Not to worry about momisms--- #%&# 'em if they can't take a joke. As for global warming and the Antarctic ozone-layer hole, I'm convinced that this is primarily caused (at least in that region) by the exhaust from aircraft engines which do their research by flying over the entire continent in very close lawnmower fashion each and every year from October until March inclusive. I'm not making this up. But it does keep lots of "scientists" and enviro-nazis employed and on the government hand-out lists.

 

So today my fiancee and I were cruising through Woodstock, NB Canada and noticed six Fits on the lot at the local Honda dealership. Just for grins we stopped to do some window shopping. Four of them were base DX-A's and had T.B.D. ("to be determined") on the window sticker where MSRP was supposed to be. The one LX (mid-range package available in Canada) had the full MSRP listed, ie: no mark-down to make room for the '10s when they arrive.

But the sixth Fit really got our attention. It was a white one parked up front, and the only Sport model on the lot (automatic trans)--- but it was a left-over new 2008 model(!)

This one simply HAD to be available at a steep mark-down, we thought. After all, it was 2 years out of date.

Uh, no. MSRP was $20,700 plus $1400 freight/PDI. Total sticker was over #22,000! Plus 13% sales tax. Plus whatever sleaze fees and accessories they intended to smoke you with on the back end of the deal.

When they received the car the PDI/freight was around $1000. But they've somehow seen fit to inflate it as though it just came off the boat last week.

Dealer sleaze knows no bounds. Even though the car has no miles on it it's no way near new. The most this car is worth OUT THE DOOR (including taxes) is about $17,000. I got my '09 Sport MT last October O.T.D. for $22,350 with over a grand worth of dealer accessories. Unless these morons find the world's biggest sucker they will continue to own this '08 for a very long time....

 

They'll probably get it, though. I found just a few NEW pre-2009 when searching, most didn't have prices. And if you've browsed the used car prices, and even some of the new car prices, in some areas, the prices are extremely high.

That's the main reason I ended up in a 2009 instead of a 2008 or used 2007. The older models were priced higher. And with the change in body style, that dealer will probably fetch that price.

I haven't check on the xB or the xA-xD, but I'm thinking it might be similar. Body style change, and people like the older style better, or it's more in demand. One of those "if you like this, this is the only thing you'll like" things.

Someone will come along wanting a pristine, unadulterated, unmodified, GD. No doubt.

 

I have read with great interest this thread; from feelings of being bamboozled at a dealership to others defending the cost of freight to the dealer. I think most Honda dealers like me usually read and remain silent. Today I need to weigh in.

1. The mark up on Fits are lean. You will usually pay more tax than the dealer makes in his/her margin.

2. Freight is a cost that is charged to the dealer from the manufacturer and the dealer will need to recoup that cost (charge it to the customer).

3. I suggest that if you are feeling "hooped" or "hornswaggled" or worse at a dealership - leave. There are good dealers out there.

4. I have few 2009 Fits remaining - you can buy a 2009 Fit Dx-a 5 speed manual in grey for $17300 plus taxes FOB southern Manitoba.

5. If you can deal with a few kms, we have a demo sport 5 speed that my wife is driving that you can buy for $19,999 plus taxes.

HondaGreg

 

It's absolutely true that lack of depreciation in left-overs from the previous generation of Fit has driven many buyers to opt for the '09. The price difference was so small that it simply wasn't worth paying full MSRP for last years model, and for this reason I bought an '09 Sport MT instead.

There are certainly those who prefer the older body style, and a new GD with a clean odometer would certainly be worth more than a used one with say, 15,000 miles on the clock. But full (or even inflated) MSRP? And inflated freight/PDI? These guys are demanding $1400 for freight/PDI almost one year after I paid less than that on a newer model. There's no way this dealer paid $1400 for freight/PDI when they took delivery of this now 2-year-old car.

Somebody, somewhere *might* buy this car. But they won't pay $22,000 for it.

 

You're right. There are some very good, honest and ethical dealers out there. I bought my '09 Fit Sport MT from Okotoks Honda (just south of Calgary) after calculating what seemed like a fair out-the-door price (the only figure that matters) via the internet and then asking if they were ok with that.

They were, they delivered, they profitted (as was their right as business owners) and I saved a gob. They played no games, no smoke and mirrors, no gotchas and were pleasant and respectable to deal with. I'd buy from them again in a nanosecond.

Contrast this to my experience with one of the Calgary dealers (who shall remain un-named) weeks prior to my purchase. Bamboozled doesn't even begin to describe my experience with them.

At the end of the day I think most buyers understand that dealers must make a profit and are entitled to do just that. And said profit should be such that it provides a reasonably good standard of living. We don't mind paying a mutually fair price for a good vehicle.

But what really makes our blood boil is being told one price and then having a bunch of crap tacked onto the back end of the deal. And having a smoke and mirrors show that is designed to hide the truth about what we're really paying for our purchase. Not to mention being on the receiving end of high-pressure sales tactics. These practices are dishonest, unethical and an insult to our intelligence. It's these dealers that give the entire industry a bad name, and I suspect decent dealers would like to see them gone just as badly as customers would.

 

I'm also looking for an auto sport fit (I'm in the Boston area) dealers are saying msrp + 300 doc fee plus 100 licence and title fees

Any chance I could find a better price?

 

Chat with Mezzozero, he should be picking up his car tonight from Boch Honda and he got a good deal. He can probably tell you who was good or not so good from his own experience.

Cool! There's a "sale pending" sign flashing over what I think is his car too:
Boch Honda Search Results

There are NO Sport Automatics showing in their inventory currently.