We just got back from a test drive of the 2015 fit here in Portland Oregon.

We wanted a LX Manual but after a dealer / inventory / shipping search we were told nothing would be coming in (black/yellow) for 6 months.

There are LX automatics available in a week and EX manuals available in July.

Has anyone else heard about delays like this? We are debating bumping up to the EX Manual as the cost (for us) is better than a 6 month wait.

Overall we really like the car!

 

Was just at an Austin dealership today. They had one LX MT in transit. unsure of color though. It could very well take 6 months to get exactly what you want to come in if it's a MT.

 

A dealer telling you that it will be 6 months to get what you want is just trying to sell you what he has. Sales 101 is sell what you have and don't let someone who is serious walk. So he is telling you .6 months in hopes that you will take a car that he will have soon.

The best I can tell, the factory is now building all the different colors/trim/transmission combinations. The one exectption may be manual transmission yellow cars, since none of those has showed up in the cars.com inventory yet.

But it would be typical that the dealer already has the next 2 months of allocations set and he is 3 months out before he can even request the color/trim/transmission that you want. From there it could be another month before it got built and then 30-60 says before you actually get it at the dealer. so 5 month wait is not necessarily out of the question.

 

Your Honda dealer in the neighboring town of McMinnville, OR. shows a White 2015 Fit LX MT car on their website. Whether or not the car has actually arrived, or remainsl unsold and at the dealer, is something you could check.


I suspect that dealers will not share the whole story when they check online with Honda's national or regional dealer inventory system. A nearby dealer told me that there were no MT LX cars in NV or CA as of today, and that none were expected until late Sept... Oh by the way, that one is a car arriving at their dealership, if I would like to pre-order it.


I know from looking at the Cars website that there are MT cars already showing in west coast dealer listings. Not many, but some... Whether they are actually at the dealer yet, is a different subject. The dealer I spoke to does not show up on the Cars website. I suspect the cars that already appear on the Cars website will arrive at dealerships before late Sept., if they are not already there..


Taking the time to check individual dealership websites, for your surrounding area, may turn up some additional cars.

 

Excellent advice and very helpful. This is the first time we have bought a car (we are ex new yorkers) and this is not our area of expertise.

We emailed the dealer today asking for quotes and dates for:

LX MT - any color but white or silver
EX MT - any color but white or silver

We will see what he comes back with. It's a no-haggle/salaried non commission place which I really like.

One other odd thing... even before we talked price he gave us a credit application - when we said we would pay cash he was quite surprised. Is fully paying for a car really that rare these days?

 

For 6 months wait, you may want to work with the dealer to order one and hv the exact options you want.

 

One other odd thing... even before we talked price he gave us a credit application - when we said we would pay cash he was quite surprised. Is fully paying for a car really that rare these days?[/QUOTE]

Most people don't pay cash but finance instead. Dealers like that because they make $ off the contract. Hope you get a good deal.

 

There's a blue LX Manual coming to Houston in the end of July...

 

Ahhh if only we were in texas! Well we requested additional information from the dealer.. will see how it goes.

The advice here was very helpful.

 

If I had $20k in cash, I personally wouldnt drop it all on a depreciating asset.

I have excellent credit and will patiently wait for a 1% or less interest rate from Honda.

 

That's a valid point and one we thought seriously about.

 

how is buying outright different than paying it off bit by bit?

 

Opportunity cost. That 20k could have been invested earning you market returns (assuming this is a greater return % than the interest rate would be on your vehicle loan) rather than being tied up in your vehicle.

 

If you pay it off bit by bit you have a loan which means interest. So generally you pay more when you have a loan.

However as usual it's more complicated than that. Loans rates are quite low now (1% is pretty amazing) so if you do something else with the cash that earns more than your interest you would be better off doing that.

And of course you could also lose money if you put it in the stock market or sheep futures...

So in my opinion the right thing to do... well it depends on your unique situation.

 

We ended up buying the White LX MT Fit that McMinnville Honda had. It was a positive experience, delayed only by the weather that prevented me travelling (flying up in a friend's small plane) an extra several days.


I spoke with them by phone and dealt by email. John Klein is the salesperson that walked me thru things. Yes, they wanted their online (secure) application filled out, at least the first page, if I was not financing thru them. It apparently gets all the customer's information into their computer system so that all the forms (and there are quite a few) that need to be completed on even a cash (no financing thru the dealer) sale, get filled out correctly.


John told me that because of the delivery problems (including communication) that Honda is having with the new Fits, McMinnville have stopped taking any deposits on Fits, if the car is not already physically on their lot.. They don't want to be appearing to string customers along, not really knowing when the promised car will arrive.


There was no pressure to add things on at the dealership. Accessories were offered as were extended warranty, body and upholstery protection.... but a simple no thank you to each was accepted. Advertised price was below MSRP. I did not haggle, as it was the price we had discussed before on the phone.


A good place to deal with if you give yourself the opportunity... Tell them the guy from Nevada sent you and says Hi...