That price included destination, and only tax and registration need to be added. Yeah, they hosed me on the trade-in, but then, isn't that always the way?
That is like my neighbor. He traded for a new car several years ago and said "I can't believe what they gave me for my old car". Then I looked at his TOTAL deal and saw he paid too much for the new car - way too much.
If you got took on the trade, you got took on the deal! They just wowed you with the price for the new car and made all their money off your trade. Just like they wowed my neighbor and then made it all back on the new car.
If you look up the Edmunds and KBB trade in value on your car and compare VS what you were allowed - then add this difference to the price you posted for the car that is your REAL number. If someone else walks in and offers what you post and does not have a trade they will laugh them off the lot.
I too am worried about why that new 04 is still on the lot. It IS the most expensive, loaded up coupe you can get - so I assume demand is not that much for such a high-dollar Accord. Unless they really deal on the car (as they appear to now) most folks would pay a little more to get an 05. The Carfax shows it has never been registered and it has near 0 miles on it (which is a lot better than most of the cars on the dealer lots) so it should be OK. The sales folks may have been acting strange because management offered and extra "spiff" to the one who could more the 04 off the lot - so they all starting pushing and steering.
I was freaking out a little after reading all the messages.... I just can't imagine what can possibly be wrong with that deal.... and I hope I am getting a good deal and everything... Of course i didn't have "talk" with finance guy yet.
When you whip out the check for your own financing that should shut him down in a hurry
I could not see how that number could be right, and it was not. Of course, there COULD ALWAYS be more money we don't know about......
But when he said he got hosed on the trade then I figured that is what they did. Even if it was only $500 then that extra $500 goes onto the number for the new car and makes it at least plausible.
I really can't see any reason not to take the car - no miles, never registered/titled, you have your own cheap financing, deal is cheap enough. Unless you somehow let them talk you into something in the finance office you should be OK.
BTW, you can get the HondaCare extended warranty online for a lot cheaper than they will offer it to you. And you have until 2 years from new to avoid a small price "hump" in getting it and have until the 3 yr warranty expires to get it at all. So no rush on getting it - unless you just need to finance it.
Hello I'm a newbie and In my search for a 2005 Accord EX V6 Sedan, I've come across an even lower quote than I previously received.
Open Road Honda in New Jersey gave a quote of $22,654 not including dest. and TTL. For anyone who is familar with doing business with them is this realistic or impossible? Other dealers have told me the quote is too good to be true..which means it's highly unlikely. Is this true?
I'm relatively new as well but reading past postings I'm starting to get a better feel about the pricing dynamics for a new car. So, let's see if I get this right: The invoice price (before dest. charges) for the 05' Accord EX V6 sedan w/out NAV is $24,158. If we take out the 3% of Base MSRP holdback (3% of $26,850 or $805) and the maximum dealer incentive of $750, I get a "zero profit to the dealer" price of $22,602. So, apparently the $22,654 price quoted by the dealer would mean a profit of roughly $50 to the dealer. I always wondered how these guys could stay in business!
This seems like an excellent deal if there are no other hidden costs. But then again, I could be doing my math wrong. Would this include a trade in? Maybe that's how they plan to make their money.
I don't want to say I got "hosed" on the trade-in. I knew how much I could get for the car going into it, and it wasn't much more than they offered. Frankly, I was ready to just enter it in a demolition derby. There wasn't a lot of wiggle room on the trade-in, but even with the lower appraisal, it was still an overall good deal.
But you're right -- someone without a trade-in or someone with a trade-in that appraises higher (because it's newer or whatever) might not get the same deal. They know how low they can go, and they'll play around with the numbers to make the deal seem sweeter than it really is. I probably could have done a bit better in terms of base price and trade-in, but then, we always seem to find the better deal after we've signed the contract.
I want to thank you everyone for your response. I am learning a lot from you all and took it to the test today and I feel :sick: :mad:
In my previous post I mentioned that I put deposit for the Accord VP for $1 over invoice last weekend. The car was in transit from the manufacturer when I put the deposit to hold it and it was ready for pick up late yesterday afternoon. I was testing the market submitted a quote at Intellichoice and had gotten a call from another dealership w/ the same exact deal. I did not feel that I got a good deal knowing that. I called another dealership 50 miles away and their price was $300 over the invoice on the LX. I told him that X and Y are $1 over invoice. He said what can we do to get you to buy it from us. I said $500 below invoice and mentioned the incentives. He said I could do $100 off. I said X is closer to my house and they offer an extended warranty on the power train @ no cost. He said let me talk to my manager. He got it down to $400 less invoice. I then called X where I had the car on hold back and told him that someone else made me a better offer and he blew a gasket. He accused me of being unfair and wasted his time. He said if I was not committed to buy, I should have made him go through all the trouble. If I was committed to buy, I should not have shopped around. If they had the car the day I went in, I would have driven it home if I liked it after driving it. I would have driven it home on the day it was supposed to be here (delayed) if I drove it and liked it. I even put in a check for $10,000. If I was not interested, I would not have done that but if someone else was willing to offer it for $500 less, would you not take it? If he had to make a trade w/ another dealer or special order one for me, yes it would have been wrong. I applied for the loan and he put the car on hold for me. He accused me of holding the car when someone else could have purchased it. The car did not get in noon yesterday and he told me it was not ready for pickup until 6p.m. I called him around noon today and told him the deal was off unless they could match. Okay, was I wrong??? Prior to selling me the car, he told me that they are on salary and that their prices do not include processing fee and etc. When Y sent me the quote, his was a $350 processing fee but was included in the invoice($19034 for the LX). X was offering it for $19034 and he said it has no processing fee so I knew he was full of it. The VP was not here so I could not see the invoice but the same concept would be applied. He told me to go ahead and go with the other dealership.
Here's my situation right now.... X dealership has my $10,000 deposit. I talked to someone else there and he told me that he could mail it back and I asked if I was under obligation for anything and he said no and he will mail the check back to me. Before the fiasco, I asked the jerk what I signed and he said a loan app and an agreement to buy the car. Since the car was not in the lot, am I under the obligation to buy when I have not even driven the car yet? I just want to make sure there's no obligation on my part before I go and shell out another $10,000. I would not mind paying for the loan appl fee. Any thoughts? Will this fiasco hurt my credit? I was approved by Honda and will be applying again w/ an Honda dealer. Is this okay or a no no? :sick:
I wouldn't say you did "wrong" - but I think you should have done your price shopping before signing to buy and paying a deposit. I guess it is kind of "poor form" to agree to a deal, sign the paperwork, then try to hit them for a better deal.
And I would never put down such a huge deposit either. Why so much? Most deposits are considered refundable (and I think it is illegal for them to be otherwise) but $500 is more the norm.
You did tie up the car and take it off the market. Say (for the sake of the argument) that they had some other folks call or come in looking for the same car and they had to tell them they had sold the one they had coming in - so they may have gone elsewhere.
If the dealer had signed the paperwork and agreed to a price, then when you came to pick it up would not let you have it unless you paid $500 more you would be mad. So I don't blame the dealer for being mad when you did it to them.
If you want the better deal, I would go and get your deposit back in person then go get your new deal - and hope they don't jack some extra stuff onto the deal to raise the price. I don't think Honda finance or your credit should matter - the Honda Finance folks will have your approval on file so getting re-approved should be quick and easy.
Price shop first, then sign and don't look back. Heck, the incentive is higher this month than last, but "too bad" for me I didn't call the dealer up looking for money back on my deal
The way I see it you tied up the Dealers time and effort in this matter. Price shopping should be done before using dealers time. You should get your 10K back but why wait for the check? just go there and pick it up. Now I wonder if that dealer will accomodate you in respect to any warranty issues that may arise?
I personally do not believe that you are wrong. Over time, the car dealers and manufacturers have set up this crazy way of buying a new car. Why can’t the market price cars like other commodities? The selling price should be advertised or displayed, and if the price changes within 30 days, the difference is refunded. (I am aware of Saturn’s pricing, so there is no need to respond to this comment.)
A few months ago I purchased an LX V6 after shopping around and getting internet quotes. The best price I was getting was 100 below invoice from dealer A. However, in the early evening on the last day of the month, dealer B called and quoted a price of 400 under invoice. Originally, dealer B could not even come close to dealer A’s price of 100 under invoice. I had commitments that evening that I could not break, so I told dealer B that I would put a deposit on the car by phone and swing by after work to sign papers. But I was told that I had to go through the delivery process and then actually drive the car off the lot to get this deal. Needless to say I was PO’ed by this, but I new the salesman and I’m sure that this was what he was being told by the sales manager. He then said to call the next day to see what the price would be. The best he could do the next day, after some more haggling, was 200 under invoice. At this point I was frustrated and tired of looking and dealing, this was my best deal so far, I knew the salesman, so I bought the car.
Dealer A called back two days later and was mad because I did not call him back for another quote. I explained that when we last spoke that I wanted his best, absolute lowest price. He then said that I wasted money at dealer B because he could have gone lower, but he would not say by how much.
Bottom line, I’m irritated with my dealer for selling me a car for more than his best quote (my fault). Dealer A could have been more pleasant and just said something like “Thank you for considering us and enjoy your new Honda.” But this will not happen with most car dealers. So when it comes to dealing with car dealers, there are no rules of etiquette, especially when consumers usually do not know what incentives are being offered to dealers by the manufacturers. “Just walking out” of every deal offered takes time and money, and most people do not enjoy this game.
This is a quote from my dealer’s web site – “Customers are not just someone to argue or match wits with.” But it’s done all the time. Dealers usually have the upper hand in negotiations because they have more time and have more information at their disposal.
I am not sure this makes you feel better, but just keep in mind that it’s your money and you also want to be driving a car you do not regret buying.
I, for one, do not want one-price car shopping (like Saturn). I depend on all the other customers getting ripped off so that the dealer can afford to make me a rock bottom deal. If we all paid the same, I would pay more than I do now - as would folks "in the know" - the rest of the folks might save some money, but that is not my concern
I think most of the incentives and money can now be "found" on the Internet - so the dealer does not have that much more info they we do. They do have the final say in how little they want to make on a sale to move the car in question.
In your case and in mine last month, the last day of the month would have been/was the best day to buy. They have quotas goals to meet, they have incentives riding on the sales numbers. My local dealer was not too interested in matching an out of town "volume" dealer until the end of the month. I paid a little more, but didn't have to travel to get the car. In your case you couldn't get there in time to get the best deal so had to settle for paying more.
I think we all get too obsessed with squeezing the last nickel out of a deal. In the grand scheme of things the difference of $100 or $200 on a $18-30k purchase is being pretty silly. If you figured what the percentage of the purchase price of your car that is you would laugh at yourself But I have to cast that first stone at myself, I almost spend 6 hours driving a round trip to save $200 or so on a deal
We all just want to be able to hold the dealer to their word - if they give us a price and a deadline for the sale then honor it and don't stick extras on there. If they will not or cannot get as low as a volume dealer, then give us their best price and stick to it. For our part, if we make an agreement we should stick to it as well.
For a lot of folks the car buying process is way too antagonistic . Folks that I know that would never sell a person a car that had a problem, would not blink an eye and trading it to the dealer without disclosing it. It does not have to be that way, and hopefully in most markets we can all find "nice" dealers to deal with. I know in my dealings for my wife's Accord I found a lot of nice dealers, a few rude ones, a few stupid ones, but just a very few who would really get to the bottom line in pricing with me.
You committed to a deal, then tried to change the terms.. I would have "blown a gasket" also..
If you just got cold feet, and wanted to back out, that would be one thing.. but, to put down a deposit, then go shop the price, when that is your preferred dealer (closest to your house, right?). Looks like you worked pretty hard for $400, and succeeded in ticking off the dealer that did all the work and who you wanted to service your car..
I'm usually the one rolling my eyes when isellhondas talks about it not being worth a few hundred dollars to beat it down to the lowest price, but in this case, you had a good deal at the place you really wanted to buy the car, and screwed it up... I think you've caused your own "fiasco", to use your term..
Maybe go back and say you are sorry and consummate the deal?
"Maybe go back and say you are sorry and consummate the deal?"
NO WAY!! I felt bad about it but after thinking about it some more, I do not feel bad at all the way he conducted himself. We are not on salary...yada, yada. You wasted my time - a good half hour at the dealership. He was helping me and someone one else in between that half hour. He made a phone call to tell me it was ready to pick up and set up a time for the signing and I requested time to drive it before I sign. What he failed to say was the fees are included in the price!
He was yelling and tell me that why should he make an exception for me to lower the price. He does not have to. He told me that they are the lowest price in town and blah, blah.
The guy that i talked to about getting my check back was asking me how much I will be paying for the new car and my impression was he wanted to see if he could match it. But I refused to tell him as I do not wish to have anything further to do with the dealership after how the other guy behaved.
The deposit was to hold the car, not a commitment to buy it without seeing it and driving it first. A friend put down a deposit but had BAD credit and could not get one and walked out of there without a car and got his money back. Did he waste their time?
As for warranty issues - not one of the GM dealerships accomodated me so it is not something that I expect from a Honda dealership either. I always went directly to the manufacturer and had better luck there.
I'm not defending his actions... just commenting on yours..
I woudn't consider a $10K check just a "deposit" to hold a car... It was obvious you wanted the car, and you certainly have the right to refuse it, if you determine the car isn't right for you, or you think something is wrong with it..
But, that isn't what happened.. You committed to a deal, then wanted to change it.. They were holding up their end of the bargain.. You acted in bad faith.
Besides, you asked the question.. it is right there in the title of your post.
It is not my usual modus operandi to defend car dealers.. But, everything in my comments is in direct answer to the information you provided.
I agree with kyfdx. The question in your message title really says that you know it's true. 10K is a down payment, due when you come in to pick up the car. I certainly would not trust 10K in a salesperson's hand just to hold on to a vehicle. I can't afford it. That's why I'll add another thing to that. You're also lucky if you get your 10K back within a week unless they still have your check to hand back to you. I've read of people who expected that their trade was paid off by the dealer, only to find out later that the bank was still looking for their payments. Good luck in the future and don't take that kind of a chance again..
You are right - everything IS negotiable. You done good - you go in knowing what the car costs them, any incentives, and with your own financing pre-approved. They never stood a chance
Lots of folks get "victimized" by bad car dealers, but the really seem to treat women the worst. I don't know what it is, but I can get answers and prices and options that my wife never would if she were on her own. If I were in the car biz I would not be like that, I would hope. But if each deal was the difference between putting food on the table or not, then maybe I would give in the urge to rip folks off as well?
Had to re-post this message, I didn't know that I can't use names - sorry!!! :-)
So I am a proud owner of new 2004 Accord V6 w/ navigation. On the way to work I kept asking it "what time is it" - I love this toy! J But the reason why I am writing is to share my experience with buying a new car. My concern was that I will not get 3.9 APR with 04 car. I called Honda Financial - they told me to talk to my sale person, my sales person XXX- very nice guy, I didn't feel pushed or anything, he was very professional, had no idea about 05 vs. 04 APR, or told me that he had no idea J. Finance person was unavailable, so I went in not knowing about my financing. But I did have 3 offers from various places for 60 month financing from 4.5 to 5.25 APR. Conversation was very interesting: Me: Before you tell me anything, I want to know my APR Finance Guy: Congratulations, you been approved for an amazing rate of 6.9 % Me: I don't think so! FG: Kate, you don't understand, it is a great deal and 3.9 is only for 2005 cars and it is very hard to get. And there is absolutely nothing I can do to change your rate. Me: Are you sure? FG: Yes!!!! This is what you were approved with and it is not negotiable. Me: Ok, thank you for your time, I have 3 offers for a much better deal, I guess I will not be using Honda Financial after all. I gave him print outs of my approvals, was told to wait for few minutes and in 5 minutes he was changing my ARP from 6.9 to 4.7%. I honestly can't imagine how people were buying cars before the internet, car salesmen were probably the richest people on earth J. So, since I learned a lot from this forum - thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, here a my 5 cents: - Everything is negotiable! - Be nice to your sale person - they are working very long hours for not a lot of money. They will give you the best deal, just shop around on the internet and go there with numbers that you want (of course be reasonable J). - If you anywhere around New York City - I definitely recommend Staten Island Honda - it was truly pleasant experience. In the end another sale person (ok, I am a cute girl J) spent 30 minutes with me showing how everything worked. So if you go there - XXX and YYY (sorry I can't give names) - 2 people who I had very good experience with. I am just glad it is over J
I appreciate everyone's opinion. I apologize if I appear to rude to your responses. It was not my intention.
I was serious about the car and I was going to buy if I liked it. I am not sure if anyone of you would not do this though....if someone else offers a lower price and go back to the dealer and asked them to match (they say they are the lowest) it. I have always been told that it does not hurt to try and that was what I did. He basically went off. He told me he could not do it and accused me of wasting his time and what I did was wrong. Why should he make an exception for me right?? So what does he expect, everyone to walk in and walk out with a car? Of course!
The reason not to buy was not because I was not getting the discount but because of the way he conducted himself. I could not bring myself to go with him and test drive the car w/ the tension between us. What if I truly did not like it, then he would say the reason I was not buying it was because I was not getting the $400 off. So I backed out for that reason alone. $400 was not enough to justify driving 50 miles away for the new car and then go to a chain to get routine maintenance. For $400, I was giving up the extended warranty on the powertrain. Yes, I brought it upon myself but do I regret it? Heck no! I know better which place to stay away from They want to make it sound like they are different but deep down, they are not.
Dennis.. I agree with you. For me, the current system also works in my favor because I do shop around and I definitely do my homework. But the problem occurs when the dealer does not stick to his word. Then, we, as consumers, have no recourse when we find out that the dealer could have sold the car for a lower price by meeting a monthly sales quota. Take my case; I got a call because the dealer “found” some money. He did not stick to his original quote. But what if I had already signed with another dealer? SOL? Or just ask like lexie did? Lucky for me, I didn’t sign yet and I saved another $150; and a salesman that I knew made some commission. (Actually, I could have save $350 if I did not have previous commitments on the last day of the month.)
True, there are a lot of unscrupulous consumers out there. But I believe that it is a very small percentage of the tens of millions of people who buy cars. On the other side, I have worked with a lot of very honest, straightforward dealers. But I also believe that the percentage of dishonest dealers, in all probability, far outnumber the percentage of dishonest consumers. I have no proof; it’s just an opinion.
When I bought my car I was comfortable with the deal, especially because the salesperson was an acquaintance of mine. Also, I try not to squabble over $100 to $200 on a $20000+ purchase, although I will try to get my best deal. I believe in dealers making a fair profit, otherwise our choice of dealers would be limited.
Congratulations on your deal and also on 'skykate’s.' She did a great job. But I still do not believe that 'lexie' was wrong for just “asking.” The true nature of the dealer came out when an honest, simple question was asked.
Let's keep this focused on topics directly related to prices paid and buying experience for Honda Accords. Any general discussion about dealer profit, general sales tactics, etc. should be discused in our Smart Shopper forum.
It appears to me that you simply did not know how to buy a car. Don't feel bad. We are all ignorant of many things, and your ignorance of proper car-buying behavior is nothing to be ashamed of.
I bet you have learned a lot. I'm curious. How will you go about buying a car next time?
Since you know so much....how would you go and buy a car? I put a deposit down for a car, someone else offered me a lower price. I brought it to the attention of of my sales person to see if he could match it or was willing to negotiate. He went off like a maniac. Heck, I was not going to take his BS and take the car even though it was the car I wanted (assuming the test drive went well). What I learned is that some sales people are heartless and to become one, you would probably have to sell your soul. No wonder they are so disliked! :sick: If you care to respond, respond in the board the HOST recommended as I will visit it to see what is there....
I have found information on this forum extremely helpful. And as my deal on a 2005 Honda Accord coupe V6 6speed is coming down home stretch, I wanted to try to get some feedback. The final deal was $23,075 for a Silver V6 6 speed with navigation, black leather heated seats, moonroof and wheel locks (as my old Honda Civic Coupe Si had all for tires and alloys stolen a few years ago!! ) :mad:
I have decide to lease and the terms are 36 months, 12,000 miles per year, $300.00 monthly payment with $2,500.00 due at signing. They are also paying off the last 2 payments ($510.00) on my 2002 Nissan Sentra SpecV (fun car!!) :P and are paying my first payment on the new Honda.
Let me know what you think, as I appreciate any feedback offered. THANKS!!
Since I know so much about buying a car, I will be glad to tell you how I do it. First, I decide what kind of car I want and how much I will pay for it. Then I go to a dealer who has the car and make an offer. If they accept, I pay for the car and drive it home. If they don't accept, I try somewhere else.
Well, Lexie, the car dealers are not going to change their behavior to suit you. What steps are you going to take so your next car-buying experience is more enjoyable?
My sister bought a Honda yesterday, and stupidly, she didn't ask me to go along with her. (She's not that financially savvy and a bit too trusting.) The base price wasn't bad, but I was afraid she'd get ripped off on the finance end, and I think she did. She's using Honda financing (1.9% for 36 months), and the finance guy tacked on about $800 for a "bank fee." When she called and told me afterward, that sounded bogus to me, but Honda finance is closed for the weekend, so I couldn't confirm that. In searching the Web, though, it seems this fee is generally reserved for leasing, not for purchasing. Did she get scagged on this deal and if so, whose feet do I hold to the fire? (This particular dealership, apparently, has had publicized trouble in the past with charging bogus fees to unsuspecting people.) Thanks.
I've been checking this board ever since I posted that! Her intent was to purchase the car, not lease, and she said no one mentioned leasing to her. Would they really do a bait and switch like that after getting publicly slammed for similar practices in the past? I'm going with her tomorrow because I'm at work now. (They're open on Sundays, thank God, because I'm really ready to tear them a new one.) It's definitely my sister's fault for not being as skeptical as she should have been, but there's no excuse for fraud.
In doing research tonight to cover my sister's butt, I discovered that the bank fee she was charged just happens to be within a few cents of what the 3% dealer holdback would be on the invoice. Hmmm. Might be a coincidence, but it seems kinda fishy. This is why I keep my cars for years -- I can only stomach this stuff about once a decade.
Okay, bad form, but I'm replying to my own post. This is my little sister, my little, naive sister, that this happened to. They teach you philosophy in college, but not how to spot a scam. I called a finance person at another Honda dealership, said I was thinking about buying a car at another dealership, they added this bank fee, I thought it was shady -- was this a standard fee? The guy said no way, that it was a rip-off, and there should be no "bank fee" for financing.
I only took one semester of business law in college many moons ago, so I'm not sure of what recourse my sister has. Is she stuck with this because she signed the contract or can she throw a fit (with my help, of course)?
carsdirect prices for Accord DX VP: SF bay area: $15715, no invoice $ reported. OC Southern Cal: $16215, $500 lower than invoice. I would expect someone can get it for $16015 in southern cal which is exactly $750 below invoice- getting the whole dealer incentive. But how do they do it northern cal?
There is something we don't know. Does northern cal has a different incentive program? I also heard even before latest incentives, Honda was rewarding dealers/sales person with "customer feedback/evaluations" and volume incentives. Any thoughts/info?
I posted on Friday after returning from the dealer, and have until Tuesday to finalize the deal. Any help would be appreciated. I have found information on this forum extremely helpful. And as my deal on a 2005 Honda Accord EX coupe V6 6speed is coming down home stretch, I wanted to try to get some feedback. The final deal was $23,075 for a Silver V6 EX 6 speed with navigation, black leather heated seats, moonroof and wheel locks (as my old Honda Civic Coupe Si had all for tires and alloys stolen a few years ago!! ) :mad:
I have decide to lease and the terms are 36 months, 12,000 miles per year, $300.00 monthly payment with $2,500.00 due at signing. They are also paying off the last 2 payments ($510.00) on my 2002 Nissan Sentra SpecV (fun car!!) :P and are paying my first payment on the new Honda.
I feel the exterior styling on the Honda coupe is not the greatest, but I feel it is a lot of bang for the buck! Does anyone feel the rear wing spoiler helps the look? I did not get one but in some pictures I have seen, it looks like it might help. What do you think?
Let me know what you think, as I appreciate any feedback offered. THANKS!!
check previous posting for Accord V6 w/ navigation - there are a lot of prices there, but to someone who just bought identical car after month of research - I think that there is something wrong with that price. I was not able to negotiate anything for 05 less than 25K+, and if you do the math - take invoice price, minus what ever dealers make on it and so on, 25K means they will not make any money on you. So if you'll get it for 23K - it is awesome, but dealership will be loosing 2K on the sale? I got 2004 Accord w/navigation, black leather, silver color - for 23K flat. Of course I was buying vs. you leasing. So watch out - deal is too good to be true - ask them to provide all the charges to you - destination, document fees and so on. And watch out :-)
Renton, WA Honda - essentially paid $310 over invoice (or so) for LX-V6 + mudflaps + wheel locks (on steel wheels.... made them remove that cost... they gave them to me anyways). I believe invoice was 21522. Add in $515 dest and delivery, plus the 160 for muflaps(rip-off, should have fought them on that!) plus my $150 I offered.
Anyways, after tax and license, I am at $ 24600. Not bad. Could have done a little better I guess, but only 200 bucks or so.
They came to the table with a MSRP + 2nd Sticker of $26000. Basically I laughed and got up. I wrote down my number (22150) and they squaffed. I told them we are nearly 4 grand apart. 45 minutes later and they were on my number, quoting a loss.
Don't pay anything but $100 over invoice! They will do it. Just have to work them.
I found a price of 13,988 for Accord DX before tax registration and all on Carsdirect, at New Jersey. Any chance it can be got at this price? I'd appreciate any info on how to figure out purchase prices in New Jersey. Thanks.
Okay, after looking at my sister's paperwork, it gets worse. They REALLY ripped her off. Not only did they tack on that BS bank fee (I called 7 Honda dealerships in the area and spoke with finance people to "innocently" inquire if there was a bank fee for financing), they charged her for etching they didn't do (and claimed was "free") and scammed her with some "preferred customer plan" that allegedly allowed her to get the Honda extended care at a discount price by lowering her interest rate to 1.29%. I assume that's to hide the fact they actually charged her the full cost of the plan by making her monthly payments seem not too much higher.
I thought her contract or some paperwork would have a breakdown, but it doesn't. It just has the total sales price plus tax, and the total sales price is about $2500 higher than what she agreed to pay. With the etching, they told her it was free and part of the package, but they had her sign something that said she agreed to it. I asked her if, you know, she thought perhaps it was fishy that there was an option to decline because, uh, why would anyone decline if it's free? And then they have the nerve to not even do it! And in searching Edmunds, I found the "buy-down" scam with the Honda warranty has happened at other places.
Other than tearing this dealership a new one tomorrow, what can I do to help my sister who, while a moron and not aggressive when it comes to wheeling and dealing, is fairly intelligent? Would Honda customer service be of any help?
If you're in a major TV market you have a consumer person who does stories in the consumer interest at the local television station. I'd call them like last Friday... They show up with the paperwork and the TV cameras in the showroom asking for the sales manager and the workers all scurry for the corners and their cars.
Your profile doesn't indicate in which state your sister resides, but here in New York you have three business day to change your mind and void a sales contract.
the car dealers are not going to change their behavior to suit you. What steps are you going to take so your next car-buying experience is more enjoyable?
That is where you are wrong...a dealer is willing to change if they know you are serious and want your business. I managed to get another dealer to waive his $289 fee processing fee and $200 off invoice for the VP. Another dealer was willing to take $500 off invoice on the LX and waived his processing fee. I purchased the VP. I told him that I was serious and that I was not going to take the BS of going there and have him tell me that it (only one left) was sold to sell me something else. He said no, I will hold it for you until you get here. He even washed it and I took it home on the same afternoon. In my opinion, you can shop around until your papers are signed, unless you asked them to make special arrangements for you and you backed out then that would not be right. One thing I learned is that the dealers don't give a sh*t about you. If you don't buy, there is another buyer. They don't care if you come back or not. They want to sell the car to you once and probably never expect to see you again.
I am not going to do anything different. From the posts I read here, I doubt many consider their buying experience 'enjoyable'. I found it insulting - the people I got my car from. The guy told me the hold back is going back to Honda. They do not get anything. I rolled my eyes and asked him why he was insulting my intelligence and that shut his trap. I knew he was not going to lower anymore and decided to buy but he went on and on. Later staged a little scene - got another dude to come by and look at the invoice and said who did this and said I am going to have a talk with him...whatever :sick: I got an extended warranty for 7 years/100K miles so hopefully by the time this car craps out on me, I will be able to buy a luxury car w/ cash and do not care if I pay MSRP.
After she told me about this, I looked up information on this dealership and two years ago, the local CBS consumer segment featured this place for funky financing schemes. (And yes, the workers either scurried or tried to attack the cameraman.) On top of that, there have been scads of financing complaints against this dealership to consumer affairs. I guess in buying a car, you need to research the dealership as much as the car -- maybe more so.
I plan on calling Honda customer service tomorrow to get confirmation that these fees are bogus and see if they can do anything on their end, and then go after the dealership. I actually work for a newspaper, but the dealership is outside of our market and we generally don't deal with consumer issues anyway.
Thanks kyfdx. My error, I just Googled the NYS website and confirmed that automobile purchases are one of only about a half dozen purchase transactions to which the three day cooling-off period does not apply.
Most of the dealers are willing to match it. Print the quote and take it to a dealer. If not, you can always get it from carsdirect. I got my car from carsdirect several years ago and was charged $299 for processing fee from the dealership where I picked up the car. I am do not remember if this was disclosed to me before I accepted the price or was in additional to the price of the car. Something to keep in mind as the fee can be negotiated at the dealer but I am not sure if you can w/ carsdirect as they send you to dealer that has that specific car and that dealer has their fees.
Car dealers have a big enough lobby, I imagine, that there will never be a cooling-off period. It's a shame there's not much regulation of the industry, though.
I purchased a new (4.2 miles on odo) EX V6 with Navi in Graphite Pearl from Hopkins Honda in Hopkins (Twin Cities) MN. I got the inventory information from all of the dealers in the area and sent them all an e-mail like the following:
"According to my discussions with other dealers in the area as well as information from web resources, I understand your bottom line dealer cost to be as follows:
$26,471 Dealer invoice (Includes the $515 destination charge) - $880 for 3% dealer holdback on MSRP – $600 (estimated Honda end of month Incentive) = $24,991 NET COST
I am willing to pay your dealership $25,900 and drive the car off the lot tomorrow. This means you will make $309 plus the Honda incentive on the sale.
Let me know if you want to sell one of the 167 Accords you have on your lot. I am ready to purchase. Please contact me after you have had a chance to review my offer."
Hopkins responded with my offer plus $90 (for mudflaps). I drove the car home on Saturday and could not be happier. BTW, I LOVE the navigation system. GET THE NAV !!!!!
I called Honda financial, and they said they do charge an "acquisition fee" even for purchases (and not just leasing), but that it's usually "not that high." Has anyone else been charged a bank/acquisition fee when financing their Honda? If this is a common fee, fine, but I've never heard of it before.
Comments
That is like my neighbor. He traded for a new car several years ago and said "I can't believe what they gave me for my old car". Then I looked at his TOTAL deal and saw he paid too much for the new car - way too much.
If you got took on the trade, you got took on the deal! They just wowed you with the price for the new car and made all their money off your trade. Just like they wowed my neighbor and then made it all back on the new car.
If you look up the Edmunds and KBB trade in value on your car and compare VS what you were allowed - then add this difference to the price you posted for the car that is your REAL number. If someone else walks in and offers what you post and does not have a trade they will laugh them off the lot.
I too am worried about why that new 04 is still on the lot. It IS the most expensive, loaded up coupe you can get - so I assume demand is not that much for such a high-dollar Accord. Unless they really deal on the car (as they appear to now) most folks would pay a little more to get an 05. The Carfax shows it has never been registered and it has near 0 miles on it (which is a lot better than most of the cars on the dealer lots) so it should be OK. The sales folks may have been acting strange because management offered and extra "spiff" to the one who could more the 04 off the lot - so they all starting pushing and steering.
Dennis
I was freaking out a little after reading all the messages.... I just can't imagine what can possibly be wrong with that deal.... and I hope I am getting a good deal and everything... Of course i didn't have "talk" with finance guy yet.
I could not see how that number could be right, and it was not. Of course, there COULD ALWAYS be more money we don't know about......
But when he said he got hosed on the trade then I figured that is what they did. Even if it was only $500 then that extra $500 goes onto the number for the new car and makes it at least plausible.
I really can't see any reason not to take the car - no miles, never registered/titled, you have your own cheap financing, deal is cheap enough. Unless you somehow let them talk you into something in the finance office you should be OK.
BTW, you can get the HondaCare extended warranty online for a lot cheaper than they will offer it to you. And you have until 2 years from new to avoid a small price "hump" in getting it and have until the 3 yr warranty expires to get it at all. So no rush on getting it - unless you just need to finance it.
Dennis
Once again, thanks for the advise and help
Kate
Open Road Honda in New Jersey gave a quote of $22,654 not including dest. and TTL. For anyone who is familar with doing business with them is this realistic or impossible? Other dealers have told me the quote is too good to be true..which means it's highly unlikely. Is this true?
Thanks for any info :confuse:
This seems like an excellent deal if there are no other hidden costs. But then again, I could be doing my math wrong. Would this include a trade in? Maybe that's how they plan to make their money.
But you're right -- someone without a trade-in or someone with a trade-in that appraises higher (because it's newer or whatever) might not get the same deal. They know how low they can go, and they'll play around with the numbers to make the deal seem sweeter than it really is. I probably could have done a bit better in terms of base price and trade-in, but then, we always seem to find the better deal after we've signed the contract.
I always include the destination in the numbers since it costs the dealer and the MSRP the same - and it is included (I think) in the hold back.
So if you we take invoice w/dest $24,673 - (0.03 * 27365) - $750 = $23,102.05
Destination is $515 so adding that to the quote = $23,169.= $66.95 profit. Plus they will charger a dealer or doc fee.
And you are right, if there is a trade in I bet they are offering something below KBB or Edmunds trade value.
Dennis
In my previous post I mentioned that I put deposit for the Accord VP for $1 over invoice last weekend. The car was in transit from the manufacturer when I put the deposit to hold it and it was ready for pick up late yesterday afternoon. I was testing the market submitted a quote at Intellichoice and had gotten a call from another dealership w/ the same exact deal. I did not feel that I got a good deal knowing that. I called another dealership 50 miles away and their price was $300 over the invoice on the LX. I told him that X and Y are $1 over invoice. He said what can we do to get you to buy it from us. I said $500 below invoice and mentioned the incentives. He said I could do $100 off. I said X is closer to my house and they offer an extended warranty on the power train @ no cost. He said let me talk to my manager. He got it down to $400 less invoice. I then called X where I had the car on hold back and told him that someone else made me a better offer and he blew a gasket. He accused me of being unfair and wasted his time. He said if I was not committed to buy, I should have made him go through all the trouble. If I was committed to buy, I should not have shopped around. If they had the car the day I went in, I would have driven it home if I liked it after driving it. I would have driven it home on the day it was supposed to be here (delayed) if I drove it and liked it. I even put in a check for $10,000. If I was not interested, I would not have done that but if someone else was willing to offer it for $500 less, would you not take it? If he had to make a trade w/ another dealer or special order one for me, yes it would have been wrong. I applied for the loan and he put the car on hold for me. He accused me of holding the car when someone else could have purchased it. The car did not get in noon yesterday and he told me it was not ready for pickup until 6p.m. I called him around noon today and told him the deal was off unless they could match. Okay, was I wrong??? Prior to selling me the car, he told me that they are on salary and that their prices do not include processing fee and etc. When Y sent me the quote, his was a $350 processing fee but was included in the invoice($19034 for the LX). X was offering it for $19034 and he said it has no processing fee so I knew he was full of it. The VP was not here so I could not see the invoice but the same concept would be applied. He told me to go ahead and go with the other dealership.
Here's my situation right now....
X dealership has my $10,000 deposit. I talked to someone else there and he told me that he could mail it back and I asked if I was under obligation for anything and he said no and he will mail the check back to me. Before the fiasco, I asked the jerk what I signed and he said a loan app and an agreement to buy the car. Since the car was not in the lot, am I under the obligation to buy when I have not even driven the car yet? I just want to make sure there's no obligation on my part before I go and shell out another $10,000. I would not mind paying for the loan appl fee. Any thoughts? Will this fiasco hurt my credit? I was approved by Honda and will be applying again w/ an Honda dealer. Is this okay or a no no? :sick:
And I would never put down such a huge deposit either. Why so much? Most deposits are considered refundable (and I think it is illegal for them to be otherwise) but $500 is more the norm.
You did tie up the car and take it off the market. Say (for the sake of the argument) that they had some other folks call or come in looking for the same car and they had to tell them they had sold the one they had coming in - so they may have gone elsewhere.
If the dealer had signed the paperwork and agreed to a price, then when you came to pick it up would not let you have it unless you paid $500 more you would be mad. So I don't blame the dealer for being mad when you did it to them.
If you want the better deal, I would go and get your deposit back in person then go get your new deal - and hope they don't jack some extra stuff onto the deal to raise the price. I don't think Honda finance or your credit should matter - the Honda Finance folks will have your approval on file so getting re-approved should be quick and easy.
Price shop first, then sign and don't look back. Heck, the incentive is higher this month than last, but "too bad" for me I didn't call the dealer up looking for money back on my deal
Dennis
A few months ago I purchased an LX V6 after shopping around and getting internet quotes. The best price I was getting was 100 below invoice from dealer A. However, in the early evening on the last day of the month, dealer B called and quoted a price of 400 under invoice. Originally, dealer B could not even come close to dealer A’s price of 100 under invoice. I had commitments that evening that I could not break, so I told dealer B that I would put a deposit on the car by phone and swing by after work to sign papers. But I was told that I had to go through the delivery process and then actually drive the car off the lot to get this deal. Needless to say I was PO’ed by this, but I new the salesman and I’m sure that this was what he was being told by the sales manager. He then said to call the next day to see what the price would be. The best he could do the next day, after some more haggling, was 200 under invoice. At this point I was frustrated and tired of looking and dealing, this was my best deal so far, I knew the salesman, so I bought the car.
Dealer A called back two days later and was mad because I did not call him back for another quote. I explained that when we last spoke that I wanted his best, absolute lowest price. He then said that I wasted money at dealer B because he could have gone lower, but he would not say by how much.
Bottom line, I’m irritated with my dealer for selling me a car for more than his best quote (my fault). Dealer A could have been more pleasant and just said something like “Thank you for considering us and enjoy your new Honda.” But this will not happen with most car dealers. So when it comes to dealing with car dealers, there are no rules of etiquette, especially when consumers usually do not know what incentives are being offered to dealers by the manufacturers. “Just walking out” of every deal offered takes time and money, and most people do not enjoy this game.
This is a quote from my dealer’s web site – “Customers are not just someone to argue or match wits with.” But it’s done all the time. Dealers usually have the upper hand in negotiations because they have more time and have more information at their disposal.
I am not sure this makes you feel better, but just keep in mind that it’s your money and you also want to be driving a car you do not regret buying.
I think most of the incentives and money can now be "found" on the Internet - so the dealer does not have that much more info they we do. They do have the final say in how little they want to make on a sale to move the car in question.
In your case and in mine last month, the last day of the month would have been/was the best day to buy. They have quotas goals to meet, they have incentives riding on the sales numbers. My local dealer was not too interested in matching an out of town "volume" dealer until the end of the month. I paid a little more, but didn't have to travel to get the car. In your case you couldn't get there in time to get the best deal so had to settle for paying more.
I think we all get too obsessed with squeezing the last nickel out of a deal. In the grand scheme of things the difference of $100 or $200 on a $18-30k purchase is being pretty silly. If you figured what the percentage of the purchase price of your car that is you would laugh at yourself
We all just want to be able to hold the dealer to their word - if they give us a price and a deadline for the sale then honor it and don't stick extras on there. If they will not or cannot get as low as a volume dealer, then give us their best price and stick to it. For our part, if we make an agreement we should stick to it as well.
For a lot of folks the car buying process is way too antagonistic . Folks that I know that would never sell a person a car that had a problem, would not blink an eye and trading it to the dealer without disclosing it. It does not have to be that way, and hopefully in most markets we can all find "nice" dealers to deal with. I know in my dealings for my wife's Accord I found a lot of nice dealers, a few rude ones, a few stupid ones, but just a very few who would really get to the bottom line in pricing with me.
Dennis
You committed to a deal, then tried to change the terms.. I would have "blown a gasket" also..
If you just got cold feet, and wanted to back out, that would be one thing.. but, to put down a deposit, then go shop the price, when that is your preferred dealer (closest to your house, right?). Looks like you worked pretty hard for $400, and succeeded in ticking off the dealer that did all the work and who you wanted to service your car..
I'm usually the one rolling my eyes when isellhondas talks about it not being worth a few hundred dollars to beat it down to the lowest price, but in this case, you had a good deal at the place you really wanted to buy the car, and screwed it up... I think you've caused your own "fiasco", to use your term..
Maybe go back and say you are sorry and consummate the deal?
regards,
kyfdx
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NO WAY!! I felt bad about it but after thinking about it some more, I do not feel bad at all the way he conducted himself. We are not on salary...yada, yada. You wasted my time - a good half hour at the dealership. He was helping me and someone one else in between that half hour. He made a phone call to tell me it was ready to pick up and set up a time for the signing and I requested time to drive it before I sign. What he failed to say was the fees are included in the price!
He was yelling and tell me that why should he make an exception for me to lower the price. He does not have to. He told me that they are the lowest price in town and blah, blah.
The guy that i talked to about getting my check back was asking me how much I will be paying for the new car and my impression was he wanted to see if he could match it. But I refused to tell him as I do not wish to have anything further to do with the dealership after how the other guy behaved.
The deposit was to hold the car, not a commitment to buy it without seeing it and driving it first. A friend put down a deposit but had BAD credit and could not get one and walked out of there without a car and got his money back. Did he waste their time?
As for warranty issues - not one of the GM dealerships accomodated me so it is not something that I expect from a Honda dealership either. I always went directly to the manufacturer and had better luck there.
I woudn't consider a $10K check just a "deposit" to hold a car... It was obvious you wanted the car, and you certainly have the right to refuse it, if you determine the car isn't right for you, or you think something is wrong with it..
But, that isn't what happened.. You committed to a deal, then wanted to change it.. They were holding up their end of the bargain.. You acted in bad faith.
Besides, you asked the question.. it is right there in the title of your post.
It is not my usual modus operandi to defend car dealers.. But, everything in my comments is in direct answer to the information you provided.
regards,
kyfdx
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You are right - everything IS negotiable. You done good - you go in knowing what the car costs them, any incentives, and with your own financing pre-approved. They never stood a chance
Lots of folks get "victimized" by bad car dealers, but the really seem to treat women the worst. I don't know what it is, but I can get answers and prices and options that my wife never would if she were on her own. If I were in the car biz I would not be like that, I would hope. But if each deal was the difference between putting food on the table or not, then maybe I would give in the urge to rip folks off as well?
Dennis
So I am a proud owner of new 2004 Accord V6 w/ navigation. On the way to work I kept asking it "what time is it" - I love this toy! J
But the reason why I am writing is to share my experience with buying a new car. My concern was that I will not get 3.9 APR with 04 car. I called Honda Financial - they told me to talk to my sale person, my sales person XXX- very nice guy, I didn't feel pushed or anything, he was very professional, had no idea about 05 vs. 04 APR, or told me that he had no idea J. Finance person was unavailable, so I went in not knowing about my financing. But I did have 3 offers from various places for 60 month financing from 4.5 to 5.25 APR. Conversation was very interesting:
Me: Before you tell me anything, I want to know my APR
Finance Guy: Congratulations, you been approved for an amazing rate of 6.9 %
Me: I don't think so!
FG: Kate, you don't understand, it is a great deal and 3.9 is only for 2005 cars and it is very hard to get. And there is absolutely nothing I can do to change your rate.
Me: Are you sure?
FG: Yes!!!! This is what you were approved with and it is not negotiable.
Me: Ok, thank you for your time, I have 3 offers for a much better deal, I guess I will not be using Honda Financial after all.
I gave him print outs of my approvals, was told to wait for few minutes and in 5 minutes he was changing my ARP from 6.9 to 4.7%. I honestly can't imagine how people were buying cars before the internet, car salesmen were probably the richest people on earth J.
So, since I learned a lot from this forum - thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, here a my 5 cents:
- Everything is negotiable!
- Be nice to your sale person - they are working very long hours for not a lot of money. They will give you the best deal, just shop around on the internet and go there with numbers that you want (of course be reasonable J).
- If you anywhere around New York City - I definitely recommend Staten Island Honda - it was truly pleasant experience. In the end another sale person (ok, I am a cute girl J) spent 30 minutes with me showing how everything worked. So if you go there - XXX and YYY (sorry I can't give names) - 2 people who I had very good experience with.
I am just glad it is over J
I was serious about the car and I was going to buy if I liked it. I am not sure if anyone of you would not do this though....if someone else offers a lower price and go back to the dealer and asked them to match (they say they are the lowest) it. I have always been told that it does not hurt to try and that was what I did. He basically went off. He told me he could not do it and accused me of wasting his time and what I did was wrong. Why should he make an exception for me right?? So what does he expect, everyone to walk in and walk out with a car? Of course!
The reason not to buy was not because I was not getting the discount but because of the way he conducted himself. I could not bring myself to go with him and test drive the car w/ the tension between us. What if I truly did not like it, then he would say the reason I was not buying it was because I was not getting the $400 off. So I backed out for that reason alone. $400 was not enough to justify driving 50 miles away for the new car and then go to a chain to get routine maintenance. For $400, I was giving up the extended warranty on the powertrain. Yes, I brought it upon myself but do I regret it? Heck no! I know better which place to stay away from
True, there are a lot of unscrupulous consumers out there. But I believe that it is a very small percentage of the tens of millions of people who buy cars. On the other side, I have worked with a lot of very honest, straightforward dealers. But I also believe that the percentage of dishonest dealers, in all probability, far outnumber the percentage of dishonest consumers. I have no proof; it’s just an opinion.
When I bought my car I was comfortable with the deal, especially because the salesperson was an acquaintance of mine. Also, I try not to squabble over $100 to $200 on a $20000+ purchase, although I will try to get my best deal. I believe in dealers making a fair profit, otherwise our choice of dealers would be limited.
Congratulations on your deal and also on 'skykate’s.' She did a great job. But I still do not believe that 'lexie' was wrong for just “asking.” The true nature of the dealer came out when an honest, simple question was asked.
I bet you have learned a lot. I'm curious. How will you go about buying a car next time?
I have decide to lease and the terms are 36 months, 12,000 miles per year, $300.00 monthly payment with $2,500.00 due at signing. They are also paying off the last 2 payments ($510.00) on my 2002 Nissan Sentra SpecV (fun car!!) :P and are paying my first payment on the new Honda.
Let me know what you think, as I appreciate any feedback offered. THANKS!!
Well, Lexie, the car dealers are not going to change their behavior to suit you. What steps are you going to take so your next car-buying experience is more enjoyable?
If she leased, a bank fee is often used as another term for acquisition fee..
So, if she financed, that is bogus... or possibly, she thinks she financed, but actually leased..
Either way, I'd be there first thing Monday morning... or even this evening, if they are open until 9:00 PM.
regards,
kyfdx
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Good luck,
kyfdx
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I only took one semester of business law in college many moons ago, so I'm not sure of what recourse my sister has. Is she stuck with this because she signed the contract or can she throw a fit (with my help, of course)?
SF bay area: $15715, no invoice $ reported.
OC Southern Cal: $16215, $500 lower than invoice. I would expect someone can get it for $16015 in southern cal which is exactly $750 below invoice- getting the whole dealer incentive. But how do they do it northern cal?
There is something we don't know. Does northern cal has a different incentive program? I also heard even before latest incentives, Honda was rewarding dealers/sales person with "customer feedback/evaluations" and volume incentives. Any thoughts/info?
I have decide to lease and the terms are 36 months, 12,000 miles per year, $300.00 monthly payment with $2,500.00 due at signing. They are also paying off the last 2 payments ($510.00) on my 2002 Nissan Sentra SpecV (fun car!!) :P and are paying my first payment on the new Honda.
I feel the exterior styling on the Honda coupe is not the greatest, but I feel it is a lot of bang for the buck! Does anyone feel the rear wing spoiler helps the look?
I did not get one but in some pictures I have seen, it looks like it might help. What do you think?
Let me know what you think, as I appreciate any feedback offered.
THANKS!!
check previous posting for Accord V6 w/ navigation - there are a lot of prices there, but to someone who just bought identical car after month of research - I think that there is something wrong with that price. I was not able to negotiate anything for 05 less than 25K+, and if you do the math - take invoice price, minus what ever dealers make on it and so on, 25K means they will not make any money on you. So if you'll get it for 23K - it is awesome, but dealership will be loosing 2K on the sale? I got 2004 Accord w/navigation, black leather, silver color - for 23K flat. Of course I was buying vs. you leasing. So watch out - deal is too good to be true - ask them to provide all the charges to you - destination, document fees and so on. And watch out :-)
Anyways, after tax and license, I am at $ 24600. Not bad. Could have done a little better I guess, but only 200 bucks or so.
They came to the table with a MSRP + 2nd Sticker of $26000. Basically I laughed and got up. I wrote down my number (22150) and they squaffed. I told them we are nearly 4 grand apart. 45 minutes later and they were on my number, quoting a loss.
Don't pay anything but $100 over invoice! They will do it. Just have to work them.
I thought her contract or some paperwork would have a breakdown, but it doesn't. It just has the total sales price plus tax, and the total sales price is about $2500 higher than what she agreed to pay. With the etching, they told her it was free and part of the package, but they had her sign something that said she agreed to it. I asked her if, you know, she thought perhaps it was fishy that there was an option to decline because, uh, why would anyone decline if it's free? And then they have the nerve to not even do it! And in searching Edmunds, I found the "buy-down" scam with the Honda warranty has happened at other places.
Other than tearing this dealership a new one tomorrow, what can I do to help my sister who, while a moron and not aggressive when it comes to wheeling and dealing, is fairly intelligent? Would Honda customer service be of any help?
Several knowledgable people hang out there and maybe they can give you some good advice.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Your profile doesn't indicate in which state your sister resides, but here in New York you have three business day to change your mind and void a sales contract.
That is where you are wrong...a dealer is willing to change if they know you are serious and want your business. I managed to get another dealer to waive his $289 fee processing fee and $200 off invoice for the VP. Another dealer was willing to take $500 off invoice on the LX and waived his processing fee. I purchased the VP. I told him that I was serious and that I was not going to take the BS of going there and have him tell me that it (only one left) was sold to sell me something else. He said no, I will hold it for you until you get here. He even washed it and I took it home on the same afternoon. In my opinion, you can shop around until your papers are signed, unless you asked them to make special arrangements for you and you backed out then that would not be right. One thing I learned is that the dealers don't give a sh*t about you. If you don't buy, there is another buyer. They don't care if you come back or not. They want to sell the car to you once and probably never expect to see you again.
I am not going to do anything different. From the posts I read here, I doubt many consider their buying experience 'enjoyable'. I found it insulting - the people I got my car from. The guy told me the hold back is going back to Honda. They do not get anything. I rolled my eyes and asked him why he was insulting my intelligence and that shut his trap. I knew he was not going to lower anymore and decided to buy but he went on and on. Later staged a little scene - got another dude to come by and look at the invoice and said who did this and said I am going to have a talk with him...whatever :sick: I got an extended warranty for 7 years/100K miles so hopefully by the time this car craps out on me, I will be able to buy a luxury car w/ cash and do not care if I pay MSRP.
I plan on calling Honda customer service tomorrow to get confirmation that these fees are bogus and see if they can do anything on their end, and then go after the dealership. I actually work for a newspaper, but the dealership is outside of our market and we generally don't deal with consumer issues anyway.
Sorry... that doesn't apply to car sales... never has.. never will.
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"According to my discussions with other dealers in the area as well as information from web resources, I understand your bottom line dealer cost to be as follows:
$26,471 Dealer invoice (Includes the $515 destination charge) - $880 for 3% dealer holdback on MSRP – $600 (estimated Honda end of month Incentive) = $24,991 NET COST
I am willing to pay your dealership $25,900 and drive the car off the lot tomorrow. This means you will make $309 plus the Honda incentive on the sale.
Let me know if you want to sell one of the 167 Accords you have on your lot. I am ready to purchase. Please contact me after you have had a chance to review my offer."
Hopkins responded with my offer plus $90 (for mudflaps). I drove the car home on Saturday and could not be happier. BTW, I LOVE the navigation system. GET THE NAV !!!!!