2013 and earlier Honda Odyssey Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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Comments

  • dinky100dinky100 Member Posts: 21
    Well-- I purchased the EXL-res on Sat too-- the MSRP is 32410.00-- but they gave me 1k off of that- so it was actually 31410.00-- or they gave me another 1k for my trade- anyway you look at it... it does sound like there was a bit of mark up on it though...
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
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  • georgersmgeorgersm Member Posts: 2
    FYI. Family Honda in RSM had a $3995 mark up on the new LX 2005. The LX was something crazy like $29,000. They only had 1 on the lot, they had an n EX-L but i don't recall the markup.

    I guess I'll be getting a Sienna. Anybody got any dealer recommendations in SoCal?
  • pen101pen101 Member Posts: 238
    When financing your 05, what down, interest rate and term is the dealer offering. Also, if leasing what MF and residual is the dealer offering.
  • carltaocarltao Member Posts: 7
    Hi George, Have you try Norm Reeves yet? I am in the market for a EXL w/RES & NAV. Make sure you deal with the Internet Sales Mgr. Good luck. Carl
  • georgersmgeorgersm Member Posts: 2
    Hi, I'm actually going with a Sienna. I didn't care for the new look of the Odyssey, the sales rep did explained how new front end is suppose to help distrubute the impact of a front end crash over the entire car. It sounds nice but I don't like the look. Guess i'll be going over to the Toyota board.
  • laroy76laroy76 Member Posts: 12
    "I need to know exactly what to watch out for...the thought of having to deal with car salesmen is making me ill." said bsacco.

    If you are a rookie then why do you have such a negative view of car salesman? The advice I'd give you is look for a Honda dealer in your area that has earned the Presidents Award for 2003 (the most recent). You can do this by going to Hondacars.com to use the dealer locator. Look for the Presidents Award logo (gold P) next to the dealers name. These dealers have had a near perfect customer satisfaction survey rating.

    Don't go into the dealership thinking that the salesman is a "crook". Do your research before you go in. Salespeople would much rather work with someone who knows what the car is worth (invoice, holdback, etc.) and what they are selling for than some yahoo who is throwing out unreasonable numbers and wasting everyone's time. Do not lie to a salesman if you expect them to be honest with you. The worst thing you can do is lie to a salesperson by making up stories about other offers from competing dealerships. How frustrating do you think it is for a honest salesperson (yes, they do exsist) to work with someone who lies.

    The things that you need to avoid are paying over MSRP, undercoating, dealer fees (like prep, admin, or whatever else they call it). If the van already has installed accessories that you don't need tell them you want one without any accessories. If there are accessories you want be sure that you get quotes for those as well. The dealer does pay for accessories and installation but sometimes they'll mark them up to make more gross profit. If you go to a dealer with the best price on the van and then buy $500 splashguards you just shot yourself in the foot.
  • SylviaSylvia Member Posts: 1,636
    Use the dealer locator tool and SEND EMAIL to the dealerships. You'll get a pretty good feel from email who has what in stock, what type of "deals" they are offering, etc. Shop the dealers honestly against each other (i.e. don't lie in email that another dealer is giving you a better price if they aren't). Also, don't let any dealer tell you that if you don't buy the car from them, they won't service it. If you have to get the car 60 miles away and the closest dealer is 10 miles, I doubt the service dept at the closest dealer will turn you away for maint, etc.

    Personally - and this is just my direct experience with Honda. Don't rely only on the Honda site as to who has won awards for customer satisfaction surveys. When I bought my Honda, the salesman TOLD ME that I better answer all "excellents" or there would be problems (later eluded to my husband that the problem would be they wouldn't service my new car). It is well-known in the industry that the satisfaction surveys aren't accurate because of the pressuring the dealerships/salespeople put on customers to answer only with top ratings. If you want to discuss this specifically, go to the discussion Dealer Bribes & Satisfaction Surveys so we don't derail the Prices Paid discussion here.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I disagree with the E-mail approach. The VAST, VAST majority of these are flaky and a lot of dealers won't waste their time responding to these. We get FLOODED with e-mails and "blast faxes" every day.

    laroy76 had some good advise in his post.

    The best way, would be to simply ask your friends and associates for a referral. If you park next to a car at Costco with ABC Honda license frames, you might ask the driver about their experiences.

    It really doesn't have to be at all difficult.
  • laroy76laroy76 Member Posts: 12
    Sylvia, Honda has recently cracked down on the practice of bribes for survey scores. Honda has said that they will ask customers during the phone survey if they were coached in any way prior to taking the survey. If the customer hints that there was a bribe or coaching was involved Honda will come down hard on the dealer. They take away bonus programs for all levels of management, including owners. Honda will also take away a dealership's chance for incentives and award programs. Trust me, there isn't any salesperson who wants to get called into the GM's office to have that talk.
  • montreidmontreid Member Posts: 127
    There's SPAM and then there's email from serious buyers, many from the latter.

    Based on two very successful purchases solely on the email approach, I would highly recommend initiating ALL requests via email.

    Salespeople know that this is to the buyer's advantage and earnestly try to get you on the phone instead to gain an advantage. DO NOT LET THEM DO THIS. Firmly hold to the fact that you want:

    1. Model A with options 1,2,3
    2. Color x
    3. Make sure that they have car on the lot and request VIN#.
    4. Discuss price once they confirm 1-3.
    5. Negotiate price via email and confirm that price is including ALL FEES and charges.
    6. Don't discuss financing or trade-in until you've agreed on the price of the purchase.

    Of all the emails that I sent to dealers, EVERY one has been answered in very timely manner. Many tried to get you on the phone, but the dealerships that had a dedicated Internet salesperson (usually Fleet manager), then I've found that they felt very comfortable making offers online.
  • papowellpapowell Member Posts: 6
    I've never bought new before either and I'm also in the market for a new Sienna or Odyssey. The resources I've used to figure it all out is:

    Don't Get Taken Every Time by Remar Sutton
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0141001496/qid=1095812151/- sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/104-4433687-2575101
    Great book on how to buy a car.

    http://www.edmunds.com/
    Duh!

    http://www.carbuyingtips.com
    Nice site, read it start to finish
  • sstrattosstratto Member Posts: 5
    My wife and I are going tomorrow to look at the 05 Odyssey. We really like the Sienna but waited to compare the two. I expect that we will make up our mind and buy a vehicle before the end of the week.

    I think we will probably end up w/ the Odyssey. Any suggestions on getting the best price for a new/hot model?
  • SylviaSylvia Member Posts: 1,636
    Please see the Dealer Bribes & Satisfaction Surveys. I responded to your similar post there.
  • tripmomtripmom Member Posts: 5
    I am in Northern NJ too. I looked/called everywhere for prices. Everyone was holding fast to MSRP. Then I saw in the Edmunds Honda Odyssey 2005+ Board that someone got $500 off MSRP at Nanuet Honda via Internet Sales.

    I went to their web site and scheduled a test-drive on-line. Within minutes I had an automatically generated e-mail response telling me the price of the car would be MSRP-$500. The salesman called me a minute later.

    In addition, you get a $100 savings certificate for asking for info. on-line, and a $200 savings certificate for scheduling the test-drive on-line. The certificates are for dealer added accessories.

    So I went for my test drive today, bought the car and they are letting me use the certificate for 2 extra headphones for the DVD. I got the Touring model with RES/NAV. They told me to pick any color I wanted and they would have it for me by Sept. 30th.

    It really couldn't have been a more pleasant buying experience. Maybe dealers will budge more off MSRP in a few months if sales aren't what's expected, but I really need the car now. I liked that I didn't have to haggle over the price and that I got the best price possible in the area. Good luck.
  • sstrattosstratto Member Posts: 5
    My wife and I are going tomorrow to look at the 05 Odyssey. We really like the Sienna but waited to compare the two. I expect that we will make up our mind and buy a vehicle before the end of the week.

    I think we will probably end up w/ the Odyssey. Any suggestions on getting the best price for a new/hot model?
  • mikechenmikechen Member Posts: 11
    Just come back from dealer! Wow! Surprise us! All of 3 cars mark up $3,999. One of them we saw was Touring even w/o Nav& Res asking for $40k ($35k + $3,999. So out of door price for Touring + Nav + Res will be around $46K. (Rather drive X5 or ML320)

    05' Ody is indeed slightly better than 04' Sienna, but not much like 99' Ody at that time. Sienna is better in Hid light, AWD, Easy In/out for 3rd seats people come with sun screen in 3rd windows.

    Both us think we will watch and wait for 1. price cool down (some dealers are gready for new model) or get Sienna for reasonable price 2. Benz brand new 2006 ML320 may have 7 or 8 seats (when want to spend $46k for a car)
  • ksypalksypal Member Posts: 1
    My wife and I just bought a 05 Odyssey EX-L last weekend in the Washington, DC area. The dealer wouldn't move from MSRP. It was the first one they received, and they told us they weren't worried about having problems selling it. To the contrary, one could make a "first mover advantage" arguement that we may have gotten in before the dealer had a chance to figure out the right mark-up to add. Rumor had it that other dealers in the area will marking up as much as $3,000 above sticker. That said, we were able to get our dealer to drop the destination charge and "supposedly" give us a break on an extended warranty, a $1,000 value.

    A brief review of the 05 Odyssey: The car is very impressive. The other cars we drove and were considering were the Sienna and the Sequoia. Dollar-for-dollar the Odyssey was the clear value leader. It's has all the bells-and-whistles of the Sienna and more, better pick-up and handling (if you like a tighter ride), and costs less. Can't think of a better combination! I would be very surprised if the Odyssey doesn't get written up as the clear class winner.

    Best of luck to everyone considering buying!
  • jogoat99jogoat99 Member Posts: 3
    Bought my 2004 EX-L Odyssey through Internet Sales at Norm Reeves in Cerritos, CA and paid $25,622. THey threw in a cargo tray, wheel locks, and mudflaps for nothing. Out the door price was %$28,011. I was in and out of the dealership in 40 minutes, mainly because I faxed them all the info needed to fill out paperwork.
  • montreidmontreid Member Posts: 127
    I didn't think about faxing in all the paperwork information. Had to spend about 1.5 hours at the dealership to finalize everything: Stockton Honda in Stockton, CA. 2004 EX-L at $25,000 +Tax/title, but didn't get the tray. The mudflaps costed $250 and didn't haggle over taking them off.
  • dexdex Member Posts: 42
    Just heard that the MSRP for the Touring with Nav/RES is $38,810 which would mean that the uplift for Nav/RES is $3,800. My source is generally reliable but it's unconfirmed. Can anyone verify whether this is indeed the correct MSRP ?
  • jayhondadjjayhondadj Member Posts: 7
    Prices have just been announced the MSRPs are, the LX $25510, the EX $28510, the EX w/leather is $30810, the EXL RES $32410, EXL R&N(RES & NAVI) $34610,
    TOURING $35010 and the TOURING w/R&N $38810.
  • tommister2tommister2 Member Posts: 393
    Wow, I've missed many good discussions here in the last few weeks! I can't resist providing my feedback.

    Email works! I bought my last car, a 2004 Civic, via email. To me, that's how I want to communicate and I will give my business to a dealership that will accomodate me.

    Price lies: isellhondas, you and I had a semantic argument a year ago about when a car has been "wrecked". It seems you are in a similar situation. Some people are accusing you of accusing posters about lying about their deals. I don't think you are accusing them of lying, just saying their deals don't seam believable. I think sometimes they just leave out critical pieces. Also, a trade makes it very difficult to figure out exactly what someone paid for the new car.

    As for TMV, the 6 or so cars I've sold in the last 2 years have all sold for less than TMV, private party. The 2 I took to dealers to estimate for trade were much lower than TMV, but very close to KBB. (TMV is almost always higher than KBB). Keep in mind I don't compare all prices, just for cars I am selling or buying.

    Thanks for letting me put in my $0.02

    Tom
    2011 Toyota Camry, 2014 Jeep Wrangler, 2017 Honda Civic Coupe, 2019 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid XSE, 2021 Toyota Tundra, 2022 Toyota 4Runner, 2022 Tesla Model 3
  • glindaglinda Member Posts: 2
    Mike Pruitt Honda in Akron, Ohio has gotten some great reviews for Pilot sales in the past. So I gave a call. They are selling incoming 05 Odysseys for the sticker price - but no more than this! The Internet person told me it takes a $500 deposit and they will hold onto an incoming Odyssey.
  • bayareaguybayareaguy Member Posts: 11
    Mike -

    Have you contacted Anderson Honda in Palo Alto? If not, I would highly suggest contacting them via email/Internet dept and ask for a quote. I did a bit a research for the 04 Odyssey and they seemed to have the best price in the Bay Area. I'm looking to possibly make my purchase of the '05 Odyssey next Jan/Feb.

    Good luck!
  • montreidmontreid Member Posts: 127
    Come out to the Central Valley and save a bundle. Try Lodi and Stockton Honda. I know they've offered MSRP to my partners at work for the '05 EX-L RES
  • ggsggs Member Posts: 30
    Wow, it's unfortunate to hear that paying MSRP for an '05 Odyssey is considered a "good deal" right now. It really doesn't pay to be an early adopter.

    Although I must admit that the -$500 off MSRP Internet deal reported by the NJ poster does seem quite generous considering it's brand-new "hot" vehicle with no invoice pricing detail at the moment.

    Speaking of invoice, when will we see invoice prices show up on Edmunds or other sites?
  • elaineelaine Member Posts: 17
    An internet salesman (working at a legitimate dealership) offered me $250 under MSRP and secured the color and options I want. It will be made in October and delivered in November. We had discussed a possible $500 deposit, but in our last conversation he said he didn't need it. My word was all he needed.

    Now I'm worried/concerned that when the vehicle arrives it may be sold to someone else.

    He did seem very trustworthy in our emails and phone calls. And I have saved all the emails, with the details we discussed.

    Does this sound legitimate for a dealer to not require a deposit?

    Should I call him back and tell him that I WANT to give him a deposit?

    Thanks....
  • sltslt Member Posts: 11
    Very intrigued that you got the dealership to drop the destination and handling fee (what was the value?) AND throw in an extended warranty (what were the extended warranty details?)!!!

    In Boston, the '05 Odyssey is just hitting the mkt and is being sold at MSRP:for the EX-L with NAV and RES MSRP is $34,610 ($34,095 Base + $515 D&H fee); for the Touring with NAV and RES MSRP is $38,810 ($38,295 Base + $515 D&H fee).

    Anyone know of any dealerships willing to discount off MSRP in the Boston area or nearby???

    Does anyone know if you have to give up the 6 disc CD chger if you select the NAV option?

    THANKS!!!!
  • knowingknowing Member Posts: 2
    Okay, so they offered you $500 off plus another $200 off on any color you wanted by the 30th? This would stand to reason that the dealer has every color in stock??? They must be getting hundrds of them to sell them at $700 less then every one else and offer you every color.
  • knowingknowing Member Posts: 2
    no, the CD is behind the navigation system. Pretty cool.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Your dealer has no fear of loss. If you don't buy it, it'll get snapped up by someone else probably for a higher price.

    That's why he didn't need a deposit.
  • elaineelaine Member Posts: 17
    Is it likely that when it arrives at the dealer, it will be sold to someone else at a higher price?

    Or are no deposit / "on your word" deals kept?

    Thank you...
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,555
    If my local dealer offered up an EX-L at 29.5K (the target price I had in mind based on the hold the line on price concept), I would sign right up. MSRP is 30.810K, which pushes me over the edge (must the the psychology of the 30K barrier that I have never exceeded before).

    We don't really need a new van right away. My wife wold like it by Christmas, but it won't kill her to wait until the beginning of next year.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Oh, I 'm assuming the dealer will be good to his word and sell you the Odyssey for the agreed price.

    But, if, for some reason, you were to back out, it wouldn't be a big deal to that dealer since these are in such high demand.
  • cabaistecabaiste Member Posts: 31
    I'm picking up my 2005 EX-L this evening. I preordered through the Internet department at Honda of Nanuet, NY and got $750 off MSRP. Spoke to the Internet sales manager a few days ago and they are still giving $500 off to all purchasers.
    This purchase transaction has been the easiest I've made in many years of car buying. The dealership even arranged financing at very attractive rates (3.64% for 60 months). FOr all the horro stories about arrogant and overpriced honda dealers throughout the country (and I dont doubt them for a moment), its nice to come across a positive dealership experience.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,555
    Hmm, maybe I should go visit my parents soon (I grew up in Pearl River, the next town over, and they still live there).

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • massmanmassman Member Posts: 21
    want to buy 05 oddessy and get best price, between this website and honda.com do not need to be sold by a salesman, so how can i find out if local dealerships in greater boston area have a internet department that will sell 05 below sticker?
  • massmanmassman Member Posts: 21
    Also looking to buy one in greater boston, who have you spoken to so far? Anyone willing to go below MSRP?
  • SylviaSylvia Member Posts: 1,636
    Go to the New Cars section of the site and navigate to the Honda Odyssey 2005 page. Use the dealer locator tool there (input zip code). This will go to the internet dept of the dealer (or person who handles online requests).
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Have an Internet Department.

    Just know, the "Internet Manager" is a salesperson too.

    It's a good place, actually, to train new salespeople. It makes them tough! :)
  • majordadmajordad Member Posts: 43
    Most of the previous discussion centered on Boston and CA areas. Has anyone in the DC/Balto area checked pricing on the '05 OD? I went to a dealer on 22 SEP and was surprised to see a mark-up of $1499 for the dealer prep on all models. The prep was only wheel locks, mudguards, and striping. The salesperson said, and I quote, "other dealers are charging $3K, so their $1.5K was a bargain." I don't know what type of stuff she was smoking! but I'm not going to play the buyer's remorse game for paying $1K to $3K above MSRP.

    I should note that the ride, feel and design of the OD is pretty nice. I'm really leaning toward buying either the EX-L or the Touring model.

    Its also shameful that Honda is going the Toyota route by adding the Touring model. Its just another expensive package deal. The power liftgate should have been a standard accessory for the EX-L. Maybe they'll fox this in future. Its akin to buying a Seinna wherein you have 20 packages to choose from. So you get a vehicle with one power door instead of two for $30K.

    But waht really irks me is that I can purchase an '05 Grand Caravan with power sunroof, GPS/NAV, Rear DVD, power liftgate, leather and other options for $26K but I'd rather pay an additional $12K for the OD. Oh well...
  • rocko1rocko1 Member Posts: 5
    What was the out of door price on 2005 EX-L. Did you have to make a deposit to get the van

    Thanks
  • vertrkrvertrkr Member Posts: 21
    Contrary to what others say about models being snapped up sure seems all the dealers still have their original inventory sitting around. Most dealers received 3-5 models last week. After checking about 20 dealers in my area they all still have most of their original inventory. I'm hoping consumers are balking at the ridiculous markup and sticker shock and holding off for prices to come down.

    In my book I won't buy an '05 Ody until they match the street price for a comparable Sienna. In my book the Sienna is a better van in 'almost' every regard. Certainly a plusher/nicer looking interior, better fit/finish (look at the weld seems under the rear tail gate), better material, HID, Laser cruise, telescopic steering wheel, bigger interior volume...

    I'm comparing the top of the line of each model, Touring/NAV with XLE Limited HO package. The Ody has the Sienna beat hands down on the NAV and RES interface which is the only reason I'm considering the Honda but it's so important to me I'd get the Ody if the prices were the same.

    So then, seems most can get a Sienna for about 500-$1000 over invoice which should put that model at roughly $36,000. I figure I'll give Honda a few months to come down to earth and match their competition on price else it's Toyota for me and I'll live with the inferior nav.
  • jeahsjjeahsj Member Posts: 9
    Same here. Got oil change this morning for my Honda Pilot at my local Honda and the salesperson I purchased the Pilot from said he had two 05 Odyssey's in stock, beside the one that was on display. He did mention, however, that the touring version is on order for several buyers. Nonetheless, the market finally has a good assortment of minivans to choose from. The days of paying MSRP are over. Trust me...wait or negotiate!
  • sltslt Member Posts: 11
    I have spoken to Herb Chambers on Commonwealth Ave and Bernardi Honda in Natick. Neither is willing to budge from MSRP. I am going to try via the internet. I'll advise if I find a break anywhere.
  • sltslt Member Posts: 11
    where do you live? In Boston, dealers are just getting in models.
  • cabaistecabaiste Member Posts: 31
    Out the door price including NY Sales Tax at 8.125% was $32,569.88. That number included registration and a $45 doc fee from dealer.
  • sltslt Member Posts: 11
    I may have missed this, sorry, but did you get NAV or DVD options on your EX-L model? Did you get the 8th seat or console. THANKS!!
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    ...in Burlington - I was there on Tuesday. They had just gotten in a Touring and and EX-L RES. That was it - nothing else expected for about a week. They are at MSRP.

    I was at Honda Cars of Boston in Everett today - they got in 2 as well on Tuesday. I did not inquire on pricing.
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