Alright here is a short report back....

I test drove one....

I have put a hold $100 on a 08 Sport AT that had a $17877 sticker with the "dealer added options"

But here is what happened on the add ons:
Paint Protection (drop b/c it hadn't been applied yet)
Glass Etch ID (stayed b/c it was already applied)
Floormats and Stripe (thrown in free b/c this was an internet deal)
Added the $199 Doc Fee (wouldn't wave)
"Tires for Life" - I only pay sales tax on tires when mine get down to 3/32" (NO COST)

So... that brought the car to $17289 as my price before taxes/title/tags.

In MO you pay taxes when you pay for your plates. So that will be added on later... when I get them as my temp one runs out.

As for financing, he ran my credit and I have none. He ran my wifes, and she has some. And I believe the salesman ran an example of $329/mo at 60 months at 5.9 percent... and he said our bank should be able to do better.

Then I found out they won't be able to. Father in laws g/f is going to get back to me with a rate tomorrow morning. After that I'm going to call the dealership again and find out what the actual rate for it would be going through them.... She thinks around 8-9 percent.

Needless to say I'm pretty frustrated right now. I want the car, but everyone else seems that its too much in price and not that much in car. It's not been said directly, but that the vibe I'm getting... even here I feel that...

And as for my car buying experience... I felt like I was treated great and fair. He never tried to sell me on stuff I didn't want, and never asked why I was removing certain options. It's not that I'm dumb, I've just never been through this. I know how the payments work and I feel like I've got at least as good of deal as I've read about in the forums.

Once again, I'll know more tomorrow....

 

I test drove one tonight and loved it. Went back and started to talk turkey about it.... here is a short summary:

I had a little bit of sticker shock thanks to the "dealer add ons"

The car had a original sticker of $16745 or so. And then it was $17877 after the add ons.

Here is what I was able to deal on with those:
Paint Protection- Dropped since it hadn't been applied $0
Vin Etch - Already applied $299
Floormats and pinstripe - Internet Special= FREE
Tires for Life - Just pay taxes on new tires when mine get below 3/32" FREE
Doc Fee - wouldn't wave $199

So I was able to get it down to $17289 as the final out the door price... this doesn't include tax since you pay that when you pay for plates in MO. So I'll just have to come up with that when my temp tags run out.

Before this, they ran my credit and got nothing (not bad, just nothing... and I new that). They ran my wifes and said it wasn't great, but could work. And then proceeded to quote me $329 at 5.9 percent interest. But that if I financed it through my bank I could probably get 4.9 percent....

But in order to keep it from selling I had to put something down.... and this is what I was talking about if I needed money down... as far as holding it or needing any of their fees up front. I realize a down payment would help with financing but it's just not possible.

Anywho....

But later I found out that won't happen. Talked to the father in laws girlfriend and she said it would probably be more like 9 percent...

And thats when I felt like no one wanted me to get this car... and now I feel like that here. It's like I'm paying so much for very little car... and now after I've drove it and like it... I want it.

So maybe tomorrow we'll here something good from either her bank or when I call Honda again....

And I don't take offense to any of you thinking I need to wait... I just don't think I phrased my question correctly.

And if this goes through... I won't feel too bad about paying $500 over MSRP for such a fun car.

 

First, I presume you have no trade and cash for deal; only for tax, tags, and licemse.

The $199 dioc fee is good; the etching is another paint protection profit maker and on that I believe the dealer is as straight as car dealers can get. That tire warranty is new. If they will provide you with new tires whenever wear is down to 3/32" (measured where? center groove of the tread? what about variabe wear due to misalignment? Or do you have to go to them an get your Fit aligned once a year or more? thats a killer) and all you pay is sales tax. Its not that your tires will wear out at 20,000 miles but it is a nice feature. Make sure you get that in writing. clearly stated. And not dependent on using dealer services.

As far as the loan is concerned his $329 certainly appears good because its based on dealer financing advantages. Unless there's some suspectious clases your payment sched is good

If you aren't that tied to a Fit (by far the best driving econobox) you should look at the Nissan Versa top model SL. It is cheaper, has more back seat room, has larger engine with CVT automatic that gets mpg as good as the Fit and has better CD (I owned both and ended with the Fit because it drives better than my fathers Oldsmobile Versa And the Versa comes with light tan interior as well as cave interior black). And there are incentives from Nissan, reducing the price even more, assuming the dealer is willing to use them. I believe the Fit will have better long term value though although thats just an opinion.
Good Luck.

 

I contacted autosatinvoice.com and was told this: "the mark-up on a Honda Fit is only $400. This means that the msrp only reflects a $400 difference over what the dealer pays - invoice (it is somewhere around the $380 area). We'll put down a $500 deposit on an '09 Sport automatic tomorrow. We'll pay msrp....

 

Dude, if you want the car, can handle that payment, and feel great about owning one...DO IT! You've done as much homework as you can do and you are just starting out, which means it's a learning curve all the way around. Heck, go for it. If you love the car you will enjoy writing the payment check.

 

Sorry for the double post above... my wifes laptop was acting up and wouldn't say that my post had went through.

Anywho... I did hear from the bank and they say 5.75 percent for 60 months. So it's about $335 a payment. Which is about 25 bucks less than my wifes current car was. Just waiting to hear if they can do that today or not.. if not... it will be tomorrow.

Also called the insurance and the rate will go up $28 a month taking the Fit w/ full coverage and the Accord with liability. So we're going to wind up breaking even or so.

Just going to have to pay for the license plates when they come up... so thats not too bad. I've got a month to raise it.

And I am kinda tied to the Fit now that I drove one. I started to look at Versas and the Yaris early on, but Honda Fit seemed to be just what I was looking for.

 

Good news about the financing! I have to call my insurance agent too. Thanks for the reminder. I like the Fit better than the other options because of the interior clearance and that fold-flat seat...no one else can match that.

What color are you getting?

 

I had the choice between Milano Red and Blackberry Pearl... and I went with the Blackberry Pearl.

Still waiting to hear back about if the financing is going through today or if I'll have to wait.