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I finally bought my EX-L w/ RES from Menlo Honda in Redwood City. The color is Silver.
I was trying to get a van for $1000 over the invoice which non of the dealers around the Bay Area would go for. So I started looking in Southern California. The best price from Costa Mesa Honda (around Irvaine) was $1500 over invoice.
I took that price and corss-shoped around the Bay Area. Menlo Honda offered me $1600 over the invoice price + TTL. That came to about $30,600 + TTL. OTD I think it was about $34K. I figured I'd better buy it around here rather than flying to LA and driving the van back.
The experience was very painless. The finance manager was nice. He didn't push us to buy any extra warranty or anything although he offered it.
We went with Honda's financing with a rate of 3.99% initially. Then he said if we buy the paint protecter and the leather gaurd for ~$580 he'd give us a rate of 3.74%. With the paint and leather guard included, and the new rate, our payment was increased only $2 (from $516 to $518 per month for a 60 month term). So we took the paint and leather gaurd. I also asked them to install the third-row sunshades for $265.
After we bought the van, we test drove it!!! Yeah, I know.... But I had test driven this car at least 4 times before.
We are picking it up today since they still had to detail it and install the sunshades. The van had a total of 3 miles on it. It just arrived at the dealership. They also had another EX-L with RES in Silver and one witought RES in Silver.
I know other people are buying Odys around $100 to $500 over invoice around the country but dealers in the Bay Area simply don't go less than MSRP for some reason. I figured I could have bought one for $1000 over invoice if I waited another month. But with a second child due any day now, it is assuring that we have the van before the arrival.
If I couldn't get the Ody for this price, I would have bought a Sienna. The advantage of Sienna over Ody is that it has a wider 2nd row so my wife could have sat in between my to children's car seats. But with Ody, it is kind of tough. Also, I could have bought the Sienna for invoice.
Thanks again for all the usefull tips and information. I hope my 2 cents would help someone else. This is a great website.
You did great and you shouldn't belittle that! $100-$500 over invoice on EX-L are EXTREMELLY rare and can only be found in the areas of low demand. Bay area is obviously not one of such areas.
"I figured I could have bought one for $1000 over invoice if I waited another month."
That's also not given. Close to invoice deals are always require a lot of work and there's no guarantee that these will be common even in a year.
Such a line is nothing more than BS from a dealer who doesn't want to compete on price.
Go elsewhere as fast as you can.
http://home.comcast.net/~2005odyfan/Checklist.html
This is a very extensive checklist for an 2005 Touring NAV/RES but you can modify it to your need. My husband used this checklist when we took delivery of our EXL.
All of these things are carefully checked in the Pre-Delivery Inspection.
But..whatever floats your boat I suppose!
Someone sure had a lot of time on their hands!
People on this board have suggested going to Spokane WA (5 hours each way) or Oregon (3 to 6 hours each way, depending upon where in OR) to get a deal on an Odyssey. But it turns out there is a lazier (if slightly more expensive) way:
A co-worker of mine told me that he had bought his three-year-old Odyssey from an auto wholesaler. As I understand it, the wholesaler is an individual who is licensed to buy cars from an auto dealer and resell them as new.
I contacted the wholesaler my friend used (Autosco is the company name, if you are interested) by phone, told him what I was interested in, and he called back the next day with a quote and an estimated delivery date. The price was good for the Seattle area (invoice + $1000), so I decided to buy it.
For $200 extra the wholesaler would have trailered the minivan to my door. I decided to drive to the wholesaler's (about 3 hours south, near the WA / OR border) to pick up the car instead. (It was a good excuse for a road trip!) I also got a fairly good trade-in price on my old car. (Not nearly as good as if I sold it myself, but then it saved me time.)
The minivan came from an OR dealer. It had 13 miles on the odometer. OR has no sales tax, but since I live in WA I still had to pay the WA sales tax rate. So no savings there.
Anyway, it was a nice low-pressure way of buying a minivan at a good, if not best, price. So far I'm quite happy.
They are serving the West Coast: Oregon, Washington, California including Alaska & Hawaii
Are there any Auto Wholesaler like Autosco in Florida ?
Thank you
All of these things are carefully checked in the Pre-Delivery Inspection.
But..whatever floats your boat I suppose!"
Isell, I typically agree with you but here I have to say that this is a good list and a good idea. I was one of the people whose RES didn't work because a fuse was left out. When I described the problem to a dealer, he knew right away why the DVD didn't work. So apparently that happens more than once. And I have now had the van almost two months and still have not checked all the power outlets. I assume they work, but I will need to check at some point. This list makes you think about that.
I'll also say that out of the HUNDREDS of new Hondas I've delivered I remember once, a remote didn't work and another time a domelight was stuck on.
I just think that pondrous list was a bit...well ...more than a bit of overkill.
They simply do not sell very well. For every LX a dealer orders he has to give up an EX or above.
That's why a lot of the smaller dealers don't order any LX's at all.
Nothing wrong with them but people seem to want it all these days.
I WISH I would have checked our CD player. Had we checked it before taking delivery (putting in a CD and playing it, hitting eject) we would have known then that the unit was faulty instead of on the ride home. The CD player wouldn't play and then wouldn't eject the CD. It ate one of my favorite CDs (which was ruined when they yanked the player out and I had to wait 6 weeks and PAY for them to send me my CD back which was broken so I was out postage AND the CD).
I had to wait 2 weeks for a new unit and then it took them 2 days in the shop to replace.
It takes all the fun out of owning a new car when something like that is broken in the first few hours.
So, if someone has a checklist and wants to go through it - no harm. Why not give them 30 minutes to validate that they feel really good about their new purchase? Beats what I went through.
I just felt that "check list" was a bit over the top. If I had a customer pull that out I would be happy to spend the extra time with them.
I want my customers to be 100% satisfied both with their car and the service they receive from me. I usually spend 20 minutes doing a delivery sometimes more depending on the customer. I don't check the operation of the CD players but I've never had a customer tell me later that it didn't work
The PDI technicians DO check those things, however or at least they are supposted to. No excuse for cutting corners or skipping steps.
I always, without fail call my cuetomers a couple of days after the sale just to make sure everything is OK and to thank them again for their business.
What is the current interest rate that Honda is offering?
Thanks in advance
Low term finance rates,incentives,rebates and special offers sponsered by Honda are posted on Honda.com. Dealers may offer finance packages independent of Honda.com.
The dealer is Honda Carland, Rosswell, GA
The sales manager is very nice and answered all my questions. For example, I asked why there was a pause (the car may even feels like decelerating) before the car started to accelerate if I depress the gas pedal too hard. I was told that the car actually first shifts to lower gear to increase torque for better acceleration. The pause won't be felt if the gas pedal is depressed gently.
This has been a great forum for making an informed decision prior to buying a vehicle... some really good posts. So with that said, I have a question, rather an opinion poll for you, if you would not mind - here goes...
I am getting a Mazda MPV ES 05 (loaded) for ~25600 OTD ... but for some reason I think I should get an Ody 05 LX for the same or more price
What should I go for as both fit my budget?
thanks in advance...
Also, has anyone heard anything re: Sloan Honda in Northeast Phila.?
first of all I would like to thank this forum and all of its contributors. It has provided invaluable information.
I am now glad to add my own experience. I was in the market for the EXL/RES+NAV, and emailed most of CT dealers on Tuesday. Reading some previous emails, I thought its would to be tough to find a deal. Within 4 hours of sending original emails, I made a deposit on a Silver/Grey Ody.
The price was $31,500.00, doc fee $179 plus TTL.
Thats $536 above invoice. The dealer seemed more than happy to do the deal, and I thought my offer was very fair.
We picked up the car today, perfect experience, the dealer went over all features of the car.
The dealership we purchased from is Fair Honda, in Danbury, CT.
Most of other dealers responded as well, most with actual price quotes, so if anybody is interested in my research, please PM me. Two dealers quoted $31,665, and the first one got my business as he had the car in stock and dropped the price to my target of 31500. The range of quotes was large all the way to MSRP.
I even talked to the Berlin Motors dealer in NH, prior to contacting anyone in CT, thinking it would be hassle free deal, like some others indicated. They started playing price games with me, and an hour after I signed a deal, they called to offer my target price, but it was too late :-)
Finally, the dealer put on honda wheel locks for no extra charge. I did not ask for them, so it was a nice touch. They also provided a couple of free oil changes coupons. Car did not come with any other honda accessories.
In the near future I plan to contact dealers mentioned in this forum for EW, and purchase few essential accessories.
Again thanks everyone!
IMHO there is no comparison - especially at the same price point the Honda wins hands down.
Based on recent posts, it seems that good deals are available on all Odyssey models pretty much all over the country except for Florida and certain West Coast markets.
Sent e-mail to 30+ dealers shown by www.hondacars.com. All the dealers in the dfw area lie in the range of 30410 to 32000. The lowest offer came from Jack O Diamonds, Tyler, TX at 29533 and next came Fenton Honda, Ardmore, OK at 29797.
I sent another round of emails to dfw area dealers asking them if they would match 29533. They dropped but close to 30000. Only Jim McNatt, De Soto said they would match, but I wasnt convinced.
Just because the dfw dealers sat so smug on their prices I decided to give my business to the Tyler dealer.
As a courtesy I called Fenton and informed the salesman that I was buying from anither dealer. Surprisingly he offered 29411 which I accepted. Doc fee was 89. They had to juggle some trades to get my color (Ocean Mist).
Ipicked it up today and drove 100 miles home. Nice ride, the instrument display backlight is awesome... :-)
The dealer tried(mildly) to sell extended warranty which I declined. Afterall this is a Honda.
Overall it was a great experience. Since I got some requests from people in dfw about my deal, I asked the salesman what price he would offer others and he said the same as mine.
I would definitely recommend this dealer. They have a policy of beating other offers to get your business.
If u want the namw of my salesman drop me an e-mail.
By the way, my prices above included destination. And I have to pay taxes in Texas when I register the van.
Now I have to read the owners guide and enjoy the van. Thanks to all for sharing their experiences in this forum.
PS: They have outlet malls on the way to Tyler and Ardmore from DFW area.... More incentive for you or you spouse to drive to these dealer. :-)
Thanks!!
Slyk
Whew - I can buy one at invoice and am having a hard time justifying the $34,558 price.
Guess it just goes to show how the perception of value can vary from person to person.
I've learned to (usually) stay out of these price forums, however let me know where these are and our store will no doubt buy their entire inventory!
So went to South Bay to shop around
dealer#1 800 under MSRP for EX
dealer#2 1001 over invoice for EX (he matched the quote I got via email from a North Bay dealer)
dealer #2 had more of the EX-Ls than the EX and no gray color interior on the EXs. He had olive interior ... any feedback on the olive int ? ... I liked it but thought it was prone to getting soiled like the ivory interior so wanted gray.
Asked dealer#2 about EX-L with gray int, his best offer was 1250 over inv.
So am waiting to hear back from some other dealers.. lets see.
Don't know if they'll sell you their entire inventory but you might want to check the website of College Hills Honda, in Wooster, Ohio (just outside Akron) where they are offering all in-stock Odysseys at 1 cent over invoice through the end of February.
And, yes, I am having a hard to justifying spending so much money on a minivan, good as it might be.
I Just completed a very good transaction on a Slate Green Metallic EXL-RES at Honda of Bowie. Many thanks to the contributors of this board, which I think helped me negotiate a $29872 + Dest + Process Fee + Tax + Tags deal. $31432 over-the-curb. Negotiated the price over e-mail/phone with a very, very, good sales lady. Always returned calls, prompt e-mails, and no surprises when I got to the dealership (about an hour drive). Although the ~2 hours to seal the deal was excruciating with a fussy infant, it was not unrealistic considering the test drive for the missus, and the sales lady going over the features, etc. No hard sell on the extended warranty or Scotchguard. Not the best deal on the board, but I was satisfied.
Also, Shockley Honda in Frederick, MD could beat the price and had NO process fee, but the wait was until the end of February. Too long for us as our Jeep sold surprisingly quick, leaving us with just one car, so we needed to buy fast.
Again, many thanks to the contributors, without it we would all be paying MSRP or above!! It is truly a wonderful van.
Good luck to all!!
Advantages of Odyessy
Better gas
NIce looking design of vans
Great ratings (however people in forums complain)
Sliding van doors, for better in/out.
Advantages of Sequoia
I think maybe a little more comfortable
4x4
SUV and not a "minivan"
Sit higher
Great ratings as well