Personal motto: never pay full sticker for anything
1. I have no financial and/or familial relationship with Honda Automobiles of Bartlesville
2. http://markroberts.com
3. Hondas sold under MSRP (typical: Civics $1,100 under, Accords $1,500-2,300 under)
4. FIT isn't listed yet, but I would guess it will be $500-600 under MSRP
5. They have an 800 number you can call

Have fun, "just say NO to MSRP+ dealers", & spend your $$ wisely.

Zippo

 

I better not have to pay MSRP.

 

There's so much more to the final figure than the price of the car, i'd not know where to start. The interest rate, lease?, all the various fees they can throw in, ripping you off on a trade-in. In other words, I fully believe you could come back here and claim you got as much as 1K off your fit sticker price before May. But I'll only wonder where else they made their money off you.

Im taking a different approach. They want MSRP, they can have it. But they aren't getting a trade-in, i'm not leasing, i'm not paying ANY fees (not even an admin fee for doing paperwork) except destination charge, and im paying cash. If my dealership insist on any fee as "standard", i'll just say take it out of the sell price to cover the fee.

 

I put a deposit down on a Automatic Silver Fit (non-Sport) today. The dealer said they don't know the price yet (at which time I quoted the official MSRP from Honda). He also said they typically mark-up new, high demand cars as much as $800 above MSRP. I want my Fit ASAP, but I plan on paying MSRP or below. If they mark it up that much, I'll get my deposit back and go elsewhere. Since they already have the VIN for my car, I hope it will be in about 10-14 days.

 

I disagree. I won't pay full sticker price and they won't get my current car as trade-in and I'll get the cash elsewhere. Full cash sale.

I say this because I have done exactly that for a family member. I managed to deal them down $1,800 from sticker of new Civic EX back in '96. No extras added to the deal. No extended warranty, no rustproofing, no paint and fabric protector etc... I did run around a lot to get the deal. I visited at least 10 dealers telling them that the best price will win.

This time I'll start with e-mailing them asking them to submit an offer. I will also wait until the new Fit has been around longer and that they have more units available.

 

As you correctly implied in your last statement, you wont be getting the car in April either. Of course you can get it cheaper by waiting... doh!

 

Ok. I was just trying to convince you that you don't have to accept full sticker. I didn't expect you to oppose the idea of paying less. It's your choice if you insist on paying full price.

For those who are interested in a lower price...

Try talking to a salesperson and tell them that you're serious and ready to purchase. Ask them to make you an offer. As soon as they give you a price, start walking away and watch their reaction.

Do your homework. There are books that guide you through the whole process.

If you feel that playing hardball isn't your style then find a car buying service. These people do the haggling for you and take a percentage of the savings.

 

there are fees that you have to pay where ever you buy the car. for instance, there is a document fee, and here in ca there is a tire fee. that's like saying you won't pay sales tax. you might think you're outsmarting the dealership, but you're not. you'll have to pay those fees anywhere. no one can waive them...

no price that the dealer gives as a first offer is any place to start

 

You missed what i'm saying. Not accepting full sticker price means you (likely) aren't getting this car in April. What i insist on is getting the car in April, and i'm willing to do what it takes for that to happen. A few hundred dollars is inconsequential to me. I'm not buying this cheap car because I dont have a lot of money. You could say my purchase of a cheap car is one of many reasons why I do have a lot of money.

Economics 101, supply/demand, when the supply is low, and demand is high, the ones who get first dibbs pay the most.

People spend way too much time bragging about how they got such a good deal on some car. Some people that do this are those that spent 30K+ on a luxury car or a loaded SUV. What matters far more is just not spending much overall (ie: simply buying a "fit" at any price, instead of a BMW), and driving the cars for years, and not trading often.

 

Any fee labeled a "document fee" at your dealer, is a dealer created fee. They don't pass this "fee" on to anyone. Most likely, a fee with this name is supposed to cover the time they take to simply do your paperwork. They will be doing my paperwork for free or I wont be buying the car; their choice.

Regarding the tire fee, I dont live in california. We dont have that equivilant fee in Arkansas. Glad we cleared that up.

Azanon

 

Please don't do this. This only serves to agitate people and is really very rude. Here's the real way to get the best price. I'm sure that once the NA Fit shows up, Edmunds.com and other car buying websites will have invoice price posted. Go to the dealership armed with this info and negotiate your price from there. If you can't negotiate the price you want with the salesperson, ask to speak with the sales manager (they're usually the one setting the prices anyway, not the salesperson) and tell them what you're willing to pay. If you can't come to terms with them, then politely thank them and leave.
That's the proper way to handle it.
Thanks,
Russ

 

In my case, my Accord gave out on me and the dealer knows I'm driving a borrowed car. I normally "wheel & deal" but the Fit is brand new, in short supply, and models are only arriving a few at a time. Based on all the commotion in advance of its arrival, I'm at the dealer's mercy. If they had hiked the price above MSRP, I would have bought a Forester (used). Their "dealer prep" fee is lower than I've seen elsewhere. I work full time and then some and there are plenty of people who can get to the dealers ahead of me, so I had to lock one in or be prepared to buy something else. My many years of experience owning Hondas made it worthwhile to me -- and I hang onto my cars for a long, long time, so I get my money's worth.

 

If you are going to pay for the dealer to prep your car, you just let them shove a big one up your ass. Do you even know what they do for dealer prep? They rip off the plastic, check the fluids and tire pressure and stick the temporary tag on your car. Most dealers do not charge for this and you can do this yourself.

 

Dealer prep is part of the msrp + shipping. Dealers should not charge extra.

 

This is exactly right. In fact, it actually says so on the car sticker in the lower right hand corner in fine print (look right under the MSRP price), on most of them.

Destination charge is the only legitimate "fee". All of the others are just them making more money off of you.

Another case and point, run an edmunds on any new car and see the tallies. You're only going to see the car price, options, and destination fee listed there, and the final total labled "what people pay". The tally on the far left (invoice tally) is the actual, bottom line, cost for the dealer. If there are incentives/holdbacks, edmunds shows this too.

 

I know the dealer tack-on is just that -- pure profit for them. When I've bought cars in the past (both Hondas), they were model year left-overs. When a salesman at one dealer refused to lower the price, including dropping the dealer markup, I walked. I battled over the same Honda Civic wagon at a large volume dealer, headed for the door 3 times, and finally got the price down to what I was willing to pay. It took a lot of soul searching before I decided to throw in the towel and buy the Fit at the dealer's terms. They won't be getting any further service charges out of me. Except for warranty work that has to be done at the dealer, I'll be going to a certified Honda mechanic who I've trusted for years to keep my old Accord and my daughter's 1991 Camry on the road. Until the Fit is out awhile, it's a seller's market, and the dealers know it!

 

Well, we're pretty close to the same line of thinking then FondaFit. We're just drawing our line in slightly different places. I'll give them full MSRP, but no fees at all. If they can find someone that will pay MSRP and the prep fees, "document fees", etch, and markup, and thus choose to refuse my offer, then fine, i'll walk out and wait, or try another dealer.

As long as both parties can live with the deal and one goes in with both eyes open, then there's nothing wrong at all. Capitalism is beautiful!

 

@pahondadealer, why is it impolite to walk away?

I also don't think "being polite" is the best in a situation like this. Salespeople use every tactic to close at the best profit for them and aren't gentle about it.

I visited a Honda dealer last week and 1 salesperson was way to demanding to me when I was "only looking". He started telling me that I couldn't ask questions to another salesman because I was "his" client. I hadn't even started to negotiate and I left. I'm sorry but, as a customer, I can choose with whom and how the transaction will take place.

 

I don't think legally they can charge one person a doc fee and then wave it for another. Just negotiate off of MSRP, I wouldn't break their balls over the doc fee.

 

So is it likely that any Honda dealer will give anything off MSRP in April? What are the chances?