I just purchased an EX with Navi. I would like to get the HondaCare 7/100/0 warranty. Can people tell me how much they paid for it? My dealer was asking $1300 for it but I thought that was too much. I have seen it for around $900 on the web. Is that an accurate price right now? He mentioned to me that HondaCare are $1050 retail and aftermarket warranties (not HondaCare) are a lot cheaper. Is he telling me the truth? Am I able to get HondaCare warranty for around $900?
unfortunately, i called the dealers on the checklist and they are no longer selling the honda care for $895. i got it from O'donnell Honda in Ellicot City, MD for $1185. that is where i bought my EX from and he threw in cargo mat, cargo liner, cargo net, mud flaps, and wheel locks. overall, i think i did okay, but i am not that happy having paid MSRP. hope that helps. i also called 5 honda dealers in MD and they were all over $1300. better luck to you.
After 10 days on a waiting list I got my SS 2001 Odyssey at MSRP from Gillman Honda in San Antonio. They are pushing API extended warranty for 7/100/0 at $1195. Anyone have any experience with API warranties, or should i stick with HondaCare? Thanks
dj5: Thanks for your post regarding Alton Blakely Honda, Somerset, KY. I enquired with them but the person (not your sales man) could offer only $26340 as the price. He said they haven't offered $25840 to anyone unless the $500 deposit is excluded. Is that correct? Also, did you do one-way rental? Was that Hertz or so. I am also assuming you didn't get the extended warranty. Thanks again.
I just purchased a new Ody EX and I know I over paid for the extended warranty. Can I cancel the warranty and look for one else where? What is theis Hondacare you guys keep talking about? How can I get more info about it?
Hello. Have been following the Odyssey discussions for a while. Have gathered much useful info. Hope to be able to make a deal on an Odyssey this spring. Am wondering if anyone has any experience with dealers in & around West Michigan (prices, customer service, wait time, etc.) I plan on contacting those within @ 100 miles of Grand Rapids, but it may save time if someone had a good experience & can give me a referral. Thanks.
Great advice is always good to have, but unfortunately here in San Diego if you need your van in a few days it is almost impossible to get one especially if you want a specific color. And there seems to be some salesmen who have to many leads for the vans that it does not make a difference if you buy one or not. I really believe there are very few honest car salesmen left. I bought my van a while ago and greatly feel I was treated very honestly and efficiently. I feel very honored. computergeek96@hotmail.com
We car buyers work for money too. Too bad they are taught to try everything to get more money. In internet age this no longer works.
Last week I talked to a dealer in Los Angeles about a LX, first we agreed MSRP. Then he found out that they have installed roof rack (with crossbars) without his knowledge so he has to sell it for $450. And again he found out that they have installed an alarm on it so he has to sell it for $340. So that's it. I started talking to another dealer in Oregan. Again we agreed on MSRP on a GG EX. I asked him to fax me a purchase agreement. Then he said the manager said no, they can only do MSRP on white one not the GG.
Guess what? Since I did not sit in any one of the dealer's showroom for hours, so it's easy to walk away from them when they start BS. A few more phone calls I got a deal from Jay Honda (Ohio) for $600 under MSRP ($750 extra to ship to N. Cal). Still waiting for the FedEx document. They say after they get my check it will be 3-5 days to ship it to a lot in Sunnyvale where I will pick up. They will keep the factory plastic wrap on the ext for protection. I'll post when I get it...
According to the salesman (Michale, 888-321-2371 x123), they have quite some Odysseys in the lot. Once you cross the psychological barrier of buying from out of state, you will have numerous options to choose from. As a side note, both dealers that I walked away from called me again yesterday, and I was happy to say sorry to them:-)
I waited on Barber Honda (Bakersfield, CA) since 12/14, now time to get that $100 back. I sent out 30 emails Thursday night last week and by Saturday I finalized the deal.
Anyway, just want to share my experience with all of you. Good luck to everyone.
There are plenty off dealers here in the Central Valley that would have done MSRP for you. Although your story has a happy ending, seems like it is the equivalent to having resorted to a mail-order bride before having wandered down the street to the next bar.
I believe this board is for people to exchange buying experience on hard-to-find Honda Odyssey. If you discover some good deals in Central Valley. Then, you should clearly list out all the information of those dealers/salesmen to benefit all the readers in this board, particularly for people in Bay area who have to suffer from paying premium all the time. It is the purpose of this board, isn't it?
My drive out price from Alton Blakley was $25,840 (plus tax and tag that you pay for in GA) and did not include the $500 deposit. Our discount was $1000 below MSRP with no forced dealer add-ons. I understand from someone else who contacted Alton Blakley that they are now only offering a discount of $500 below MSRP ($25,340). I talked directly to the sales manager (don't have his name at hand, but can get you his e-mail and name)when making my deal and Barry Flatt handled the paperwork.
You are correct, I did not buy the extended warranty. In my opionion, extended warranties have always been a waste of money. But I can understand why some would want the piece of mind by buying. Didn't even ask the fiance guy about it so I don't know what Alton Blakey would charge.
We rented a one way from National Cars. With my corporate discount the rental fee was $89. I picked up the car at Atlanta Hartsfield and dropped it off at the Knoxville airport on our way back. Knoxville was the closest place to drop a one way rental and was about 100 miles from the dealership.
Let me know if you desire any additonal information and would be glad to provide you with my e-mail if you want any additional information.
I was being humorous-not offensive...unless you DID get a mail order bride too. I have mentioned on many posts that the Central Valley(Sacto-Stockton-Modesto-Fresno) as well as the Fairfield-Vacaville-Davis strip of HWY 80 are good places to huny for your Oddesey. I do not list specific dealers because that always sounds like SPAM. As far as the Oddysey being hard to find..well that semmed to have ended around Christmas. Basically there is usually at least one on every lot around here and if you beleive them when they say they have to have $1000 over MSRP then thats what you end up paying. I'm waiting for my tax return but have had quite a few dealers tell me recently "lets do MSRP right now and you can take this thing home today". But kkksss don't feel bad for having grabbed your ankles at the dealer, I think that the worst deal on an Oddysey or Sienna is better than the best deal on a Caravan or a Quest.
Hi, new poster here. Too bad I didn't do homework before paying too much for our SS Ody LX, but this board did help me correct our warranty mistakes. Crystal Lake Honda (IL) sold us a 3d party extended warranty that limits buyer to using SELLING Dealer Only within 40 miles of Selling Dealer. They failed to give us a copy of the warranty. They also failed to pay off the loan on our trade-in with legal time limits (21 days). We had to call and call and call to get the payoff accomplished.
So finally, yesterday, we went to finance guy and stayed until we got a copy of the 3d party warranty. Then we cancelled it. I'm told most states give you 60 days to cancel for full refund, though some are 30 days. This policy stated 30 days to cancel to get full refund (after that the refund is prorated).
Finance guy asked why we're cancelling. I told him we wanted Hondacare 7/100/0. I also asked him (now that we were through with him) what he would sell us that policy for. He looked at his book, told me $925, $100 over dealer's price. He showed me the book: $825. Conclusion: no price increase on this policy: those dealers are lying to you.
BTW, Motor Werks in Barrington, IL, finance guy quoted me a price of over $1600 for the same Hondacare 7/100/0, also on yesterday. Don't go there, either.
Hope this helps someone. I'm still shopping for the Hondacare.... Karen
I got my Honda Oddy in Bay Ridge Honda in Brooklyn at MSRP, no hassles! They told me it would take 4 weeks but it cam in in 1! Wyne was the sales man who helped me and did pretty good with the options. Pick out the options with the salesman when you are desiding to buy the car. Do not wait for the car to arrive or you will have to deal with the accessory specialist who is a bit let flexible. Good service dealer.
I had decided to look at the Odyssey EX without the Nov/DAD option and stopped at my local Honda dealer tonight just after work (5:15 PM). They had 2 EX in stock, neither with the Nov option, one in white and one in silver. I took a test drive, got a quote on my trade in (essentially same as "FMV" according to Edmunds), and signed for the purchase at MSRP (I chose the silver). No pressure for ad-dons, extended warranty, or any extraneous costs. I walked out of the dealership in 45 minutes and will pick up the car on Saturday as long as -Loan Fed Exes the check tomorrow - if I'd paid by check I could have driven it home tonight. This was by far the most painless auto purchase I've ever completed.
SORRY - almost forgot to mention - my dealer is Ray Price Honda in East Stroudsburg PA - salespersons Rich Kellen and Walter Price.
I am finalizing a deal for an EX at MSRP and the salesman says here are my cost(excluding the charge to ship the car from Nevada to the SF Bay Area of between $350 and $450). I wonder if he is taking me for a ride or are these typical prices?
$26840.00 Price 399.00 Doc Fees 185.00 VTR 8.25 Drive Away Certificate He says VTR is short for the vehicle theft registration. What this consist of is the window eching of every window of your van for security reasons. If your van is ever stolen and not recovered, up and above what you and your insurance company would agree on as a replacement value you would recieve an additional $2500.00 from our parent company, Autonation.USA
Looks like VTR is just an extra insurance that I do not need so I am going to find out if I can stop them from eching whatever it is they plan to do on the windows before it's too late and I am charged for it.
However, what stunned me was the $399 doc fee! Is that the typical range? Is it really negotiable?
I saw posting #810 by kkksss that his cost was "($26,640+$50+$19.95, that's it in the invoice)". Was $50 your doc fee?
I will post the details of my deal after it's done early next week. Many thanks to all who posted their pointers/experience on this board.
In Illinois it's under $50. Sounds like he's taking you for a ride.
Also forgot to mention that Crystal Lake Honda has a silver LX on its lot, with very little extras on it, marked with this dealership's special sticker, as $29,900. They had a couple of EX's for much more...
Oh yes. I'm sure the only reason Crystal Lake Honda was offering us the 7/100/0 Hondacare for $925 is because this finance guy knew he'd messed up with us earlier. I doubt that's what they try to charge ordinarily. I am NOT recommending that anyone use this dealership. Just letting people know that the Hondacare price has not gone up.
Please tell me where in airfield,Dais Sacrament area are selling the EX for MSRP. We are constantly in contact with area dealership but everybody wants at least $1000 over MSRP. We are ready to buy. We even told them we are paying cash for MSRP. No luck so far. So if you really know of somebody that have one in stock and are willing to sell it for MSRP tell me. There's one in Sacrament that would sell it for MSRP but if I remember it right I,m #356 on the waiting list.
I have two suggestion in mind for you: 1. Inquire cliffyb for referral information in central valley. He sounds like a wizard in your area who already has quick connection to purchase Odyssey at MRSP with immediate availability. 2. E-mail Dennis Jenkins at JayHondaDJ@aol.com and see what happen. It won't hurt you anyhow. ============ louiscv:
$26,640(purchase price)+$50(Doc fee)+$19.95(Temp. Lic.) was the amount I paid totally in the invoice, and DMV charges sales tax based on this amount. My insurance was covered by my auto insurance(first) and trucking company(second). Seems like you pay something extra, but good luck to you.
I drove off with a 2001 SS Odyssey EX that I bought for 26,880 + $50 doc fee + ttl from Lane at Gillman Honda in San Antonio. I was only on the waiting list for 10 days. Very easy transaction, no surprises. They weren't selling the HondaCare warranty, so I bought the HondaCare 7/100k/0 from Jeff Klotz at First Texas Honda in Austin for $925. He says he'll sell it at that price for any new Odyssey (512)458-2511. Tell him Joe sent you.
""We are ready to buy. We even told them we are paying cash for MSRP. No luck so far. ..."
It doesn't really matter to us whether you pay cash or not, as we are "funded" within a matter of a day or so anyway. Grplavloff is right, if you are financing there could be some money for us there...not a lot but some, this could also give you a little leverage...same thing with trade-ins.
at O'Donnell Honda in Ellicott City, MD, i got the EX for MSRP and no doc fees. just tranfer of plates and then tax and destination. the salesman also threw in about $600 in accessories. if you are looking in the Wash metro area, give them a buzz and ask for Jerry Somerville, and let him know that bryan sent you. if you have any questions, you can email me at bsna@intermedia.com. Good luck to all.
I am seeing that MSRP seems to be the price here in NC.
Sorry to veer off the subject of prices paid, but does anyone know if the power sliding doors can be operated manually? My wife doesn't really like them, and I just wondered if on the EX you could somehow operate it without the power assistance.
I use to sell Honda motorcycles along with other brands and I can tell you that fees, like doc fees is just pure profit. Doing documentation is just a part of doing business. That said, you will see dealers who already have a doc fee printed on there sales invoice and will say "they can not change it." Tell them fine, just back it out of there price. I saved around $200 by doing that.
Another thing to do is to negotiate in accessories. Since the sales department can "buy" parts from the parts department cheaper and they can "buy" service time cheaper than you can, you can save money. I got the mudguards installed and cargo tray at no cost. I bought the cross bars at dealer cost (I think $65.00) and they installed them at no cost.
The dealership where I puchased my 01 Odyssey did not charge any doc fees. However, I did run across some dealers who charged as much as $299 for doc fees. I agree this is just an additional dealer mark up.
dj5: Thanks for the response regarding Alton Blakely Honda. I am going to follow your route on getting my EX. It's another 3 weeks before I get it. I will be searching for a rental now.
Any advice on driving a brand new van 350 miles? I guess for one, I shouldn't be driving too wild.
It is well worth a day's drive to save a couple thousand dollars. The folks there will treat you right. If you haven't already, I would recommend checking out www.eloan.com if you plan on financing your Odyssey. Their rates are hard to beat. We used eloan and when we got the paperwork it was through Bank of America.
We tried not to drive the new van much over 60 mph on the way back. It crusies so nicely, that it was hard to keep it down. We also took several breaks on the way back. I would recommend that you get an early start so that you make it back at a decent time. It took us 5 1/2 hours to drive up, 1 1/2 hour at the dealership and about 6 1/2 hours back (with the breaks and dropping off the rental).
They had our van prepped and waiting for us when we arrived. We had them add the wheel locks and leather steering wheel cover at their cost. Tell Barry Flatt and Wayne Akers that Dennis and Laurie from Atlanta referred you.
We took I-75 north through Knoxville, 63 west for about 20 miles and 27 north for about 50 miles. We took a different route back which turned out to be longer and took more time, so I would recommend this route up and back.
Good luck on your purchase and let me know if I can provide you with any additional information.
can anybody give me any leads on buying a EX for under msrp in the west coast? I live in Northern California but I don't mind going out of state to purchase one. thanks ken
"If you haven't already, I would recommend checking out www.eloan.com if you plan on financing your Odyssey. Their rates are hard to beat."
I brought in eloan loan approval notice to my dealer and he found a bank (Chase Manhattan) which matched the offer, allowing the dealer to make at least some sort of commission on the transaction. Eloan's rates were the lowest that I was able to find anywhere.
Eloan's rate is the best but some dealers I have talked to do not want to deal with Eloan. According to them, the check from eloan is actually a bank draft and they are having a hard time getting money from eloan afterward. I am not sure they said that because they want you to finance the car through their own banks but you should make sure your dealer will accept eloan's bank draft before wasting the time with the sales. Good luck.
I used E-Loan, was the first time the finance guy had ever dealt with them. They called e-loan and got a verification number (per instructions). Based on the paperwork I received back, the dealership received their money in four business days. Dealerships prefer that you finance with them because they get a kick back from the banks. Would be leary of a dealer not willing to accept your e-loan draft. If they have a problem accepting the draft, ask them to match the rate.
Academy Honda in Old Bridge, NJ is really reluctant accepting check drafts from E-loan's resources even money could be wire transfer to them. F & I Dept: "It's against Honda policy"; "We don't give out our bank information" - what a BS!!
This has been our third time using E-loan and was our first such experience. We found this out the day before delivery. Overall a pleasant experience.
They just don't understand the difference between check drafts and bank checks: They are the same except check drafts need documentation from the selling dealers - ST_P_D !!
I think I want an Odyssey EX, but will not pay over MSRP. Does anyone know a dealer in the Southern California area that might meet my needs? I'm not in a hurry to buy, but think I would like to upgrade to the van within the next year. Maybe the prices will drop and be more reasonable by then. My email is jamesavery2@earthlink.net
You definately want to ask your F&I person about their proceedure with eloan. Especially if you are an out of state buyer. Due to the stipulations that they have and the delays for a dealer to receive their money many dealers are reluctant to accept their draft unless they have a track record with eloan. If you are working with a dealer that has had problems with eloan, than I would expect to sign a "back-up contract".
"Eloan's rate is the best but some dealers I have talked to do not want to deal with Eloan. According to them, the check from eloan is actually a bank draft and they are having a hard time getting money from eloan afterward."
What you get is to all intents and purposes simply a document that lets a dealer know that you have been approved for a loan. it's just a mechanism to let you have a loan approval in hand without having it tied directly to a specific vehicle beforehand.
I'm not sure about difficulties in getting money from eloan. I do know that eloan told me that my loan would actually be through a bank.
"I am not sure they said that because they want you to finance the car through their own banks but you should make sure your dealer will accept eloan's bank draft before wasting the time with the sales."
The dealer makes commissions on loans. I suspect that any reluctance to deal with eloan has more to do with that than anything else. If a dealer refused to accept eloan's bank draft, I would give the dealer the option of matching the interest rate or forgetting about the sale. And I sure as heck would *not* ask the dealer a pretty-please ahead of time.
GOT MY EX NAVI FROM DENNIS JENKINS AT JAY HONDA IN BEDFORD OHIO. I LIVE OUTSIDE LOS ANGELES. E MAIL FOR DENNIS IS JAYHONDADJ@AOL.COM. GOT MINE FOR UNDER MSRP, GOOD DEAL ON EXTENDED WARRANTY, MINIMAL WAIT. SEVERAL OTHERS HAVE GONE THIS ROUTE AND HAVE POSTED GOOD RESULTS/COMMENTS ABOUT DJ.. GOT THE VAN I WANTED, COLOR I WANTED, NO BS, AND DELIVERED TO MY DRIVEWAY IN PRISTINE CONDITION (A LITTLE DIRT ON THE OUTSIDE OF COURSE). BEFORE DEALING WITH DENNIS, GOT THE RUN AROUND FROM MANY SO CAL DEALERS, SAYING THEY COULD GET ONE AT MSRP, OR ON A WAITING LIST FOR FOUR MONTHS-BUT NOBODY CAME THROUGH EXCEPT DENNIS. A FRIEND OF MINE GOT ONE FROM PIONEER HONDA-BRANDON KIMMELL-IN LANCASTER AT MSRP WITH ABOUT A TEN WEEK WAIT-IT WAS AN LX. GOOD LUCK. THE VAN IS GREAT-MUCH NICER VEHICLE THAN OUR CHRYSLER T & C-BETTER HANDLING, BETTER BRAKING, AND I AM ASSUMING BETTER QUALITY AND LONGEVITY.
Just wanted to ask those who have purchased a Honda Ody in NJ or eastern PA. and find out about the dealer, price, documentation fees paid, and purchasing experience. I have heard that two dealers in Doylestown PA area will sell for $200-300 below MSRP and delivery was about 6 weeks. Also I have seen some people talking about getting mud guards and rear cargo liner thrown in free of charge. I am looking to purchase an Ody this year and would like any info. regarding dealers in NJ.
thanks for the reply. DENNIS JENKINS AT JAY HONDA IN BEDFORD OHIO seems to be the dealer that is given out the best price for odesseys. My feeling is that if I have the car shipped to Northern California, I would be paying closed to what local dealers are charging for. I still may do because all of the dealers around will not deal and are rude. Anybody know how many days it would take to drive from Bedford OH to San Francisco? thanks ken
Called Alton Blakey Honda in Somerset KY and spoke to Barry Flatt on Saturday. Said they were offering only $500 off MSRP now. We live in St. Louis MO and the drive is worth it if we can save $1000 but not for $500. Barry Flatt was very good to talk to and said he'd see if he could swing $1000 off and if he could he'd call us back. He never did. We thought we'd try talking to the sales manager directly next and see if that would make the difference. What is the sales managers name? temp_atl - did you have any luck talking to the sales manager to get $1000 off?
Alton Blakely couldn't offer me more than $500 Off MSRP. But I am going to make the trek (350 miles) anyway and get it from them. I liked the fact that I don't have to pay $199 for doc fee that local dealers in Atlanta are charging. Obviously, no ridiculous option prices (like $565 by local dealer for cassette player that we want, compared to $299 from Alton Blakely). I am also going to take a day off when I get the van for a stop somewhere in Tennessee! So, hopefully 2/3 more weeks before we go there to get it (production date was 2/7).
The sales managers name is Wayne Akers. I have also heard from a couple other folks that they are now selling $500 below MSRP and not offering the $1000 below MSRP that I was able to get.
I made my deal with Wayne and Barry handled the paperwork when I arrived. Give Wayne a call and see what he will do.
temp_atl is correct that in addition to selling below MSRP they do not charge a doc fee. They also threw in the mud guards for free.
I got my SS 01 EX from Staten Island Honda. Purchase price was MSRP, and I waited a little under 3 weeks from the time I gave my deposit until the time I picked up the van. That was 2 weeks ago. If you are in the New York/New Jersey area, I highly recommend them. You can ask for James.
Temp_atl and dj5 - thanks for your help and for replying back promptly. In St. Louis we can get the Odyssey EX for MSRP ($26,840) plus $60 doc fee minus $100 coupon for new car purchase (before March 5). There are about 4 Honda dealers in the St. Louis area and all seem to be set on MSRP. We'll probably give Wayne a call and tell him our situation and see what happens. It would be a little over 400 miles for us to drive there. If there are any St. Louis Odyssey EX purchasers that have been able to work out a deal from a dealer in the area we'd like your input. Thanks.
Staten Island Honda earned a reputation on this message board of overcharging on fees (delivery fees, etc); What exactly did they charge you in fees? Overcharging here can make MSRP meaningless.
We picked up an in-stock AS EX one week ago at MSRP (no fees) from Dave Camp field at Burn Honda in Scranton, PA. Burn is about 100 mile drive from N. Jersey. I saw on this board that Burn had received two AS Odd's that were not yet spoken for, so we moved quick and bought one of them. Maybe they can do the same for you or at least provide the courteous service we received. You can tell Dave that Warren recommended him (not that that it'll do me any good at this point). It now has about 200 miles on it and we love it so far. We requested the addition of a cassette player, mud flaps and the luggage tray to the standard EX.
I was in your same position, looking for an EX-Navi under MSRP in the bay area. I first got on my credit union's list, was a 5 - 6 month wait for $500 over MSRP. I also emailed every dealer north of LA and got no viable response. Dealers out here are obscene. Finally after seeing kalajian's message I contacted Dennis at Jay Honda, he had EX-Navi on the lot within a week for $500 under MSRP. Even with shipping at $900 it turns out to be less than out here. Shipping should be 2-3 weeks, I am hoping to get the car in time for my 3rd child due February 21. If you want to drive the car out, I drove to Berkeley in 3 days from Pittsburgh, though I had a couple of 16 hour days behind the wheel.
I concur with Faure1. We also purchased a SS EX from Dave Campfield at Burne Honda in Scranton. We had about a 75 mile drive from northern NJ. Bought at MSRP(no fees)- no wait. I believe Dave can be reached at 1-800-822-2210. We have had the Ody for a little over a week now and absolutely love it. Good luck in your search.
Comments
bryan
Thanks
Thanks for your post regarding Alton Blakely Honda, Somerset, KY. I enquired with them but the person (not your sales man) could offer only $26340 as the price. He said they haven't offered $25840 to anyone unless the $500 deposit is excluded. Is that correct?
Also, did you do one-way rental? Was that Hertz or so.
I am also assuming you didn't get the extended warranty.
Thanks again.
Last week I talked to a dealer in Los Angeles about a LX, first we agreed MSRP. Then he found out that they have installed roof rack (with crossbars) without his knowledge so he has to sell it for $450. And again he found out that they have installed an alarm on it so he has to sell it for $340. So that's it. I started talking to another dealer in Oregan. Again we agreed on MSRP on a GG EX. I asked him to fax me a purchase agreement. Then he said the manager said no, they can only do MSRP on white one not the GG.
Guess what? Since I did not sit in any one of the dealer's showroom for hours, so it's easy to walk away from them when they start BS. A few more phone calls I got a deal from Jay Honda (Ohio) for $600 under MSRP ($750 extra to ship to N. Cal). Still waiting for the FedEx document. They say after they get my check it will be 3-5 days to ship it to a lot in Sunnyvale where I will pick up. They will keep the factory plastic wrap on the ext for protection. I'll post when I get it...
According to the salesman (Michale, 888-321-2371 x123), they have quite some Odysseys in the lot. Once you cross the psychological barrier of buying from out of state, you will have numerous options to choose from. As a side note, both dealers that I walked away from called me again yesterday, and I was happy to say sorry to them:-)
I waited on Barber Honda (Bakersfield, CA) since 12/14, now time to get that $100 back. I sent out 30 emails Thursday night last week and by Saturday I finalized the deal.
Anyway, just want to share my experience with all of you. Good luck to everyone.
-Alex
My drive out price from Alton Blakley was $25,840 (plus tax and tag that you pay for in GA) and did not include the $500 deposit. Our discount was $1000 below MSRP with no forced dealer add-ons. I understand from someone else who contacted Alton Blakley that they are now only offering a discount of $500 below MSRP ($25,340). I talked directly to the sales manager (don't have his name at hand, but can get you his e-mail and name)when making my deal and Barry Flatt handled the paperwork.
You are correct, I did not buy the extended warranty. In my opionion, extended warranties have always been a waste of money. But I can understand why some would want the piece of mind by buying. Didn't even ask the fiance guy about it so I don't know what Alton Blakey would charge.
We rented a one way from National Cars. With my corporate discount the rental fee was $89. I picked up the car at Atlanta Hartsfield and dropped it off at the Knoxville airport on our way back. Knoxville was the closest place to drop a one way rental and was about 100 miles from the dealership.
Let me know if you desire any additonal information and would be glad to provide you with my e-mail if you want any additional information.
So finally, yesterday, we went to finance guy and stayed until we got a copy of the 3d party warranty. Then we cancelled it. I'm told most states give you 60 days to cancel for full refund, though some are 30 days. This policy stated 30 days to cancel to get full refund (after that the refund is prorated).
Finance guy asked why we're cancelling. I told him we wanted Hondacare 7/100/0. I also asked him (now that we were through with him) what he would sell us that policy for. He looked at his book, told me $925, $100 over dealer's price. He showed me the book: $825. Conclusion: no price increase on this policy: those dealers are lying to you.
BTW, Motor Werks in Barrington, IL, finance guy quoted me a price of over $1600 for the same Hondacare 7/100/0, also on yesterday. Don't go there, either.
Hope this helps someone. I'm still shopping for the Hondacare.... Karen
Mike
SORRY - almost forgot to mention - my dealer is Ray Price Honda in East Stroudsburg PA - salespersons Rich Kellen and Walter Price.
$26840.00 Price
399.00 Doc Fees
185.00 VTR
8.25 Drive Away Certificate
He says VTR is short for the vehicle theft registration. What this consist of
is the window eching of every window of your van for security reasons. If your van is ever stolen and not recovered, up and above what you and your
insurance company would agree on as a replacement value you would recieve an additional $2500.00 from our parent company, Autonation.USA
Looks like VTR is just an extra insurance that I do not need so I am going to find out if I can stop them from eching whatever it is they plan to do on the windows before it's too late and I am charged for it.
However, what stunned me was the $399 doc fee!
Is that the typical range? Is it really negotiable?
I saw posting #810 by kkksss that his cost was "($26,640+$50+$19.95, that's it in the invoice)".
Was $50 your doc fee?
I will post the details of my deal after it's done early next week. Many thanks to all who posted their pointers/experience on this board.
Also forgot to mention that Crystal Lake Honda has a silver LX on its lot, with very little extras on it, marked with this dealership's special sticker, as $29,900. They had a couple of EX's for much more...
Oh yes. I'm sure the only reason Crystal Lake Honda was offering us the 7/100/0 Hondacare for $925 is because this finance guy knew he'd messed up with us earlier. I doubt that's what they try to charge ordinarily. I am NOT recommending that anyone use this dealership. Just letting people know that the Hondacare price has not gone up.
Dealers often make some money arranging loans, so there's a good chance that your "value" as a customer is decreased because you want to pay cash.
I have two suggestion in mind for you:
1. Inquire cliffyb for referral information in central valley. He sounds like a wizard in your area who already has quick connection to purchase Odyssey at MRSP with immediate availability.
2. E-mail Dennis Jenkins at JayHondaDJ@aol.com and see what happen. It won't hurt you anyhow.
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louiscv:
$26,640(purchase price)+$50(Doc fee)+$19.95(Temp. Lic.) was the amount I paid totally in the invoice, and DMV charges sales tax based on this amount. My insurance was covered by my auto insurance(first) and trucking company(second). Seems like you pay something extra, but good luck to you.
It doesn't really matter to us whether you pay cash or not, as we are "funded" within a matter of a day or so anyway. Grplavloff is right, if you are financing there could be some money for us there...not a lot but some, this could also give you a little leverage...same thing with trade-ins.
Good luck!
I am seeing that MSRP seems to be the price here in NC.
Sorry to veer off the subject of prices paid, but does anyone know if the power sliding doors can be operated manually? My wife doesn't really like them, and I just wondered if on the EX you could somehow operate it without the power assistance.
Thanks!
Another thing to do is to negotiate in accessories. Since the sales department can "buy" parts from the parts department cheaper and they can "buy" service time cheaper than you can, you can save money. I got the mudguards installed and cargo tray at no cost. I bought the cross bars at dealer cost (I think $65.00) and they installed them at no cost.
Any advice on driving a brand new van 350 miles? I guess for one, I shouldn't be driving too wild.
It is well worth a day's drive to save a couple thousand dollars. The folks there will treat you right. If you haven't already, I would recommend checking out www.eloan.com if you plan on financing your Odyssey. Their rates are hard to beat. We used eloan and when we got the paperwork it was through Bank of America.
We tried not to drive the new van much over 60 mph on the way back. It crusies so nicely, that it was hard to keep it down. We also took several breaks on the way back. I would recommend that you get an early start so that you make it back at a decent time. It took us 5 1/2 hours to drive up, 1 1/2 hour at the dealership and about 6 1/2 hours back (with the breaks and dropping off the rental).
They had our van prepped and waiting for us when we arrived. We had them add the wheel locks and leather steering wheel cover at their cost. Tell Barry Flatt and Wayne Akers that Dennis and Laurie from Atlanta referred you.
We took I-75 north through Knoxville, 63 west for about 20 miles and 27 north for about 50 miles. We took a different route back which turned out to be longer and took more time, so I would recommend this route up and back.
Good luck on your purchase and let me know if I can provide you with any additional information.
I brought in eloan loan approval notice to my dealer and he found a bank (Chase Manhattan) which matched the offer, allowing the dealer to make at least some sort of commission on the transaction. Eloan's rates were the lowest that I was able to find anywhere.
sorry guys I am bored, so I came here to read
Would be leary of a dealer not willing to accept your e-loan draft. If they have a problem accepting the draft, ask them to match the rate.
E-Loan process was very easy to use for me.
This has been our third time using E-loan and was our first such experience. We found this out the day before delivery. Overall a pleasant experience.
They just don't understand the difference between check drafts and bank checks: They are the same except check drafts need documentation from the selling dealers - ST_P_D !!
What you get is to all intents and purposes simply a document that lets a dealer know that you have been approved for a loan. it's just a mechanism to let you have a loan approval in hand without having it tied directly to a specific vehicle beforehand.
I'm not sure about difficulties in getting money from eloan. I do know that eloan told me that my loan would actually be through a bank.
"I am not sure they said that because they want you to finance the car through their own banks but you should make sure your dealer will accept eloan's bank draft before wasting the time with the sales."
The dealer makes commissions on loans. I suspect that any reluctance to deal with eloan has more to do with that than anything else. If a dealer refused to accept eloan's bank draft, I would give the dealer the option of matching the interest rate or forgetting about the sale. And I sure as heck would *not* ask the dealer a pretty-please ahead of time.
temp_atl - did you have any luck talking to the sales manager to get $1000 off?
Thanks for your help.
So, hopefully 2/3 more weeks before we go there to get it (production date was 2/7).
The sales managers name is Wayne Akers. I have also heard from a couple other folks that they are now selling $500 below MSRP and not offering the $1000 below MSRP that I was able to get.
I made my deal with Wayne and Barry handled the paperwork when I arrived. Give Wayne a call and see what he will do.
temp_atl is correct that in addition to selling below MSRP they do not charge a doc fee. They also threw in the mud guards for free.
If there are any St. Louis Odyssey EX purchasers that have been able to work out a deal from a dealer in the area we'd like your input. Thanks.