I got it at John Eagle Honda in Houston, Texas.. Their initial quote was around 20300 + TTL. I told the salesman I needed to drive out at $21,400 to make the deal and after a little rant he made the deal. I'm very happy with the car and should probably quit reading this board. I'd hate to see these prices get even lower in the next couple of months!
Anyone in the Long Island/New York City area; carsdirect.com just raised their price by $1100 this morning: $17115 to $18200. I'm looking for an Accord LX w/ manual 5 speed. Does anyone in the Long Island area have a good pricing experience that you can pass on to me with a local dealer?
Asking Wayne about how to achieve high gas mileage is like asking Picasso how to paint.. He can teach you some skills, but you still ain't going to paint like Picasso...
Thanks for the heads up. I had the same impression. I can do 30mpg w/out any problems. Wayne can do close to 50. I would be a happy camper if I can do close to 40mpg.
[QUOTE ... by markky] Hey do you think Anderson Honda can give me the same deal? Pls let me know... [UnQUOTE]
You got to find out what the Dealer's Email (or Phone**) Quotes climate is right now - June 2nd, 2005!!!
THREE STEPS:
1) Pick your car .... a) Model / Color (Mine is "Desert Mist Metallic") .... b) Trim .... c) Options ........ 1. Example (You like mine ...): ............ a. Model = Accord 4cyl. PZEV** AT Sedan (**All 4 cyl = PZEV in CA) ............ b. Trim = EX-L ............ c. Options = NONE from Dealer / Internet accessories prices including SH lower vs. Dealer
2) Research your car .... a) Know the Dealer's INVOICE .... b) Looked up INVOICE $$$ @ Edmunds.com and Kelly's Blue Book website.
2005 Honda Accord EXL 4 cyl. PZEV** AT EXL Sedan - MSRP: $25,265 (w/$515 Destination)
**NOTE: All California Honda 4 cyl. = PZEV certified - Invoice costs above from Edmunds.com
3) Obtain Email Dealer Quotes by using Edmunds.com .... a) First: Select the Model & Trim ............ a. 2005 Honda Accord - EX PZEV 4dr Sedan w/Leather (2.4L 4cyl 5A) .... b) Second: Select Color (Desert Mist) and put in your Zip Code .... c) Third: Look below the Totals w/Options and select "Get Dealer Quotes" .... d) Fourth: Make sure AutoWest Fremont and Anderson, Palo Alto is on the list ............ a. Fill-out all the Personal Address & your Email INFO .... e) Fifth: WAIT until you get these quotes or calls and you will have you're answer to your question if you can get my price!!!
=========
**The price Anderson originally quoted me over the phone was $21,786.00 (incl. $515 Destination) and earlier that morning, the first quote I received was from Autowest Honda Fremont for $21,086.00 (incl. $515 Destination) "+ fees" (wow!!! :surprise: ). Sooooo, ... ... I asked the Internet Manager @ Anderson if he price match (?), then I referred to my $21,086 email quote from Autowest Honda. He said that they do!!! YES!!! ( I live about 5-miles from Anderson and really, ... really, ... really wanted to deal with them!!!)
Next, he asked if he could send me an official email quote and since his $21,786.00 price is a template, it would still reflect his first quote $21,786, although matching $21.086 was no problem.
After reading his email, by purchasing it thru Anderson, I could take advantage of their LOW PRICE GUARANTEE and save another $100, ... hence my starting cost $20,986 (incl. $515 Destination) ($22,961.81 OTD)
So, hopefully, whatever incentives that were active on May 1st to 4th** are still available today!
**The 4th is the day I paid cash but since all the 4cyl EX-L's were sold out, if I wanted a car within the week, I had to choose from three (3) 4 cyl EX-L's Sedans that were coming between 5th to 9th (??)
My color choices were "Black", "Silver" and "Desert Mist Metallic" - the color I picked!
I actually waited 2-days for my car to arrive on the 6th, ... and presently I have over 835+ glorious miles on the car with an average of 25.5 MPG (90% City / 10% Highway - 2 tanks of gas)!!! Yes I'm extremely happy!!!!!!!
1,000 of those miles came from driving her home from MA. since they do not sell PZEV’s here in Illinois unfortunately. Oh how I tried given my local Honda dealer is less then 2 miles away My profession has undergone some attrition and I am almost forced to alternating 6/7 days a week. The extra pay is great but the hours stink Hopefully this will dwindle somewhat through the summer months but as she sits, 50K this year on her is probably going to be a reality
50#’s is about 75 - 100 #’s below burst. Hybrid drivers have been using 50 + for well over 5 years now and I have yet to read of a blowout other then when running over a rake or metal road debris as an example. FE, Turn in handling, and braking are improved. Harshness is a negative of course and road holding is just somewhat impaired in my experience. The harshness part is the item most have a problem with
I use Regular unleaded gasoline exclusively. Usually Shell but sometimes BP or even Speedway depending on the price and the deal after their respective credit card use. Oil changes First at just past the 8,000 mile mark. From this date forward? 10K between changes and only 0W-20 Mobil1 synthetic. This is a hypermiler’s liquid gold as I like to describe it.
I had almost identical experience from Phil. I would actually have paid about $100 less OTD, since I live in San Diego (7.75% sales tax vs. 8.25% in Palo Alto). Long story short, I bought my car in the LA area a couple of weeks ago, although paid a few hundred bucks more as I decided not to travel to the Bay area to get the best deal. From Bay Area dealers, the best quote I got was from AutoWest (Fremont). They quoted me $21,086 plus $45 documentation fee for the EX-L 4 cyl. AT. With the $100 "low price" guarantee from Anderson, I could have gotten my car for $20,986 plus $45 doc. or about $22,880 OTD had I been willing to travel to SF.
I think they look a bit goofy when you see them through the Build and Price at http://www.hondacars.com but they are OEM and only $136/each. I just wish I could see an actual picture of those wheels on a real car.
I can't wait for Saturday and my new car! I'm probably going to get XM radio first and then a spoiler. We'll see about the wheels, I like the 2005 hub caps better than 2003-4.
The price sure was right also at $350 off the rack and out the door.
The pics dont do the setup justice really, they look perfect with the Graphite Pearl as the base color.
The machine polished lip matches the chrome around the windows and the satin powdercoated center really goes well against the Graphite.
I have seen a car with the wheels you linked on it in person, I was not at all impressed, but thats my taste, and they are well outside my price range. The Accord was white.
jluede - you paid $19,915 for a 2005 4-cyl EX with AT (no fees or taxes)? Please confirm that. According to www.edmunds.com, the msrp is $23,515 and the dealer invoice is $21,214 (both include freight). How did you get it for $1,300 UNDER invoice, or did I misunderstand something???? Did I mess up big time??? Thanks!
Don't know where you are located, but if you check carsdirect.com using a San Francisco zip code you will get $19,913 quote before TTL for the EX 4cyl. AT. This is the "no haggle, no hassle price". I got a quote a couple of weeks ago from AutoWest in Fremont (near SF) for $19,400 (plus $45 documentation) for the same car and another dealer (Anderson Honda) was willing to beat it by $100. So, yeah, depending on the location dealers are selling these cars for $1,300 under invoice or more.
Yes, that is correct. I bought a 2005 EX (4 cyl) with AT for $19,915. I am located in Houston, Texas. There was a $50 doc fee and taxes were 6.25%. Plus the DMV fees my final price was $21,400.
I contacted several dealerships in the area and the inital price quotes ranged from $20,250 - $21,300. The $20,250 was from John Eagle, where I had purchased my '03 civic from. I set up an appointment with the salesman and after the test drive he put a buy order for the $20,250 in front of me. When I balked at that he got pretty upset and ranted on basically accusing me of going back on my word. In reality all I actually said in response to him asking if we could make the deal was that "we could go talk about it". When he finished his rant and asked if we had a deal, I said no, not unless I could drive out at $21,400. After some more hesitation on his part (claimed he didn't trust me not to try and get down even further by threatening to go to a different dealer with a price guarantee) he returned with the papers to sign for a final price of $21,400
Based on Invoice minus 3% holdback minus $900 incentive I figure I paid about $300 above cost. I'm happy with that...I just hope the incentives don't get much higher before August. Although it wouldn't surprise me that much. At least I got the 3.9% financing as well so I don't think I can complain about the whole deal very much regardless of what happens in the next couple of months.
Looking to buy an Accord EX-L in Chicago - quoted $23,840 out the door price -- includes $21,714 selling price (invoice of $22,652) plus $55 doc fee, $100 internet fee, $1800 sales tax, $143 plates and $25 state fee. Is this good?
Definitely check out carsdirect.com and intellichoice.com for a more bottom-line invoice price. You invoice seems kinda high. The lower invoice price you find, the better off you are for negotiating. Also, I would advise against the $100 internet fee. An acquaintance bought an Ody through Jacobs internet sales and never paid an internet fee. I just bought an EX-V6 w/o navi in April and your doc fees, sales tax, plates and state fee are in line.
can anyone please tell me what is the reasonable range for doc, DMV license & registration fees in bay area? (excluding tax). Also for Honda accord (Honda Care) 7yrs/100,000 miles extended warranty, is $600-700 reasonable?
Thank you! For the EX-L Automatic XM, Intellichoice had a $22,136 invoice and both Carsdirect and Kelley Blue Book $22,652 show $22,652. Does this seem right? Is there a better way to search for a 'bottom line invoice'? I appreciate anyone's advice. Thanks.
So basically the Edmunds TMV price is not that meaningful. I guess I learned something! You mentioned a $900 incentive - where does one find that on the web? Again, I relied on Edmunds and using both my zip code and a Houston zip code, I don't see any reference to any factory cash or any marketing support. Maybe it should, but the 3% holdback has never bothered me much. But the incentive is another matter all together. I would sure like to know where to look for the next time. Thanks in advance for your insight. BTW - the MSRP on the sticker was $23,000 plus $515 freight for a total MSRP of $23,515.
Sure enough - you are absolutely right. However, when you do the same thing, using a Columbus, Ohio zip code, the price is $21,263. Do you have any idea why there would be a $1,300 difference between Columbus and San Franciso? Makes me want to enter zip codes for surrounding states the next time I do this. Any ideas about the big disparity???
Sale price : 23, 873 Doc. Fee : 45 Sales tax : 1973.24 (That is 8.25% as I live in LA.) License Fee : 216 CA tire fee : 8.75 Out the door : 26,115.99 From what I've seen others pay on this site I think I did well.
The $900 incentive is something I found out about on the edmunds board. It's mentioned in this one and the APR, Incentives, Rebates one.
I knew there was something up when my initial quotes were coming back below invoice. That's what led me to do more research on what a good price actually was.
Some of these fees are bogus fees (pure profit to the dealer) and some others are not (dealers actually have to pay these fees). So:
1) Documentation fee (bogus, no real cost to the dealer): in CA they usually charge $45, although on some other states that number can be as high as $400.
2) DMV license and registration: 1% of the price before taxes and other fees.
3) Tire fee: $8.75 in CA.
4) Sales Tax: in Bay Area 8.25% (most cities) to 8.5% depending on the city times the price before fees.
So, for example, if the dealer quoted $20,000 for your Accord: Doc Fee: $45 (negotiable, since pure profit to dealer) DMV Fee: $200 (1% of $20,000, non-negotiable) Tire Fee: $8.75 (non-negotiable) Price before tax: $20,253.75
See my post # 7970 from a couple of days ago. Here is a copy:
Why is there so much difference in price by state? California and New Jersey seem to have average prices almost $2,000 less for this car than in Charlotte, North Carolina.
1) Supply and demand. Read, local competition.
2) I hear that the Honda factory-to-dealer incentive (FTD) is on a increasing scale and is a function of how many cars versus the target a dealer sells. So, they will only maximize these incentives (which last month was rumored to be up to $900 per car) if they meet or surpass the target. Some dealers may figure they would be maximizing profit by selling fewer Accords at a higher profit margin.
3) Holdbacks. For Hondas it is 3% of the Base MSRP or around $700-$800 depending on the Accord trim level.
Between FTD and holdbacks, dealers have about or up to $1,700 of "discount" to give and the more they give the less goes to the bottom line. That's the math they are doing and a lot of it is driven by local supply (how many dealers are in the area and what their competition is charging) and demand (how willing are local people to pay prices offered by these local dealers and what recourses do they have if they don't like these prices). Ultimately, if enough people make the decision to travel to a different location to save several hundred dollars (or $2,000 in your case), then local dealers will be forced to re-think their strategy and the meaning of "local" competition. Isn't the internet great?
When will we know what the June incentives are? Mid-month? I hope they increase from May. I seen the May sales were down significantly on the Accords....
Has anyone use the Consumer Reports New Car Price Service. It's $12 and they provide you with the Wholesale price, national rebates, unadvertised incentives and holdbacks and then also includes the invoice price, sticker, etc... Just wondering if it's a good tool or not.
These factory-to-dealer incentives are well guarded secrets that are not announced to the public. The numbers mentioned for the last few months ($600 in April, up to $900 in May) are based on annedoctal notes as mentioned by forum members like you or I. The assumption is that somebody may have "inside" knowledge because they work for Honda or knows someone that works for Honda. It is never official, though, so one must take it with a grain of salt.
[QUOTE ... by csl1] Looking to buy an Accord EX-L in Chicago - quoted $23,840 out the door price -- includes $21,714 selling price (invoice of $22,652) plus $55 doc fee, $100 internet fee, $1800 sales tax, $143 plates and $25 state fee. Is this good? [UnQUOTE]
You've got more fee's vs. California, but I'd say it's not a bad deal!!! I'd see if you could negotiate or get rid of the $100 internet fee though.
Your final OTD is just $878.19 higher, than my price last May 4th, ... my car though is the PZEV 4cyl engine ...
Yesterday I priced the Accord LX for a NJ zip and was quoted 18,134. Today the price is 18,934. Is this because of the dealer-making-target bonuses have been reset for the beginning of June? Did some other incentives change for June? Does anyone think that in another few weeks the end-of-quarter and end-of-month pricing will be lower than this price? Can I still use the old quote, say, next weekend?
One theory that many people subscribes to is that dealers will hold back their best prices until close to the end of the month (although I personally don't believe in that). Then, if they need to sell x numbers of cars to meet their quota for the month, they will lower their prices again. Maybe that's what's going on and if that's the case there is hope that previous or greater discounts will come back later in the month.
On the other hand, another theory is that dealers will do just the opposite, i.e. discount as much as possible upfront until they meet their quotas for the month or the quarter, and thus earn the max. incentives from the factory. If that's the case, you may be out of luck, because an increase in price would signal that they have met their quotas for the period. I followed prices closely from April through May before pulling the trigger a couple of weeks ago and did not notice prices being increased at the beginning of May.
Anyway, there is nothing anybody (other than the dealers) can do about this since none of us have a crystal ball. So, for people that are still in the market, it is better to believe the former is the case rather than the latter. I guess at least theoretically logic seems to be in your favor favor as discounts on the current model year generally tend to increase as the next year model gets closer to hitting showrooms. I believe the 06' model is scheduled to be introduced sometime in August.
Would someone who has purchased a car in California and who lives in Arizona explain how the transaction is figured concerning taxes and doc fees.Thanks for your help.
I just got a quote for 05 V4 Accord coupe EX-L 5 speed, $20,222, $600 below Carsdirect.com. I am waiting for confirmation that this includes destination charge.
You will pay $45 doc fee, $15 one way DMV registration pass to drive out of state.
There is tax reciprocity between AZ and CA, so you pay tax only 1 time. You will however pay the higher of the taxes.
Phoenix and Tempe are 8.1%, Mesa and Avondale are 7.8%. And thats all the tax info I know about AZ as I live in the Phoenix metro area.
LA county you will pay 8.2% and San Berardino county you will pay 7.75%.
At the end of the day, all the taxes are gonna be real dang close.
However, you will not be hosed with junk fees in CA. All posters who have bought in LA area all report only $45 doc, in AZ you will get soaked for $300.
You will need to register and tag your car immediately when getting back to your home town, so dont leave the dealer without your title or proof of ownership.
There are several dealers in LA area that are mentioned multiple times in this thread with strong reputations. I bought at Spirit Honda and absolutely cherish the no hassle experience. I was also willing to buy from Rock Honda but they couldnt come up with the color I wanted.
Both of those dealers are directly off of I-10 and a 350 mile trip to metro Phoenix.
Buying in San Bernardino will save you $50 in tax for every $10,000 you spend on the car, FYI.
I and several other posters here give extremely high regard and reputation to Spirit Honda, in El Monte CA. They are in LA county so the tax is the higher rate. However, if you are in the market for an automatic car, you should have no problem finding it at a San Bernardino dealer and save yourself a few bucks on tax.
Going through the experience just last weekend, I would do it all over again without even thinking twice. I saved almost $900 total at the end of my deal, all factors considered, and that is a fair chunck of change in my opinion and well worth the 2 days I sacraficed to get it done.
I also paid cash, so that was a big contributing factor to my experience. I laid the cashiers check on the table for the pre-nogotiated price, and an hour later was on my way. If you finance, you should be sure to get it out of the way before you make the trip.
That sounds good. My best quote on the EX-L Automatic(including destination) so far has been $21,600. Sounds like maybe I should keep negotiating. Please advise as to whether your price includes destination.
Thanks! You were a great help and I very much appreciate the trouble you went to . A representative from Cars Direct told me that if I went through them I would have to pay taxes in both states because I would have to register the car in California and again in Arizona. Doesn't seem like that is being very helpful to the consumer. I'm still debating between the Accord and the Camry. Had one of each and liked them both.Thanks again for your help.
One thing you want to keep in mind is that the prices in the Chicago area are higher than those in the NY/NJ area and on the West Coast. I went back and forth about driving the the NY/NJ area as I have relatives out there, but as it turned out the deal I made here was only about $400 more than it would have been there. With gas prices and tolls both ways and taking time off of work it wasn't worth it to me this time. I'm not sure where the other poster was from, but most dealers around here will not honor those prices. Also the incentives around here will be different as well. Your best bet is to find out what the incentives for the month are (I'm not sure, I just hear about them on here and other sites), then pick two dealers and negotiate as much as you can with them in person or over the phone. Given them a price and say you are ready to buy today at that price and see what happens. It won't be easy, but thats how they make their money!
If you can provide a CA address you can get tagged in CA for a year.
However if AZ is your true state of residency you run the risk of a big fine, about $500, pulling a stunt like that.
They are harsh and always looking to crack down on folks trying to cheat the registration system as it the primary tax base for the AZ highway projects.
Resident Definition State law requires that you obtain a driver license and registration immediately if any one of the following apply. If you:
-Work in Arizona (other than for seasonal agricultural work) -Place children in school without paying the tuition rate of a nonresident -Have a business with an office in Arizona, and that bases and operates vehicles in this state -Obtain a state license or pay school tuition fees at the same rate as an Arizona resident -Have a business that operates vehicles to transport goods or passengers within Arizona -Remain in Arizona for a total of 7 months or more during any calendar year, regardless of your permanent residence
*An "out-of-state student" enrolled with 7 or more semester hours is not considered a resident, even if employed.
*Military personnel based in Arizona who qualify for exemption under the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act are not considered Arizona residents.
I paid $18800 (on the road) for 2005 Accord, LX 4dr Auto. This has 6% tax, $189 doc fee, $7.50 tire fee, $85 DMV (registration transfer fee). NJ Area.
I wanted to do the DMV (transfer) myself for $4.50 but the dealer did not allow me and scared that I won't be able to drive off the car unless I get it done first and pick-up later. Is this true? Anyway finally I paid the $85 so I can drive off right way. However I want to findout whether what my dealer said is true or it was just a scare tactice.
My dealer just washed/cleaned the car and delivered to me. Were they suppose to do something more like wheel balancing, detailing etc before delivery?
Looks like the $20,222 quote doesn't include destination charge. But got another quote which is $300 below Carsdirect.com and includes destination charge. Can anyone tell me what is the reasonable price to pay in bay area for the Honda CARE 7 yrs / 100K miles extended warranty with $0 deductible? Thanks
I'm still considering and Accord. Best price I've got in the valley on an LX AT is $18435 at Tempe Honda, but I've only gotten hard numbers from 2 dealers and really haven't haggled beyond the first internet dept price I received. But generally internet depts don't haggle much, if at all.
I see that Carsdirect LA prices are exactly $1k lower than Phx area prices. Are you saying I'd save $1k on the car AND about $250 in doc fees?
When I get back to AZ I need to pretty much go straight to the DMV with ownership docs and get AZ registration? I've got a plate off my leased car I just turned in, would I use that plate with new tags? (tags expired at lease end anyway).
Thanks Mark. I may need your e-mail as a point of contact, it's easier than this board. Also, can you recommend any particular salespeople at Rock Honda or Spirit Honda for a hassle-free deal? I just don't want any surprises after arriving in CA, and I'd be doing the 3.9% Honda financing.
I went back and forth about driving the the NY/NJ area as I have relatives out there, but as it turned out the deal I made here was only about $400 more than it would have been there. With gas prices and tolls both ways and taking time off of work it wasn't worth it to me this time.
Many if not most dealers have an internet department. I did all my negotiations through e-mails and a couple of phone calls. I took one trip to a dealer that was 100 miles from my house to pick-up the car that I had already agreed to purchase (subject to a test drive) and had already negotiated the out-the-door price before going to the dealer. I also knew they had 4 cars in the trim and color I wanted (EX-4cyl AT, graphite pear) by looking at their inventory listed on their website. I was in and out of there in about an hour / hour and a half.
My strategy was to go to carsdirect.com first and find out prices in different areas I was willing to travel to go get my car. I live in San Diego, CA and very quickly found out that local dealers were selling for $800-$1000 higher than dealers in the Los Angeles area (100 miles). Had I been willing to travel to San Francisco area (450 miles) I would have been able to save an additional $700 on top of this. I contacted dealers in those areas by e-mail and their quotes were similar to the quotes from carsdirect.com. So, I closed the deal with a dealer that was located five minutes from where I was dropping off my old car and saved $1,000 in the process (I ended up buying from Riverside Honda, which is about 100 miles from San Diego). This worked great for me, but I realize some people don't want to drive 100 miles to get their cars.
I guess the bottom line is that with the internet one can save a lot of time and effort by getting the information sent directly to the comfort of your house or office (as opposed to physically having to go to dealers to get it). This way, one can find out very quickly the dealers that are willing to give the best prices, and the ones that aren't. The added benefit (to me anyway) is that I did not have to put up with any aggressive salesman and their tactics to confuse you. Perhaps the downside is that it makes the whole car buying experience a little more impersonal.
It has been a week or so now since i was actually negotiating price with the dealers. Last quote I got for an LX-auto was $17,800, PZEV.
Also, the doc fee is $45 and $15 for 1-way-out-pass.
Be sure to have your price negotiated with the protection package: gravel guard, trunk tray, and wheel lock. They all pre-install it and will try to hit you for a few hundred at the end of your negoriation. This is normal at Spirit, you just have to stand tall and say, THROW IT IN...
So, you should end up at $800-$1,000 saved on your deal, depends what you count the value of the acessories at, if at all. The gravel guard is a must have here in PHX as there are damn stones everywhere, I always here them rattling around in my wheel wells.
Also with the financing, be sure to tell them about it upfront, then do all the papers over fax and Fedex as needed. I personally would not wait to do it at the closing.
We cant post names of sales-people on here I am pretty sure. But at Spirit there is a very polite and responsive young lady that handled my discussions, her manger then tried to land the protection package sale on me, in the end it was included. I think they are the only 2 in the Internet Dept.
You will need to tag it right away when you get back, the CA tag you get only gets a one-way trip, and the trip has to be written out in the documentation before you leave the dealer.
I can get you the names of the sales-people I dealt with in email.
I have used it and liked it; some don't see why as most of the info is available FREE if one digs around on the Internet. I found that getting ALL of the info in one place very quickly was worth it for me. My time is valuable and spending 2 hours searching for holdback info, dealer incentive info, rebates, etc. wasn't worth it for me.
They give you the following info:
MSRP Dealer Invoice (not hard to find anywhere else of course) Any current consumer rebates Holdback Dealer incentives (if any are known)
And in the end they give you a dealer "wholesale price" that is below invoice prices found on the Internet. I also found their trade in info very useful as it helped me negotiate a good deal for my trade in after one dealer completely low balled me by about $2000.
The $12 I spent easily paid for itself when I bought my EX v6 AT.
I just downloaded the Cons. Reports. It seems to be very useful. Has anyone been able to negotiate below wholesale price (vs. invoice)? Wholesale seems to be about 600 - 700 below invoice. Can you get below wholesale on a 2005 Accord??? If so, how low below wholesale do you think dealers woul go?
Comments
Thanks for the heads up. I had the same impression. I can do 30mpg w/out any problems. Wayne can do close to 50. I would be a happy camper if I can do close to 40mpg.
Hey do you think Anderson Honda can give me the same deal? Pls let me know...
[UnQUOTE]
You got to find out what the Dealer's Email (or Phone**) Quotes climate is right now - June 2nd, 2005!!!
THREE STEPS:
1) Pick your car
.... a) Model / Color (Mine is "Desert Mist Metallic")
.... b) Trim
.... c) Options
........ 1. Example (You like mine ...):
............ a. Model = Accord 4cyl. PZEV** AT Sedan (**All 4 cyl = PZEV in CA)
............ b. Trim = EX-L
............ c. Options = NONE from Dealer / Internet accessories prices including SH lower vs. Dealer
2) Research your car
.... a) Know the Dealer's INVOICE
.... b) Looked up INVOICE $$$ @ Edmunds.com and Kelly's Blue Book website.
2005 Honda Accord EXL 4 cyl. PZEV** AT EXL Sedan - MSRP: $25,265 (w/$515 Destination)
Dealer's INV.. $22,271
DEST............. $515
===============
Total......... $22,786.00** + CA tax, DMV, Tire & Doc fee.
**NOTE: All California Honda 4 cyl. = PZEV certified - Invoice costs above from Edmunds.com
3) Obtain Email Dealer Quotes by using Edmunds.com
.... a) First: Select the Model & Trim
............ a. 2005 Honda Accord - EX PZEV 4dr Sedan w/Leather (2.4L 4cyl 5A)
.... b) Second: Select Color (Desert Mist) and put in your Zip Code
.... c) Third: Look below the Totals w/Options and select "Get Dealer Quotes"
.... d) Fourth: Make sure AutoWest Fremont and Anderson, Palo Alto is on the list
............ a. Fill-out all the Personal Address & your Email INFO
.... e) Fifth: WAIT until you get these quotes or calls and you will have you're answer to your question if you can get my price!!!
=========
**The price Anderson originally quoted me over the phone was $21,786.00 (incl. $515 Destination) and earlier that morning, the first quote I received was from Autowest Honda Fremont for $21,086.00 (incl. $515 Destination) "+ fees" (wow!!! :surprise: ). Sooooo, ... ... I asked the Internet Manager @ Anderson if he price match (?), then I referred to my $21,086 email quote from Autowest Honda. He said that they do!!! YES!!! (
Next, he asked if he could send me an official email quote and since his $21,786.00 price is a template, it would still reflect his first quote $21,786, although matching $21.086 was no problem.
After reading his email, by purchasing it thru Anderson, I could take advantage of their LOW PRICE GUARANTEE and save another $100, ... hence my starting cost $20,986 (incl. $515 Destination) ($22,961.81 OTD)
So, hopefully, whatever incentives that were active on May 1st to 4th** are still available today!
**The 4th is the day I paid cash but since all the 4cyl EX-L's were sold out, if I wanted a car within the week, I had to choose from three (3) 4 cyl EX-L's Sedans that were coming between 5th to 9th (??)
My color choices were "Black", "Silver" and "Desert Mist Metallic" - the color I picked!
I actually waited 2-days for my car to arrive on the 6th, ... and presently I have over 835+ glorious miles on the car with an average of 25.5 MPG (90% City / 10% Highway - 2 tanks of gas)!!! Yes I'm extremely happy!!!!!!!
Hope this helps,
Phil
Pic's of my 2005 Honda Accord 4 cyl. AT EXL PZEV Sedan
My Epinions.com 2005 Honda Accord Review
You and kyfdx made my day a little brighter
1,000 of those miles came from driving her home from MA. since they do not sell PZEV’s here in Illinois unfortunately. Oh how I tried given my local Honda dealer is less then 2 miles away
50#’s is about 75 - 100 #’s below burst. Hybrid drivers have been using 50 + for well over 5 years now and I have yet to read of a blowout other then when running over a rake or metal road debris as an example. FE, Turn in handling, and braking are improved. Harshness is a negative of course and road holding is just somewhat impaired in my experience. The harshness part is the item most have a problem with
I use Regular unleaded gasoline exclusively. Usually Shell but sometimes BP or even Speedway depending on the price and the deal after their respective credit card use. Oil changes First at just past the 8,000 mile mark. From this date forward? 10K between changes and only 0W-20 Mobil1 synthetic. This is a hypermiler’s liquid gold as I like to describe it.
Good Luck
Wayne R. Gerdes
Konig Theory 15", stock tires.
Pics in links below...
http://members.cox.net/ominous_87/side%20rims%201.jpg
http://members.cox.net/ominous_87/corner%20rims%201.jpg
Hot car! I'm normally not a big fan of non-OEM wheels, but those are pretty sweet.
Has anyone seen thess OEM wheels on an actual vehicle:
http://automobiles.honda.com/models/accessory_detail.asp?ModelName=Accord+Sedan&Type=Model- - s&Category=Accessory&Num=ACCOR05596
I think they look a bit goofy when you see them through the Build and Price at http://www.hondacars.com but they are OEM and only $136/each. I just wish I could see an actual picture of those wheels on a real car.
I can't wait for Saturday and my new car! I'm probably going to get XM radio first and then a spoiler. We'll see about the wheels, I like the 2005 hub caps better than 2003-4.
The price sure was right also at $350 off the rack and out the door.
The pics dont do the setup justice really, they look perfect with the Graphite Pearl as the base color.
The machine polished lip matches the chrome around the windows and the satin powdercoated center really goes well against the Graphite.
I have seen a car with the wheels you linked on it in person, I was not at all impressed, but thats my taste, and they are well outside my price range. The Accord was white.
http://www.carsdirect.com/used_cars/listings/vehicle_detail_prem?listing_id=13721271&searc- - h=434a6de06a7bad8bbec980898936f97f-168429219-13721271-dealer_referral_vehicle&zipcode=8520- - 2
Pics in link below
http://members.cox.net/ominous_87/stock%2015.jpg
Yes, that is correct. I bought a 2005 EX (4 cyl) with AT for $19,915. I am located in Houston, Texas. There was a $50 doc fee and taxes were 6.25%. Plus the DMV fees my final price was $21,400.
I contacted several dealerships in the area and the inital price quotes ranged from $20,250 - $21,300. The $20,250 was from John Eagle, where I had purchased my '03 civic from. I set up an appointment with the salesman and after the test drive he put a buy order for the $20,250 in front of me. When I balked at that he got pretty upset and ranted on basically accusing me of going back on my word. In reality all I actually said in response to him asking if we could make the deal was that "we could go talk about it". When he finished his rant and asked if we had a deal, I said no, not unless I could drive out at $21,400. After some more hesitation on his part (claimed he didn't trust me not to try and get down even further by threatening to go to a different dealer with a price guarantee) he returned with the papers to sign for a final price of $21,400
Based on Invoice minus 3% holdback minus $900 incentive I figure I paid about $300 above cost. I'm happy with that...I just hope the incentives don't get much higher before August. Although it wouldn't surprise me that much. At least I got the 3.9% financing as well so I don't think I can complain about the whole deal very much regardless of what happens in the next couple of months.
Good Luck
Doc. Fee : 45
Sales tax : 1973.24 (That is 8.25% as I live in LA.)
License Fee : 216
CA tire fee : 8.75
Out the door : 26,115.99
From what I've seen others pay on this site I think I did well.
I knew there was something up when my initial quotes were coming back below invoice. That's what led me to do more research on what a good price actually was.
Good Luck.
1) Documentation fee (bogus, no real cost to the dealer): in CA they usually charge $45, although on some other states that number can be as high as $400.
2) DMV license and registration: 1% of the price before taxes and other fees.
3) Tire fee: $8.75 in CA.
4) Sales Tax: in Bay Area 8.25% (most cities) to 8.5% depending on the city times the price before fees.
So, for example, if the dealer quoted $20,000 for your Accord:
Doc Fee: $45 (negotiable, since pure profit to dealer)
DMV Fee: $200 (1% of $20,000, non-negotiable)
Tire Fee: $8.75 (non-negotiable)
Price before tax: $20,253.75
Sales tax: 8.25% times ($20,000 + $45) = $1,653.71
Out-the-Door Price: $21,907.46
This should be correct give or take a couple of bucks. Hope this helps.
See my post # 7970 from a couple of days ago. Here is a copy:
Why is there so much difference in price by state? California and New Jersey seem to have average prices almost $2,000 less for this car than in Charlotte, North Carolina.
1) Supply and demand. Read, local competition.
2) I hear that the Honda factory-to-dealer incentive (FTD) is on a increasing scale and is a function of how many cars versus the target a dealer sells. So, they will only maximize these incentives (which last month was rumored to be up to $900 per car) if they meet or surpass the target. Some dealers may figure they would be maximizing profit by selling fewer Accords at a higher profit margin.
3) Holdbacks. For Hondas it is 3% of the Base MSRP or around $700-$800 depending on the Accord trim level.
Between FTD and holdbacks, dealers have about or up to $1,700 of "discount" to give and the more they give the less goes to the bottom line. That's the math they are doing and a lot of it is driven by local supply (how many dealers are in the area and what their competition is charging) and demand (how willing are local people to pay prices offered by these local dealers and what recourses do they have if they don't like these prices). Ultimately, if enough people make the decision to travel to a different location to save several hundred dollars (or $2,000 in your case), then local dealers will be forced to re-think their strategy and the meaning of "local" competition. Isn't the internet great?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Looking to buy an Accord EX-L in Chicago - quoted $23,840 out the door price -- includes $21,714 selling price (invoice of $22,652) plus $55 doc fee, $100 internet fee, $1800 sales tax, $143 plates and $25 state fee. Is this good?
[UnQUOTE]
You've got more fee's vs. California, but I'd say it's not a bad deal!!! I'd see if you could negotiate or get rid of the $100 internet fee though.
Your final OTD is just $878.19 higher, than my price last May 4th, ... my car though is the PZEV 4cyl engine ...
Final tally:
2005 Honda Accord 4 cyl. PZEV AT EX-L Sedan
(Dealer's INV: $22,786.00 w/$515 DEST)
Price: .........$20,986.00 (w/DEST - $1,800 below INV)
Tire Fee: .............$8.75
Doc. Fee: ..........$45.00
8.5% tax: ......$1,735.06 (Price + Doc. Fee)
DMV (Est): .......$187.00
======================
TOTAL: ......$22,961.81 OTD
Hope this helps,
Phil
Pic's of my 2005 Honda Accord 4 cyl. AT EXL PZEV Sedan
My Epinions.com 2005 Honda Accord Review
My friend closed the deal and paid only $284 in additional doc/TTR fees.
On the other hand, another theory is that dealers will do just the opposite, i.e. discount as much as possible upfront until they meet their quotas for the month or the quarter, and thus earn the max. incentives from the factory. If that's the case, you may be out of luck, because an increase in price would signal that they have met their quotas for the period. I followed prices closely from April through May before pulling the trigger a couple of weeks ago and did not notice prices being increased at the beginning of May.
Anyway, there is nothing anybody (other than the dealers) can do about this since none of us have a crystal ball. So, for people that are still in the market, it is better to believe the former is the case rather than the latter. I guess at least theoretically logic seems to be in your favor favor as discounts on the current model year generally tend to increase as the next year model gets closer to hitting showrooms. I believe the 06' model is scheduled to be introduced sometime in August.
Good luck.
Arizona explain how the transaction is figured concerning taxes and doc fees.Thanks for your help.
You will pay $45 doc fee, $15 one way DMV registration pass to drive out of state.
There is tax reciprocity between AZ and CA, so you pay tax only 1 time. You will however pay the higher of the taxes.
Phoenix and Tempe are 8.1%, Mesa and Avondale are 7.8%. And thats all the tax info I know about AZ as I live in the Phoenix metro area.
LA county you will pay 8.2% and San Berardino county you will pay 7.75%.
At the end of the day, all the taxes are gonna be real dang close.
However, you will not be hosed with junk fees in CA. All posters who have bought in LA area all report only $45 doc, in AZ you will get soaked for $300.
You will need to register and tag your car immediately when getting back to your home town, so dont leave the dealer without your title or proof of ownership.
There are several dealers in LA area that are mentioned multiple times in this thread with strong reputations. I bought at Spirit Honda and absolutely cherish the no hassle experience. I was also willing to buy from Rock Honda but they couldnt come up with the color I wanted.
Both of those dealers are directly off of I-10 and a 350 mile trip to metro Phoenix.
Buying in San Bernardino will save you $50 in tax for every $10,000 you spend on the car, FYI.
I and several other posters here give extremely high regard and reputation to Spirit Honda, in El Monte CA. They are in LA county so the tax is the higher rate. However, if you are in the market for an automatic car, you should have no problem finding it at a San Bernardino dealer and save yourself a few bucks on tax.
Going through the experience just last weekend, I would do it all over again without even thinking twice. I saved almost $900 total at the end of my deal, all factors considered, and that is a fair chunck of change in my opinion and well worth the 2 days I sacraficed to get it done.
I also paid cash, so that was a big contributing factor to my experience. I laid the cashiers check on the table for the pre-nogotiated price, and an hour later was on my way. If you finance, you should be sure to get it out of the way before you make the trip.
Let me know if you need any other info.
Good Luck
However if AZ is your true state of residency you run the risk of a big fine, about $500, pulling a stunt like that.
They are harsh and always looking to crack down on folks trying to cheat the registration system as it the primary tax base for the AZ highway projects.
http://www.azdot.gov/mvd/azwelcome.asp
Resident Definition
State law requires that you obtain a driver license and registration immediately if any one of the following apply. If you:
-Work in Arizona (other than for seasonal agricultural work)
-Place children in school without paying the tuition rate of a nonresident
-Have a business with an office in Arizona, and that bases and operates vehicles in this state
-Obtain a state license or pay school tuition fees at the same rate as an Arizona resident
-Have a business that operates vehicles to transport goods or passengers within Arizona
-Remain in Arizona for a total of 7 months or more during any calendar year, regardless of your permanent residence
*An "out-of-state student" enrolled with 7 or more semester hours is not considered a resident, even if employed.
*Military personnel based in Arizona who qualify for exemption under the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act are not considered Arizona residents.
I paid $18800 (on the road) for 2005 Accord, LX 4dr Auto. This has 6% tax, $189 doc fee, $7.50 tire fee, $85 DMV (registration transfer fee). NJ Area.
I wanted to do the DMV (transfer) myself for $4.50 but the dealer did not allow me and scared that I won't be able to drive off the car unless I get it done first and pick-up later. Is this true? Anyway finally I paid the $85 so I can drive off right way. However I want to findout whether what my dealer said is true or it was just a scare tactice.
My dealer just washed/cleaned the car and delivered to me. Were they suppose to do something more like wheel balancing, detailing etc before delivery?
Thanks
I see that Carsdirect LA prices are exactly $1k lower than Phx area prices. Are you saying I'd save $1k on the car AND about $250 in doc fees?
When I get back to AZ I need to pretty much go straight to the DMV with ownership docs and get AZ registration? I've got a plate off my leased car I just turned in, would I use that plate with new tags? (tags expired at lease end anyway).
Thanks Mark. I may need your e-mail as a point of contact, it's easier than this board. Also, can you recommend any particular salespeople at Rock Honda or Spirit Honda for a hassle-free deal? I just don't want any surprises after arriving in CA, and I'd be doing the 3.9% Honda financing.
Thanks!
Many if not most dealers have an internet department. I did all my negotiations through e-mails and a couple of phone calls. I took one trip to a dealer that was 100 miles from my house to pick-up the car that I had already agreed to purchase (subject to a test drive) and had already negotiated the out-the-door price before going to the dealer. I also knew they had 4 cars in the trim and color I wanted (EX-4cyl AT, graphite pear) by looking at their inventory listed on their website. I was in and out of there in about an hour / hour and a half.
My strategy was to go to carsdirect.com first and find out prices in different areas I was willing to travel to go get my car. I live in San Diego, CA and very quickly found out that local dealers were selling for $800-$1000 higher than dealers in the Los Angeles area (100 miles). Had I been willing to travel to San Francisco area (450 miles) I would have been able to save an additional $700 on top of this. I contacted dealers in those areas by e-mail and their quotes were similar to the quotes from carsdirect.com. So, I closed the deal with a dealer that was located five minutes from where I was dropping off my old car and saved $1,000 in the process (I ended up buying from Riverside Honda, which is about 100 miles from San Diego). This worked great for me, but I realize some people don't want to drive 100 miles to get their cars.
I guess the bottom line is that with the internet one can save a lot of time and effort by getting the information sent directly to the comfort of your house or office (as opposed to physically having to go to dealers to get it). This way, one can find out very quickly the dealers that are willing to give the best prices, and the ones that aren't. The added benefit (to me anyway) is that I did not have to put up with any aggressive salesman and their tactics to confuse you. Perhaps the downside is that it makes the whole car buying experience a little more impersonal.
Good luck.
It has been a week or so now since i was actually negotiating price with the dealers. Last quote I got for an LX-auto was $17,800, PZEV.
Also, the doc fee is $45 and $15 for 1-way-out-pass.
Be sure to have your price negotiated with the protection package: gravel guard, trunk tray, and wheel lock. They all pre-install it and will try to hit you for a few hundred at the end of your negoriation. This is normal at Spirit, you just have to stand tall and say, THROW IT IN...
So, you should end up at $800-$1,000 saved on your deal, depends what you count the value of the acessories at, if at all. The gravel guard is a must have here in PHX as there are damn stones everywhere, I always here them rattling around in my wheel wells.
Also with the financing, be sure to tell them about it upfront, then do all the papers over fax and Fedex as needed. I personally would not wait to do it at the closing.
We cant post names of sales-people on here I am pretty sure. But at Spirit there is a very polite and responsive young lady that handled my discussions, her manger then tried to land the protection package sale on me, in the end it was included. I think they are the only 2 in the Internet Dept.
You will need to tag it right away when you get back, the CA tag you get only gets a one-way trip, and the trip has to be written out in the documentation before you leave the dealer.
I can get you the names of the sales-people I dealt with in email.
They give you the following info:
MSRP
Dealer Invoice (not hard to find anywhere else of course)
Any current consumer rebates
Holdback
Dealer incentives (if any are known)
And in the end they give you a dealer "wholesale price" that is below invoice prices found on the Internet. I also found their trade in info very useful as it helped me negotiate a good deal for my trade in after one dealer completely low balled me by about $2000.
The $12 I spent easily paid for itself when I bought my EX v6 AT.