Wow, the guy that sold me the Fit was calm. No bullshit sales talk, ZERO pressure. Hell, I said My wife and I want to think it over for 20 minutes or so. He gave the keys and said, go for coffee up the raod, see you in an hour or so. Never pushed me or used the stereotypical sales talk.

The money guy at the dealer showed me the add ons, i just said no. No problem.

 

If no one had to get firm at any point, or there was no agitation whatsoever by either party, then there is one certainty; the dealer did very well in that sale.

A dealer is going to be visably or audibly disgrunted at some point, if you got a good deal.

 

Bleh, i have other things in life to worry about than an extra $500 off the price of a car. If I was that frugal I'd have a bus pass.

 

Hey, i hear you. I had some calm car purchases in the past myself. But none of them were steals for me.

I'm just trying to make sure its clear there will be at least negotiating tension and perhaps even a walk-out involved if one got a good deal. Dealers just dont give killer deals smiling the whole time unless they're a GM dealer just happy to get one more vehicle off the lot.

 

OMG the ultimate burn, GM rofl. So true.

 

I agree with PAHonda. There is no need to be rude to a salesperson, unless of course, he/she is rude to you. The salesperson is usually trying his best to make you happy.

The bottom line is: If you get the car you want, at a price you feel is acceptable, you made a good deal, and what you paid is no one else's business. Feel free to keep it to yourself, unless you are willing to share and possibly have someone with no knowledge of your situation critique you.

 

It was a salesman at a local dealer where I had a long-term relationship who told me about the Fit after I drove and didn't care for the CR-V, and began reminiscing about my Honda Civic wagon. They offered me a terrific deal on the CR-V. Fussing about paying full price and fees did me no good on the Fit. In my area we get a lot of people moving down from up north who are used to high prices on homes, etc. Us regular working stiffs often get priced out of the market on all kinds of things. We also have almost no public transportation. When you need a car, you really need one! The following article talks about new introductions and demand. I'll also post it on the Fit/Yaris thread:

[http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12081720/

 

Well I'm a firm believer that unless it a low production new model, paying MSRP for any car is ridiculous. For example, the new VW GTI MK5 that just came out less than a month ago, being marketed extensively and demand is very high is already being sold at invoice and in some cases $1,000 below invoice. I just helped my best friend get his last night for $500 below invoice. MSRP for a car like the Fit is just not a good deal.

 

Here are my tips and tactics that have worked for me in the past to get the best deal possible...

- Do your homework. Get invoice, true market value and options pricing from Edmunds.com.

- Email all your local Honda dealers, and offer them invoice or what is the best offer you can give me?

- When you go into the dealership, go in there with the mindset that you are not there to meet friends but to conduct a business transaction. Be nice, friendly, polite and professional but don't be too nice.

- Never tell them that you have a trade-in even if you do. Negotiate the price of the new car first.

- When negotiating the price of the new car, you can do several things. If you've received quotes via email from other dealers, show them. Ask that they either match or beat their offer or you will walk. Show them printouts of what others are paying on the internet. If nothing else, lie. Tell them that you just came from that other dealer across town and they offered me this - match it or beat it. Negotiate the dealer fees. Never agree to pay for dealer prep or any other miscellaneous fees. Once its settled, ask them to put it all in writing.

- After you're satisfied, now let them know about the trade-in if you have one. Again, go your research to see how much the car is worth on Kelly Blue Book. Most dealers appraise it under poor condition, start at excellent or good condition and go down from there. Negotiate it.

- Assuming that you have good credit, financing shouldn't be a problem. Again, on either a lease or purchase, you can negotiate the monthly payments or interest rate respectively. On a lease, try to take the GAP insurance if you can to cover your ass in case of an accident.

Last night I helped my friend get his new GTI for $500 below invoice + tax, tag and title. No dealer fees, no prep fees. I started by emailing all the VW dealers in South FL and offered them $500 below invoice. Whoever can meet it will earn the business. Within an hour, I got 5 offers. We just went to the nearest one and did the deal. Done.

By May, the Fit will be going for invoice.

 

Mav, the only dealer hurting worse than VW right now are GM dealers, and probably Mitsubishi. VW is really hurting right now because of their reputation for low quality. I think its a largely unfounded reputation because they make such nice cars, but that's the case nonetheless.

I'm thinking now of insisting on less than MSRP for a Fit. But I think believing one can get invoice in May with no fees or other profits for the dealer (other than the 3% holdback) for a Fit is highly unrealistic.

 

Very good post mav!

So many saying that good deals can't be had... They won't know until they try...

Do research, buy guide books, use tactics and if you don't like to do these things then find a buyer who can do the negociating for you.

 

Not sure how different the US market is, but up here the market for Hondas are nothing like the ones for VW. The Greater Vancouver Area has something like a 30% immigrant population (mostly from Asia), where the bias towards Asian imports is probably more biased than other cities in North America

The Civic SI has been backordered ever since it came out, and even the Civic Sedan has been pretty much out of stock. Last I read was that one of the bigger dealers had a backorder list of 54 for the Sedan.

VW could only dream of such numbers

 

Well no offense but this is the exact mindset that will end up hurting you. Don't put Honda and the Fit on a pedestal.

In the US, Honda is often known for their quality economy cars. Hardly anyone knows about its rich history, their successes in Formula 1, etc, etc. Honda is known for the Civic and Accord. Honda is no better than VW.

I don't think VW has a bad reputation out there, their new GTI is in high demand but yet my friend was able to get his for $500 under invoice without even trying too hard. If we would have tried harder, he probably could have gotten it for $1,000 under invoice like some on vwvortex.com have done.

The Fit will be the same and if you treat as such, you won't be paying MSRP or any BS fees. The worse thing you can do is walk into a dealership thinking your new car is the car to end all cars and jump up and down when you see it for the first time.

 

I would love to believe this, but first i'd need to realize how the dealer profited at all from the sale. If you bought below invoice, AND paid no fees, offered no trade-in, and didn't finance, then the only thing remaining for them to profit from the sale would be the 3% holdback. If you cut into this by $500 dollars, then that might have left 100-200 dollars profit for them, ........ maybe. $1000 under invoice would clearly exceed the 3% holdback and would be a sale that cost them money.

If it was some deal where they were going to get caught with cars they couldnt sell on the lot at the end of the month, then that would just validate my point that VW is having trouble selling cars right now.

Azanon

 

So I went to Carter Honda and Vancouver Honda today. It might be my inexperiance, but both times my seemingly fair offer of 25k out the door for Sport Auto with a cargo mat was shot down. (FYI full MSRP is $25,221 after taxes in BC)

The best deal I got from Vancouver Honda was $25,121 with 2 free oil changes (retail value $80). Did not need to haggle financing, was going to pay it all at once - straight cash deal.

Quite dissappointed, any tips (or contacts of better deals) would be welcome

 

If this is the case, how can dealers make a profit by selling a car below invoice in a few months when the demand will be lower? When I bought my Civic in 2002, I got $900 below MSRP and I'm quite sure they didn't let me have that kind of deal without making some kind of profit.

When the dealer where I put down my deposit said they might be marking the Fit up as much as $800 above MSRP, I'm pretty sure he expects me to meet me somewhere in the middle - $400 over invoice. That I might consider if I can't get a better deal.

 

switch...
Did you mean he's expecting you to pay $400 over MSRP or invoice?

Heck, if that's the case, make a day trip down to Richmond. Pearson Honda has coming in their first batch:
Vivid Blue Sport Auto - MINE!
Milano Red Sport Auto
Taffeta White Sport Auto (black interior)
Vivid Blue Base Manual

They're not looking to go over MSRP, either.

There are enough other dealers over here (West Broad Honda, Mechanicsville Honda, Williamsburg Honda, Colonial Honda), that you can usually get a pretty good deal, and have more options for a dealer swap, if what you want is not in stock.

 

Thanks for the info. I think a day trip to Richmond might be well worth it. I just got an email from the guy who quoted me $1600 over MSRP. He wanted to know where I got my MSRP figures. (Where does he think I got them? - fit.honda.com, of course) He said MSRP was $14,650 + $550 destination charge ($15,200), but he never said how he came up with the figure of $16,026.

 

I doubt it. Especially with a limited production model the first year and strong demand. You might work the trade angle or financing better than $$$ off the new Fit.

 

switchbrdopr,
Try the Western Va dealerships too! Like Harrisonburg, Staunton, Blacksburg, and Roanoke. They're smaller so they won't get as many but they have to turn the inventory faster to make a living.