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Honda Element Prices Paid and Buying Experience
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Comments
My brother just bought a 2004 LX Auto Fwd (Orlando, Fl) for $16,500 + Tax, Fees etc... $18,500 Out the door (no rebates or trade in). The doc fees here are $499+. I think $17,522.00 for a LX AWD sounds about right. You couldn't beat that price in this area (Orlando).
How much is too much to ask for?
And conversely, how much is not enough? (I have two quotes of $17,522.00 from over the Internet, and another at a few dollars more.)
What has worked for me in the past is to get the best price possible upfront, which usually means buying late in the model year, buying a manual transmission, and buying a model that is hard to sell; i.e. an LX AWD 5sp.
If you trade, you generally lose a little in that transaction; the dealer rarely wants your trade anyhow. I do think there is a point at which the dealer will not go any lower. Sure, they have some minor kickbacks from the mfd, but that accounts for only a few hundred per car. The low interest rate will save you a few hundred as well.
In the end you have to decide whether you really NEED to spend 20k on a car, when you could do better in the long run by buying a used vehicle and maintaining it. If you doubt this, talk to Click and Clack
I used Edmunds to determine a bottom line. edmunds listed this vehicle at $18,000 before doc fees and prep. I told the dealer that they would need to eat those costs to sell me the vehicle, as well as the cost of finding that vehicle and brining it in to the dealership. They agreed quickly, which told me that they have some wiggle room left. I ended up pushing for an additional $400 on my trade, which brought me to my current deal.
I'm guessing that if I had not had a trade to push, I could have dropped at least another $400-500 off my purchase price, making a potential price of $17,484 for an 2004 LX AWD 5sp. Not too bad for a Honda.
BTW: West Side Honda in Knoxville, TN did right by me.
Ben
this was in the New York Metropolitan area. Hope this is a reference for someone. Happy hunting.
Invoice is $17694, 18184(+ Destination Charge), TMV=$18496.
seems like a good deal to me..
I think I need a negotiator!
Right now the dealer is asking $17,800 (+TTL) for the 2003 and $20,200 (+TTL) for the 2004.
I know nothing about negotiating or money so I'm turning to you nice folks for advice.
Thanks.
ps: I tend to keep my cars 10+ years, until they're unsafe to drive, so potential resale value is not a big concern here.
if you don't get the AWD or EX model, you should be able to get a price similar to 2003 element...
i would suggest you negotiate to get the invoice price.. you should be able to...
Good luck
Excellent dealership customer service. Excellent follow up from the dealer and finance dept. Oh yeah 2.9 % too. What a deal. Test drove 3 times,
fit the 2 kids and car seat in the back, took it on the highway. It is the PERFECT 2nd car. test drove at the local dealer who told me they could never do the above deal as they would loose $. Within 20 minutes of leavingthat dealer and going home to check email, I had a dealer that accepted the above offer.
Well, I finally bought my Element last night. Gave up trying to find the right demo or slightly-used, took advantage of that 2.9% financing and bought a 2004 Automatic AWD EX. By playing one local dealer against another, I got the price down to 19,549 (essentially Invoice, with a waived Destination fee)+TTL. Not great but fair.
Funny, all along I thought I had to have the Galapagos Green but when I looked at them lined up and compared interiors, I suddenly preferred and bought Shoreline Mist.
Thanks to everyone who's posted here. Between this forum and the Edmunds advice articles, I was much better prepared for the car buying experience.
First, my husband and I went to Ron Tonkin Honda on 122nd because they gave us a Costo Price quote of $20,207 for an EXS (but they added on a ton of accessories that weren't included in that quote). To make a long story short, the sales manager then offered the EX for $20,000 w/ free splash guards, we shook hands and went to get the car but the general manager nixed the deal and we left without the car. So that was 5 hours we'll never get back.
I wound up going to Thomason Honda on McLoughlin where I had bought my Civic 5 years ago. I told them what happened at Ron Tonkin and told them I would buy it from them for the same price with no splash guards. The sales manager briefly tested how stubborn I was and eventually sold it to me for that price. I only spent 1.5 hours there and then drove my new Element home!
tidester, host
Step 2 is to swing by our discussion called Real-World Trade-In Values, read the red lettering, and post the details about your trade-in vehicle to get an idea of what to expect.
Step 3, return here and we'll help you find what others are paying in your area, including incentives and rebates, and maybe some of our members can recommend a few good dealerships.
kirstie_h
Roving Host
Host, Smart Shopper & Future Vehicles discussions
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
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Don't forget to read "Confessions of a Car Salesman" (found on this website) if you are planning on going to a dealership. If you give it some more time, you can get Edmunds TMV as a basis for your negotiating. If you wait long enough, you should be able to see the carsdirect prices for new Elements, too. That's usually a very reasonable price.
Evaluate your current car with Edmunds and Kelly Blue Book (kbb.com), but don't expect to get that amount. You might want to try a CarMax, if there is one in your area, for a free appraisal, good for a week, on your car. You don't need to buy from them to sell to them, although you'll miss a tax break on your new car.
There's a lot of advice on Edmunds.com for buying a car. The more you learn about it the better.
EDIT: I wanted to add that there are places to buy genuine Honda accessories online. The dealer markups and high installation costs will make the options you want very expensive. Don't know if it's correct to post the website I use here, though, so I'll wait and see what a moderator has to say about it.
Many accessories are easy to install. For example: I bought wheel locks, mud guards, and the tray liner for my Odyssey - the dealer wanted to charge a LOT for installation of these things that litterally took just a few minutes. I mean, come on! Installation for the tray? It just drops in! Some are not so easy (like steps), but if you can handle it then you can save quite a bit.
$20584 + $300 for a total of $20884 and the dealer is installing the
following Honda accessories.at no extra charge............
1. Rocker Panel Trim
2. Fog Lamps
3. All Seasom Mats
4. Rear Cargo Tray
5. Armrest with Storage
6. Front Hood Deflector
7. Honda Security System
8. Rear Bumper Guard
9. Gas Cap Lock
10. Mud Flaps
11. Grey Leather Steering wheel cover
Dealer is charging $99 Doc Fee and including Black Pin Striping.
Color is the new red. Do you think I got a good deal ???
Don't forget to share your ownership experience with others in our regular Honda Element discussion.
kirstie_h
Roving Host
Host, Smart Shopper & Future Vehicles discussions
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews
That deal would lose a lot of money for the dealer and it's a 2005. not a leftover '04.
According to the hondanews.com website, the list price is 20,325 for EX automatic. Even with '04's on the lot, you should be able to do better than that.
According to the website where I buy Honda accessories:
- 330 for the side steps
- 242 fog light kit
Those prices are not for 2005 though, and doesn't include installation. Still, add six hundred and lets say it's an even 21,500 maximum, including destination charge. I have no doubt you should be able to go under 20500, and if you play your cards right, a lot less than that, even. Subtract your trade in, add taxes and so forth, I think 22K should be fine... of course, I'm not a dealer and I don't know what they are charging.
Your best bet at this point is to call several dealers with your selection. Don't let them talk you into something else (they'd rather sell you one they have or have already ordered than order a new one). Get the prices (including installation and so forth for your accessories), and definitely call several places as well as looking for online prices.
I have to tell you, I have an Odyssey and an Element, and while the Ody has a lot more going for it for creature comforts, I enjoy the Element a lot more. I was just like you - I didn't like it at first but it grew on me. That's one way to know you'll like it for a long time... things that seem great right off the bat tend to lose their quality over time (look at the PT Cruiser now... not such a big deal, afterall). Things that you grow to like tend to stay that way for a long time.
And just like you, I'm WAAYYY outside the demographic for this car! That red color looks VERY cool. I'm excited for you and I don't even have my tags yet!
I have to keep saying this; read "Confessions of a Car Salesman" available on Edmunds website, and definitely shop around online to get a good idea of what you want (unfortunately some places, like carsdirect, don't give you the accessories as options), and definitely call around.
You will be your own worst enemy if you are too excited to think clearly when you buy the car.
I don't know... I like waiting until I can find prices online, and so far carsdirect only has 2004. I paid 18.8 + tax for a 2WD EX with no fog lights, but that was 2004. I know I didn't get the greatest deal possible, but I was happy.
So, adding on the 4WD and the foglights and the fact that it's 2005 (and includes the tax), it sounds like a good deal to me!
Has anyone seen them yet?
Official: 2005 INVOICE Pricing
------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------
2wd lx 5 spd $16640.88
2wd lx 4 spd auto $17378.80
2wd ex 5 spd (side airbags) $18554.86
2wd ex 4 spd auto (side airbags) $19292.78
4wd lx 5 spd $17932.24
4wd lx 4 spd auto $18670.16
4wd ex 5 spd (side airbags) $19846.22
4wd ex 4 spd auto ( side airbags) $20584.14
I had these as soon as they hit the page, I did my shopping already, my Rallye Red is coming next week!
I still don't see it on Edmunds.
also dealers have told me they won't get many 2005's until feb or later as they still have a few 2004's, tho some have nothing and can't get any inventory either.
on the west coast are the dealers in oregon or la area cheaper. i was looking to go to oregon because they are closer to my home in seattle.
We ordered our 2005 red element ex awd auto for 20,007 + 400 dealer fee. total w/ tax/tag etc. out the door is 21,900, and that is w/ floormats only.
We live in S. Fl and have to wait until late feb to take delivery- there are NO awd red ones available yet. Plus the dealers in W. Palm Beach would not go under inviuce so we are getting it from Tampa to save $630.
if it is an ex awd auto. which has an invoice of 20,584 + 515 for dest charges. before tax etc you would have to pay 21,099 at invoice. without the fog lamps
today i was offered an ex 4wd auto from a las vegas dealer for 21,084 plus 693 in 'dealer fees' which are not taxes or title xfer.
it would seem to me you got the car for 1150 under invoice + dest.
great deal!
mikc