On Friday I took delivery of a 2005 Odyssey EXL RES/NAV from Berlin City Honda in Gorham, NH. I don't know what the dealer holdback is, but according to edmunds, this is $365 below invoice. I was able to get the Honda financing of 3.29%, good until tomorrow, 2/22, making the deal especially sweet.
The information in this forum was instrumental in helping me to negotiate. I began this process after the holidays to take advantage of the 2.9% financing that Honda was offering through 1/5. I put a $500 deposit down with Torrington (CT) Honda for EXL RES/NAV at 31,850, but they were not able to get the car by 1/15, the date Honda mandated delivery to qualify for that financing rate. It as fortuitous! I decided I would wait until the President's Day weekend to see if Honda would reissue such financing. But I kept reading this forum and kept negotiating a better price. Right from the beginning, Berlin City was competitive. They offered $31,400, but when I was able to get Commonwealth Honda in Lawrence, MA to match, I decided to stay in-state (I live in far western MA) and skip the hassle of driving to RMV myself. I sent an email back to Berlin City thanking them for their help and cooperation, but telling them my decision. Within 15 minutes, I had an email back from their sales manager with the offer of $30,599, with $129 doc. fee, including destination. Meanwhile, a local dealer I had been talking to who was not able to match called to tell me about the Honda financing between 2/17 - 2/22 of 3.29 - 3.79. When I told Berlin City, they said they didn't know about this. I had them call Honda to verify. They did. I submitted my credit application over the phone and on the morning of 2/17, they submitted it to Honda. It was quickly approved. On Friday morning, a driver with chase car delivered the car to my workplace, a five hour trip, for $100. Though I had test driven the car several times before, I took this particular car on a test drive and ran through the checklist posted earlier. Everything was great and I signed all the paperwork. The drivers hopped in the car and began the long trip back up to NH. I never set foot in the dealership! This whole process was done via email and phone. I didn't sign a thing until I had the car in front of me. I am thrilled. I particularly love the XM radio. I didn't realize that this came with the NAV system. What a fantastic bonus. Now I have seven days to get to the RMV with all the paperwork that Berlin City provided to transfer my plates. No problem - definately worth the inevitable wait in line for such a price. I recommend the internet sales manager at Berlin City highly! He made the whole process so easy.
Hi! We live in Louisiana and are looking at prices on an EXL with RES & NAV and i was wondering if anyone out there had bought an Odyssey in our area lately? We have not discussed price with any dealer yet...Also, we have the Consumer Reports new car report on the Odyssey and were wondering if the dealer Holdback is pretty much a universal thing? We are trying to figure out what might be a reasonable price with the holdback taken into account. thanks for any input!
Glad you had a good experience and got a good price from Honda of Essex. Here's how my deal wound up. Made my deal for the EX-L Thursday night for 27450, wanted black exterior which they had to locate for me but would be no problem. They said it would be on their lot by Tuesday. They then filled in all the DMV, taxes, etching and processing fees after I signed the agreement. I called twice on Friday (but no one returned my calls) to complain about the etching fee. I went down there Friday afternoon and said the deal was off unless they took off the etching fee, they took off the etching fee. (Of course they gave me the line "my kid is hardly going to be able to eat this month because you are getting such a good deal". Having read somewhere in one of these great forums the response to that was "your kid is going to have a lot more to eat this month with than if I don't buy this car at all.") I also confirmed on Friday that I wanted black exterior, not the grey they had on the lot. Again, they told me no problem, they had found one for me and would have it on Tuesday. I left that afternoon feeling pretty darn great about my deal. Friday night I get another e-mail from Honda of Essex that was essentially a coupon for $150 off their low low prices if you made a deal this weekend. I was torn as to whether I should try and work this discount or leave well enough alone. I needed to get the VIN number of the black EX-L to get my insurance rolling. I decided that if they got me a VIN number by Monday, I would leave well enough alone, if not I would work it. Monday comes and of course they have a lot of excuses as to why they don't have a VIN number yet. Again, from these great forums I have learned that they probably can't get me the black EX-L. So I head down to the dealer (with my family for the first time). Bottom line I take the grey which they have on the lot (which was a close second choice in color to the black and was a sure thing) and they honor the $150 coupon. The sales manager seemed truly annoyed at me (I am hoping that's a sign I have gotten a great deal) and there was some argument between him and the internet sales manager as to whose bottom line that $150 was coming off. I will pick up the car on Wednesday morning. In the end I wound up paying $27201 (plus tax and DMV) for an EX-L. Honda of Essex delivered on every promise they made so far, I have been tremendously pleased with them. By the way bob919, the sales manager told me they give checks between $50-100 for referring customers to them. I don't think we are allowed to share our names in this forum but I would be happy to split anything I could get from them with you. This site is great. Granted I am not totally done yet as I have still need to pay the balance and take delivery of my car but thanks to all the good advice I got and read on this site I would up paying $1400 less than I had originally anticipated I would have to. Thanks to everyone!
In Tennessee I couldn't get anywhere with Darryl Waltrip on price. Tricket for a EX-leather $27,500 plus ttl. While I don't think that is bad I think I could do better. I keep seeing post about Sam Swope Honda in Louisville selling for $500 over inoice plus ttl. This would make an EXL-$26,027
I got a offer for a LX for $26234 (OTD). THis was a quote from a dealer 150 miles from my place. The local dealer is willing to match it, but they do not want to install any addons such as cargo mats, wheel locks and splash guards since the original quote did not mention about it.
I had left a deposit since they did not have the color I amlooking at. Now I am confused whether i need to take this offer.
Yes. I had to wait a while to get one. But, I just picked up ours last week.
I paid slightly over $37,000 for a 2005 Touring with NAV/RES. The precise value is hard to pin down because I got a bunch of minor options (cross bars, cargo nets, cargo tray, splash guards, wheel locks, 3rd-row sunshade and other exterior options) thrown in as part of the deal. The total was about $37,500.
I had some issues with another dealer near Chicago, which derailed my earlier deal (already well-documented in prior posts). But, I was happy with the price, service and professionalism exhibited by Jacobs' Twin Honda in Chicago.
I negotiated everything over a 10-minute cell-phone discussion, which was followed up with an email quote. I paid $500 on my credit card,which was credited to me when I purchased the car. The salesman even returned my calls regarding certain features of the car promptly.
The best part was that I did not have to wait for 12-16 weeks as I was initially told as the dealer had located and traded for the same model car from another dealer after 4 weeks. I highly recommend Jacobs' Twin Honda, especially since I was too busy to go out of state to get one.
The internet manager was professional and easy to deal with. I will not mention his name since I am not allowed to do so.
Rashdir: Ok thanks for the info. I guess I stand corrected. As for the tax thing, I had my local dealer say that the new car tax rate is 2% higher in the big cities such as Houston due to the city or county tacking on 2% for some reason. I don't remember specifically what she said. Anyway back on my local small (Allen Honda-College Station) town honda dealer, they would not budge off of msrp for nothing. I told the sales lady that I can buy for msrp anywhere, What in addition can you offer me (like freebies, free maint or whatever)to entice me to buy here? I got the "deer in headlights" look when I threw this at her. I guess everyone that walks in the door at this dealer happily agrees to pay full retail.
I fired off an e-mail to Jack-o-Diamonds over the weekend and haven't heard back from them yet.
Currently the best deal I have going is $2000 over invoice for touring w/navi-dvd-res. Slyk
The more I read the more I am noticing that I don't know about. The add ons--like cargo mats, cross bars, cargo nets, cargo tray, splash guards, wheel locks, 3rd-row sunshade and stuff like that--is there anything that I want out of these? Sue
I am in the final stages of completing a deal for an EX-L with Anderson Motors in Baltimore. I have found them very willing to come up with a good deal. For me it is $150 over invoice + $150 processing fee.
Dsmith: Have you checked over at Streater-Smith in Conroe? So far I got the best deal on a touring with navi-res for $2000 over invoice, which equals to $2252 off msrp. David McDavid also only offered me $500 under msrp. Slyk
Well, we called all around NC and the best out-the-door price we found was $31,000 (including tax, ttl, and doc fee) for an '05 Odyssey EX-L w/ RES. We're impressed enough to go with them. This deal is with Goldsboro Honda in Goldsboro, NC. And just so everyone knows, we *were* going to go with Davenport Honda in Rocky Mount, NC. They have PRICE MATCH GUARANTEE! If they were closer we would've kept our deal with them. Goldsboro is about 50 miles closer, though, so they got our business. Davenport Honda in Rocky Mount was willing to locate the vehicle we wanted, they had it brought in the same day and as I said before they are the only ones I've heard of in ages with the price match guarantee. But for us, the other dealership is closer so they win. No one was willing to hear $500 over invoice in this area. By looking around on here though, it seems that $31,000 for an EX-L w/RES including tax, ttl and doc fee isn't too bad! Going to get it tomorrow. Also, since it is the trim with the RES does anyone know if they are giving out courtesy DVDs? I thought I heard that they were giving out a courtesy DVD of Aladdin?
It surprised me, too, that the EX costs 3K more than the LX; I think that there are just a lot of little things in the EX that add up.
I have a very detailed list of all of the items in both trim lines (in a new car price report from CR that I bought for $12). The EX has many little additions that I don't really care about: 6 speakers instead of 4, "coming home device", garage door opener, remote control trunk release, external temperature, door entry light, remote power locks, heated side mirrors, etc. etc. etc.
The big differences, in my mind, are the power driver's seat, roof rails (but genuine Honda roof rails for the LX can be bought for about $250, and you can install them yourself), and the extra seatlet for the middle row.
For me personally, I'd rather buy the LX and spend the saved 3K (assuming I actually had it) on something else.
Anyway, I really appreciate the fact that Honda has provided us with a base-line van that has all of the great safety features, but limits cost by cutting back on the little luxuries (instead of visa versa).
The EX - cloth quality and cosmetically on the outside it looks much better than the LX. We went for the EX-L and are enjoying the sunroof and the leather (and hopefully the mileage) But the power doors are definitely a plus if you are with kids (or even adults who slide the door too fast and bang it Yesterday in SF (Lombard St) we were on an incline and the power sliding doors definitely helped - its slow but it closes!
My wife prefers the power adjusting seats over the manual. All in all - We like it! Hope this helps...
Well, I can tell you from my experience (I have a 2003 Ody) the add-ons that I'm glad I have.
Cargo Mat - nice. Especially with the 3rd row folded down and hauling messy things around (items from the nursery - flowers, bags of soil, etc.). It keeps the carpet clean and you can pull the mat out and spray it.
Cargo Tray - nice. I don't have to worry about the carpet in the back well getting messed up when I throw things in the way back.
Cargo Net - was thrown in. I use it every so often but not as important to me as the Cargo Mat and Tray.
I don't have splash guards, wheel locks or cross bars so maybe I don't know what I'm missing.
I bought my add-ons from H&A (Sponsor - ad banner at the top) which was less expensive than from the dealer - especially since they wanted to charge me an "installation fee" for putting in the cargo mat and tray (uh, hello - it's like putting in floor mats, you lay them down...I wasn't about to pay for that).
It really doesn't matter - just disregard that it is called a "document fee" and add it to (and treat it as part of) the price of the vehicle so that you base your decision on the total cost.
For instance, if you could buy the car for $100.00 plus a $30,000 doc fee, the car would cost $30,100 (which is no different than a quote of $29,800 plus a $300 doc charge).
I live in FL and am thinking of buying from Autofair in New Hampshire - insane, maybe, but the differences in prices are so great between Autofair and FL dealers that it seems worth it (besides, I actually enjoy long drives). Anyway, has anyone out there had really bad experiences with Autofair? Also, what should I do before going up to be sure that we really will get the van they say we'll get for the quoted price? Thanks all!
>It really doesn't matter - just disregard that >it is called a "document fee" and add it to (and >treat it as part of) the price of the vehicle so >that you base your decision on the total cost.
>For instance, if you could buy the car for >$100.00 plus a $30,000 doc fee, the car would >cost $30,100 (which is no different than a quote >of $29,800 plus a $300 doc charge).
Hogwash!!!! The document fee does matter! All of the online forums and pricing guides I have read say that a document fee of around $100 is fair, but anything else is too much. And do you really believe that they will give you a lower price on the car because they are charging a higher doc fee? Come on, you should negotiate the doc fee just like any other fee on the car.
Who out there in cyber land knows where to get the best deals on after market add-ons, such as a cargo mat and cargo tray?
How can the true dealer cost of such items be determined? Seems to me there is a huge mark-up. Dealers are very willing to, "throw them in" to, "close the deal".
I've gotten a price from a dealer in Indiana and was wondering if I did good or got taken. ??
Sticker=$32,410 Negotiated to=$30,500 plus tax(6% *#$@!)=$1,830 plus Doc fee = $69.75 plus tire tax= $1.25 (no kidding) no destination charges total=$32,401 Honda's finance rate 3.85 by the way. Best I could find. Anyone find less than that?
Just called Sam Swope in Louisville, his best price was 30,700 plus tax and doc fee. They have some nice dealership rewards though, like a 10yr warranty and free car washes.
How can you look at dealer inventory. I think that would be really helpful (especially at the end of the month)! I can't seem to find a site that will let me do that. Thanks for the help!
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
EX-L RES, INVOICE=$28472; Dest. Charge=$515; Total=$28987. Your price of 30.5K is nearly $1500 over invoice. I think you can do better than that. See whether they can knock off another $1000.
I just dealt with Autofair this past presidents weekend. I called and made a deposit from Massachusetts and when I got up there they had sold my van. It was an honest mistake as the agent only checked the key and not the book/car on the lot. Overall they had a good an excellent price and seemed friendly enough. No haggling at all. I would just confirm their inventory before you venture up -- better yet take their online pricing and tell a dealer what you are contemplating and see if a local will match. Minus your travel you may be able to negotiate an equitable price. I ended up getting another Mass dealer to match their price...Hope this helps..
Go to Honda's website and locate dealers in your area. Their addresses have direct links to their own websites, most of which will display inventory. A word of caution - what shows in any given inventory may or may not be up to date.
I'm buying a Touring with NAV/DVD from South Tacoma Honda for $38310 (Costco Price). Put the deposit down Saturday. When should I reasonably expect a build date/delivery date? Should I have some sort of tracking information now, or is the 10 days the dealer suggests I wait to get a build date the best I can hope for?
Any other dealer I spoke to around here was asking at least 10% more for this model, and none would even entertain an offer for sticker, let alone the $700 under sticker that Costco negotiated. I was very satisfied with my dealings with South Tacoma Honda (so far), but can't help but wonder if I'm at risk for having my order lost to a higher offer before delivery.
If you are willing to go the distance, give Berlin City Honda in Gorham, NH a try. Their internet sales manager couldn't have been more helpful; I was able to negotiate a deal for an EXL RES/NAV for $360 under invoice (see earlier post). They were straight forward, honest and patient. I highly recommend this dealership.
Geeeeeez. I didn't know you could spend over $40K for a Touring, let alone $42K+. It's certainly the dealer's right to mark it up way above sticker and see if they find someone with more money than sense. I would think the business it chases away--not to mention bad PR--wouldn't be worth it, though.
Why are people on the west coast seemingly willing to pay more for everything? (And please, everyone, no lectures on supply & demand. I've been to college).
Based on other prices posted here, you west coasters should come to PA or OH and shop. Sounds like it would be worth the cost of shipping. Better yet, turn it into a cross-country vacation on the way home.
Does anyone know of any good dealers to work with in the Virginia area? I have been negotiating via email with several dealers and they insist on the "e-price" of around 28k plus all of the other fees. We would like to get this auto in a few weeks.
I began looking for the EX-L about a month ago. This group provided so much great information. I emailed many dealers and received responses ranging from MSRP to close to invoice. I looked as far away as South Carolina and Ohio. Once I had quotes from these dealers I was then able to contact local dealers and see who was willing to deal.
One dealer who I had not seen listed on any forums, Anderson Automotive in Baltimore, came close to matching the prices of the far-flung dealers. I figured it was worth paying a little more and only having to travel 5 miles to close the deal. Paid 27,700 (about $150 over invoice) + $98 dealer processing. Got the 3.29% President's Weekend financing and am very happy with the deal. I even got the extended warranty 7 yr./100K/no deductible at cost of $1070 thanks to contributors to these forums. I would highly recommend Anderson Automotive. The process was all done via email and it took about 2 hours tonight going to the dealer and finalizing everything including having my wife test drive the car. The salesperson was very informative and bent over backwards to answer all of our questions. Overall it was a painless transaction. Mostly I learned to be patient and look at all possibilities. You never know where a great deal will show up.
Autofair in NH is definitely the real deal and have heard so from some other buyers too.
I live in the Washingon DC area and will be flying up and picking up my Touring R&N. It was not even close in this area when it came to price and the service and honest approach to business makes dealing with Autofair a refreshing experience. Autofair did not play games and waste my time. I spent countless hours attempting to negotiate with other local dealers and I am glad to give my business elsewhere.
I am actually looking to meeting my sales person when I pick up my van. I highly recommend this dealership.
Refused the extended warranty and AutoArmor (Paint Sealant) packages from the dealer.
AutoArmor is done here by a company called ECP. They appear to do it for just about all the new car dealers in this area. However, they don't want to deal with you directly, but *only* through the dealer. Asking price: $599.
Anybody found a good protection package (paint sealant, underbody rust-proofing)? The amount of salt on the roads here in the upper midwest make me leery. Suggestions gratefully accepted! Thanks..
You do not need a protection package of any kind, period! They exist solely to pad dealer's wallets. That's why they don't sell directly to consumers, because nobody would buy it!! Cars built in the last 10 years (or longer) have all the protection you need, assuming you wash and wax it at least occcasionally. The only "paint sealant" you need comes in a can or bottle and is sold at any auto parts dealer or Wal-mart, known by the low-tech name of WAX.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
e28m5: Appreciate your prompt & helpful reply. Thanks..
This board help me save atleast $2K on my recent purchase. Honda dealers are now willing to negotiate prices closer to invoice (quite a change from the past). Have owned a total of 6 Hondas & Acuras (3 of them new) during my lifetime. It is very habit-forming
The Ody has held up quite well so far (1 month, 1200 miles). Gas mileage is 20 mpg (non-VCM). The handling is superb. Honda really simplified the packages (shame on you, Toyota!). All the safety features are available even for the low-end (LX) model. The ride can get hard on less-maintained roads (the Sienna drove very soft during our test drives, and the handling less than adequate).
Conditions change but that same dealership sold me that same (EXL-RES) model for $29,486.77 only a few weeks ago. I wanted Desert Rock or White so I waited about 2 weeks for the next factory shipment.
They wanted to add to this great sales price an outrageous doc fee of $389.00; I rather failed in my negotiations re: the doc fee, however, as I simply insisted that a leather-wrapped steering wheel, cargo tray and extended 100k/7yr warranty (near dealer's cost) be thrown in to offset the exorbitant $389 doc fee. I guess I should have simply confined them to $100 in doc fees outright. A good negotiator would have done that.
If anyone else wants to buy from them, I'd offer them not more than $29,586.77 (which includes doc fees & destination). Tell them to give you a call if, and only if, they want to move an EXL-RES at that price. They'll call.
I haven't seen it at 27K that's pretty much dealers cost before delivery. I don't think that they can be had for that.
But I did put a deposit down on an EX-L yesterday at a Philadelphia dealership which matched Turnersville Auto Complex's (In Turnersville, NJ (SOuth Jersey) aggressive pricing. The price is about 1K over invoice. Here is what they sent me:
Comments
I just sent Jack O Diamands an email requesting a price on the EX-L RES/NAV.
My best price so far is David McDavid at $33,500. (MSRP - $500).
The information in this forum was instrumental in helping me to negotiate. I began this process after the holidays to take advantage of the 2.9% financing that Honda was offering through 1/5. I put a $500 deposit down with Torrington (CT) Honda for EXL RES/NAV at 31,850, but they were not able to get the car by 1/15, the date Honda mandated delivery to qualify for that financing rate. It as fortuitous! I decided I would wait until the President's Day weekend to see if Honda would reissue such financing. But I kept reading this forum and kept negotiating a better price. Right from the beginning, Berlin City was competitive. They offered $31,400, but when I was able to get Commonwealth Honda in Lawrence, MA to match, I decided to stay in-state (I live in far western MA) and skip the hassle of driving to RMV myself. I sent an email back to Berlin City thanking them for their help and cooperation, but telling them my decision. Within 15 minutes, I had an email back from their sales manager with the offer of $30,599, with $129 doc. fee, including destination. Meanwhile, a local dealer I had been talking to who was not able to match called to tell me about the Honda financing between 2/17 - 2/22 of 3.29 - 3.79. When I told Berlin City, they said they didn't know about this. I had them call Honda to verify. They did. I submitted my credit application over the phone and on the morning of 2/17, they submitted it to Honda. It was quickly approved. On Friday morning, a driver with chase car delivered the car to my workplace, a five hour trip, for $100. Though I had test driven the car several times before, I took this particular car on a test drive and ran through the checklist posted earlier. Everything was great and I signed all the paperwork. The drivers hopped in the car and began the long trip back up to NH. I never set foot in the dealership! This whole process was done via email and phone. I didn't sign a thing until I had the car in front of me. I am thrilled. I particularly love the XM radio. I didn't realize that this came with the NAV system. What a fantastic bonus. Now I have seven days to get to the RMV with all the paperwork that Berlin City provided to transfer my plates. No problem - definately worth the inevitable wait in line for such a price. I recommend the internet sales manager at Berlin City highly! He made the whole process so easy.
Hmmm...my dealer here in Ohio says there is no special Honda financing right now so I can only conclude this must be limited to your region.
Made my deal for the EX-L Thursday night for 27450, wanted black exterior which they had to locate for me but would be no problem. They said it would be on their lot by Tuesday. They then filled in all the DMV, taxes, etching and processing fees after I signed the agreement.
I called twice on Friday (but no one returned my calls) to complain about the etching fee. I went down there Friday afternoon and said the deal was off unless they took off the etching fee, they took off the etching fee. (Of course they gave me the line "my kid is hardly going to be able to eat this month because you are getting such a good deal". Having read somewhere in one of these great forums the response to that was "your kid is going to have a lot more to eat this month with than if I don't buy this car at all.") I also confirmed on Friday that I wanted black exterior, not the grey they had on the lot. Again, they told me no problem, they had found one for me and would have it on Tuesday. I left that afternoon feeling pretty darn great about my deal.
Friday night I get another e-mail from Honda of Essex that was essentially a coupon for $150 off their low low prices if you made a deal this weekend. I was torn as to whether I should try and work this discount or leave well enough alone. I needed to get the VIN number of the black EX-L to get my insurance rolling. I decided that if they got me a VIN number by Monday, I would leave well enough alone, if not I would work it.
Monday comes and of course they have a lot of excuses as to why they don't have a VIN number yet. Again, from these great forums I have learned that they probably can't get me the black EX-L. So I head down to the dealer (with my family for the first time). Bottom line I take the grey which they have on the lot (which was a close second choice in color to the black and was a sure thing) and they honor the $150 coupon. The sales manager seemed truly annoyed at me (I am hoping that's a sign I have gotten a great deal) and there was some argument between him and the internet sales manager as to whose bottom line that $150 was coming off.
I will pick up the car on Wednesday morning. In the end I wound up paying $27201 (plus tax and DMV) for an EX-L.
Honda of Essex delivered on every promise they made so far, I have been tremendously pleased with them.
By the way bob919, the sales manager told me they give checks between $50-100 for referring customers to them. I don't think we are allowed to share our names in this forum but I would be happy to split anything I could get from them with you.
This site is great. Granted I am not totally done yet as I have still need to pay the balance and take delivery of my car but thanks to all the good advice I got and read on this site I would up paying $1400 less than I had originally anticipated I would have to. Thanks to everyone!
I couldn't get anywhere with Darryl Waltrip on price. Tricket for a EX-leather $27,500 plus ttl. While I don't think that is bad I think I could do better. I keep seeing post about Sam Swope Honda in Louisville selling for $500 over inoice plus ttl. This would make an EXL-$26,027
I had left a deposit since they did not have the color I amlooking at. Now I am confused whether i need to take this offer.
Any advice will be of help.
Thanks
oddylx
I paid slightly over $37,000 for a 2005 Touring with NAV/RES. The precise value is hard to pin down because I got a bunch of minor options (cross bars, cargo nets, cargo tray, splash guards, wheel locks, 3rd-row sunshade and other exterior options) thrown in as part of the deal. The total was about $37,500.
I had some issues with another dealer near Chicago, which derailed my earlier deal (already well-documented in prior posts). But, I was happy with the price, service and professionalism exhibited by Jacobs' Twin Honda in Chicago.
I negotiated everything over a 10-minute cell-phone discussion, which was followed up with an email quote. I paid $500 on my credit card,which was credited to me when I purchased the car. The salesman even returned my calls regarding certain features of the car promptly.
The best part was that I did not have to wait for 12-16 weeks as I was initially told as the dealer had located and traded for the same model car from another dealer after 4 weeks. I highly recommend Jacobs' Twin Honda, especially since I was too busy to go out of state to get one.
The internet manager was professional and easy to deal with. I will not mention his name since I am not allowed to do so.
Ok thanks for the info. I guess I stand corrected. As for the tax thing, I had my local dealer say that the new car tax rate is 2% higher in the big cities such as Houston due to the city or county tacking on 2% for some reason. I don't remember specifically what she said.
Anyway back on my local small (Allen Honda-College Station) town honda dealer, they would not budge off of msrp for nothing. I told the sales lady that I can buy for msrp anywhere, What in addition can you offer me (like freebies, free maint or whatever)to entice me to buy here? I got the "deer in headlights" look when I threw this at her. I guess everyone that walks in the door at this dealer happily agrees to pay full retail.
I fired off an e-mail to Jack-o-Diamonds over the weekend and haven't heard back from them yet.
Currently the best deal I have going is $2000 over invoice for touring w/navi-dvd-res.
Slyk
Sue
Have you checked over at Streater-Smith in Conroe? So far I got the best deal on a touring with navi-res for $2000 over invoice, which equals to $2252 off msrp. David McDavid also only offered me $500 under msrp.
Slyk
No one was willing to hear $500 over invoice in this area. By looking around on here though, it seems that $31,000 for an EX-L w/RES including tax, ttl and doc fee isn't too bad! Going to get it tomorrow.
Also, since it is the trim with the RES does anyone know if they are giving out courtesy DVDs? I thought I heard that they were giving out a courtesy DVD of Aladdin?
I have a very detailed list of all of the items in both trim lines (in a new car price report from CR that I bought for $12). The EX has many little additions that I don't really care about: 6 speakers instead of 4, "coming home device", garage door opener, remote control trunk release, external temperature, door entry light, remote power locks, heated side mirrors, etc. etc. etc.
The big differences, in my mind, are the power driver's seat, roof rails (but genuine Honda roof rails for the LX can be bought for about $250, and you can install them yourself), and the extra seatlet for the middle row.
For me personally, I'd rather buy the LX and spend the saved 3K (assuming I actually had it) on something else.
Anyway, I really appreciate the fact that Honda has provided us with a base-line van that has all of the great safety features, but limits cost by cutting back on the little luxuries (instead of visa versa).
We went for the EX-L and are enjoying the sunroof and the leather (and hopefully the mileage)
But the power doors are definitely a plus if you are with kids (or even adults who slide the door too fast and bang it
Yesterday in SF (Lombard St) we were on an incline and the power sliding doors definitely helped - its slow but it closes!
My wife prefers the power adjusting seats over the manual.
All in all - We like it!
Hope this helps...
Cargo Mat - nice. Especially with the 3rd row folded down and hauling messy things around (items from the nursery - flowers, bags of soil, etc.). It keeps the carpet clean and you can pull the mat out and spray it.
Cargo Tray - nice. I don't have to worry about the carpet in the back well getting messed up when I throw things in the way back.
Cargo Net - was thrown in. I use it every so often but not as important to me as the Cargo Mat and Tray.
I don't have splash guards, wheel locks or cross bars so maybe I don't know what I'm missing.
I bought my add-ons from H&A (Sponsor - ad banner at the top) which was less expensive than from the dealer - especially since they wanted to charge me an "installation fee" for putting in the cargo mat and tray (uh, hello - it's like putting in floor mats, you lay them down...I wasn't about to pay for that).
Hope that helps!
For instance, if you could buy the car for $100.00 plus a $30,000 doc fee, the car would cost $30,100 (which is no different than a quote of $29,800 plus a $300 doc charge).
That does help!
Anyway, has anyone out there had really bad experiences with Autofair? Also, what should I do before going up to be sure that we really will get the van they say we'll get for the quoted price?
Thanks all!
>it is called a "document fee" and add it to (and
>treat it as part of) the price of the vehicle so
>that you base your decision on the total cost.
>For instance, if you could buy the car for
>$100.00 plus a $30,000 doc fee, the car would
>cost $30,100 (which is no different than a quote
>of $29,800 plus a $300 doc charge).
Hogwash!!!! The document fee does matter! All of the online forums and pricing guides I have read say that a document fee of around $100 is fair, but anything else is too much. And do you really believe that they will give you a lower price on the car because they are charging a higher doc fee? Come on, you should negotiate the doc fee just like any other fee on the car.
Some states legislate and set the maximum that a dealership can charge for doc fees. You need to check your state Attorney General site.
How can the true dealer cost of such items be determined? Seems to me there is a huge mark-up. Dealers are very willing to, "throw them in" to, "close the deal".
Very straightforward buying experience (via Costco).
Liked the salesman a lot. Couldn't get anywhere near this price in Portland area!
Sticker=$32,410
Negotiated to=$30,500
plus tax(6% *#$@!)=$1,830
plus Doc fee = $69.75
plus tire tax= $1.25 (no kidding)
no destination charges
total=$32,401
Honda's finance rate 3.85 by the way. Best I could find.
Anyone find less than that?
Thanks for the help!
Honda Odyssey Owners- Accessories & Modifications
or click on our sponsor's link above (H and A accessories).
kirstie_h
Roving Host
Host, Future Vehicles & Smart Shopper discussions
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
Your price of 30.5K is nearly $1500 over invoice. I think you can do better than that. See whether they can knock off another $1000.
Any other dealer I spoke to around here was asking at least 10% more for this model, and none would even entertain an offer for sticker, let alone the $700 under sticker that Costco negotiated. I was very satisfied with my dealings with South Tacoma Honda (so far), but can't help but wonder if I'm at risk for having my order lost to a higher offer before delivery.
Why are people on the west coast seemingly willing to pay more for everything? (And please, everyone, no lectures on supply & demand. I've been to college).
Based on other prices posted here, you west coasters should come to PA or OH and shop. Sounds like it would be worth the cost of shipping. Better yet, turn it into a cross-country vacation on the way home.
One dealer who I had not seen listed on any forums, Anderson Automotive in Baltimore, came close to matching the prices of the far-flung dealers. I figured it was worth paying a little more and only having to travel 5 miles to close the deal. Paid 27,700 (about $150 over invoice) + $98 dealer processing. Got the 3.29% President's Weekend financing and am very happy with the deal. I even got the extended warranty 7 yr./100K/no deductible at cost of $1070 thanks to contributors to these forums.
I would highly recommend Anderson Automotive. The process was all done via email and it took about 2 hours tonight going to the dealer and finalizing everything including having my wife test drive the car. The salesperson was very informative and bent over backwards to answer all of our questions. Overall it was a painless transaction. Mostly I learned to be patient and look at all possibilities. You never know where a great deal will show up.
I live in the Washingon DC area and will be flying up and picking up my Touring R&N. It was not even close in this area when it came to price and the service and honest approach to business makes dealing with Autofair a refreshing experience. Autofair did not play games and waste my time. I spent countless hours attempting to negotiate with other local dealers and I am glad to give my business elsewhere.
I am actually looking to meeting my sales person when I pick up my van. I highly recommend this dealership.
Total OTR: $28,438
The best car buying experience i've had. Zimbrick Honda in Madison is highly recommended!
AutoArmor is done here by a company called ECP. They appear to do it for just about all the new car dealers in this area. However, they don't want to deal with you directly, but *only* through the dealer. Asking price: $599.
Anybody found a good protection package (paint sealant, underbody rust-proofing)? The amount of salt on the roads here in the upper midwest make me leery. Suggestions gratefully accepted! Thanks..
kirstie_h
Roving Host
Host, Future Vehicles & Smart Shopper discussions
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
This board help me save atleast $2K on my recent purchase. Honda dealers are now willing to negotiate prices closer to invoice (quite a change from the past). Have owned a total of 6 Hondas & Acuras (3 of them new) during my lifetime. It is very habit-forming
The Ody has held up quite well so far (1 month, 1200 miles). Gas mileage is 20 mpg (non-VCM). The handling is superb. Honda really simplified the packages (shame on you, Toyota!). All the safety features are available even for the low-end (LX) model. The ride can get hard on less-maintained roads (the Sienna drove very soft during our test drives, and the handling less than adequate).
They wanted to add to this great sales price an outrageous doc fee of $389.00; I rather failed in my negotiations re: the doc fee, however, as I simply insisted that a leather-wrapped steering wheel, cargo tray and extended 100k/7yr warranty (near dealer's cost) be thrown in to offset the exorbitant $389 doc fee. I guess I should have simply confined them to $100 in doc fees outright. A good negotiator would have done that.
If anyone else wants to buy from them, I'd offer them not more than $29,586.77 (which includes doc fees & destination). Tell them to give you a call if, and only if, they want to move an EXL-RES at that price. They'll call.
But I did put a deposit down on an EX-L yesterday at a Philadelphia dealership which matched Turnersville Auto Complex's (In Turnersville, NJ (SOuth Jersey) aggressive pricing. The price is about 1K over invoice. Here is what they sent me:
Model
Internet Price
Odyssey LX
$23,601
Odyssey EX
$26,028
Odyssey EX-L
$28,049
Odyssey EX-L RES (DVD System)
$29,487
Odyssey EX-L RES/Navi (DVD/Navi)
$31,964
Odyssey Touring
$31,644
Odyssey Touring RES/Navi (DVD/Navi)
$37,810