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I bought mine from Fenton Honda, Ardmore, OK. I recommend you try them and Jack O Diamond, Tyler, TX. Someone from Houston took my recommendation and bought a Touring+NAV from Jack O. You may have to search the posts around March-April time frame.
As for local dealers, I've noticed that they aren't predictable, their prices fluctuate widely (quote MSRP first and then say they match). Some of them have useless Internet Only prices which are a joke since they want you to come by the dealership to chat.
By the way, I did all my dealings over e-mail, phone and fax. The only time I went to the dealer was to pick it up.
Good luck with your search. If you want more info drop me an e-mail.
You are right! To anyone and everyone who reads this forum. Take note and avoid Madison Honda in Madison, New Jersey. If you really want a Honda, buy it elsewhere. Perhaps Planet Honda on Rt. 22 in Union. Madison Honda puts cars on their lot as certified that on close inspection clearly fail the standards set by Honda America. Example: Cars with two front tires not matching. One old, one new. Fluid levels not up to specification, etc. etc. Car out of alignment on test drive. Etc. Etc. Yet again cars already on the lot with certified sticker in window. And signed checklist in dash. This indicates shoddy workmanship and standards and calls into question whether any certifcation warranties on used cars offered for sale at this dealership are accurate and up to Honda's highly promoted 150 point checklist. I would be interested to hear from any other customers of Madison Honda who hav ehad bad experiences. Honda America should be looking into the business practices of this dealership. As for complaint letters to American Honda I suggest writing the President of the Company at the America Honda headquarters in Torrance California. Unless the President hears about such complaints you have little hope of getting any satisfaction from Honda Customer Service. From my experience they take the side of the dealer, regardless of what the customer has to say. Bad business policy. Very short sighted. Over time customer complaints like yours will certainly shake the confidence of those thinking about buying a Honda.
I also got them to throw in the leather steering wheel cover. Also got a book of coupons for cheap servicing etc (alledgedly a $1100 value... yeah, right!). I didn't get suckered into buying the extras such as paint protection, extended warranty etc.
Not bad, considering a friend was being quoted MSRP at all the local dealerships only 3 months ago.
P.S. Check Eric's thread #7609
Please post more info!
Who was the internet contact? Which model did you get?
I'm looking for an EXL-RES-NAV in So. Cal.
Do you remember seeing any of these in stock?
thanks!
W.
kirstie_h
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Review your vehicle
Area. We bought a Ody Touring R&N Slate Green Metallic/Olive Leather
for 35,500 that included destination, front and rear mudguards, wheel locks
and of course the interior and exterior protection package that everyone
seems to do :-) This was April 30th.
Chris
Car looks and drives great!
Suren
Thanks
thanks, dave
Do you mind sharing the dealership name? I'm in a market for a Touring R&N in Maryland as well.
Ouch. Even with a total lack of my desire to huggle and in pricy N.Cal. got my EX for 26,500 with destination and goodies thrown in (large cargo mat, door edge guards). They have a lot full of them. I bet you can get it for invoice this month if you try.
I hate leather seats, sunroof is pointless and do not trust the new iVTEC. EX is the best deal.
Driving it for the third day. Nice.
I live in the North Dallas/Plano area and took a two-pronged approach. I contacted 5 Honda dealers through this site for quotes after checking their inventories on their websites to confirm they had at least 1 Touring R&N in stock with a color I would like. I didn't waste time dealing with those that didn't have the model I wanted. I also stopped by Lute Riley Honda in Richardson, TX in response to their radio ad saying they were offering $3800 off MSRP for all Tourings. They had 2 left but the colors were not for me, a 3rd would have been but it was sold and being picked up while I was there.
All initial email responses came back without quotes and some variation of "stop in and we can talk". I replied to all with the exact model and colors I was interested in and asked them if they could beat or meet the $3800 off from LR and to give me an email quote. Almost all first responded to the effect of "we only sell those hard to get models for at or near MSRP". Don't believe them, haggle on.
Bankston in Lewisville emailed me a quote for a Touring R&N at $3100 off MSRP of $39010. Not bad. McDavid in Frisco still didn't get the concept of internet quotes and responded without a quote again but said they could come close and that I should come in and talk. (As an aside before I was really looking, I went through their dealer water torture process on a test drive visit about 3 months earlier. Now they had an amazing 16 Touring R&Ns in stock so we stopped by on Sunday while they were closed and walked their lot and overflow lot to look at them and compare colors up close without sales pressure.) Honda Cars of McKinney responded that the $3800 off MSRP was a good deal but to watch for the dealer add-ons, but they didn't provide a quote either. The other few dealers were Rusty Wallis and McDavid of Irving and they didn't provide a quote either. Never bothered with them after that.
I made another visit to Lute Riley and we reached a deal on the $3800 off as well as they'd throw in their dealer add-ons that I didn't want for free except for the wheel locks and mud flaps I wanted. Sales guys were great. Sales Manager was ok. Had the paperwork started and then the General Manager came in and vetoed the deal at the last minute! He raised the price by $1400 and pressured me to take it or leave it or the price was going up to MSRP, his sales guys were crazy to make me that offer, that was my last chance, he could sell it to someone else for MSRP,etc,etc. Needless to say I will NEVER purchase a vehicle or service from them. Don't waste your time there like I did. Can't trust them.
So I drove home frustrated at the time wasted...and then checked my email. Honda Cars of McKinney sent out an email that day to those who had contacted them previously via the internet with a 4 day end of April internet only deal of $500 off any other DFW dealer's best offer on 05 Odysseys and 06 Ridgelines !
I immediately called their internet guy up and told him I received their email and was coming in. I checked out the model I wanted, I gave him a printed copy of their email, he remembered my $3800-off MSRP deal from the LR dealer and had the deal drafted up for $4300 off MSRP for my new Touring R&N. They also beat my 5.25% financing I had lined up. I was in and out of there, deal signed, in less than 2 hours. My wife signed her half of the paperwork the next day when we took delivery.
As others in these forums have done, rather than trade in our vehicle (99 Montana Van) to the dealer, we sold it to Carmax and got about $1800 over the edmunds and blue book price. The dealers couldn't even come close to that.
What an easy, easy experience. No hassles, no trying to pull anything over on us...just easy and smooth.
I am so use to being poised and ready for the kill at a dealship. It was that way when we purchased our MDX. This was effortless.
Our purchase price was $37, 400.00. I worked with John Moreley.
They threw in, at my request, the moon roof visor, mud flaps, cargo tray, all weather mats and the third row sunshades. They also were running a special for a free 2 night 3 day cruise, so we got that also! Then they gave us our first oil change free and a very nice car care kit filled with cleaners.
They were aiming to please. Anything we needed, they were there to help.
The car is brand new off the assembly line.
They called every few days on it's status. It took about 2-3 weeks to receive the car, from when we put down a down payment.
I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never did.
I told them what TMV said we should pay and that is what they agreed to it. I would just say that you should know exactly what you are willing to pay and what accessories you'd want before going in.
It's white with ivory leather.........
I am very impressed. The car is a beauty.
Extemely happy with our purchase and experience. A breath of fresh air!
Jo
Loree
My best deal to date is $41,500 out-the-door for the following:
- 2005 Odyssey Touring R&N
- Silver Pearl Metallic w/gray interior
- Cargo Mat
- Cargo Tray
- Mud Flaps
I am in the San Diego, CA area. If anyone can give me advice and/or point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. I will keep the board informed, as I will buy in a few weeks - I am hoping for under $40k out-the-door.
Odyss
in the area were all working in the high 35 low 36 range for the Touring R&N. But,
the stipulation was that we had to buy something on their lot and had to do it that
weekend, Happened to be April 30th. We also didn't have a trade. College Park
Honda had 4 on the lot 2 silver, 1 slate green, 1 dark green and that was the Touring
R&N.
My wife had wanted a Red but we didn't see it anywhere and College Park Honda
had a ton of Odysseys in stock every color. Well we get there they take us to the
lot and saw the vans, it just so happened they also had an Ocean Mist that my
wife had liked before it just wasn't in their computers. So they had 5 Touring R&N's
on the lot my wife like the Slate Green, and 1 hour later we were done and driving
away with the car.
Many other dealers only had 1 of the Touring R&N on the lot if any. Jim Coleman
Honda in Howard County also had 4 Touring R&N on the lot also had a slate green
with olive interior but was about 2 grand higer in price and wouldn't budge. Said that
if they sold it for any less they wouldn't get their allotment of vechicles next month.
We dealt with the internet division and it's been 2 weeks. They were supposed to
call because we do have a we owe on a small fix but we haven't heard back from
them about that. But, the buying it went fine, took about 2-3 hours including a
demo of the van and the nav system.
I also test drove Toyota and Nissan minivans. They were both cheaper then Honda, but Honda is well worth the extra money. Now two week later I am still very happy with this purchase.
I am being offered the following for 2005 OD EX.....$26,500; $26,395; $26,487 and $26,400
All four dealers are in midwest and within 20 mile radius of my residence. Is this the prevailing range of price in this area?
This is exactly what Honda and every Honda Dealer wants you to believe.
This model is the sweet spot when it comes to features (not value).
I am sure they are bumping up the percentage of DVD/NAVI to a level that is just right so people believe the above.
There is no reason why EX-L should sell at invoice and EX-L RES-NAV should sell at invoice+1500. I am holding out.
I have more than one month to think about this minivan. I need it just prior to opening of fall classes ( will travel with my 2 boys who are heading for college).
I purchased the 05' EXL Dvd/Nav (R&N) in Silver/Gray for $33,300 ($36,100 out the door) in the Bay Area... from Jim Doten Honda.
If you don't mind the drive Yuba City Honda gave me a better quote (33,100) but at the time could not get the color I wanted. Both dealers were honest and quick to respond. Good Luck!
First off I wanted to say thanks to everyone on these boards at edmunds. You've all been very helpful! I'm in the Bay Area and I recently purchased the Touring w/ Nav & DVD, and I wanted to share my experience with you.
I started out by emailing a whole bunch of dealers in the Bay Area and around Sacramento. Right off the bat, San Leandro Honda & Yuba City Honda had offers significantly better than the rest (they wanted about $37,000 while the other quotes I was getting were anywhere from $1000 off MSRP to $800 over MSRP.)
I then took those quotes back to the others to see who would deal. The following dealers said that they were firm on price even though I had a better quote:
Autowest Honda Fremont
Elk Grove Honda
Honda of Oakland
Kastner Honda
Mel Rapton
SF Honda ($800 over MSRP! :P )
After some back and forth, I ended up talking with the three who seemed willing to deal the most--Yuba City, Jim Doten, and Concord Honda. Jim Doten ended up with the best price and I was all set to buy from them, but they couldn't get me the exact color/options I wanted. The only one they could get was the one from Concord that had a bunch of dealer accessories on it. They said there were no others available in Northern California.
On a hunch, my wife told me to call our local dealer (Manly Honda in Santa Rosa) to see what they had. Turns out they had the color I wanted (silver/black leather) without any accessories, so we ended up buying from them. They have this neat program where they give you a scratcher card and they say that they'll beat any other offer by what you scratch off on the card (from $100-$500). Of course, ours was $100, so our final price was $36,400. Not a bad deal, I thought.
So far, we love the van. My only complaints to this point are with the steering wheel position and the stereo. I wish the steering wheel was either a little bit closer or was telescoping. I'm not impressed with the sound of the stereo--as someone else mentioned, the midrange is lacking. I think it needs better speaker placement or ideally more speakers. My '94 accord sounded much better. But overall we love it and would highly recommend them!
Personally, I don't think anyone "needs" a DVD much less a NAVI but for some reason demand has been a LOT higher on these units than honda expected and they are scrambling to catch up.
You think cars in high demand and short (believe it!) supply should sell for invoice?
Why? You may be "holding out" for a long time.
Most road tests are of the Touring or EX-L it seems. Has anyone driven the LX and touring or EX-L back to back?
Since the LX includes all the mechanical features of the EX and Touring (aside from the 6-3 Cyl. motor and run-flat tires) The LX looks like the best deal to me. I'd be interested to know if there is a difference in noise level between the two, The incremental gas mileage is not that big of an issue to me...seems like false economy to pay 10K more for something just so it gets 2mpg more, as 10K buys alot of gas.
I'd rather avoid the power doors and some of the auto climate features as well. Sound system upgrade is about all I think I'd miss.
I notice that LX inventories are low or non-existent at some dealers. I understand that loaded cars have higher profit margins and most buyers want the features, that's cool, but anyone out there done any negotiating on prices for the LX?
The main reason that I bought the EX over LX was for power doors. My wife was complaining that manual doors are too heavy. They are very substantial and heavy. If that is not a problem for you, then the LX is the best deal. I also felt bad to pay $3000 extra for power doors. At least you get some nice features for $3000 like alarm, 6-disk cd-changer, better cloth seats, etc.
I hope that this helps.
I traded in my 2004 Odyssey EXL-RES with 13,000 miles. My van is between excellence and good. I used $31,011 as the base for negociation. They offered me the trade as $21,000 (I paid $26,500 last year before tax) and 10054.
I paid 10054 plus 603.24 for tax and 117.65 for registration for the out of door price.
They have the color I like in stock with 3.5 miles on the meter.
I paid $34,558 (pre-2/14 invoice) plus $100 doc fees for my Touring R&N in Ohio in February. The price included about $400 worth of accessories.
Add the destination ($515) + Hondacare cost ($1,050) + real value of 'accessories' ($500), and you get $33,428 (not including your license and registration).
Unless the $37K includes sales tax, this seems high--even for this most popular trim level.
Frank Gorshin, R.I.P.
Bad News: Space Coast Honda e-mailed me an "Internet Special" quote of $34,310 (only $500 under invoice).
I'm hammering the area hard right now looking for the best deal. I don't mind driving as far as Atlanta to save $1,000 (plus I have friends to visit there...2 for 1 trip)!
Good luck!
The above quotes were for:
2005 Odyssey Touring R&N
Silver Pearl Metallic w/gray interior
With the following options:
Cargo Mat
Cargo Tray
Mud Flaps
Fender Wheel Trim
Wheel Locks
Cross Bars
Third Row Sun Shade
Anyone have any ideas on how to get it under $40k?
Odyss
I also had a simple transaction, easy in and out. Wish I had read your post before making this deal, I would have pushed harder for a better price --- but definitely in the Bay area the most I could get was $1000 off of MSRP, and this was after abou 3 weeks of internet e-mails, calling,etc. It's worth the 2.5 hr drive to save another $1000.