Looked at 5 dealers to get my Fit. All of them tried to rip my lips. Outright lied about what they had in stock, and how long it would take to get what I wanted. Lied on the trade-in, and tried to switch the amount by thousands at the end. Lied on the payment amount, and interest rate. Finally called Superstition Springs Honda. No argument, no switch, straightforward honest deal. Full KBB high trade in value for my car, no add ons. Walked out with my car a few hours after they unloaded it from the truck. The worst of the other dealers still calls, after knowing that I bought one, and wants me to trade it in on another from them. Sure, 400 miles on the one I wanted, and they want me to trade it in on one of theirs and pay thousands more in fees and dealer added bs. What idiots!

 

There is always one in the bunch that wants the honest business for a long term relationship. Glad you "stung" the other 4!!!!!

Congrats on the new ride!!! BTW, ya owe us some pics!!! Time to drive and give us your review!!!

 

I thought it was strange that 'Superstition Springs Honda' was actually the honest one.

 

Tried before to post photos, but never works. I have had an '09 Base with m/t and a '10 Sprort with auto. Didn't like the suspension of the Base, which is why I bought the Sport. It was much better. The new LX, is far better than either of the other two. Better equipped, riding and much better mpg. (Silver with m/t) It is a keeper

 

Near the Superstition Mountains and Superstition Mall. 50 mile drive, but well worth it.

 

Yep, the 2 dealers I've worked with in Denver were very much into mind games, add ons.. One even bullied me with sales manager and accused us of not having enough money. I refuse to give my money to someone who tries to screw me over or insult me. We've had excellent experiences outside of town so we just drive an hour or so to be treated fairly and get what we want!

 

I,drive and hour to save almost 2000.00 dollars....total price everything included taxes and fees 18000.00 for a EX auto red..we'll worth the drive

 

I LOVE your price!!

 

Unfortunately, the tactics we often see from dealers persist because they work.

Salesmen are pros at putting customers off balance. They throw so many numbers and papers at the customer that it's difficult to keep things straight. They appeal to emotion, vanity, and the customer's sense of politeness to get people to agree to things they normally wouldn't.

All of this is to the advantage of the professional sales people and to the disadvantage of the customer.

The only defense for the customer is to take control of the process, keep it as simple as possible, and take the time to read everything. Some dealers don't want to dance that way and the customer has to be willing to walk out the door and go to a dealer that is honest.

Unfortunately, review sites like Yelp are not as helpful as they could be since it seems a lot of salesmen spend their free time putting up glowing reviews of themselves. It takes some reading effort to glean a bit of truth.

I will be very happy when the Tesla sales model takes better hold. The conventional car dealer's associations are fighting it with wads of campaign cash, but it's pretty much inevitable that changes will occur.

 

Me too...strange eh?

 

In the Phoenix area "Superstition" is just a place name without further meaning. It refers to the Superstition Mountains, a rather dramatic mountain range to the east of the city:



I used to see the sun rise over the Superstitions every day while working graveyard at now-defunct GM desert proving grounds.

 

I could not agree more with this advice. I have tried to help educate members of this forum to put them in a better position to not get ripped off on their car purchase. It is nice when you see some folks win in this game and get what they want at a fair price.

I see from the posts made right here the many outright lies that dealer salesmen tell buyers everyday. But unfortunately, the lies work more time than not, and buyers both overpay and sometimes don't even get what they want because they trust their good buddy, "the car salesman."

 

Ther is no such thing as a good buddy car salesman, unless you luck out and get the good one before they fire him. When they start the numbers switch game, I go back to: tell me the purchase price, trade- in and fees. If I have to tell them more than twice, I just leave. If, however, I catch them in a blatant lie, I leave on the spot. Did that once while signing a contract. Trade-in was supposed to be $12,500. The loan docs said $11,000. They tried to blow that by quickly. I just said we are done, and left. Eventually, you will find an honest dealer. Even then, if you go back a year or 2 later, all can have changed, based on management.

 

Very cool! Superstition is a better dealer name than Boggus Ford.. yes, pronounced like bogus. Saw a commercial for it once and was like.. seriously?

 

I know that next time I am in the market to buy a car, I will be there to put the salesman off balance. I've learned so much from my experience.

 

Some dealers are pure evil. I know a guy who got a job at a dealership in sales. On his first day of training he was told his only job was to get a potential buyer inside and hand them off to the sales manager so they could "skull f@#k" the buyer. Guy immediately quit job by the way. And as you can imagine, the dealership is a palace. Buyers absolutely must educate themselves before stepping foot onto a dealers lot.

 

My family has a two-vehicle history with a local Honda dealer, and they have been top-notch throughout. They always explain the pricing fairly up front, only do work that is necessary and treat people with respect.

Personally, I like fuel efficiency a lot, so I decided to buy a Mitsubishi Mirage, which here in Canada sells for $9998 as the base model, and $14000 out the door (taxes/fees/delivery) according to the web-site. I went to the Mitsubishi dealer expecting, naively, to pay $14000 (and hoping to get $100 or $200 off that). The first price they quoted me after a long wait was nearly $16k! They included an extra pdi, a considerable charge for nitrogen in the tires, fees for unexplained things (will be explained later, they said), and the $100 a/c tax on a car with no a/c. I left. The other Mitsubishi dealer wasn't as bad, and gave me their best price up front, but it was still $900 more than the web-site suggested. The funny thing is that I would have happily paid $15k for the car, but did not like those tactics at all. That car has a 10 year warranty, and the thought of dealing there for 10 years did not appeal. I also had not yet visited the finance office, so who knows what is next.

For me, I think the Mitsubishi (which I understand is not nearly as "good" a car as the Honda Fit), is a better value (much cheaper, simpler, more fuel efficient). Still, with that dealer experience contrasted with the outstanding dealer experience at Honda, I am seriously considering the 2015 Fit LX CVT (similar efficiency, but several thousand dollars more), or the 2013 Fit DX manual (worse efficiency, a few thousand more, made in China, but maybe discounted soon).

Moral of the story - dealer experience matters. I think the manufactures should realize this so their brand doesn't get sullied by a few greedy local agents.

 

FYI...I bought 6 Hondas from a dealer that was always honest and straight. Change of management in the past 2 years...when I went to buy the '15 Fit, found they were lying SOB's. They can all change..don't take it for granted that they are still honest.

 

Good to know. And really too bad that happened to you. I just don't understand the business mind that puts the quick buck over the long-term relationship. Clearly the long term honest dealer is going to get more money from repeat business, both sales and service. I'll keep my wits about me, but still hope for the best at my Honda dealer. On the other hand, I also have a really great and honest mechanic - so a used Fit, Civic, or Mirage might be in my future as well.

 

I found a great way of getting dealers to stop emailing me. I ask them unanswerable questions.

I contacted about two dozen dealers before I found my blue EX-L. I let most of them know that I was no longer on the market but they still email me with statements like "We understand you already purchased a Fit but can we still sell you or your friends a car or be of of any assistance to you?"

I reply "Yes" then ask one of these difficult, if not impossible to answer questions and they never email me again. I figure because it would involve waaaay to much research effort for them to make zero money.

Questions that make dealers go away:
How does the remote starter keyfob show the current temperature, and set climate control on the LX and EX models which do not have automatic climate control?

The technical manual says the Eco Assist Ambient Meter can be turned off, but the owner's manual does not say how. How can this be turned off?

Can the panels on the underside of the LX be retrofitted on the EX?

What ECU parameters are used to determine when the Eco Assist Ambient Meter turns green, teal and blue?

I haven't tried these but, maybe ask about what inputs are on the back of the Infotainment system, how to bypass HDMI lockout, or impossible to predict developments in Android/iOS mobile app integration.