I sold cars for a while, but didn't last long, not only because I didn't like the way the dealership operated, but also because it was interfering too much with my rugby playing. Typically, it's not the sales staff, but management that makes a good dealership or not.

That being said, I also had an "experience" with Hendrick Honda of Woodbridge, VA. I walked in there last week to see if they would be able to find me a silver or grey Fit Sport with a manual. I had been searching dealer inventories in both VA and OH for awhile and had seen very few, so I thought I would just ask.

Lo and behold, they had a white w/ manual sitting inside the showroom. Not my color choice, but it didn't look bad, with the exception of the "appearance package." Which "appeared" to include horribly aligned black rubber pieces stuck around the wheel wells, black door edge guards, and pinstriping. Total charge: $549.00, and the only effect was to make the car "appear" like sht. They had also added wheel locks for the paltry sum of $249.00.

After a few rounds of him and his manager apparently not wanting to listen to me, but preferring to try to cram a totally unreasonable deal down my throat, I walked out, and went to the internet. I built the car exactly how I wanted on the Honda website and used their tool to send requests for quotes to Hendrick, and Classic Honda, in Streetsboro, OH.

Almost immediately, I received a response from Jenny at Hendrick, and we started a dialogue. It didn't last too long, because not only was she also going to start negotiations way over MSRP, but they also charge a $499.00 doc fee that is non-negotiable, and she was going to charge me a $300.00 fee to find the car and get it to Woodbridge.

While all this was going on, I received a message from Steve Gockowski from Classic Honda, with a quote that started significantly under MSRP, a reasonable (if there is such a thing) doc fee, and no other BS charges. Bob. I told Jenny at Hendrick thanks, but no thanks, and have been dealing with Classic since. On Saturday, I got an email from them saying they had the car with pictures attached. This Saturday, I'll take care of all the financials and will be picking the car up 13 Aug.

These two dealerships appear to be polar opposites. Hendrick puts the "steal" in "stealership," while Classic Honda has been an absolute pleasure to deal with. Could I have gotten a slightly better deal on my car? Perhaps, but their initial offer was so fair, based on the research I had done, it wasn't worth the time. I also have no problem with them actually making a profit off the sale.

I honestly don't know how Hendrick stays in business, and would advise anyone in the NCR to stay miles away from them. On the other hand, everyone in NE Ohio should look to Classic Honda for all their Honda purchases.

 

I had a great experience with my Honda dealership even though my salesman now is working for Chevy. They call my Fit the "Super Fit" and have always been really helpful and taken care of my car and me.