Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Bought a Panasonic overhead DVD system on ebay for $399, installed for $150. It comes with 9 inch screen and wireless headphones. Had to get a FM modulator for another $35.
Atlanta is a very tight market and it would not surprise me if dealers are trying to squeeze in even more profit.
Curry Honda in Atlanta matched Twin City's bid though and I bought the car last night. I was ready to banish Atlanta forever. (for gauger01 - I was going to try Dick Brooks Honda in Greer, SC but they sold all their EX-L's that evening and wouldn't get any more for 20-30 days). Here's the final deal:
Base with Dest: 27,922
Doc. Fee: 398
Window Etch: 199 (suprise add-on but i was shooting for OTD price I got from TX)
Tax: 1990
Tag: 21
Out the Door: 30,530
By the way - in case you were wondering, Gwinnet Place Honda and Team Honda raised their bids on me and, in the end, were a waste of time. Nalley didnt have the car on the lot and Sunny King in Anniston, AL was too slow to respond to get my business.
Good luck to all - I need to catch up on all the work I neglected now.
Great experience, great salesmen!
I think we got a very good deal.
This forum has been really useful for me. Thanks to everyone who has contributed.
P.S. I LOVE MY VAN!!!!
I'm in Northern Utah looking to find the best deal on a brand new Odyssey EX-L 2005. What is the "out of the lot" price of the vehicle these days? I don't mind flying and buying it from another state if it saves me enough money. Over here they sell it for 28,800 plus destination (500), doc fee (100), title and taxes.
Any help will be appreciated.
- Abraham
Regards,
S
http://www.collegehillshonda.com/odyssey/05_interior.htm
The sell for $118.50 plus shipping.
I think I am right on this: the all-season floor mats only come in black. By searching the internet you can find clear plastic floor mats but they do not have the lip on the edge for winter slush - they are flat.
After reading many of the posts here I have some questions:
1. What's a good price for this region?
2. If I buy in Illinois, do I have to pay sales tax at the rate for the county where I bought the vehicle, or from the county where I live?
3. I got a great quote from Grand Honda but I read somewhere that they were selling damaged Hondas. ( I would imagine the vehicles have been fixed.) Is this something I should be cautious about?
4. I heard that financing could be negotiated even on the Odyssey although there is no special financing being offered. The dealership can "buy down" the rate. Can anyone shed more light on this for me?
5. What is the window etch option?
6. What kind of features can I get them to throw in? (i.e., window etch, wheel locks, anything else?)
7. Would I be better off getting an aftermarket DVD RES than the factory installed or Honda installed model? Has anyone looked at the advantages/disadvantages of either option?
8. Is Destination a flat charge no matter where the dealer should be located?
9. What is a reasonable Documentation fee? What is it...just another way to squeeze more money out of us?
10. Should we consider the extended warranty? We usually keep our cars for over 100K miles, but I am under the impression that Honda's reliability track record is great, and maybe this option is unnecessary? What is your experience?
"1. What's a good price for this region?"
Best bet is to blanket dealers in your area via hondacars.com and see what the offers are.
"2. If I buy in Illinois, do I have to pay sales tax at the rate for the county where I bought the vehicle, or from the county where I live?"
In Texas taxes are the same all over the State when it comes to auto purchases. It's probably true for you too. A call to the local tax office would clarify.
"3. I got a great quote from Grand Honda but I read somewhere that they were selling damaged Hondas. ( I would imagine the vehicles have been fixed.) Is this something I should be cautious about?"
No clue. Don't they have to disclose it?
"4. I heard that financing could be negotiated even on the Odyssey although there is no special financing being offered. The dealership can "buy down" the rate. Can anyone shed more light on this for me?"
Just as a reference point a 29K 4-year loan at 3.9% vs 4.4% is a difference of $7 a month. And a interest payment of $300 over 4 years. So best bet is to get your financing done before you go to the dealer and if they beat(not a measly .25%) let them beat it....
"5. What is the window etch option?"
Useless. Your local police dept would do it for free as a promotion.
"6. What kind of features can I get them to throw in? (i.e., window etch, wheel locks, anything else?)"
Look at H&A accessories banner at the top and price your accessories. Then you can ask them to throw them in. Remember nothing is free in life.
"7. Would I be better off getting an aftermarket DVD RES than the factory installed or Honda installed model? Has anyone looked at the advantages/disadvantages of either option?"
I like the factory model since it's well integrated and has the factory warranty.
"8. Is Destination a flat charge no matter where the dealer should be located?"
It's mandatory.
"9. What is a reasonable Documentation fee? What is it...just another way to squeeze more money out of us?"
Some states mandate a flat fee. I read somewhere on Edmunds, anything less than $100 is reasonable.
"10. Should we consider the extended warranty? We usually keep our cars for over 100K miles, but I am under the impression that Honda's reliability track record is great, and maybe this option is unnecessary? What is your experience?"
I bought a Honda (again) for reliability. In my opinion it's a waste of money. My other Honda is an Accord with 90K in 5 years.... I can remember only $75 worth of problem which would have been covered by the warranty if I took it on my Accord when I bought it.
One key thing, is once you make up your mind on a fair price, just enjoy the van. Don't loose sleep over by how much cheaper you could have gotten it for.
kirstie_h
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2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
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The Bay Area CA dealer told me he cannot discount MSRP for touring w/ DVD & NAV due to hugh demand on this model. Then he said he has one touring model with dealer installed DVD, and he can further install NAV + rear camera and give me $37,850 (after much negiotation) including all season mat and cargo board. Is this a good deal?
Of course you can always fly to Ohio and buy one for much cheaper. I bought my Touring R&N on 2/23 for $34,558 (old invoice) at Hugh White Honda in Columbus. That price included all season mats, cargo tray, splash guards, and wheelwell trim.
I am also in Chicago and planning to purchase an Odyssey EX-L w/ DVD&nav -- but I am probably a month behind you, so I would appreciate your posting your learnings as you go through the process (there's nothing else recent specific to the Chicago area). Or email me at rnerk@yahoo.com. I can answer a few of your questions now, though:
(2) In Illinois, sales tax is based on your residence (registration) location and not the dealership location. Fletcher Jones downtown actually advertises that suburbanites can buy from them without getting stuck with Chicago's 8.75% rate.
(6) Don't focus on what a dealer will "throw in," focus on what extras you would actually want and the total cost of the vehicle with those extras. In the end, you're writing one check, so the the dealer's arbitrary breakdown of that check into prices for individual items is irrelevant. Research the "street" prices of the extras you want (usually lower than MSRP). But to answer your specific question, a dealer with "throw in" items that have high profit margins for them (i.e. retail price divided by wholesale price), so that they maximize the the perceived value you get versus what they actually have to pay for the thing.
(7) Factory installed gets you an integrated warranty and better integration with the vehicle. It's worth paying a little more (you decide how much more it's worth).
(9) Dealerships really do have overhead costs of receptionists and paper pushers and rent and utilities, etc. Some of those costs get covered by the doc fee rather than covering them with the vehicle's sales price. Just like the "extras," focus on the final cost; if your check to the Dealer A is $500 less than it would be to Dealer B, it doesn't matter that the "price" was $600 less but the doc fee was $100 more.
(10) Extended warranties are almost always hugely profitable for stores, which means they are almost always rip-offs for customers. Hondas are about the most reliable cars on the planet (perhaps second to Toyota). I wouldn't do it.
My Dad purchased the 2005 Odyssey EX-L RES last week. Today we took the vehicle with barely 12 miles back to the dealer because it was making a strange noise. The service dept told us that they had to replace the steering pump. then shortly afterwards, they informed us that the alternator had to be replaced. My question is does this warrant our rights as consumer to request a replacement for a new vehicle? My Dad is very upset because a BRAND NEW car is giving us trouble already. The dealer is giving us the run around saying that problem is expected from any new vehicle and giving us a hard time. Any advice is appreciated.
Regards, John
Thanks
- Rick
You have posted this in multiple forums. This problem should NOT be "expected" from a new car but things do happen.
Very strange that two components would fail but this is why you have a warranty. I'm sure it'll be fixed to your satisfaction.
Cost of vehicle: $31463 ($100 + invoice)
Temp Ohio Reg: 22.5
--------------------------------------------
Total: $31488.50
This was the total amount of money paid by me. I have to pay taxes and register my car in Pennsylvania. This was the final cost and I did not pay anything extra for delivery. Dealing with the dealership was a charm and right from the managers, to the sales people to the people who delivered the vehicle were extremely nice. THe responses to my calls were prompt and I was informed of the status of the sale every step of the way. All in all a great experience dealing with Jack Matia Honda.
Any dealers I should absolutly avoid ? How much over invoice should I expect to pay ?
Thanks
I don't see how this can be an issue. The policy is from Honda. As long as you take it to a Honda dealership (or probably an approved shop) what difference does it make where you buy it from? The dealership which works on the warranty will get re-imbursed from Honda.
Some dealers will promise you exactly what you want. If they cannot provide a VIN number, they don’t have it on their lot and will have to trade for it. Most dealers don’t want to do that, even the large corporate dealers with a dozen dealership; too much hassle. If you can’t find the exterior or leather color, ask about taking delivery of one being built now or in the near future; that was our choice (who wants a car with 20+ miles on it anyway?)
For us, some dealers were very close to MSRP (and cry how they even giving you a deal at that) while others want provide a more reasonable price. Try Classic Honda of Orlando and Regal Honda of Lakeland and ask for their internet salesman if you make your calls into central Florida. Both offered good pricing, were responsive with phone calls, worked hard to make the deal, and presented a professional attitude.
I finally contracted with a central Florida Honda dealer two days ago for our ’05 Odyssey (I will name when I pick up the vehicle next week). My best price was 31K out the door, not as good as prices as up north, but a fairly reasonable one for Florida. Yes, I will have to drive 100 miles next week to pick it up but I ended up saving over $1700 that our in-county Honda dealers wanted.
One last piece of advice; don’t waste your time calling Brevard County Honda dealers as they were at the top of the quotes. Good luck and let us know how the experience was for you.