I haven't bought a new car in over 10 years. I have decided on the E. :) Especially after reading how pleased most owners are. Here is my question: How do I negotiate the best deal? I don't want to get screwed. I want the EX '04, green, manual. Any do's and dont's? How about any good experiences with dealers in western north carolina/south carolina???

I've never bought from a dealer before (always from private individuals), but since I want a new 04 Fiji Blue, Im gonna have to deal with the dealer.

My plan is to use a free car-buying service through my credit union. I will give them exactly what I want, and let them find it for me.

I feel I've done my Element(al) research, but I have no idea about all those extra charges Dealers throw at ya... I figure my car-buyer will know what's legit to pay and what is not.

It may not be the BEST price...but my time and mental stress are worth more to me in the long run.

I just want to know WHEN I can order an '04....... biting nails.... tapping foot.... twiddling thumbs....

Thanks for the info. I'll check with my Credit union to see if they have that service. The longer we wait, the more we'll save for the down payment.

Ok simple rules for Dealers

1. Always know more about the car than your sales person (this is usually pretty easy and requires about 3-6 hours of internet research) (Learn pricing, options, configurations, etc)
2. Know what you want (Decide on the specifics of what you want usually before you ever goto a dealer, trim level, color, transmission, acessories, ect)
3. Have your price for the car not tax license and reg but your price this means the following (Base Price+delivery fee+options) invoice is a good starting point but not the absolute lowest price (I got my 4wd 5sp SOP ex model for 18200 which is far below invoice)
4. Set your financing before ya get to the dealer, credit union bank etc. Dont just get the preapproval try and have the draft (check) its ok to have a draft for over the amount they can credit you back the difference.
5. Walk away! Yes Walk away when they say no. And yes they will say no if you are looking for a deal. Will they call back? Yes usually the next day or when the next manager gets on shift. Why will they call back? Its much easier to close a sale once there is interest and an average car buyer buys the third deal they are presented.
6. Shop multiple dealers try the internet department first not the front door. Often the internet dept can offer better deals because they have less sales touch per sale which + less dealer costs
7. Dont buy anything else, no warrentee, undercoating, alarm system, service package, document fee, local marketing fee, etc ,etc, etc These are all deal killers

Golden rule - Its hard to get a good deal without being a jerk - I know I'll get flamed on this and that people will say their dealer is their best friend but I never do business with friends or family, dealers try to impress a pseudo relationship on ya to make you feel some guilt and build in some idea of "Fairness" its not your problem if they make no money, you dont need to buy a car in order to make a buck but they need to sell one to make a buck. Let the next guy pay their mortgage you are there to get a good deal not to start a relationship.

I work for a Dodge dealer....No comments please.....It pays the bills
And I purchased a Honda because after working for an independent shop for eight years you kinda see what cars don't have as many problems and one thing I've learned is......ALL DEALERS WILL SCREW YOU PERIOD!!!! Even at MSRP they are making bucks...BIG BUCKS......A dealer is A STEALERSHIP........It's just a matter of how much your'e gonna get IT from them!!!!!

idskelly speaks the truth. This applies to all cars, not just the Element.

His #4 point deserves special attention - have your own financing ready. Most after-closing regrets come from something snuck into the final deal on the section of the form where the financing goes. Service contracts are the most notorious hidden charge. If you question it and get "but it's only $20 a month - that's cheap!", it's not cheap, they're trying to milk another $1200 from you (assuming a 60 mo. loan).

Go in with just cash and/or financing if you can. Expect to be beaten-up on a trade-in.

Accessories are extremely high-profit items. 40% or more of the "retail" price of an accessory is profit. If a dealer won't sell a vehicle to you without a bunch of stuff added on you don't want or are lukewarm about, go elsewhere. If you want accessories, then this gives you a lot more bargaining room.

Aside from add-ons, know the other places where the dealer is making his money. The line I hear all the time is "we're giving it to you at our cost" - meaning "invoice". I quietly answer, "No, you're not." The difference is "holdback" - 3% of the MSRP is returned to the dealer. There is also other money on the table related to total unit sales at the dealer, but that's a lot more complex.

And most important, don't "walk" over a $100 difference. Get the best deal you can, but recognize the point at which you have squeezed all you can.

Dealers in my area are offering invoice+destination as the starting point on Elements, so work your situation accordingly.

I really apprciate the time and info you guys put into answering my question. I can just see the salesman salivating when I show him a check, and then walk away. Which I can do. Just the small simple things can save big $$$ in the long run.
Thanks.

I've also heard (though I can't back it up) that if you buy toward the end of the month, there's more pressure on the sales agent to make a quota, thus, they're more willing to deal.

Can anyone verify this?

here is how i did it:

0. research. you will be stupid going to any dealership with your checkbook without the basic knowledge. such as MSRP, Dealer Invoice, Dealer Inventory, Dealer Incentives

NadaGuide.com is a great place. You can even find local dealer inventory situation there.

1. test drive at a dealer 3 minutes away from where i live
2. decide trim/color of choice (in my case, GGM EX AT)
3. sending e-mails to all internet sales/fleet managers in my area requesting for quote.
4. take the lowest quote, sending to the dealer 3 minutes away from where i live, and got their matching agreement
5. drive the car away in less than 30 minutes in the dealership

I was able to get mine a few hundred dollars less than dealer invoice. no haggle, no stress, and no waste of time.

[quote:b0da405def=" "]here is how i did it:

0. research. you will be stupid going to any dealership with your checkbook without the basic knowledge. such as MSRP, Dealer Invoice, Dealer Inventory, Dealer Incentives

NadaGuide.com is a great place. You can even find local dealer inventory situation there.

1. test drive at a dealer 3 minutes away from where i live
2. decide trim/color of choice (in my case, GGM EX AT)
3. sending e-mails to all internet sales/fleet managers in my area requesting for quote.
4. take the lowest quote, sending to the dealer 3 minutes away from where i live, and got their matching agreement
5. drive the car away in less than 30 minutes in the dealership

I was able to get mine a few hundred dollars less than dealer invoice. no haggle, no stress, and no waste of time.[/quote:b0da405def]

I like your strategy! What was your approach to financing? That's where I believe he might be vulnerable to dealer pressure tactics.

My experience would have been 30 minutes w/ the internet sales person (aside from test drive), had it not been a requirement to work with the finance guy for both paperwork and their standard let's see what honda can offer you (wasn't good enough, gave them a check from elsewhere). I had to wait 90 minutes for him to be done with a couple buying two cars that day.

Luckily, I was on new-car-endorphins, so I didn't care. :) :) :)

-brendan

I paid cash this time.

However, I would recommend shopping your financing elsewhere instead. there are so many other places you can get your loan, and i found dealership always give you lousy deals in the past.

Here is a pointer on why the so called "0% financing" is not that great for you if you ended up having to paid MSRP.

http://www.techcu.com/calculators/comparitivecalc.html

i know i'm in on this a little late, but the way i did it was to first build one at honda web site. then test drive one ('03 ex awd 5spd) and get his number for the base vehicle. i then contacted all dealers in my area (10) and asked for the base vehicle price - no options - so all were bidding on same thing. i also contacted a couple of services (an autobytel dealer got my business in the end). i did the rest over the phone. it was wild but eventually got down to two dealers workin against each other at that point i threw in a couple of options for them to chew on. the price kept going down. finally one said he'd had enough and i picked up an 03 ex awd 5spd for 17.4k. they through in the wheel locks, i added rack w/ski and bike, mud flaps and window visors. hey 21k for a new and "RAD" (gen "oldschool" tryin to be gen "y") honda 4x4 @ 3.69% for 6yrs. not bad. 8) seeya

i know i'm in on this a little late, but the way i did it was to first build one at honda web site. then test drive one ('03 ex awd 5spd) and get his number for the base vehicle. i then contacted all dealers in my area (10) and asked for the base vehicle price - no options - so all were bidding on same thing. i also contacted a couple of services (an autobytel dealer got my business in the end). i did the rest over the phone. it was wild but eventually got down to two dealers workin against each other at that point i threw in a couple of options for them to chew on. the price kept going down. finally one said he'd had enough and i picked up an 03 ex awd 5spd for 17.4k. they through in the wheel locks, i added rack w/ski and bike, mud flaps and window visors. hey 21k for a new and "RAD" (gen "oldschool" tryin to be gen "y") honda 4x4 @ 3.69% for 6yrs. not bad. 8) seeya

High E...how did you go from $17.4 to $21k with options on a Standard 03??? (ski racks and mud flaps don't cost that much) It sounds like it was too much for the options? Just wondering....cause the 04's are going to be out and so you are automatically going to lose value buying an 03 so close to 04? Anyway...just wondering....

[quote:2e2e9f31b3=" "]High E...how did you go from $17.4 to $21k with options on a Standard 03???.[/quote:2e2e9f31b3]

It's mighty hard to tell what people are "really paying" unless they break it down into the components of base_price, destination, fees, local taxes, tags, sales tax, option1, option2, etc.

-brendan

I just bought a 2004 EX, automatic , AWD with side airbags for $20,514 out the door. It was $18,750 (destination charge included). Tax was $1500 (i live near San Francisco, 8.25%) plus $160 dmv fees. I bought this at Dublin Honda, from Tito. James Whittenburg was his boss who first emailed me the quote. The other main sales guy, Andy, I didn't like very much.

I did not buy any accessories or warranties, nor did I take their financing (I got 3.6 for 36 months at my credit union). I will be installing the keyless myself for $106 and 5 min, and they were pushing for $300 installed. It's really easy to install. I bought a shoreline mist (Titanium) one. They had a green and an orange also, and said they could get other colors (I originally wanted a silver, and side air bags were a priority for me). Oh, and there was a $45 doc fee.

If I had to do it again, I might push to waive the doc fee and have them throw in the keyless (its costs them way below $100). I would also use the line that other dealerships offered to beat their price by $100 (which they did with me, but after 3 rounds of emailing, I was ready). Many of those other dealership would offer much higher, $19500, and only after I told them I had an quote for $18750 did they offer to beat it. Dublin gave me the $18750 after I sent one email to them saying they had to beat $19000, or $20799 out the door.

I hope this helped. Feel free to tell them that JC picked one up at this price on 12/15/2003. I saw an ad in the sunday paper for an ex awd without the side airbags for $18499, but I don't know if this price included destinantion fees of $460. Mine was $18750 plus taxes and lic fees only.

Enjoy!

You do mean a 2003 not 2004 right? (the 2004 comes factory equipped w/keyless entry) --

i am in the process of buying the same vehicle as yours ('03 EX Auto AWD w/side airbags-- dealer is including keyless entry, locking gas cap, chrome exhaust tip, 2 sets of bungees, pinstripes, front & rear mud guards, wheel locks, and a can of the Honda cladding scratch repair spray) for $18,200 plus tags & tax - located in the Wash.D.C./Balt.Md. area.

[quote=" "]I've also heard (though I can't back it up) that if you buy toward the end of the month, there's more pressure on the sales agent to make a quota, thus, they're more willing to deal.

Can anyone verify this?[TRUE :D ]

First.... DONT walk into the dealership. Might look at hendrick.com

We live in the DC area. Lots of stock here it seems.

We just got one yesterday - 19,700 - ex/auto/awd/'03 with some little extra's (mudflaps, door guards, carpets, pin stripes, wheel well protectors, wheel locks) - this included 600 VA tax. So it works out to 19,100. Does not have side airbags. 3.9% finance for 60 months.

We bought ours at one of the Hendrick's family dealers. http://www.hendrickhondava.com
Hendrick has 69 dealers in their family.


The reason they are able to sell the cars cheaper than anyone else, is that they pay their Internet salespeople on salary - NOT commission. I conducted an aggressive auction over the phone and email to about a dozen dealers - no one would match this price. Unlike most people - I LOVE shopping for cars!!

It will be VERY interesting to see if Honda offers some incentives in the next week for DC area dealers to sell the '03s - there are many still on the lots.

Per *******'s posts he seems to have gotten a better deal at Coleman in MD. We bought ours from Richard - richt@users.ccleads.com at Henrick's

DO NOT walk into a dealer before you have contacted an Internet salesperson as they just tack the commission onto your car price.

To: JGumino -

please don't continue to post the same message on each of the forum subjects -- obviously you paid more than was necessary - if anyone wants a REALLY GOOD DEAL - contact Roy Daves - Sales Manager, or Annette Painter, Internet Sales Manager @ Jim Coleman Honda -- (www.jimcolemanhonda.com) 1-877-49-HONDA - located in Clarksville, Md. -