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Honda Fit Prices Paid and Buying Experiences

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Comments

  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,707
    And the idea of a Honda dealer giving outrageous discounts on one of the best-reviewed, most in demand brand new models out there is amazing!
  • kolesokoleso Member Posts: 3
    I live in Washington metro area. First made research, narrowed
    my search to two models: Toyota Yarris and Honda Fit. Then came
    to a local dealership, test-drove the vehicle. They asked the OTD
    (Out of The Door price, i.e. money you pay for driving vehicle home)
    $17,389.00. After half an hour dropped to $17,000. Came to another
    dealership, test-drove Toyota Yarris. Then came home, made a research.
    Decided to get Honda Fit. Took the list of dealerships from cars.com
    and started to send emails with a request of the OTD quote for Honda
    Fit, basic A/T. Stressed that the quote should include absolutely
    no extras, packages, options. Got several quotes. Got the lowest quote
    and sent the citation of that e-mail to another dealers with a suggestion
    to beat that quote. After 5-6 e-mails got the OTD quote $16,486. Went
    to that dealership. Was greeted by a lethargic lady in her up 20s with
    whom I had e-mail correspondence. Tried to lower the price. She did not
    want to bargain. Walked away. New round of e-mail requests for a quote.
    Got a quote from Sheehy dealership for OTD $17,463.39. Sent him a copy
    of my e-mail from the previous dealership that gave a quote $16,486.
    8 minutes 23 seconds later received from Sheehy a note "My manager says
    he can do the deal that you received from ...", i.e. one grand less that
    he quoted nine minutes before. Got another similar quote from Pohanka.
    Answered him that way:

    Your Fit doesn't fit --
    a little bit --
    my budget need.
    Good rhyme, doesn't it?

    To be honest, I understand these verses are lousy. But upon receiving this
    note, the dealer shaved 100 bucks off. I think per word Harry Potter
    yearns less. :-) On Saturday morning went to that dealerships. Inspired by
    post #1934, my wife offered 15,500 OTD. This did not go. The dealer shook
    his head. After 2 minutes we walked away from the dealership. My wife went
    to her car to wait. I went back. This time the dealer started from 16,900.
    Took about one hour. He lowered his quote to 16,450. Eventually, I told
    him if he could not honor his e-mail quote, I could not make a deal. That was
    true. Said "good buy". On my way out of the dealership went to the
    bathroom. When I was leaving the bathroom, the dealer stood near the door.
    He told me "you won". He meant his quote in the e-mail. We made a deal.
    Here is the price for Honda Fit A/T, basic, no extras:

    Invoice...............................14,812 (Got this number from papers the dealer showed to me)
    MSRP..................................15,350 (From the sticker on the car)

    Base price on vehicle my buyers order 15,716.12 (Including destination charges $670)
    Dealer processing fee:...................100.00
    VA sale tax 3.0% of 15816.12.............474.48
    VA tags and registration:.................94.50
    -----------------------------------------------
    Total paid by cash:...................16,389.10

    Drove the car home. End of the story.
  • absconfusedabsconfused Member Posts: 73
    Hey,

    I am glad you got the deal you were looking for! Honestly, I do hate sending around a deal that was proposed to me asking others if they want to compete. I know this is the recommended method by experts but I would never do it. I guess I am a softy...

    Anyway, it seems like in your case it was good that you had a deal in writing that you could use as leverage and since the first place did not want to honor it, they kinda hurt themselves b/c you took your business elsewhere and wound up with what you were looking for.

    It is too bad you had to spend any time in person making offers and haggling...I do not know why a solid deal could not be worked out over the phone. I guess going in was not bad though b/c they could see you were there, you were serious, and you were ready to buy a car!

    I love my 09 Fit Sport, I love the way it drives...it is very nice. I too looked at the Yaris and I actually liked it quite a bit but it was so darn hard to get proper equipment like keyless entry..does the FIT BASE have keyless entry?

    Anyway, congratulations on your new car!
  • moolmanmoolman Member Posts: 129
    Here's a repost of what I put on another forum. Hope my story helps.

    Hi everyone,
    Well, I'm a proud owner of a White Fit Sport Auto with Navi. Picked up the car this afternoon, it wasn't too bad of an experience, did take like 3 hours and the standard BS. They tried to sell me the BS paint coating and Lo-Jack for $1600, then dropped to the "super low" "at cost" price of $595 but in the end just gave me the car after a bit since I was about to leave. I hate that kind of BS but it's their job so I can understand that. After that they were straight forward, no BS. The only reason why I even stuck around was that the car had 5 miles on it and was just PDI'ed. So nobody abused it on a test drive, which I like, so that was the only reason I stuck around. They just took off the plastic and I told them not to wash it so I don't get swirl marks all over the car.

    I currently live in NorCal but bought the car in SoCal while visiting family today, I could of gotten the same deal at NorCal dealer but this place just matched it.

    As promised the full details. I financed the car through my credit union at 4.75%@60 months, I did see some other credit unions that gave a better rate but I plan on paying off the car quickly, so I didn't care too much. They told me up front that they couldn't beat the rate because the Honda Days financing didn't include the Fit.

    MSRP: $19430
    Invoice $18755

    I paid: $18,500
    doc fee: $55 (max allowed by CA law)
    8% tax: $1484.40
    License: $206.00
    CA tire fee: $8.75
    Total: $20,254.15

    Now my full disclosures since many people post prices and they don't mean jack squat because they fail to mention that they bought over priced accessories, got ripped off in their trade in etc.

    I bought no accessories, I had no trade in. I did buy the 8year/120K $0 deductible Honda Care warranty for $895. The deal was in no way contingent on me buying the warranty. I kind of forced them to sell me the warranty. Online many of the dealers refuse to sell the Honda Care to California right now and the ones that do the lowest I could find for California was $990. But other sites have that warranty for $890 for the other states. The Honda dealer I went to does not normally sell Honda Care, they sell their own rip off warranty. The reason I paid an extra $5 was because the finance guy just asked that since $890 is cost, at least cover the paper work of writing up the contract so I agreed, still cheaper than the $990. He claimed that because they don't normally sell Honda Care there, they don't get much of a kick back like the online dealers that sell many of the warranties, hence the $5.

    So I bought nothing extra to get my price, no trade in, no accessories, just the Honda Care which wasn't contingent upon the deal, more of a burden for them actually.

    I think though that I might have left some money on the table, if I really wanted to squeeze them, maybe another $100 or $200 more. If someone had previously posted that they bought the car for $18,500 I may have pushed for more off since I knew it could be done but nobody here posted a lower price, so I just put that as my goal and I got it.

    I know I sound awefully cheap squeezing every penny but don't cry for the dealer, I'm sure somebody today at the dealership bought the $1600, paint protection, Lo-Jack package for their Fit.

    Alex
  • GawadGawad Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    Please tell me what dealer did you go to? I tried couple of delaers for Honda fit and the lowest I got so far is $16,773.

    I hope the next couple of days I can get better deal.

    Thanks
  • carsh0pprcarsh0ppr Member Posts: 3
    Koleso,

    Excellent story. I appreciate all of the effort required to post your story, and your results. But it sounds like you went through a lot of work to get the final $100! Couldn't you have saved yourself a lot of time and negotiations if you had simply gotten the original $16,486 quote honored? Or am I wrong?
  • IFitForYouIFitForYou Member Posts: 2
    Here in San Diego:

    I just paid $17,800.00 OTD for a 2009 Honda Fit, Sport A/T in Tidewater Blue.

    So the base came out to being $16,267.00 before tax, licensing and registration fees. The only thing that sucked is that even with a good credit rating, the best rate they could give me was 6.99% financing over all periods. I just ended up paying cash for the whole thing.

    Seems like a there are two dealerships in San Diego that are willing to go down to that price. I didn't want mats thrown in as I wanted to get the WeatherTech ones. Does anyone on this forum have them (and if they do, do they like them?) ?
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,707
    I have the Weather Techs in my Forester, fit great, work great. Minor issue-the ones for the back seat have a lip at the front not corresponding to the floor contour, could have been bigger.
  • kolesokoleso Member Posts: 3
    I got my Honda Fit from Pohanka in Marlow Heights, MD.

    Retrospectively, I think my wife's offering 15,500 OTD
    and then walking away was a wrong move. But this is
    just a speculation.
  • HedtilHedtil Member Posts: 1
    I just left a dealership, with a final OTD quote of $17,986 for a 2009 Honda Sport Fit manual transmission (no navi, no extras).

    That's:
    $15,364 car
    $670 destination
    $21 tags
    >>> $599 <<< documentation fees
    8% GA tax

    The documentation fees are absurd. BUT - even if I add $500 of that back into the price of the car (assuming $100 doc fees is more reasonable), it puts me at $15,864, which is still under MSRP of $16,060 before destination. Can't decide if I want to go for it or not, but imagine that the price might change tomorrow (as books close on the year tonight).... A second dealer here in Atlanta said they'd match but could never beat the price,.. just not sure.

    What would you do?
  • fullframefullframe Member Posts: 3
    Sorry to say but you got screwed! Go back and complain because my documentation fee is only $55!
  • moolmanmoolman Member Posts: 129
    No, no, no.. he didn't get screwed, let me be psychic here and predict that you are from California, hence the $55 doc fee, it's because California has a max doc fee by law and so do some other states. Georgia probably does not, hence the crazy fee but in the end, it all evens out because you take the doc fee into account when you are negotiating for the price. It's like ebay, you take the shipping cost into consideration when you are bidding on an item. That's why I hate when people complain about expensive shipping on ebay, heck they tell you up front what the price is. Same with the doc fee, it's a set fee up front so you just take it into consideration.
  • absconfusedabsconfused Member Posts: 73
    Hey Moolman,

    I would like to comment on this sentence you wrote regarding up front doc fees:

    "Same with the doc fee, it's a set fee up front so you just take it into consideration."

    As a GA resident, I can tell you that when purchasing a car, Honda does not really tell you about how high the doc fee is and it does sort of come as a surprise. You have to either remember to ask...I remember negotiating 400 off MSRP on my 07 and found out there would be a 500 doc fee...I found out before going into the dealership and was disappointed on the phone but went ahead with the deal knowing I was going to have this fee in most Honda places.

    This year I see the doc fees are almost 600 dollars and again, I was negotiating for a FIT, this one was pre owned, got a good price and then asked about fees and for 599 fee, the price on this preowned car was not good anymore, the OTD price was going to be more than I could spend...

    So then, while you think it is all in the negotiation, it really is not because when supply is high you can get your typical 0-400 off MSRP and pay the 600 doc fee. If supply is low, maybe you can get a better deal but probably not significantly better on average and the dealer still collects the 600 fee.

    I guess I am wrong if you have a low doc fee and pay above MSRP, then it would balance out to our scenario of getting a discount and paying a high doc fee but hopefully for now, people are not paying above MSRP....

    ok thanks for listening to my two cents. I just think people do not buy cars often enuf to remember to ask about the doc fees. I guess they are on window stickers but not always and I never look at a window sticker in a dealership since on the FIT we should know what options are on the car and we know the MSRP of the car since it was selling at MSRP for a while....

    :):)
  • jjmonth4jjmonth4 Member Posts: 1
    $15999 OTD according to sales agreement I signed yesterday ($300 off MSRP, doc. fee only $100, tax and tags.)

    I have not been through F&I yet, but already pre-approved for 5.99% APR for up to 60 months. Dealer says they can beat APR also.

    If F&I doesn't grind me too much, this'll be a pretty good deal...
  • lausylausy Member Posts: 14
    Everything is negotiable, including the doc fee. I live in MD and have bought cars in MD and VA. VA dealers are notorious for having a higher doc fee of $300 to $400 compared to $100 in MD. It's just more built in profit for the dealers. When they say everyone pays it, just tell them to take it off the price of the car and see what they say!
  • maggiethelabmaggiethelab Member Posts: 2
    Just got home with Fit Sport, Auto Transmission, NO navigation system.

    Ralph Schomp Honda, highly recommend them if you don't want to feel dirty buying a car.

    Selling Price: $17,580
    Taxes @ 4.1%: 720.78

    Total OTD: $18,300.78

    That's it, no other fees of any kind. I've seen other posts at or below invoice, but in calling around here in Denver the Fit is still at or above MSRP. I didn't go onto other lots looking, only dialed internet managers and asked for quotes.

    Low pressure dealer, F&I guy nicely explained other features we could purchase that were declined. These included:
    - extended warranty
    - free tires, windsheild and other small maintenance items for life,
    - chip/dent repair
    - clear coat/interior protection
    - LoJack

    Out of all of these the tire/windshield sounded the most interesting, at around $1300. My insurance covers windshield replacement, and without being able to do a comparison to know how many tire changes this added up to I didn't feel comfortable buying on the spot.

    Financing was 5.25% for 60 mos, could have gotten 5% at 48 mos, our option to put $ down or not (they would finance up to 100% of the purchase price).
  • bgreporterbgreporter Member Posts: 1
    could you share the name of the dealership in San Diego and I'll give them my business.
  • IFitForYouIFitForYou Member Posts: 2
    It was DCH Honda of Lemon Grove.

    Just got the car today, and it was awesome. They were great to work with, no nonsense and straight up. It's a very nice dealership too (they just build it in May).

    The Fit is beautiful.
  • ralphwiggum1ralphwiggum1 Member Posts: 31
    i'm in the bay area looking to get the same car you got. what dealerships around here will go for 18500 or less? what dealership in socal did you buy from? i'd be willing to drive down for the best deal. best offer i got so far in the bay area is 18900.

    thanks
  • mplshondadlrmplshondadlr Member Posts: 409
    You would drive from the Bay area to L.A. to save $400.00 :confuse:
  • ralphwiggum1ralphwiggum1 Member Posts: 31
    i'd preferably like to buy locally, but if there's a substantial savings i would drive down to socal--i like to visit every now and again anyway so...

    i would like to know where the other poster bought from in socal to use as leverage against the local dealers.
  • mplshondadlrmplshondadlr Member Posts: 409
    I would say if you were already going to LA for whatever, then yeah, that makes sense. But, if you planned a trip just to buy a Fit for $400.00 then you really should think twice.

    Lets say you're in Oakland and the Fit you want to buy is at Hollywood Honda because they're going to save you $400.00. Assuming you make the Bay area average of $26.00 per hour (just less then $60K). Driving to LA will take about five to six hours which is half a days wages. But then you have to drive back, another half days wages. Thats just in dollars per hour. But, I'm sure you value your free time more then what you earn per hour during the work week and you probably have far better things to do with your time on a Saturday or Sunday.

    What I suggest is you start emailing dealers in SoCal to get quotes for the Fit you're interested in buying. Then, bring those quotes in to the nearest dealer and see if they'll match it.

    Good luck
  • ralphwiggum1ralphwiggum1 Member Posts: 31
    yup, that's what i planned on doing. now i'm wondering if the nav is worth the extra or if an aftermarket unit will do. hmmm...
  • absconfusedabsconfused Member Posts: 73
    I understand you are wondering about the Nav b/c it does look cool. However, many people who post do not think it is a good investment. You get a couple of other features on the car though along with it.

    I have a friend with the Civic/NAV and I have a Garmin Nav. I love being able to take my Nav in and out of the house to program new places I have to go. I also love taking it on trips to visit people so when I ask a friend in NJ to drive me to Brooklyn, I turn on the Nav to help them out. I love turning on the Nav if I am out of town and want to know where to eat by requesting restaurants in the are area and I love having Nav when my car is out of commission like when it got totaled so I could have it for the rental. These little Nav systems are pretty darn handy and it is so great to have a portable system.

    IF the NAV on the Fit came with satellite, I know it would be a bit more tempting like on the Civic you get Satellite on the Nav but it is just not tempting spending extra money on Nav and then still not having the setup for Sat radio which you may not want now but you might want later....

    I think I have pretty much made some points but I will not argue that I think the satellite screen just looks cool and another thing is that I think the the hole that that they need to tap into to install aftermarket satellite radio is in a slightly handier place on the Nav cars....

    Also, some people have complained about the traction control or whatever that stability system is that comes with Nav. I have no comment, I know nothing about this except it will be a mandatory feature in the next car model year...

    Good luck and I hope everything works out. Check the dealer inventory and see if it is piling up like it is here in Atlanta...I am able to check on cars.com with a zipcode search, see if they do that in LA....

    :)
  • siarizonasiarizona Member Posts: 15
    I just put a deposit on a black Fit Sport MT from Meyer Honda in O'Fallon, IL. Since I'm currently overseas, my main goal was to have a car available for pick up during a house hunting trip, and not spend my time driving around the St Louis area. Plus, if I have to take the car to the dealer later on, it's nearby. Therefore, for convenience, I decided to pay MSRP for the car & mats. I'm paying cash, by the way. I plan to pick up a Garmin 850 GPS at Sam's Club for $400; it has voice recognition and is rated very highly.

    Here's my total:

    2009 Fit Sport MT $16,930.00
    All Season Floor Mats 130.00
    Document Processing Fee 99.00
    Sales Tax 1,115.00
    License & Title-New 143.00
    Transit Tax 20.00
    Total (out the door) $18,437.00
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    FYI stability control will not be mandatory on all new cars sold in the U.S. until the 2012 model year, i.e by late 2011.
  • SharpieeSharpiee Member Posts: 3
    I'm in the market for a 09 FIT Sports auto with NAVI. I'm in NYC so there are quite a number of dealership around my area. Good for me I Guess. I've sent quotation requests to 5 closest dealerships early last week. Currently, the lowest I got is just under 18,100. This is not the OTD price, just the car itself. Is it a good price? What else could I do to make it better? I'm planning to meet with one of the dealer tomorrow, should I aim lower? maybe 17,500? Or am I asking too much?

    What other fees should I be aware of? I checked online for doc processing fees, I think its 45 bucks max in NY? and tax rate I believe is 8.375.

    first time car buyer and would need some advise, thanks :D
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,707
    You might contact the 3 best prices and get an OTD price from each. That way you won't get surprised.
  • ChumshondaChumshonda Member Posts: 3
    I would be interested in hearing anyone's experience with the '09 Fit Sports Navigation system. I am currently leasing a 2006 Accord with Navi and I have found it pretty helpful but not perfect (esp. the speech recognition) it is touch screen.

    Considering a Fit as a purchase and interested in any experience or reviews from those with experience. Also, any pricing information would be appreciated.

    Thank you
  • 2newshoes2newshoes Member Posts: 3
    Hi Sharpiee,
    I think that is a good price. I paid about 800 more than that in November in NYC, which at the time seemed good based on my research and I needed the car right away. Other fees I paid: 12.50 for waste tire fee, 10. NYS inspection fee, 195 NYS registration fee (although I just got a unsolicited refund from the dealer for 65. which I think is related to this...), 45. dealers doc fee (which you can avoid by applying for registration/title yourself.) and 8.375 tax. I had felt pretty prepared for the price negotiations and until that point I felt pretty good about the dealership, but where I almost got screwed was with the hondacare warranty. Because I hadn't researched this before (it was also my first car purchase), I ignorantly believed the fiance person when she said it cost 2400$ for a 5 year,80,000K policy and believed that it was a mandatory cost to qualify for the loan (which is what she implied) and I believed her when she told me that I had to buy it on the spot, that the cost if I waited one day would then rise to $4000 because then the car would be used!!! She outright lied to me about much of this. (Imagine having to look at yourself in the mirror everyday doing this for a living.) I was also vulnerable because at that point I had been in the dealership for 7 hours.

    Luckily this forum saved me. I found the name here of the honda dealer in Massachusetts who sells honda care extended warranties on line. Armed with this quote the manager of the dealership agreed to cancel the original hondacare warranty and sell it to me at the price I got on-line.

    Another something to be careful of, you are supposed to receive a key code card (which I didn't), an audio code card (which I didn't) and a navigation system code card (which I did). I didn't find that out until I read the manual. I am still bugging the dealership to get these.

    Good luck,
    2NS
  • simoncarsimoncar Member Posts: 4
    Hey all,

    Looking to buy a Fit Sport 5M by end of the month.

    Test drove and SO also test drove - it's fun and it will serve my every need with that potential cargo area.

    Saw a Fit Sport in showroom that had leather seats - obviously not a standard option, but both dealers I've been too say they can add it aftermarket and have done so for many years (on other cars I presume).

    Wife thinks the cloth door panel will not be durable. Prefers leather (plus I think she's getting spoiled driving my Maxima most of the time while I drive the gas saver).

    Anyway - wondering if anyone else has done this to their Fit's and how you cloth door panel might be doing.

    I'm excited - looking for a Taffeta White, although I would be willing to settle for the Storm Silver.

    What other options did you all get - seems they are all dealer added.
  • SharpieeSharpiee Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the tips guys. Further talk with the dealers I currently got a deal for 18,088 plus 3 oil change for the FIT sport with navi. Plus 670 transportation, 8.375 tax, and some other fees. I asked about the doc fee on 2 dealerships, they claims they do not charge for doc fee, just verbal tho.

    I remember when my father brought an Oddessy in 06, they did hit him with the 80k warranty policy for that much, we didn't know better at the time and got ripped off. Its sad that so many dealership does it.

    I plan to put down 5k and finance the rest, I could put more, but rather put the money into other use. I requested a pre-approval from honda financial service already and also asked my banker. I read that if I get a lower quote from the bank, it'll be easier to bargain for a lower rates, maybe honda will match it. Currently, honda dealers told me is around 6.5%

    Can you please tell me which dealer in Mass that sells the extended warrenty so I can prep one up like you did too? And is it also required to buy one if I am to finance it? No way around it? I mean, we buy Honda cause of the engine last long, I kind of think its a waste buying it for just 80k. Maybe 200k would be useful, haha...

    And thanks for the tip on the key cards, I wouldn't know about it otherwise. So how is your key card coming along?
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Make sure you only pay this once...some stories I've read on this site have some dealers adding it in twice in two different locations to confuse. Be careful and observant. Having just bought two vehicles since November, I looked over both sales agreements with a fine tooth comb to make sure there were no errors on the dealers part. Found one on each vehicles and they quickly subtracted the bogus fees.
    Again, be eagle eyed and check every line of the sales document especially the finance part if you indeed do finance.

    The Sandman :)
  • dgs4dgs4 Member Posts: 66
    I'm picking up my silver 2009 Fit sport model with manual transmission and navigation system tomorrow. The financing is all worked out and the car is gassed, cleaned, and ready to go. I would have picked it up tonight but the dealership closed before I got off work. I'm paying MSRP for it and I that's more than okay for me. The invoice price is so close to MSRP that it's not worth it to haggle over $600. During these tough times I say let the dealership make some money and keep the resale of these vehicles high. People love getting cars at bargain basement prices, but that does nothing for your resale value in the long run. There's a reason used Honda Fits and used MINI Coopers sell for close to MSRP, and it's not because the dealerships are blowing them out at $2,000 under invoice.

    This will be a second car for me. My other car is a 2009 Hyundai Sonata V6 Limited that I love! Best car I've ever owned. However I'm getting a dog and the breed I'm getting is very rambunctious and powerful. It would absolutely tear up my beautiful interior. But a hatchback is perfect because I can buy a pet tent restrainer and put him in there so he stays put, and my car doesn't get destroyed. Plus when gas prices shoot back up to $5 a gallon it will be nice to have an alternative car that gets amazing mileage like the Fit for long trips and such.

    The 2007-2008 Fit is not a car I would have considered buying even as a second car, but the 2009 is so improved I think that it's a much better purchase now. Everything single thing about the earlier models I didn't like has been rectified in the 2009 model. I'm very excited to have this as a second runaround car, can't wait to pick it up tomorrow!
  • dhectorgdhectorg Member Posts: 25
    i can appreciate your point about resale values, but i personally couldn't care less about that. in these hard times, as you put it, getting a good deal on a good car is crucial for consumers on a tight budget (like me). getting the best possible price is my ONLY concern. i plan to drive my '09 fit sport manual until the wheels fall off anyway, so resale value doesn't even enter into it for me....nor for a lot of people. having said that, resale values are not so attached to reality anyway. they are based more on buyers' perceptions of how good a car is, than the reality of how good that car it is, or what people pay for it, although it is a factor. honda products will always have higher than avg value because of buyers' perception that that are always superior cars. compare this to gm and ford products, which are comparable to honda in many cases, but still suffer from ridiculously low values because buyers still have a 1980s perception of those products.
  • absconfusedabsconfused Member Posts: 73
    My guess is that Honda resale has a bit to do with high quality and I would have a hard time believing that it is all perception.

    For anyone who thinks resale value is not important, think about this....if your car should be totaled and the insurance company has to value your vehicle, if you are driving a low resale value vehicle, it might be hard for you to replace your vehicle with a similiar one without a lot of hardship. My insurance company looks at what the model is currently selling for as a used vehicle and if it selling for thousands less after a year or two, this will impact your payout. MY 07 was totaled and I got a decent amount for it.

    Also, I never used to think I cared about resale but if you own your car for ten years and you are really ready to get a different car because cars have changed and you might be able to afford a new car, it is nice to get a decent amount for your car to go towards your next car.

    Also, I agree with the other poster that right now we should care about helping the dealership stay in business and paying MSRP is not that big of a deal IF a person feels they can afford it or if it is worth it. Something is worth whatever someone wants to pay for it.

    With that being said, I understand you are needing to save money and certainly I need to save money too and I lucked into a very good deal on my 09 FIT due to budget restraints, I just stayed patient and it came my way..

    happy driving! :)
  • dgs4dgs4 Member Posts: 66
    Very good response absconfused. I'm all for keeping a car for 10 years or more. I plan on doing the same with my 09 Sonata and with my 09 Fit. But for the reasons you cited resale is very important.

    The difference between MSRP and invoice on the Fit (at least the sport model with navigation I bought) is $600. If $600 is going to make or break you you're buying the wrong car. I consider a fully loaded car at $18,500 a relatively inexpensive car to begin with. I'm 40 years old, and I'm not sure if I'm the Honda Fit age or income (over $60K a year) demographic. The employees I work with and close friends pretty much drive around in cars that cost easily two to three times the amount of my "fully loaded" Fit, so to me $18,500 is cheap. I was not about to haggle with the dealership over $600 when I know the $600 is far more important to them right now than it is to me.

    However as far as economy cars go I assume $18,500 is a lot of money for someone more typical of the demographic Honda expects to purchase the car, and in that case hopefully you're very realistic about your financial situation. Again, if $600 is the difference between a sale and no sale maybe you need to look at a less expensive vehicle, like a Chevy Aveo or a Ford Focus, both of which sticker for less than a Fit and provide additional room for price negotiation.

    I've had a blast with the car today by the way. Honda has a home run with this 2009 model. After driving it around all day, for the price the only things missing are an outside temperature gauge and a center armrest with storage. There is a great one offered by Honda as an accessory option, but only for the automatic version, what's up with that??? A sunroof, and auto-dimming mirror would have been nice options as well.
  • dhectorgdhectorg Member Posts: 25
    i posted about the center armrest a while back. i have a '09 fit sport manual and i also wanted the armrest. dealers are NOT AUTHORIZED to install them on manuals because the shifter sits lower than in the automatic. honda's concern is that the larger armrest will be in the way as you shift (and we all know how obsessed honda is with safety, which is a good thing!) in any case, you can buy it aftermarket and install it yourself, which i did. your arm does have to "decline" slightly towards the shifter because of the larger armrest sits a bit higher, but it's definitely no big deal!

    i've also heard from people on other forums that have found dealers that will install them anyway, especially since they're trying to make extra cash any way they can right now. you could call around to see if one in your area will oblige.
  • sonerosonero Member Posts: 7
    Hi, I just a got a quote from DCH Honda of Lemon Grove. The internet manager quoted me $15,777 + fees for a 2009 Fit Sport Auto w/out Navi. The OTD is $17,300. This is almost $1,000 lower than other dealers in the area.

    He says he just got approval to knock down the prices on Fits till the end of the month.

    Does anybody have experience with this dealer? The price seems to good to be true.
  • mplshondadlrmplshondadlr Member Posts: 409
    If I were you I would buy it right now :)
  • absconfusedabsconfused Member Posts: 73
    I would not worry about the deal being too good to be true. I walked out for 17,000. I have not made much of it b/c I thought nobody would believe me and kind of fell into my lap...it was 15400 plus 589 doc fees and tax in Ga. I got a new 09 Sport no nav as well.

    If you ask them to run the VIN for you, be sure it has not be wrecked, which I am sure it has not been, look the car over very well, open the hood, check the paint for scratches, check the manufacture date just for the heck of it to see how long it has been sitting there etc but go for it....do not be surprised if they do not give you pick of colors, they might want to sell by max dealer holdback profit date...

    Have fun shopping!!!! It is very thrilling when you get such a great deal! I was looking at used FITS when this deal came my way so you can imagine how happy I was! I got mine on Dec 20th :)
  • dgs4dgs4 Member Posts: 66
    Hey dhectorg thanks for the tip about that armrest. I will have to ask and see if my dealer will install it. I never mentioned it because doing the buildout on the Honda website does not allow the addition of the armrest on the manual trans. I would really like that though, also for the extra storage.

    I'll give it a shot, if they won't do it I'll just keep calling around. Lots of Honda dealers here in Dallas.
  • siarizonasiarizona Member Posts: 15
    dgs4,

    You and I are certainly in the Fit demographic. I'm 42, make over $60K, but don't want to spend over $20K on a car, want good gas mileage & utility, & a little fun, too. Interesting car, the Fit... big appeal to the 20's tuner crowd (see fitfreak.com), and big appeal to Gen-X and Boomers looking to scale down.

    I'm in agreement with you on price. I will pay MSRP on my Fit Sport MT, mainly because I'm out of the country and don't want to spend the time getting dealer down another $300 - $600. I have had success in the past on more expensive cars, especially with the luxury of living in the town and being able to walk out of the dealership.

    Glad to hear you're enjoying the car. I am looking forward to it. I have good memories of my 89 Civic Si hatchback and 99 Civic hatchback... looking forward to that lightweight tossable manual transmission hatchback again.

    Also agree on a real sunroof. They are available, saw a nice power sunroof install on one site, temple of vtec or fitfreak. Not sure how much it costs, but was very OEM looking.

    Enjoy your Fit! Cheers.

    Lee
  • dhectorgdhectorg Member Posts: 25
    dgs4,
    since you mentioned that additional storage was a consideration, i should point out that the compartment in the optional armrest is quite small. it looks much larger online. i can fit my garmin gps, a bottle of asprin, and a pack of gum in it...and that's about it! i don't regret adding it, but i wish it had a larger compartment.
  • sonerosonero Member Posts: 7
    I just walked out with a 09 Fit Sport Auto for $17246 OTD. Car price was $15,791. I am very happy with the experience. And the price I got is way lower than the MSRP.
    Car is in white color and looks totally beautiful. It had only 6 miles on the odometer and the car is manufactured in 12/08.
  • absconfusedabsconfused Member Posts: 73
    Wahoo! Great price! It's nice get be on the better end of a price! 17246 is terrific. I would not want to give the sales people too much of a hard time but if they are overstocked and authorized to sell at these prices, they get to sell a car and we get to buy one!

    I hope you enjoy your new FIT. I love going out on errands b/c i love driving it but it does seem to drive better when the radio is louder :)
  • sonerosonero Member Posts: 7
    It was a very easy transaction. I just used edmunds -get your quote- links and internet sales managers provided me their prices. I just went with the lowest price.

    I think shopping for a car before the end of the month is a good idea.
  • dgs4dgs4 Member Posts: 66
    You love the car, it's an absolute blast! Granted it doesn't have a lot of horsepower but between the extremely easy to use clutch/shifter, and the sweet sounding little 1.5 litter revving to redline the car feels real peppy.

    Yes, I think America is turning around and it's going to be about saving money, and living within your means. Small, inexpensive, save, fuel efficient vehicles like the Honda Fit are right in with that way of living. I own a Hyundai Sonata and a Fit and they were both inexpensive (relative to my salary) cars and I love them both. My payments combined on the two vehicles are less than most people pay on the typical $40K + vehicle. I have absolutely no need to impress anyone with the car I drive, so I don't need to spend obscene amounts of money on a BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus like most of my co-workers and friends drive.

    All I know is when gas is back up to $5 a gallon this summer I will be quite relieved to own a car like the Fit. Honda has a homerun with this car and I know it's only going to get better. I'm sure eventually when Honda realizes people like you and I would be willing to pay for it, will offer features like a moonroof, autodimming rearview mirror, heated seats, etc. Honda has to understand not everyone buying a Civic or a Fit these days is a broke college kid.

    Well as one forty something to another, best of luck on your new car, and post back after you get it.
  • dgs4dgs4 Member Posts: 66
    "dgs4,
    since you mentioned that additional storage was a consideration, i should point out that the compartment in the optional armrest is quite small. it looks much larger online. i can fit my garmin gps, a bottle of asprin, and a pack of gum in it...and that's about it! i don't regret adding it, but i wish it had a larger compartment. "

    Well that stinks!! You're absolutely right, it does look much larger on line. The Fit already has a driver side armrest that works just fine for me. I really wanted the accessory armrest for the storage. Which reminds me I still haven't heard back from the dealership to see if they'll even install it.

    Well no biggie, if they're willing to install I'll still take it, but like you I do wish it was bigger.
  • frankiedfrankied Member Posts: 3
    Hi everybody, a question for you about negotiations with Honda dealers over the net: I sent out some feelers on a Fit Sport Auto w/Nav & VSA and received a nice initial quote from one of 5 dealers I requested from (18,500, not OTD). I would like to shoot this offer to the other dealers to see what i can get from them, but I'm not certain what the protocol is. It seems to me that the other dealers will not take my word for it... I assume they will ask for documentation, so how should I handle this over email. In person, this is simple-just show them the documents. But in this situation should I forward the low quote email, or what?

    Any advice from you veterans is much appreciated.

    Thank you
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