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Comments
23 Telluride SX-P X-Line, 23 Camry XSE
For the past 3-4 months I have been steadily looking for a new vehicle. I had a few must haves for my next vehicle. Must seat at least 7. Must have rear A/C and Heat. Must have full power and Cd. Must not break the bank. I considered everything from the new XC90 to the Kia Sedona. The finalists for me were as follows Ford Expedition (03) and Explorer, MDX, MPV, Honda Pilot and Odyssey. I came really close to pulling the trigger on a Pilot and Expedition but walked away at the last minute. First why I didn't choose the others.
Ford Expedition:
I actually liked this the best. It had a lot of room and features not available on others. Safety Canopy, Rear back up sensors in dash 6 disc player and more on the Eddie Bauer. The bad part was price, gas mileage and resale value. I think the reliabilty would be ok it is the most reliable full size SUV and the Expedition board has not posted of many problems. The resale really killed it and the fact that this would be my second car I couldn't justify paying 35k+ for it.
Ford Explorer:
I liked this too. Rented one and was very impressed. The third row wasn't usable enough for me and the resale on these are horrendous. I don't keep cars more than 3 yrs so resale is a big thing. I have office mates that have had bad experiences with explorers also so I stayed away.
Acura MDX:
Before Driving the Expedition this was my favorite. It was safe seated 7 and a luxury vehicle and nameplate. What killed it for me was pricing I refused to pay MSRP and this vehicle would have been 10k more than the vehicle I bought with almost the same powertrain. Sorry I don't have cash to throw away like that.
Honda Pilot:
Nice truck but the styling is very bland and the third row seat is pretty tight. Even though I could get a decent price it would have been 3-5k more than the oddy and just not worth it.
MPV:
I think resale value and size kind of killed it for me it is a nice van. I may have paid 2500 more for the oddy but I think I will see that on the back end.
Odyssey:
My wife and I are pretty young and felt that we weren't ready for minivan life. But having two kids and a house told us we were. The odyssey had the best blend of what we liked of the other vehicles. Almost all the same features of the pilot minus awd plus more room and cargo space. The Oddy almost offers as much room as the expedition and will probably get better gas mileage than my current car. Add in the fact that I got a good price and 3.49% financing I would have been dumb not to take it. Below is a break down of what I paid. I probably paid 3-400 more than I should have but I got the exact color and features I wanted right now with no wait. I purchased at gillman honda in Houston.
MSRP of Midnight Blue Pearl EX - 27360
Sealant side sticker of 695 (refused to pay this)
Purchase Price - 25671
Tax (6.25%)- 1604.45
Title, license, doc and misc - 176
Vin etching and security system - 299
Gap Insurance - 302
Total out the door price is right at 28000
I was offered a 6yr/80k mile warranty for 1195. I agreed at first but will cancel and buy a honda care warranty off the net if needed but like I said I usually don't keep vehicles more than 3 yrs so this will be a waste. I also received 3.49% for 60 months. All in all I think it was a good deal.
Thanks
So...the Sienna was looking better and better.
We did however make a final decision to stop at O'Hare Honda and they did have a Nav EX-L that we could test drive. The wife still liked the drive of the Sienna a tap better however no magic seat and the interior dimensions were nagging questions that we just didn't want to deal with given an expanding family but price is price and I really have no desire to take it on my knees and there are OTHER options. Anyhow we didn't expect anything from O'Hare Honda particularly given that when I inquired over the Net they would not discount (even though there ads say they have the best pricing and will match) and it seemed I could here the sales guy licking his lips when I told him our local Honda dealer did not have ANY Ody's to test drive... Anyhow we met the Sales Rep and did the test drive. We talked about the pricing and told him where were at and what he need to do to get the deal done, e.g. we told him the price they needed to be at if they wanted the deal. When we returned from the drive the Sales Rep took the number down and came back 5 minutes later congratulating us as we had our new vehicle + 3.49% financing.
So here are the stats...and I believe we did well (well at least well if we wanted an Ody).
Ody EX-L+Nav - 29,318 (+TTL)
Wheel Locks/Mudguards - $0
We did buy an extended warranty (7/75,000) for $1500. Maybe a tap on the pricey side but since it is provided by Honda this alleviates any tranny concerns and worth the piece of mind.
The moral of the story for us (everyone has a different experience) is that if you have do your homework, have your price in hand, can back it up, and walk in to the dealership and are willing to buy that day, it can be a very simple process. Either they match or you walk. Apparently those stuck on MSRP are not so stuck (+ we waited until this time of year to take advantage of dealers moving inventory).
Just my story hope it helps.
I would agree with most that the Honda dealers were not suffering from a lack of "confidence" and in some cases were downright pompous. On the otherhand one of the Toyota dealers turned out to be borderline stalkers. In one Saturday we had at least three different people call us...and this was after they completely blew us off the night before in the parking lot..e.g. no one even came out to greet us after 20 minutes and when I tried the following weekend I was told the dealership had closed 5 minutes before as I was viewed with a look of disgust because I requested a test drive "after hours" (and my son's diaper was not the reason for this look (e.g. no poo poo)).
I never figured out why they would put so much work on the phone to get me there and then no work in on the lot. The final straw was I did make an appointment with a rep on Friday and when we arrived for the test drive yesterday I was told he no longer worked for the dealer. LOL - dealing with them made me feel like I had fallen in to a Kafkaesque alternative reality...which (once again) was sort of like our Ody search. Regardless it was driving my wife nuts to be contacted by separate people without any recognition of what there colleagues were doing. I suspect they eat their young at this dealership...
I think the most important aspect of an auto purchase regardless of the vehicle is the homework you do in advance. It can and will save you thousands. I also agree with the posts on dealers...find one whose style you like. Buying a car is similar to dating in that...every date will be different, some you will be attracted to right away, some you will dislike from the first, some will be easygoing and some will want commitments right away, some will promise you the world and not deliver and some will not promise you anything but prove thems upon further meetings and this will be the one you marry. Of course like marriage you will always be able to file for divorce later however contingent on your your earlier decisions/choices these will define how much it will cost you. Lastly only time will show if you if you made the right decision :-D
in the spirit of full disclosure, I had a few dealers in driving distance very close to my price. However, since my wife was insisting on black, and there were only 3 in stock in a 3 state area, I didn't press to the bone. If you have more than one color in mind, you could probably do better in price.
Another Dealer in Charlotte,NC (Agent - Debbie) also offered me better deal, but that is too far for Northern VA.
I visited this TownHall, thanks for all the postings, it gave me enough information how to proceed. At some point of time, I have second thoughts of going to Sienna, But not after reading all the messages here.
I started calling NC dealers one by one, and I could get a 26360 (Including destination) at Leith Honda, Raleigh. Jessy Nordom is the agent helped me.
Again, Townhall is definately a great resource for new car buyers, specially for Odyssey with great demand.
dealer did not have EX-L on the color i wanted and that's why i agreed for after market leather,and probably, that helped my negotiation for this deal.after market leather does not have seat heating and rest is same as factory leather.
If you qualify for 3.49% financing it is an even better bargain. There are of course much better deals to be had on other Mini's but then again they would not be Ody's...
Thanks
I spent most of yesterday making phone calls and sending emails. THe results were that Doris at Twin Honda in Chicago had the best price. Dennis had better selection, and offered to match her price, but since I live in Chicago, I went with the local offer.
I got a sitter, and hubby and I went to the dealer. In three hours, we test drove the Oddy, looked at a different Oddy with DVD (we decided not), financed it and drove away. No pressure for any add-ons. No pressure for the extended warrenty. Just a lot of very nice professional people willing to sell a great car.
So here's the scoop on what we got:
Honda Oddy EX-L 26,880
Tax (7%) 1,884
License 143
Doc 51
County Tax 15
Out the Door 28,973
Then, I got Honda financing for 3.49% for 60 months. I'm pretty happy.
THanks to everyone who posted over the past months, so we could benefit. We really appreciate your help.
I had been talking to Jay in Ohio and another dealership in the Louisville area as well as Twin Cities in Chicago (they were all in the $1,800 off MSRP range), but when I got this local deal it was too good to pass up.
No matter--enjoy your Ody and good luck!
If you are looking for a good price try Vandergriff Honda in Arlington. They are trying hard to be the Honda leader in this area. I bought a 2003 EX-L RES, Midnight Blue Pearl, 3 weeks ago from Vandergriff. The price I paid was $2,100 below total vehicle sticker price, plus they added 2 free oil changes and any of the Odyssey accessories I wanted at their cost.
My salesman was Ken Gilbert. He's very nice and very helpful.
Good luck with your quest.
Thank you for choosing Goodson Honda West (formerly Spring Branch
Honda) for the purchase of your new Honda. We have three Fleet &
Internet Account Managers Mr. Tim Chow, Willie Evans and Rick Wang.
One of us will be available to assist you Monday through Saturday
9:00 am - 8:00 pm.
The 2003 Odyssey EX is a EXCELLENT choice. The window sticker price of
this
vehicle is $27,360.00 and your Special Internet Price is $25,500
(includes destination charges).
I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to Goodson Honda
West to test drive the vehicle.
The first available Account Manager will call you. Should you wish
to speak with one of us before we call you can reach us at Or by replying this e-mail
Thank you,
Rick Wang
Fleet & Internet Manager
Goodson Honda West
(formerly Spring Branch Honda)
10250 Old Katy Rd
Houston, Texas 77043
Sharon
P.S. I think one could even push for more as the 1st approaches.
So if you make a Sienna XLE with all these features. (Leather/Heated seats/dual power sliding doors/side air bags/traction control).
u will end up buying a LOT of extras.
the invoice ran to $ 29,500. Even if u get 1000 rebate and combine to $ 400 college grad rebate(if u qualify). it would cost u - $ 28,100. I got my ody EX-L for $ 27,500 which is still less than that. And Sienna cannot give u:
240 hp
thirds row folding seats
combin 2nd row 2 seats...
lets see what they do for '04, but i settled with '03 ody...
Contact Joe Mitchelotiti.
He should give you a nice deal.
Good luck
Cheers !
First off, there are no $2000 discounts around here. One dealer had a newspaper ad for an EX-L RES at $672 below MSRP but "that one sold late last night." As usual.
My solution was to let my fingers do the walking. I phoned the fleet managers at about 8 LA-area dealerships and asked them their best price on an '03 Ody EX-L RES (MSRP $30,360 including destination charge). Most would not budge below MSRP, and in fact had added lots of inflated dealer options. Two others quoted a slightly better price ($100 to $500 below MSRP) but "forgot" that there was 3.49% financing available and quoted 4.9% despite being told that my FICO was high 700s. Bye-bye.
I ended up dealing with Bob Mattes at Honda World in Downey, CA. He quoted the '03 EX-L RES at $500 under MSRP (net $29,860 + $2467 sales tax + $239 DMV + $45 doc fee + $5 tire disposal fee). To sweeten the deal he agreed (still on the phone, sight unseen) to include wheel locks, fenderwell trim, mudguards and cargo tray without additional charge. BTW, those minor dealer accessories are quite inexpensive for them. Bob gave me the deal exactly as promised. Then of course, the finance guy tried to get me to bite on everything from etching to extended warranty to Lojack. I gave him a polite Nancy Reagan ("just say no"). I was out the door for $32,616.
Nice big van, really a great value compared with the competition. The kids love the space and especially the DVD!! Now to get a deal on a Hondacare warranty. Those doors, you know...
They might have been motivated by it being close to the end of the month/year.
Dealer was Honda East on Beechmont Ave/I275
Good Luck.
the 23,100, of course does not include t/t
What does it matter. Honda's earnings are based on selling the unit to the dealer not to you.
Be thankful all of you are getting something off a vehicle that has been MSRP for over 4 years. Can anyone believe a minivan has sold at MSRP for that long? Here in Boston, that is still the norm although some are starting to loosen up.
I live in Apple Valley and my experience is similar to yours. I have heard from all five local dealers (Brooklyn Park, Buerkle, Richfield, Burnsville, and Hopkins) as well as Rochester and the story is the same - MSRP or nothing. I am going to Chicago this weekend and will be checking out a dealer in Libertyville and, just for grins, Jacobs Twin (heard a LOT of mixed reviews). Finally, I may have to get serious about the Ohio dealers... It appears that there are some dealers willing to ship the van to your front door! So far, the only drawback of buying out of state is that you MIGHT lose your Lemon Law rights (I have not confirmed this). In lieu of saving almost $2000, I am willing to look around...
Keep us posted on your searching please!
Wholigan
2004 Honda Accord EX-L Graphite Pearl
2007 Honda Civic EX - Atomic Blue
2013 Honda Civic LX - Crimson Pearl