2013 and earlier-Honda CR-V Prices Paid and Buying Experience

princeofpunjab · May 2004

Here is the deal. I got the CRV EX Auto for 20,100, I dont need to lie about it. I just thought that this forum helped me out so much that I would posts the prices I got and offers. I know the numbers, I know I got the car below invoice I was very confused myself when they quoted me that price over the phone I was ready for there games when I got there, I thought they might be selling me the demo, but the Car they sold me had 6 miles on the odometer. They didnt play games no hassles final price was 20,100 + tax + tags. For those of you who choose not to believe that is ok with me because I'm not here to prove anything just help others know what sort of prices ppl can get.

Take care and good luck to all.

bshel · May 2004

Excellent price! I paid more for my MT EX, and that was work! I should have driven down to MD.

kyfdx · May 2004

Did you have a trade-in?

brownbarbie · May 2004

thanks fso...or shall i say...ken?

brownbarbie · May 2004

I went to the same dealer. No luck. Contact me by email. Thanks!

jetjet · May 2004

Just bought a CRV LX for $17,887, Keyless $162, Sidesteps $454. Livermore Honda in CA. No pressure, no hassle!

pollyann · May 2004

When I bought our Odyssey 4 years ago, I saved $700 on our 7 year/100,000 mile warranty by buying it out of state. (Thanks to this Edmunds.com!!!)
It has been handy because it includes a rental car if they perform warranty work that lasts more than 10 minutes plus we plan to keep it for a few more years. When we buy our CRV in the next few weeks I was wondering if anyone still does this and if so if they have a name handy? I was thinking of seeing of the guy that I used before was still there.

Plus they also recommended my buying the car mats and cargo trays from cheapparts.com since Honda actually wanted to charge us to install them!!

Any thoughts??

hgfyt · May 2004

I got quote from Lanier Honda at the Mall of Georgia, 18,300 with dual side air bag include destination plus sales tax, tag and title, is it a good deal?
Can I buy a car in Alabama, register in Georiga, because the tax is half of Gaoriga.
Appreciate!

kyfdx · May 2004

In almost all cases, you will pay tax where you register the vehicle, not where you buy it.

regards,
kyfdx

stevedebi · May 2004

You have to register the car in the state in which it will be driven.

edunnett · May 2004

I have a quote from a dealer in the San Francisco Bay Area sent to me via email w/o any haggling for just a tad more than you paid, so I totally believe your $20,100 price. This is for a 2004 CR-V EX Automatic. They said they have a bunch on the lot and are trying to move them and the quote was from the 'fleet manager' who answered a cars.com quote request.

Selling Price: $20,530.00
Document Fee: 45.00
State Sales Tax: $1,737.86
Destination Charge: $490.00
State License Fee: $182.00
State Tire Fee: $5.00
Total "out-the-door" Price: $22,989.86

kyfdx · May 2004

Well.. He said his price of $20,100 includes destination, so that puts it over $900 less than yours...

princeofpunjab · May 2004

edunnett

Its not a bad price at all. I dont know if since I am in Maryland our deals are comparable or not but here is my break down again.

Best Price (this is where I bought)
20,100 (incl. destination) + Tax + tags + 100 Processing fee.

My second best offer which isnt to far from what you are getting
20,721 (incl. destination) + Tax + tags + 99 Processing fee

There is about a 600 dollar differnce between the two dealerships, honestly I was surprised myself when they offered that low for the EX (thought they were gonna play games when I got there) but they sold me the car with 6 miles on it, and I even got wheel locks! Currently my car has 1000 miles on it and is running great, I love the size (previous car was integra).

zhyue · May 2004

I bought CR-V EX Auto for $20,500 + $100 processing fee + Tax + tags last weekend at the same dealership. The car comes with wheel locks and pinstripe.

Prince, did you finance with the dealer or you did it on your own? That might explain the low price of the car?

Did any one buy the extended warranty for the CR-V? I was quoted $550 for 6yr/75k with $50 deductible. Is that a fair price?

princeofpunjab · May 2004

zhyue,

Way to go! Was this Criswell Honda? I financed from my credit union at a rate of 3.25% for 4 year loan.

zhyue · May 2004

prince,

yes, it was Criswell Honda. Your rates are very good. We got ours at 4.35% through Synergy Bank for 60 months.

what do you think of the extended warranty?

princeofpunjab · May 2004

zhyue,

My rate of 3.25 % is for a 48 month loan so downside is my monthly payment is high.

I also took the 7/75k warranty, they started that warranty at 1899 and when I refused they came down to 899, I refused again then it was suddenly 599, I refused again and then the finally took it off. After 5 mins. (when I knew they wouldnt go any lower) I told them to add the warranty back on for 599. I dont know how much I will need it but, its just peace of mind, no worries. Even one small thing that goes wrong will let the warranty pay for itself....What color did you buy?

zhyue · May 2004

prince

I bought a silver V. how about yours? I like silver for it is easy to maintain and it looks pretty. Hernson Honda would sell green or gold for $20,800 but not for silver ones.

As for the warranty, does yours 7yr/75k have deductible?

princeofpunjab · May 2004

zhyue,

I have the dark blue, silver was my second choice! I'll have to check about the deductiable on the warranty, will get back to you tommrow on that. Yah Hersons honda wouldnt budge off 20,800 for me, sport honda was willing to go to 20,721, I found the people at Criswell and Hersons more professional then Sport Honda.

luke_warmwater · June 2004

First, I want to thank everyone for the informative posts on this board. It helped greatly. Second, the below deal was only possible through God's blessing, aggressive saving, budgeting, sacrifice and commitment to never making another car payment. I'll include some of the negotiating details so buyers will know what kind of tactics to expect from salesman.

We purchased a new 2004 Honda CR-V 2WD LX this past Saturday. My wife wanted the base model with no options except keyless entry. We found 5 in the greater Birmingham,AL area in the color she wanted, black. The first dealer we stopped at quoted $18200 as being his cost and asked what we were willing to pay for his profit (this was after they came back initially with a $20360 price.) Red flags went up then. I offered $17600 cash and told him I'm going somewhere else if he does not take it. He told me that Honda dealers had to report to each other what they sell cars for and said I would never get it for that. We walked out. I called the second dealer and talked with a salesman. He had two on the lot in black with the keyless entry option only . I walked in and handed him a check for $17800 and the deal was approved by his manager in 2 minutes. I think I could have gotten it for my original offer at the other dealer ($17,600) but oh well. I'm not going to fuss over $200-$300 dollars on something we will keep for 7 years minimum.

We love this vehicle. We have a 5 month old and this CR-V is more practical for that than our 97 Accord with 161,000 trouble-free miles.

Thanks to all.

automatic · June 2004

Luke - A few clarifications on your deal, if I may...
1. Was it $17800 out the door or $17800 plus tax/license?
2. Were any of the dealers you worked with considered "high volume", or were they "regular" sized?
3. Do the Honda dealers in your area advertise actual sale prices in the paper (like they seem to do in California) or do the dealers in your area just advertise generic statements like "best prices, huge stock."
Thanks!!

luke_warmwater · June 2004

Auto,

Sure, no problem.

1. Dude, I wish. $17800 was before AL sales tax + $16.50 title fee
2. Actually, the first dealer was higher volume than the one we bought from. They had the big, nice building on a high dollar piece of ground in a prime location. I felt the overhead was too much. The one I bought from had 2/3 the number of cars and smaller building.
3. I live actually an hour north of Birmingham and don't subscribe to their paper. However, I have seen car adds before in their paper and recall that they will typically advertise a low price with a bunch of fine print. I never go by that stuff because it is simply trying to get me in the door.

I read a post before buying that stressed the importance of getting two dealers fighting for the sale. This is important. Car dealers don't have to work as hard if you don't have something else better. Also, if your doing a cash deal, write a check with your lowball offer and hand it to the salesman (along with the terms, say something like plus tax and title fee only)as soon as he greets you. The sales pitch stops immediately. Further, don't be afraid to walk away.

Good luck!

luke_warmwater · June 2004

Auto,

I took another look at the reciept last night after my reply and saw they charged me $275 for clerical and processing fees. This is why it is important to give them the offer along with the terms. I should have negotiated this down to like $50-$100. It is my belief now that this is clever way to increase profit margin. They make you think everyone pays this same fee. It was the only fee that was pre-printed on the sales form. To clarify again, my deal was $17800 + the $275 + Sales Tax +$16.50 title fee. Don't make the same mistake I did, make them decrease or drop the $275 fee altogether.

automatic · June 2004

Luke - Thanks for the follow up on the details of your LX purchase. It definitely is good advice to thoroughly review the final out the door cost breakout to be sure no surprises show up at the last minute. In any case, I still think you got a decent price and a fine automobile to boot!

hd28_player · June 2004

in @ 3 months, the 2004 models will be a "year old" right?

Is it reasonable to expect that resale prices will start falling over the next 90 days, on 2004 CR-V's. If not, it would seem many people would just wait and buy a 2005.

Anyone recall from buying in the last year or so, just before the new models come out?

zhyue · June 2004

Bought CRV from them two weeks ago. We brought our own finance paper from a credit union with us. The finance manager in Criswell Honda told us that Honda could give us 5.9% rate, but if we buy warranty from them, then he can lower the rate to 5.5%. I knew he was playing tricks with us, so I rejected it right away. Then after I showed him our approval letter with rate 4.35% on it from the credit union, he told me the best he could do is 4.5% and asked me whether I would go with that rate. Of course I rejected it. I told him that unless he can match or do better than the rate we're getting, we won't finance through Honda. He said nothing about financing after that and did not make any offer to me either, which left me believe we will finance with our credit union. Since it is my first time buying car from dealership, when he put all the papers in front of us for us to sign, I did not notice that one of the paper is for financing through Honda. I at that time thought the rate, which is 4.35%, is from my credit union. The finance manager said nothing about financing through Honda when we signed the paper. After coming back home, with the impression that we're financing through the credit union, I faxed purchase order and other documents to the credit union and asked them to send a check to the dealership. Then today got a call from this guy from Criswell saying that we need to send the check to America Honda Finance. Then he started saying that we actually financed through Honda. Clearly he hasn't been explicit and honest with us right from the beginning, we really feel being cheated and are frustrated with all the mess that needs to be cleaned up with our credit union and Honda. You have to be really really careful when dealing with Criswell Honda!! especially this finance guy.
BTW, throughout the whole thing, he kept pressing us to rate them the highest on all categories when contacted by Honda customer after-purchase survey, blah, blah. This guy has not a single bit of integrity inside out.
One huge lesson learned!!

stever · June 2004

Gotta read the fine print.

If something like that happened to me, I'd go write the BBB, the TV/newspaper, and the consumer protection agency for my state. And Honda. Sheesh!

Steve, Host

nwang · June 2004

zhyue, I don't know how your credit union handles REFINANCE. If you are pre-qualified for new car loan, in many cases you are also qualified for refinance as long as the car is still "new". And it's possible to still use your credit union with the same rate. What you need to do is submit a REFINACE application to your credit union. If it's approved, your credit union will payoff the balance to Honda. There will be some minimum cost involved. It will still be better if you end up with a better rate in long term.

edunnett · June 2004

My husband and I are getting close to purchasing a CR-V and rather than blindly show up at the dealer offering the lowest price via email, does anyone recommend a dealer for sales and (better yet) service department? Is there a Honda dealer "standard" for customer service (much the way Subaru recognizes its "Stellar Performers"?
Thanks,
Elissa

wen · June 2004

We are READY to buy a 2004 CR-V EX automatic.
So far we only went to one Dealer (in Danbury, CT.) and as we were there they just took a "Mojave Mist" EX (the color we want) off the car carrier, so they definitely have one in stock. They are haggling already and have quoted the extended warranty (7 yr) at $1699 and (5 yr) at $1499 and will not come down. They want $21,500 plus $490 (dest.) = $21,990 plus the extended warranty, taxes and other fees.
Anyone in this Connecticut area (Southbury/Waterbury) that has had better "luck" with other Dealers ?? Should we travel about 50+ miles into New York ??
I am curious.... will Honda offer any "year end Rebates" such as Subaru has just done ($2500 OFF) ?? We also looked at a RAV4 and most Dealers are desperate to sell these.... I was just quoted (over internet from local Toyota Dealer without even going there) a RAV4 "L" at $400 over DEALER COST !!

sreiss · June 2004

I bought from Brewster Honda last fall. I found Danbury Honda unwilling to deal at all. Curtiss Ryan Honda in Shelton are also good, but I also found last fall that they were selling at MSRP only. I think that's pretty typical in this area for the CRV. At Brewster Honda, they have a pretty good 'internet sales' program and you can do a lot over e-mail. I used the Costco auto buying program, which pre-sets the markup over invoice. I don't think I got a phenomenal deal, but I definitely did better than what seemed to be prevailing price (MSRP only) in the general area, so I was happy.

I personally would not consider the RAV4, but you may have a different opinion. I had the unfortunate experience of being hit in the tailgate recently, and when having it estimated/fixed, I got the comment 'good thing it's not a RAV4'. I guess the Honda is a lot better built, at least in terms of getting hit from behind.

Anyway, Brewster Honda is about 5 minutes over the NYS line, so they are not far. Other than having to withstand the onslaught of the pitch to buy the extended warranty, it was painless. On the point of the warranty, you'll do much better by going to www.curryhondacare.com. It's the same warranty, and it's much less costly. You may also be able to use their pricing to discuss with the local dealer. Frankly, I bought the extended warranty for my Odyssey just prior to the 3yr factory warranty expiring, so there's not really a big hurry to get it.

One other point-- NYS does not charge the 'conveyance fee' or whatever it's called that CT dealers do, so that saves about $150 right there. They took my trade, registered it in CT for me, charged me CT sales tax, etc. The whole thing couldn't have been smoother. Good luck.

kyfdx · June 2004

You seem amazed the the Rav4 sells for $400 over cost, but the deal quoted on the CRV is only $670 over invoice. That seems like a small difference to me.

They are marking up the warranty by quite a bit, though. You can buy it online from a dealer in Massachusetts for about $1000 for the 7yr/100K. I wouldn't switch to a different car or go very far to save $300 or less. If you seem as eager to buy in person as your postings here convey, then maybe that is hurting your bargaining position.

regards,
kyfdx

sreiss · June 2004

I bought from Brewster Honda last fall. I found Danbury Honda unwilling to deal at all. Curtiss Ryan Honda in Shelton are also good, but I also found last fall that they were selling at MSRP only. I think that's pretty typical in this area for the CRV. At Brewster Honda, they have a pretty good 'internet sales' program and you can do a lot over e-mail. I used the Costco auto buying program, which pre-sets the markup over invoice. I don't think I got a phenomenal deal, but I definitely did better than what seemed to be prevailing price (MSRP only) in the general area, so I was happy.

I personally would not consider the RAV4, but you may have a different opinion. I had the unfortunate experience of being hit in the tailgate recently, and when having it estimated/fixed, I got the comment 'good thing it's not a RAV4'. I guess the Honda is a lot better built, at least in terms of getting hit from behind.

Anyway, Brewster Honda is about 5 minutes over the NYS line, so they are not far. Other than having to withstand the onslaught of the pitch to buy the extended warranty, it was painless. On the point of the warranty, you'll do much better by going to www.curryhondacare.com. It's the same warranty, and it's much less costly. You may also be able to use their pricing to discuss with the local dealer. Frankly, I bought the extended warranty for my Odyssey just prior to the 3yr factory warranty expiring, so there's not really a big hurry to get it.

One other point-- NYS does not charge the 'conveyance fee' or whatever it's called that CT dealers do, so that saves about $150 right there. They took my trade, registered it in CT for me, charged me CT sales tax, etc. The whole thing couldn't have been smoother. Good luck.

wen · June 2004

Thanks "sreiss" for the reply. You really saved me quite a bit of running around as I too got "bad vibes" while dealing prices with Fair Honda, Danbury. To me, they appeared quite arrogent, probably because they have more buyers coming in than they can get vehicles to sell. I totally agree about the RAV4, especially when it comes to rear end collisions. For the record, I am NOT trying to get the "best price" on a new CR-V, but I am mainly looking for a "trusted dealer" in the unfortunate event I ever have to get the vehicle serviced due to a big recall or just a minor "new car tweak". I have actually had TWO "bad experiences" at Curtiss-Ryan (I lived in Shelton for 18 years) and believe it or not, RETURNED a brand new '90 Honda to them after two days, for a full refund. Turns out they SWAPPED trunk lids from another new Accord as the one I waited two months to come in, arrived with a damaged trunk. Can you imagine the feeling I had when I got it home, put the key in the trunk, and it didn't turn. After opening it up from the inside latch I saw the "primer outline" of the original trunk screws next to the newly installed hinge screws. Man was I furious and back to the Dealer the Accord went. I hammered into the owner and finally after mentioning my Lawyer and "fraud" charges, got a 100% refund. I then went to New Haven (Brandfon) and bought my Accord EX Coupe.
Anyway....... I got an EMAIL quote from Brewster Honda yesterday, called them when I got home, and put a "deposit" on a CR-V that is due around July 10th. I am driving over there this Sunday. What really is hurtin' me is that I am trying to SELL my 2000 Acura 3.2TL with photo ads (Bargain News), etc. and for a vehicle that's really in "immaculate" condition, I'm getting NO bites... none at all. As far as trade-in, man what an insult when I get only $13K - $14K. If you saw it you would drool.......... it's like almost "perfect" !! Excellently maintaned with lots of T.L.C. and many new parts (tires, brakes, rotors, battery, etc.) and extra goodies like full size spare on alloy, etc.

silver_bullet · June 2004

I have an opportunity to buy a clean 2002 LX AWD with just under 17K miles. Since it is an early production "Gen II" vehicle, I'm concerned that I might be buying a car full of problems that Honda worked out as they got more production under their belt. Anyone out there with good or bad experiences with an early '02? All info appreciated!

sreiss · June 2004

Glad it worked out. On the point of Danbury Honda, I agree I haven't had good buying experiences there. I do use them for service, though, and have been happy over the years. Good luck with it-- SAR

dondada · June 2004

"trusted dealer". That's an oxymoron isn't it? Anyway I'm glad you were able to find a deal to your liking. got a 5spd MT from Fair Honda last fall and at that time they were the only ones willing to negotiate. Got a real sweet deal too. Just goes to show how the "environment" can change in a few months.
Good luck with your purchase.

varmint · June 2004

Honda typically holds a year end clearance sale in August. It allows them to clean out most of the 2004 models before the 2005s arrive. You might want to try just before the sale is over. During the sale, there will be more people competing for the dealer inventory.

mydestiny · June 2004

I posted before about our price paid for our 2004 CRV purchased right before new years. I have over 5,000 miles on it...and we were rear ended yesterday...I am sad, its my baby.

The tire on back I feel protected it well. Right bumper damage, tire dented the door some (still opens and closes right) (leather cover scraped up bad)...my exhaust is red from the perfect circle it put in his front end. My family of 5 was in there, we are all ok, little sore...but thankful it wasnt worse but we took a strong hit.

I know one thing, my rental had better be an SUV because it could have been a lot worse had we been in something smaller. I had an anciet 89 civic hatchback before this one and I bet my kids would have been injured if we would have been in it.

I didnt know what board to post on, sorry for the OT, but it may help someone who considers buying. I just know other CRV lovers would understand how I feel today. Needing the comfort.

edunnett · June 2004

Any recommendations on dealers in Bay Area that have great service departments and/or non-deceptive sales practives? Any opinion of San Leandro Honda? -elissa

steve999 · June 2004

Ok, we are looking at the CRV and wondering if putting 2 car seats and 1 booster seat in the back will work. Or should we get at van? We are also looking at the Mazda MPV van, Honda's van is out of our budget. I can get the MPV for $19,200.

I have gotten a price on a 04 LX 2WD Auto for $18,000 plus TT&F not sure if dest charge is included in that or not.

Also, I found a web site that has Honda's Ext warranty and prices seemed good. So do a search on their warranty and check it out.

edunnett · June 2004

Wow, I'm very glad to hear you and your family are well. As my husband is in the market for a CR-V, I'm glad to hear that it's fairly good on the safety front and that Honda has improved the rear bumper crumpling of the CR-V. A few years ago, you might have been uninjured but you would have been lacking a rear window:

Video of 5mph rear bumper crash on CR-V
http://www.progressive.com/video/02CRVLSP.mpg

If you have trouble with the movies, check out the crash test results in the category of small SUVs, this actually solidified my own decision to purchase Subaru Foresters, but the CR-V has definitely made some strides:
http://www.iihs.org/news_releases/2002/pr070202.htm

bshel · June 2004

Steve, the 2 car seats and 1 booster do fit. I've done that. Another CR-V owner has 3 car seats in her 2004.

mydestiny · June 2004

Thank you for posting that, looked like my CRV in the video, alarming, wow. I think my car took the hit on the right side of the tire mostly, that is where most of the damage is, and its lower. Will see how much damage was done next week.

To the person who asked about the car seats...I would have to say depending on the size of the seat. We have an 04 and Il laws required boosters for children up to 8yr a week AFTER buying the CRV. That put my almost 8yr old 70 child back in a booster and caused problems. I have one car seat and two boosters now...and it is a tight fit. Lots of whining from the booster kids 6 and 7 about buckling, and often have to help...these are just the lower boosters not back support, nothing fancy. If you are just unstrapping one child from the booster it may fit just fine if you place the booster child by a door. They do fit but not exactly comfortly...and it wont be until my CRV is back from the shop that I will get a professional car seat instalation. No need to go for a van if CRV doesnt work out. We had a ford expedition while mine were little and all 3 car seats fit perfect, roomy larger SUV, and honestly..I didnt look at the Pilot but I have heard good things about it...as a family car.

If you are seriously considering, maybe during a test drive, take the seats and drive it to a police safety inspection point, let a trained person tell you if they fit right and safe.

scorpiontatu · June 2004

I live in NH but bought my Lx awd Crv in Mass..since the dealership in Nh wouldn't come down on the price 20,050...ended up paying 19120.00 with 4.09% (from Honda finance)...I didn't go for the warranty which was 900 bucks for 7yr/100k..but was told if i got the warranty and didn't use it after 7yrs I could get my money back for the warranty..I think I did a pretty good Deal? And I think it help that for future brother-in-law works for the dealership!!

wen · June 2004

I would NEVER buy ANY vehicle without a genuine FACTORY EXTENDED warranty. You actually have up to two years/24K miles from date of purchase of new Honda to purchase one from any Honda dealer. In September 1999 I purchased a brand new 2000 Acura 3.2TL and purchased the genuine Acura/Honda exteneded 7 year/100K for around $900 from the dealer at the same time I purchased the TL. Acura has a 4 year/50K standard warranty, and my extended coverage just kicked in last September '03 and is good until September '06 -or- 100K miles. I just sold this Acura TL privately for $18K (only 38,600 miles) as the "trade-in" value and the prices Honda dealers offered me (as trade) was utterly disgusting (under $14K). Anyway, I called Acura/Honda and they told me I could get a $332 REFUND on my "unused" (pro-rated) Acura extended warranty -or- for $50 I could "transfer" it to the new owners. I opted to pay the $50 and include this extended warranty as another selling feature (in addition to new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires, new brakes & rotors, new battery, full size spare on alloy, etc.) What I am saying is that you WILL NOT get anywhere near what you paid for the warranty, BUT..... it is well worth having it for "piece of mind". As a Service Manager (small, hick town, family run, Chrysler-Plymouth) I see 90% of the "big problems" (A.C. evaporator, steering rack, fuel pump, ball joints) happen only 6K miles AFTER warranty expires, and Chrysler does NOT believe in "good will" fixes like Acura/Honda does.
BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY !!!!!!!!!!!

mwrussell · June 2004

04 CRV EX w/AT with mud flaps for $21.7 plus TTL. This is below the edmunds price for my city and well below the carsdirect price. That doesn't mean that I am done haggling though

hgfyt · June 2004

Thank edmund!!! I bought LX-2WD with side bags $17900 + $149 (mud flips) + TTL Saturday from Lanier Honda in Mall of Georgia, professional salesman. I believe the 2004 clearance is under way, catch the period, guys!

guillermo · June 2004

I am also about to purchase an CR-V LX, but I need the advise from the experts. One dealer
in MD is offering me $18,612 plus destination ($490), Taxes and Tags, this price includes processing fee for a 4WD LX CR-V, is this a good offer? or do you think I could go lower than this? Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
G.

bshel · June 2004

is this an Auto or MT? Counteroffer with have them adding on some accessories. Cargo tray, cargo cover, moonroof visor, you pick.

2013 and earlier-Honda CR-V Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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