If you live in the San Francisco Bay area and are shopping for a Fit, here is my recent experience. We bought my wife a new Scion XB, and I was ready to buy another one for myself. We need interior space because of our LARGE dogs in the event that we have to escape a forest fire in the Santa Cruz mountains. But before ordering the new Scion, I decided to compare ALL high fuel economy cars and found the Fit. After reading dozens of review articles, I decided to buy this car. The neraest dealer is Ocean Honda in Santa Cruz. They had one just off the delivery truck for me to look at and sit in and I immediately loved it. Couldn't test drive it because it had not been inspected or dealer prepped. This dealer wanted $2000.00 OVER MSRP. I told the salesperson that I would not pay that much, and she eventually offered $1000. over MSRP. I said "no thanks" and left.

I then called EVERY Honda dealer within an 80 mile radius (San Francisco to Monterey, Stockton to Santa Cruz), and only ONE dealer, Val Strough Honda in
Seaside, CA, sells Fits at MSRP, but this one dealer did not have any in stock and did no know when any would come into stock. All of these calls were done over the Labor Day weekend.

Ocean Honda in Santa Cruz called me on Friday, 9/8, after the holiday to say that they had an Orange Fit scheduled to go into production in Japan on Wednesday, 9/13/06, to be delivered to their dealership 4 weeks later, and would sell it for $500. over MSRP. I went to this dealership that night to place a $500. deposit on this car, yet to be built.

Then on Wednesday, 9/13, Val Strough Honda in Seaside, CA, called to say that they had a sale fall through, and an Orange Fit Sport Automatic (identical to the one that I had reserved at the Santa Cruz dealership) was now available to the first taker. I gave them a credit card number for a $5000.00 down payment, and picked up the car the next day. I also called Ocean Honda in Santa Cruz on Wednesday morning, 9/13, to cancel the deposit for their Fit still scheduled to be built. I was told that the deposit was non-refundable. I have referred this unethical "non refundable" deposit issue to my attorney.

The point of this is: all Honda dealers in the S.F.Bay area are using the immense poplularity of this temporarily RARE model to screw the buyer into paying a "gratuity" for the favor of having one to sell. ALL EXCEPT FOR Val Strough Honda in Seaside, CA. The actual sale of my new Fit was very pleasant and professional. Their Internet Sales Manager is Art Agpalasin, and this is the Costco Car Purchase program referral for Hondas.
Manxman
Boulder Creek, CA "New Fit Lover"

 

In the interest of "fairness", here is the rest of the story. My attorney sent a letter to Ocean Honda in Santa Cruz, advising them of our intention to make it possible for them to justify keeping my deposit to a Municipal Court judge. I received a refund check two days later.

Manxman

 

I have felt resentment about pricing over MSRP, i paid 1,000 over for my auto-sport. Resentment because the main honda web site gave that price out and initally got me excited, then i searched local dealers and found something different. Arguably false advertising, at least for those like myself who did not know how the new car business works.

Yet on the other hand, i realize that i certainly would not have insisted on paying MSRP to the dealer if instead i had been looking at a car on a lot where production has sorely outstripped demand...

I've learned to take my MSRPs with a grain of salt.

 

I went to Manly Honda in Santa Rosa last weekend and asked about the Fit. They had one a few weeks out, a manual sport in the silver/grey color.

Little/no pressure . . . yeah yeah, people like them, great car, let me know if you want one . . . so I put a $500 deposit on it so I can at least drive it. I'm 60% sure it's not the car for me, but there's a chance it is, and I should drive it.

Oh, it was MSRP--and I hate paying msrp for anything, but in this case, that's the market.

Cheers

--Kevin
Sonoma County, CA

 

I have had a really good experience with Manly Honda in Santa Rosa. These are the only guys who quoted me MSRP on a Fit Sport. Paul Ciardiello was very helpful in helping me get just what I was looking for.

 

My daughter in Coopertino is also looking at the FIT. Perhaps she will have more luck than me in Hawaii.

FIT prices are bad in Hawaii. No one sells at MSRP. Zero.
Costco price is $2000 over MSRP
Most dealers are charging and getting $2500 to $3000+ over MSRP with no end in site.

Average wait times from 3 to 6 months depending on color and which transmission. Most are Sport FIT with AT. Hardly any base Fit and rarely any MT.

And all this hassle for an entry level Honda? Something is not right.
I guess people were scared with higher gas prices and are still in shock.

Worse too is that there are NO Fits in stock and virtually nothing to test drive. No demos and nothing on the lot each month.

 

Now that my FIT is in the U.S. and in transit, you may want to borrow someones boat in Hawaii and hijack one of the cargo ships headed this way.....