Do you mean 'rebate?' There is always holdback on a new vehicle-- no matter how recently the model was introduced.
Go to the 'Dealer Holdback' board, and let the salespeople there pile on you about how it's not profit for the dealership, they need it to pay the light bill, yada, yada....
A magazine reporter is looking to photograph an Edmunds.com user and his/her car in Northern California by Friday, March 4, 2005. If you are in the area and care to participate, please reply to jfallon@edmunds.com with the name of your city as well as the month and year when you bought your most recent car after researching it on Edmunds.com.
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I am in the need of a new vehicle within the next 2 weeks to a month. I live in the San Diego area but don't mind driving up to as far as Santa Barbara for a good price. The pricing I have received so far is as follows:
EX: $27627 EXL: $29648 EXL with RES: $31086
While this is below MSRP this is still not as close to invoice as I want. Any advice anyone or know of any dealers that are willing to deal?
I have been negotiating with several dealers via email the lowest price that i was quoted excluding dmv fees is $27,550. Is this a good quote and should i forward this quote to other dealers if they request it in hopes that they will meet or beat it?...what is a good out of the door price for the Honda Ody EX-L
On 1/3/05 I picked up an '05 Pilot for my wife and I would have bought (or tried to buy) a base Touring with 2.9% Honda financing then being offered but the dealer was sold out of them.
At the end of January I started looking again and saw that College Hills Honda in Wooster, OH (in the Northeast part of the state, near Akron), was offering all in-stock Odysseys at $100 over invoice (reduced to 1 cent over in early February). Although they didn't have any R&N Touring models, I thought...hmmmm...and so began a search for one. Previously, I had considered an R&N a poor value given its prevailing street price compared to that of the base Touring.
First stop was at Park Honda in Akron. They had one in stock and offered it at invoice when informed of College Hills' pricing.
Next was Hugh White Honda in Columbus - where we've bought 3 new Hondas since 1998 from the same salesman. They offered to match Park's price.
Now, this was complicated by the fact that I had not one but two late model trades. As it developed, though, all stores contacted offered essentially same combined money (within $500) for the cars on trade (and those numbers were, if anything, a tad on the generous side).
Then I headed for a brand new dealer outside of Columbus in Marysville (yes, the same place where Accords are built). Was able to negotiate with the owner who bettered White's numbers. Went back to White and they (barely) beat Marysville's offer. This made the transaction (including trades) $900 more in my favor than the original offer from Park.
To double check the numbers, I then went to John Hinderer Honda in Newark (also just outside Columbus). While they would match the trade figures I'd gotten at White, the best they would do on the new unit was 3% over invoice.
After all that I was still undecided about whether to make the deal until last week when Honda raised prices. While the MSRP on a Touring R&N went up (like all Odysseys) $200, the invoice jumped $600! THAT finally got me off the fence and I concluded the transaction last night with Hugh White.
Purchase price was $34,558 (the "old" invoice price). Included in that price were splash guards, fenderwell moldings, all weather mats, and a cargo tray (about $400 worth of accessories). The doc fee (limited by state law) was $100. Title fee was $15. And that was it - no sales tax was levied as Ohio allow a credit for trade value.
Fortunately, the vehicle was built earlier this month and came with the latest Nav release (version 4.13A). I don't know the VIN breakpoint for this release but anyone contemplating an R&N should check to make sure the vehicle has the newest DVD.
I would recommend Hugh White and would encourage anyone looking for a good price to contact them (and/or any of the other stores I've mentioned). Others here have also had good luck at Jay Honda in Cleveland and The Honda Store in Youngstown.
I am going to buy 2005 Odyssey EX-L model in next week. I went through this forum and found out people bought their dream vans at a great price. However, I could not find information for Denver area at colorado and wondering if any new price information that people would like to share with me. I quoted by internet and the lowest offer that I got so far is $28,810, it is a good offer? Please help and I will definitely buy it next week. Thanks!
all you Floridians, go check out Walker Jones Honda in Georgia by Valdosta. Great deals. I bought my EX-L from them. No problems. Search for my earlier post
$26,251 for a 2005 Ody EX and $23,361 for a 2005 Ody LX at Willey Honda in Bountiful, Utah. They do NOT request any LX models unless it is a special order with a $500 non-refundable deposit. As isell has posted, there are very few buyers who want the LX model. Willey Honda also has a Demonstrator 2005 Ocean Mist Metallic Ody EX-L-NAV that can not be sold. It is to be used only by people who want to test drive the 2005 Odyssey and can not be driven home at night by the salesmen.
Edmunds shows $27.034 for Ody EX-L but recent post indicated while MSRP went up $200, invoice went up $600! Wow thats a lot. Maybe dealers got a bigger holdback thus allowing them to sell at "invoice" and make more money.
Anyway, it Edmunds $27034 invoice correct or is it the old invoice?
I have a build date of TODAY (2/25) been waiting since Jan 4th. When will the dealer have the vin# by so I can call him. I don't want him to sell this to anyone who's willing to buy it for higher price. Touring R/N $35558.
My question is...how do you get them to offer such great prices? In my experience, I get a lot of pressure to 'if you will take THIS one off my lot TODAY, then we will give it to you for X'. It appears that you were able to get a great offer and make it out the door to use that offer to make a better deal at the next dealer.
I'm in Houston, where the offers that I'm getting are closer to MSRP than Invoice. Unfortunately, I can't go to your dealers, but some strategy tips would be helpful.
One other Q: Is NAV firmware version visible somewhere?
I appreciate everyone's posts here, they helped me get a pretty good deal on a touring R&N. I emailed about 10 dealers w/in 2 hours of me (Lexington, KY). I had determined there were maybe 2 black (the only color I wanted) T R&N's w/in this radius. My local dealer (Don Jacobs) didn't have one, and as is typical couldn't tell me exactly when/if they could get one until I put some money down. I needed the car asap, so that wouldn't do. Got one quote from the Cinci area for 36180, but they also didn't have one. Luckily, Swope in Richmond KY (obviously affiliated w/ the oft-mentioned Swope in Louisiville) had the car and matched the Cinci offer. I countered and we got it down to 35960, which after the invoice increase would be approx 800 over invoice. I have followed cccompson's posts on the fantastic NE Ohio deals, but didn't mind paying a bit more for a local delivery. I think this is pretty good as my inventory searches turned up very few T R&N's, and even fewer in black. Plus they offer a free 10 yr/100k powertrain warranty (if serviced by them), free washes, 10% discount on accessories, etc. Very easy, no bull sales process via email. Should take delivery tonight.
First, I want to thank all those who have contributed to this forum over time. It has been extremely helpful in determining pricing, availability and regional differences. Now it's my turn to share and hopefully help others.
I recently purchased a Silver Pearl EX-L at Invoice from a local dealer, John Holtz Honda, in Rochester, NY. I was very pleased with my buying experience and would encourage others to consider buying from them, especially through their Internet Salesman. He treated me in a highly polished, and professional manner throughout the process and we quickly settled on a price for a straight cash deal. There were no surprises like high doc. fees, pushing dealer installed options, warranties, etc. I also had an older trade-in that we couldn't come to terms on. But that also worked out since I sold it to the first buyer for significantly more that I was willing to take on a trade-in. I probably should have bought a lottery ticket too!
I think several factors helped me secure this deal. First, I e-mailed a request for quote to almost 40 different dealers throughout the region encompassing about a 250 mile radius. I took the suggestion from someone in this forum to state in that request that I was familiar with the vehicle's MSRP, Invoice and Holdback and what I'd be willing to pay, which in my case was "slightly" over Invoice. I was amazed how many dealers quickly engaged and were forth coming with reasonable and competitive offers. Within a couple days, and numerous e-mails and phone calls, the process settled out and I had several dealers at Invoice, a few others less than $500 over Invoice and about ten dealers at $500 over Invoice. Many of those deals had no other back end fees, just normal NYS registration fees. To top it off, the majority had the vehicle in stock (and sometimes even several).
The only thing I'd do differently next time would be to solicit from fewer dealers because I felt obligated to correspond with everyone - even those dealers that were "fishing" or didn't have competitive quotes. Forms letters helped, but the tweaking still added up. As noted by others, a number of dealers won't engage, or do so much slower than others, which is hard to predict. One upside was I got a great snapshot in time of this vehicle's availability in my general vicinity. If anyone in this forum are interested in my experience with others dealers in this region, I'd happy to share what I can. Ultimately, I only struck one deal and therefore can't say much for other dealers beyond the quoting process. That said, there were clear differences, beyond price, which shorten my list considerably.
Good luck to those of you positioning to buy a new Odyssey. We've only had ours a short time, but it certainly seems worthy of all the accolades.
Thanks to this board, we just purchased a EX-L from Borman Honda in Las Cruces, NM for $27,600. We did a lot of shopping in New Mexico; here’s a summary of prices found
Garcia Honda (Albuquerque, NM) – visited in person and were quoted $29,500. They have a “no haggle” program, and aren’t kidding about it – they would not negotiate with any other offer we brought them.
Perfection Honda (Albuquerque, NM) – horrible! We were referred to them through the Costco auto program (what a joke -- $500 off MSRP). They wanted to sell me a specific car on their lot with $500 of options I’d never pay for. Said they could “go down” to $30K and wanted me to call my husband so we could “wrap up this deal.” Deal!? I was there, very pregnant and with a toddler, and I walked away as fast as I could. When we came to them with other offers later, they claimed they could go under $28K, but never came through. Much good cop/bad cop drama between the salesperson and sales manager. Tiring.
Berger Honda (Clovis, NM) – in phone negotiations, went down to $27,700 (provided in writing) and offered to deliver the car to ABQ for $50. Unfortunately, the salesperson wasn’t very responsive (slow to return calls, etc. until he heard we were going elsewhere) and they didn’t have our first choice color.
After waiting on Berger a bit, I emailed a few other dealers in the state with their offer and asked if they could match it:
Borman Honda (Las Cruces, NM) – emailed back within an hour offering $27,600 and our first-choice color (Sage Green Pearl). Seemed too good to be true, but they faxed a Purchase Order with the VIN, etc. Wouldn’t take a deposit, but my husband drove down early this morning to pick up the vehicle. Completely clean transaction – no hassles whatsoever.
Hanson Honda (Farmington, NM) – emailed back within an hour saying they’d match $27,700 but as of today (4 days later) still hasn’t told me what they have in stock.
Roswell Honda (Roswell, NM) -- emailed back saying they couldn’t match the price, and anyone selling at $27,700 must be bluffing.
The whole process took about a month. Very pleased with the outcome. Perhaps this info will be useful to those looking for Odysseys in Arizona/Colorado/Texas – if you don’t mind driving!
Well, you are exactly right. The key was the fact that College Hills Honda had posted its Odyssey prices on its website. This opened the door for all that followed because other stores knew that I wasn't just blowing smoke - they could check for themselves. The other thing about such a method is that it clearly conveys to dealers that you are seriously shopping and ready to buy (a factor that cannot be overlooked IMHO).
Normally, I use the internet methods described in the posts immediately preceeding this one and they have worked much the same to good affect.
Either way, one must strive to accomplish the same thing - to get dealers to compete for your business. There is always a store somewhere that is (for whatever reason)truly motivated to sell.
You can determine the navigation system information either on-screen or by examining the disc itself by ejecting it from the player under the driver's seat.
Glad it has worked out to your satisfaction. There are (or at least were as of several days ago) several black Touring R&Ns available in the greater Columbus area.
Is Honda still producing LX's? We don't want all the options of the EX, but its so difficult to find many LX models. Does anyone have any information on this?
Supposedly,Honda doesn't produce many LX's because there is little demand for them.Except I have seen 3 or 4 posts in the last week from people wanting one. Honda knows you want a Honda and are betting you'll pay 3k more for the EX.
According to dealers I have spoken with, and a couple of web sites that have updated their prices, EX-L invoice went up $400 to $27,948 (including destination). MSRP only went up $200. Not sure why Honda did it this way, but I've gotten pretty consistent information from everyone I've talked to in the last few days about these new numbers.
Thanks to all the great information here in this forum, I got my deal on an Ocean Mist EX-L last night at Crown Honda in Charlotte at the old invoice price.
On Wednesday night I filled out forms on 40 differnt dealer websites seeking quotes (thanks to the Google toolbar "auto-fill" function and some cut and paste, this was actually pretty easy). I put in very specific information about the color and options I wanted (none) and also included the fact that I was shopping at 40 dealers and would buy within days at the lowest price offered - including doc fees.
By Thursday at 5 pm, I had 3 offers to buy the car at old invoice - $27,548. I went ahead and bought the vehicle at Crown Honda in Charlotte and paid a $299 doc fee. I balked a little bit at the fee so the internet manager offered to throw in their detail package, which gives me 6 free detail cleanings over the next 3 years. They also threw in wheel locks, but they apparently do that for everyone.
The paperwork was done and we were out the door in less than 90 minutes. I was also able to secure the 3.29% financing from Honda Finance with the President's Day special because they extended that offer thru the 24th.
Nice added surprise was when we realized that this van had arrived at the dealer with the new pricing. Assuming that all the information out there is correct, that means that at $27,548, I actually got the van for $400 under invoice. Couldn't have asked for more.
Out the door for $27,548 + $299 fees + ttl. All in all, a great experience. I'd highly recommend the internet department at Crown Charlotte. Email me if you'd like the salesperson's contact information (my address is in my profile).
Honarable mention goes to AppleTree Honda in Fletcher, NC and Honda Cars of Rock Hill, SC. Both were offering invoice prices, but were slower to respond to my request.
dsmith1381: Give Jack-o-Diamonds in Tyler an e-mail. It took a few days for the guy to get back with me but he threw me an awsome deal. I'm getting a Touring R&N for $575 over invoice. No haggleing involved. I put down my deposit and he is trying to locate one for me now. The best deal I could muster up in Houston was Streater-Smith in Conroe, $2000 of msrp. Forget McDavid at this time they would only budge $500 off msrp. Everyone else wanted msrp. Caveat-Since your are looking for a different base model then your mileage may vary..... Slyk
First of all I must say thanks to all the helpful info from the board. I usually am not one to post on boards, and even more so not to be overly friendly to sales people.
However, I owe it to our dealer to let everyone in the Portland/Salem/Eugene area know about the fantastic service and price we got from the INTERNET MANAGER at KENDALL HONDA in Eugene, OR. My price was so good I was told not to tell anyone else. I live in Portland and it was well worth the drive to Eugene to pick it up. Everything was handled via email and phone and like other people have mentioned, other dealers in my area said the deal was too good to be true, but it wasn't at all. I was sick and tired of the games the dealers in Portland like to play and was very happy to give my business to Kendall's Honda. I believe they've been mentioned else where on this board, and now I see why! They're the best.
If you'd like the name of the internet manager or any other info, please let me know. My email is in my profile. Thanks again and best of luck to all those buying...Odysseys are the best!!!
I tried looking up your email in your profile, but it is marked as private. I am in the Northern California/Oregon region and am shopping for the EX-L RES+NAV. Which trim level and color did you get? Can you give a ball park price range that you paid like $500 below Invoice, Invoice, or $1000 above Invoice?
For those looking for an Odyssey in Austin, I highly recommend you look elsewhere. I canvassed the region (30 dealers extending beyond Houston, Dallas, and San An) and found that there were much better deals to be had within a relatively short drive.
I was looking for an EX, and I received offers as low as $27,500. In general, Houston seemed to have the most competion, but I got my absolute lowest quote from Freeman Honda in Dallas. Despite this, I ended up going with Greg May Honda (26K, $27,860 OTD) in Waco as I found their internet department to be very responsive and they worked with me to get the color I desired in an expedient manner and with low miles. Overall, it was a good experience, and I am very happy with my new car.
I appreciate everyone's contributions to the board. It has been of great assistance.
When a dealer gets on their "locator" to find your particular vehicle how does this locator sytem work and what all steps are involved in obtaining the vehicle? Thanks, Slyk
If they find a vehicle that meets your specs, they have to arrange to trade a vehicle from their inventory for the vehicle they want. They then have to actually arrange for transportation which costs them money either by paying a driver or paying for a flat bed.
It's worth mentioning a some other points about dealer trades.
Not all dealers are willing to trade, either in general or in a specific situation. Also, a particular stores may do significant trading with one or more other stores that can sometimes work to your advantage (see below).
Trades can be arranged before a car hits the ground, i.e., a vehicle can be re-routed during shipment from the factory to a different store.
In my case, my relationship with my selling dealer was so good that they offered to let me personally pick up the vehicle from the dealer to which it had been originally shipped (for unrelated reasons this did not actually take place). Not only that but it was a unit they were "owed" (having apparently "given" the other store a comparable vehicle at some time in the past).
Perhaps most importantly, if you are getting a car via dealer trade, expect that it will have a few miles on it - flat-bedded trades are not typical - because it will usually be driven between the trading stores.
Can anyone tell me what the dealer holdback is for an EX-L and the new dealer invoice? I want to get all this so I can figure out what prices are good...and to know when contacting dealers. Thanks!
How does this sound? Is it similar to what you folks have been sending. Suggestions?
I am requesting your best quote on a 2005 Odyssey EX-L. I do not want any add-ons. Please itemize your quote as to items such as document fee, etc. I am familiar with the MRSP, Invoice and Holdback.
I am looking for a with the interior. If you do not have this color in stock, please advise when it will be available.
I'd leave out the part about holdback. They are gonna think you're gonna go for invoice minus holdback and won't want to bother with you. I'd also tell them that you are ready to buy now.
I just purchased an Odyssey EX for $1,800 under MSRP at Courtesy Honda in Sanford. I actually brought in an Autofair Honda price from Boston I believe and they matched it. I had to pay their $499 doc fee, which I said was rediculous, but they wouldn't negotiate. I did however, get them to throw in the dealer added mud guards. Now I know this price is not fantastic for other areas of the country, but for FL I think I did pretty good. It was a pleasant experience and I dealt directly with one of the Internet sales managers.
Does anyone know if Odyssey's sold in other states are "California certified" on the emissions control label under the hood? If it just says federally certified or certified by E.P.A., then it is not California certified.
I am looking for anyone with some experience purchasing a 2005 EX-L with DVD & NAV in Orange County, California. Specifically, what dealership was helpful and what price (before tax and license) did you pay.
What is a good price for an EX with cloth no leather? The Edmunds price in my area (Nothern NJ) is $28,000. It is not much below MSRP. Is that reasonable? Many posters seem to be able to go below MSRP on the EX with leather. Also, soes anyone know the invoice for a 2005 LX cloth, not dvd, no navigation. Thanks.
I had a good buying experience at Spirit Honda in El Monte, CA. Paid $1000 below original MSRP (before recent Honda price increase). This included a couple of accessories as well. I originally contacted them via the build and price quoting tool at hondacars.com, they were one of the few to respond quickly and with a price below MSRP.
Oops, sorry about that. I updated my profile so my email address shows now. We opted for the EX with cloth. It wasn't $500 under invoice, but it wasn't $1000 over either. It was very good!!! If you're within a few hours drive, I would say it's worth contacting the internet sales manager.
Hello jeezaloo, I'm from the Bay Area who have been shopping around for the same model and color that you bought. If you don't mind, may I ask what is the out-the-door price? Thank you.
Absolutely. I just recently bought an Ody in Oregon and registered it in California with no problems at all. The sticker under the hood clearly says that the car meets California emissions standards and that's all the DMV here needs to see. Feel free to send me an email if you want all the details on how I did it. One thing to be aware of is that they will require a smog check in order to register it. Silly, I know, but it's the rule that any car coming into the state gets a smog check done.
can you say what dealership this was at and how the tax issue was dealt with? I am in WA about 3hr and have been thinking of doing just what you did but do not know if it is worth the trip. Please share your experience.
Comments
Go to the 'Dealer Holdback' board, and let the salespeople there pile on you about how it's not profit for the dealership, they need it to pay the light bill, yada, yada....
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Review your vehicle
EX: $27627
EXL: $29648
EXL with RES: $31086
While this is below MSRP this is still not as close to invoice as I want. Any advice anyone or know of any dealers that are willing to deal?
At the end of January I started looking again and saw that College Hills Honda in Wooster, OH (in the Northeast part of the state, near Akron), was offering all in-stock Odysseys at $100 over invoice (reduced to 1 cent over in early February). Although they didn't have any R&N Touring models, I thought...hmmmm...and so began a search for one. Previously, I had considered an R&N a poor value given its prevailing street price compared to that of the base Touring.
First stop was at Park Honda in Akron. They had one in stock and offered it at invoice when informed of College Hills' pricing.
Next was Hugh White Honda in Columbus - where we've bought 3 new Hondas since 1998 from the same salesman. They offered to match Park's price.
Now, this was complicated by the fact that I had not one but two late model trades. As it developed, though, all stores contacted offered essentially same combined money (within $500) for the cars on trade (and those numbers were, if anything, a tad on the generous side).
Then I headed for a brand new dealer outside of Columbus in Marysville (yes, the same place where Accords are built). Was able to negotiate with the owner who bettered White's numbers. Went back to White and they (barely) beat Marysville's offer. This made the transaction (including trades) $900 more in my favor than the original offer from Park.
To double check the numbers, I then went to John Hinderer Honda in Newark (also just outside Columbus). While they would match the trade figures I'd gotten at White, the best they would do on the new unit was 3% over invoice.
After all that I was still undecided about whether to make the deal until last week when Honda raised prices. While the MSRP on a Touring R&N went up (like all Odysseys) $200, the invoice jumped $600! THAT finally got me off the fence and I concluded the transaction last night with Hugh White.
Purchase price was $34,558 (the "old" invoice price). Included in that price were splash guards, fenderwell moldings, all weather mats, and a cargo tray (about $400 worth of accessories). The doc fee (limited by state law) was $100. Title fee was $15. And that was it - no sales tax was levied as Ohio allow a credit for trade value.
Fortunately, the vehicle was built earlier this month and came with the latest Nav release (version 4.13A). I don't know the VIN breakpoint for this release but anyone contemplating an R&N should check to make sure the vehicle has the newest DVD.
I would recommend Hugh White and would encourage anyone looking for a good price to contact them (and/or any of the other stores I've mentioned). Others here have also had good luck at Jay Honda in Cleveland and The Honda Store in Youngstown.
I quoted by internet and the lowest offer that I got so far is $28,810, it is a good offer? Please help and I will definitely buy it next week. Thanks!
later
As isell has posted, there are very few buyers who want the LX model.
Willey Honda also has a Demonstrator 2005 Ocean Mist Metallic Ody EX-L-NAV that can not be sold. It is to be used only by people who want to test drive the 2005 Odyssey and can not be driven home at night by the salesmen.
Anyway, it Edmunds $27034 invoice correct or is it the old invoice?
If so, what is current invoice?
My question is...how do you get them to offer such great prices? In my experience, I get a lot of pressure to 'if you will take THIS one off my lot TODAY, then we will give it to you for X'. It appears that you were able to get a great offer and make it out the door to use that offer to make a better deal at the next dealer.
I'm in Houston, where the offers that I'm getting are closer to MSRP than Invoice. Unfortunately, I can't go to your dealers, but some strategy tips would be helpful.
One other Q: Is NAV firmware version visible somewhere?
over time. It has been extremely helpful in determining pricing,
availability and regional differences. Now it's my turn to share and hopefully
help others.
I recently purchased a Silver Pearl EX-L at Invoice from a local
dealer, John Holtz Honda, in Rochester, NY. I was very pleased with my buying
experience and would encourage others to consider buying from them,
especially through their Internet Salesman. He treated me
in a highly polished, and professional manner throughout the process and
we quickly settled on a price for a straight cash deal. There were no
surprises like high doc. fees, pushing dealer installed options,
warranties, etc. I also had an older trade-in that we couldn't come to terms
on. But that also worked out since I sold it to the first buyer for
significantly more that I was willing to take on a trade-in. I probably
should have bought a lottery ticket too!
I think several factors helped me secure this deal. First, I e-mailed a
request for quote to almost 40 different dealers throughout the region
encompassing about a 250 mile radius. I took the suggestion from
someone in this forum to state in that request that I was familiar with the
vehicle's MSRP, Invoice and Holdback and what I'd be willing to pay,
which in my case was "slightly" over Invoice. I was amazed how many
dealers quickly engaged and were forth coming with reasonable and competitive
offers. Within a couple days, and numerous e-mails and phone calls, the
process settled out and I had several dealers at Invoice, a few others
less than $500 over Invoice and about ten dealers at $500 over Invoice.
Many of those deals had no other back end fees, just normal NYS
registration fees. To top it off, the majority had the vehicle in stock (and
sometimes even several).
The only thing I'd do differently next time would be to solicit from
fewer dealers because I felt obligated to correspond with everyone - even
those dealers that were "fishing" or didn't have competitive quotes.
Forms letters helped, but the tweaking still added up. As noted by
others, a number of dealers won't engage, or do so much slower than others,
which is hard to predict. One upside was I got a great snapshot in time
of this vehicle's availability in my general vicinity. If anyone in
this forum are interested in my experience with others dealers in this
region, I'd happy to share what I can. Ultimately, I only struck one deal
and therefore can't say much for other dealers beyond the quoting
process. That said, there were clear differences, beyond price, which
shorten my list considerably.
Good luck to those of you positioning to buy a new Odyssey. We've only
had ours a short time, but it certainly seems worthy of all the
accolades.
Garcia Honda (Albuquerque, NM) – visited in person and were quoted $29,500. They have a “no haggle” program, and aren’t kidding about it – they would not negotiate with any other offer we brought them.
Perfection Honda (Albuquerque, NM) – horrible! We were referred to them through the Costco auto program (what a joke -- $500 off MSRP). They wanted to sell me a specific car on their lot with $500 of options I’d never pay for. Said they could “go down” to $30K and wanted me to call my husband so we could “wrap up this deal.” Deal!? I was there, very pregnant and with a toddler, and I walked away as fast as I could. When we came to them with other offers later, they claimed they could go under $28K, but never came through. Much good cop/bad cop drama between the salesperson and sales manager. Tiring.
Berger Honda (Clovis, NM) – in phone negotiations, went down to $27,700 (provided in writing) and offered to deliver the car to ABQ for $50. Unfortunately, the salesperson wasn’t very responsive (slow to return calls, etc. until he heard we were going elsewhere) and they didn’t have our first choice color.
After waiting on Berger a bit, I emailed a few other dealers in the state with their offer and asked if they could match it:
Borman Honda (Las Cruces, NM) – emailed back within an hour offering $27,600 and our first-choice color (Sage Green Pearl). Seemed too good to be true, but they faxed a Purchase Order with the VIN, etc. Wouldn’t take a deposit, but my husband drove down early this morning to pick up the vehicle. Completely clean transaction – no hassles whatsoever.
Hanson Honda (Farmington, NM) – emailed back within an hour saying they’d match $27,700 but as of today (4 days later) still hasn’t told me what they have in stock.
Roswell Honda (Roswell, NM) -- emailed back saying they couldn’t match the price, and anyone selling at $27,700 must be bluffing.
The whole process took about a month. Very pleased with the outcome. Perhaps this info will be useful to those looking for Odysseys in Arizona/Colorado/Texas – if you don’t mind driving!
Normally, I use the internet methods described in the posts immediately preceeding this one and they have worked much the same to good affect.
Either way, one must strive to accomplish the same thing - to get dealers to compete for your business. There is always a store somewhere that is (for whatever reason)truly motivated to sell.
You can determine the navigation system information either on-screen or by examining the disc itself by ejecting it from the player under the driver's seat.
The prices went up on Feb 14th and web sites are still showing the old invoice price.
Thanks
On Wednesday night I filled out forms on 40 differnt dealer websites seeking quotes (thanks to the Google toolbar "auto-fill" function and some cut and paste, this was actually pretty easy). I put in very specific information about the color and options I wanted (none) and also included the fact that I was shopping at 40 dealers and would buy within days at the lowest price offered - including doc fees.
By Thursday at 5 pm, I had 3 offers to buy the car at old invoice - $27,548. I went ahead and bought the vehicle at Crown Honda in Charlotte and paid a $299 doc fee. I balked a little bit at the fee so the internet manager offered to throw in their detail package, which gives me 6 free detail cleanings over the next 3 years. They also threw in wheel locks, but they apparently do that for everyone.
The paperwork was done and we were out the door in less than 90 minutes. I was also able to secure the 3.29% financing from Honda Finance with the President's Day special because they extended that offer thru the 24th.
Nice added surprise was when we realized that this van had arrived at the dealer with the new pricing. Assuming that all the information out there is correct, that means that at $27,548, I actually got the van for $400 under invoice. Couldn't have asked for more.
Out the door for $27,548 + $299 fees + ttl. All in all, a great experience. I'd highly recommend the internet department at Crown Charlotte. Email me if you'd like the salesperson's contact information (my address is in my profile).
Honarable mention goes to AppleTree Honda in Fletcher, NC and Honda Cars of Rock Hill, SC. Both were offering invoice prices, but were slower to respond to my request.
Give Jack-o-Diamonds in Tyler an e-mail. It took a few days for the guy to get back with me but he threw me an awsome deal. I'm getting a Touring R&N for $575 over invoice. No haggleing involved. I put down my deposit and he is trying to locate one for me now.
The best deal I could muster up in Houston was Streater-Smith in Conroe, $2000 of msrp. Forget McDavid at this time they would only budge $500 off msrp. Everyone else wanted msrp.
Caveat-Since your are looking for a different base model then your mileage may vary.....
Slyk
However, I owe it to our dealer to let everyone in the Portland/Salem/Eugene area know about the fantastic service and price we got from the INTERNET MANAGER at KENDALL HONDA in Eugene, OR. My price was so good I was told not to tell anyone else. I live in Portland and it was well worth the drive to Eugene to pick it up. Everything was handled via email and phone and like other people have mentioned, other dealers in my area said the deal was too good to be true, but it wasn't at all. I was sick and tired of the games the dealers in Portland like to play and was very happy to give my business to Kendall's Honda. I believe they've been mentioned else where on this board, and now I see why! They're the best.
If you'd like the name of the internet manager or any other info, please let me know. My email is in my profile. Thanks again and best of luck to all those buying...Odysseys are the best!!!
I tried looking up your email in your profile, but it is marked as private.
I am in the Northern California/Oregon region and am shopping for the EX-L RES+NAV.
Which trim level and color did you get?
Can you give a ball park price range that you paid like $500 below Invoice, Invoice, or $1000 above Invoice?
Thanks!
I was looking for an EX, and I received offers as low as $27,500. In general, Houston seemed to have the most competion, but I got my absolute lowest quote from Freeman Honda in Dallas. Despite this, I ended up going with Greg May Honda (26K, $27,860 OTD) in Waco as I found their internet department to be very responsive and they worked with me to get the color I desired in an expedient manner and with low miles. Overall, it was a good experience, and I am very happy with my new car.
I appreciate everyone's contributions to the board. It has been of great assistance.
Thanks, Slyk
Not all dealers are willing to trade, either in general or in a specific situation. Also, a particular stores may do significant trading with one or more other stores that can sometimes work to your advantage (see below).
Trades can be arranged before a car hits the ground, i.e., a vehicle can be re-routed during shipment from the factory to a different store.
In my case, my relationship with my selling dealer was so good that they offered to let me personally pick up the vehicle from the dealer to which it had been originally shipped (for unrelated reasons this did not actually take place). Not only that but it was a unit they were "owed" (having apparently "given" the other store a comparable vehicle at some time in the past).
Perhaps most importantly, if you are getting a car via dealer trade, expect that it will have a few miles on it - flat-bedded trades are not typical - because it will usually be driven between the trading stores.
Thanks!
I am requesting your best quote on a 2005 Odyssey EX-L. I do not want any add-ons. Please itemize your quote as to items such as document fee, etc. I am familiar with the MRSP, Invoice and Holdback.
I am looking for a with the interior. If you do not have this color in stock, please advise when it will be available.
I'd also tell them that you are ready to buy now.
I am looking for anyone with some experience purchasing a 2005 EX-L with DVD & NAV in Orange County, California. Specifically, what dealership was helpful and what price (before tax and license) did you pay.
Thanks for you help!
--DJ
If you're within a few hours drive, I would say it's worth contacting the internet sales manager.