
.
Confused yet? Man, that is a pain.

karenc4 · October 2005

I'm going to go by the total of invoice price + doc fees + destination when negotiating, and work up from there (no, I won't start by demanding the car at invoice price -- I'd probably get laughed off the lot.

). Hey, for all I know, I may already have a price -- the AAA discount may be the best I can do.

And to answer your question, I'm not as confused as I was before. At least I'm starting to get a handle on the added costs besides the actual car.

And congrats on your new Civic.

allfiredup · October 2005

It is the ad valorem tax that I'm thinking of. I believe (if you don't already have a car tag to transfer) you have to pay it at the time of purchase. I could be wrong, but I thought I'd done this in the past.

maninthebox · October 2005

legalpenguin - I'm in the Milwaukee area and am looking for either a Civic or Accord right now. Could you let me know what dealer you worked with in this area?

Thanks

mam262 · October 2005

Went to a dealer last night.....

Sticker on the car is $21,110. He quoted me a price of $20,590 with very little negotiating....and I got the feeling he will do better.

I had expeted very little off the car in the in the first few weeks, but it seems like are already coming off the sticker price.

mikefm58 · October 2005

Any dealer fees? Doc fees? Invoice plus a bunch of fees is still close to MSRP or more.

jnuzzi · October 2005

I am currently waiting for my LX AT Coupe to arrive in about 2 weeks. I was quoted a price of $17,160, which is $500 below the sticker price. The sticker price includes a $550 destination fee and is pretty much standard on all of the 06 Civics that I have seen. This price does not include tax, tags and the $498.55 doc fee that ALL dealers here in the Orlando area charge. I have asked every dealer in the area and none of them would drop this fee. I also spoke to another dealer about this vehicle and they said they are charging $2,000 OVER MSRP. They did agree to sell it to me at MSRP though. So I told them I would save $500 and purchase from the other dealer and they said "OK, we will sell the vehicle to someone else".

mikefm58 · October 2005

Sounds like a pretty good deal. Yes, you're right about the destination fee, it is standard on every car, not just Civics. Also correct on the doc. fee, some call it a dealer fee and I couldn't get them to drop it when I bought my 05 Civic 2 weeks ago.

I'm in Orlando too, what dealers have you been to? I've found that most here are pretty straight forward and don't play games. At least the one you dealt with that wanted MSRP was up front and simply said "we can get our price". I found very little difference in price between Orlando Honda dealers and all their service depts. are reputable. Buy from the one that has exactly what you want and makes it a pleasant buying experience.

jnuzzi · October 2005

The dealer that I will be purchasing my vehicle from is Classic Honda. The internet sales guys over there are great. The other dealer that wanted MSRP is Coggin Honda of Orlando. The internet sales guys at Coggin are good also, but they could not come down on the price even after I showed them the offer from Classic.

mcap56 · October 2005

I think prices will be dropping much faster than everyone predicted. I am in the NYC area and I have only seen one outside of a dealership. Considering how many people were waiting for this car, I don't see many posts here of people who have actually purchased one. This car is really at the line in terms of affordability and right now, they have it priced too high. Don't believe the dealers about someone waiting to take the car if you don't. They are trying to get as much money as possible out of you. When they tell that to me, I say "fine......enjoy the sale." Patience will put an end to this nonsense. I have already had quotes for 500 off MSRP with a very minimal documentation fee. I hope that those who can hold out do.

mcap

jnuzzi · October 2005

I agree with you. The prices will be coming down. And if you want to wait a year when the 2007 Civics come out I am sure you can get a great deal on an 06. That being said, it all comes down to when you want or need to purchase a car and how much you are willing to pay for it. I, unfortunately, need a car now. Fortunately for me I am able to get the Civic at $500 less than sticker instead of $2,000 over sticker (which I have heard rumors of).

sb55 · October 2005

This Documentation fee seems to be a Southern thing. I live in NY and found a car (used, not Honda) on Ebay. When I got the breakdown after agreeing on a price, and saw this +/- $500.00 add on I was amazed. They claim all dealers do it, but they don't in New York. I said it was a deal breaker and they ended up backing this amount off of the price of the car, so they still got their fee.

anonymousposts · October 2005

The ad valorem tax is due on your birthday and is paid to the county, not your dealer. Also, keep in mind that if you buy a car within 59 days of your birthday you will not pay ad valorem until your birthday the following year. So if you are close to the 59 day mark wait a few more days or you will have to pay ad valorem on your birthday.

disappoited · October 2005

How did you make out

legalpenguin · October 2005

In Wisconsin, the dealers call it a "service fee." All of the dealers I dealt with i the state only charge between $49 and $125 for this fee. When I questioned one of the dealerships (which happened to be one of the biggest ones nationwide), the Internet manager said, "It's for paperwork and office supplies." I can't imagine paying almost $500 for a service fee. I would bring my own paper and office supplies!

robrwa123 · October 2005

Look at www.collegehillshonda.com - w/a lot of other useful information.

There are only 2 options: $21, 850 1.3L AT, or $23, 350 1.3L AT w/NAV

About what we expected, I guess. Not much more than the EX, but you can get an EX AT w/NAV for less than a HCH without. Hmmmmmm....

goose · October 2005

A Honda dealer in Tucson, Az quoted $19200.00 ($400.00 under MSRP) for EX Coupe auto. This means the navigation system adds a rough $1500.00 to the price. I don't thinks its a worthy investment at this time.

allfiredup · October 2005

Good information to know. Thanks for the clarification! I stand corrected.

psy · October 2005

These dealers are ripping you folks off something awful... Just paisting you.

My dealer gets $17.658 for a 5mt ex coupe and $18.388 for a 5at ex. This includes dest. with a $49.99 doc fee. Sedans priced the same way. Cant wait untill Si gets here.

mcap56 · October 2005

Which dealer is this? Thanks!

Mcap

tawneycat · October 2005

I went and bought a 2006 Honda Civic EX Sedan in white. Price as $18,350 plus $99 doc fee (high). This was bought in Tulsa OK with beating Mark Roberts Honda online price of $13,388 (which is good). Tulsa dealer was reluctant to beat the price until I said OK, I will drive 50 miles and get the deal on a silver or atomic blue in stock. They quickly matched the price and were extremely professional and courteous. It may have helped that they sold a White navi just moments before and maybe looked at average profit for the morning. With this I sold my 2005 TL Friday for $29,150 (paid $30,900). Oddly I do not miss the TL.

mldj98 · October 2005

tawneycat,

If you don't mind me asking...why did you sell the 05 TL?

thanks a bunch!

psy · October 2005

Mark Roberts north of Tulsa. I wont mess with the Tulsa stealer ships. They will most gen. match Mark Roberts. But Mark Roberts knocked off another $300 off the posted net price for me on our Accord. And Ive been asurred that much or more will come off when I get my Civic. Plus the doc fee is cheaper than the Tulsa stealer ships.

Ive seen the Tulsa stealer ships try and get MSRP out of folks on cars or better if they think they can.

psy · October 2005

They know Mark Roberts is there. I dont know why they play games. Ive heard they will match.

Which dealer did you purchase from? Don Carlton or Joe Marina?

I was at Carlton as they where trying to bust a poor gal on a new 06 Civic sedan for MSRP here two weeks or so ago. Told her to go north to B'ville. I heard she did and got the car she wanted at a fair upfront price.

sr45 · October 2005

Glade some of you got some deals on the new Civic, but again here in Florida, even going with Costco auto service, the honda dealership refused to go less than MSRP. Stating they are selling them all at or above MSRP.

sr45 · October 2005

Thank you arinmiami.....Let us know what you get. I wanted the EX with the NAV system, but am not willing to part company with my money paying MSRP and would like to pay no more than $500 above invoice if that is ever possible for the near term. I live in Clearwater, and have three Honda dealerships nearby, but two of them are not dealing. One tried to deal giving me $500 under MSRP, but changed his mind very soon after. Guess the boss told him to hold off on that first quote, and get MSRP. Some are now dealing across the country, but not in my neck of the woods yet. I can hold off for a good while, since I still have a 05 Rav 4 with fair gas mileage.

mugs · October 2005

Bought a new LX AT for 17,000 in Iowa, with the package, mud flaps paint seal etc. Also if you want a deal on ext warrenty look on the internet and tell the dealership to math. Go to google and imput Honda Care and you can check prices if your interested in the Ex warranty. Just traded a 91 Civic wagon with 331,000 miles, normal were and tear.

2013 and earlier-Honda Civic Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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