Hi there,

I own an Audi A4 2001 and have recently been looking to purchase a 2008 Civic SedanEX. I was wondering if anyone out there has seen how the prices differ between dealerships for these cars. I went to a honda dealership today and the price for a 2008 civic EX sedan was approximately 19500, with about 2000 mark up, bringing it to a total of about 22,000. They told me a trade in option is available.

KBB says the price for the car im looking for is around 19000. My question is, should i attempt to bargain with the dealership for a lower price, or accept the 19,000 + ~2k markup tag as something i will see anywhere i go?

I plan to hit at least 1 more dealership soon just to compare how the prices differ (if they differ at all)

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

Please go to another dealer... Seriously an EX sedan is not a limited edition or whatever, thousands are made in a week around the world. Markup on an EX?!! I can understand on an SI.., but NOT an EX. Where are you located? Unfortunately, in some parts of the country all the local Honda dealers are owned by one "mafia" family or business. They basically can set whatever price they like. In southern cali, an EX is easily purchased at invoice price or lower if you know what you're doing. Consult web sites like edmunds.com to get the invoice price.
BTW I was able to get a remaining brand new 07 at my dealer lot, a Civic Coupe EX 5 speed manual for only $16500. It had 6 miles on it.

 

That Seems high. I just bought an 08 EXL with Navi and XM Fully loaded car with Heated Leather seats and paid 20,997.00 in Connecticut. Here is a link to Manchecter Honda www.manchesterhonda.com they have bottom line prices. Do your home work on your trade, because thats where they can increse their profit. I wanted a silver 08 5 speed manual with navi and xm radio in a EXL model it was very hard to find and I still got it for that price. I bought it at Excecitive Honda in Wallingford, CT they beat the other stores price by 300.00 and gave me what I wanted on my trade. Good Luck

 

Agreed, actually DON'T even mention that you're doing a trade while negotiating, since what they'll do is take $1000 off the car you're buying and then downgrade your trade in for also $995. Stealerships are so good at these things lol. They'll always also steer you towards the question: "How much monthly payments can you afford?" when you should strictly negotiating on PRICE FIRST. They'll say things like what about "If I reduce your monthly payments by $50 per month, will you take it?" While they change your loan from 5 years to a 6 year loan. I wish these punks would just be up front, but they always try to get something underneath the rug.

 

I am located in Seattle, WA. I have visited bellevue and kirkland honda dealerships. I made the mistake of mentioning trade-in at the first dealership i went to, then was completely silent about it at the second dealership. Both sales agents at these dealerships did not want to discuss pricing until i was commited to actually buying the car. They told me, "come back when you are ready".

I am fairly confident i can knock off the mark-up price completely, since they would much rather let go of that price then let go of me. Then, once that price is knocked off and i have a price for the car, i will mention the option for a trade-in, and knock the price down some more. I've done research online for how much the trade in is for A4s, its around 7.5k to 9.5k. i wont even budge for something lower.

I will check out edmunds.com and see how the prices there compare to blue book.

Any other input would be appreciated, tips on bargaining for a better price would be super!

Thanks!

 

First...go to another dealer and shop around. Second...sign on to edmunds.com and enter the data about the specific car you want to purchase. Edmunds will tell you what others in your area are paying for this vehicle....in other words, the TRUE market value.

 

I paid $18,200 ($20,100 sticker) plus tax and all the other crap for my 07 EX. I think it was like $21k out the door including the $700 wing, $1400 in tax, $600+ destination, and misc state fees. I would definitely try another dealer.

Don't freak out about mentioning a trade. If you know what you're buying, and you know what your car is worth you will be fine. The trade is where they will try to screw you as others have said, but if you are prepared and paying attention, you will be fine. I have bought more than a couple cars from dealers and done pretty well all but once (too much emotion, they knew they had me). I have mentioned the trade, and not mentioned it, but I ALWAYS knew what the trade was worth.

I work out several scenarios before I go into a dealer. I figure out a great deal (Invoice minus high trade value), a terrible deal (sticker minus low trade), and something in the middle. The closer to the great deal the better. It helps to know monthly payment for the three deals at various rates as well in case they try to play the payment game instead of the price game. Your bank should be able to tell you the rate you can qualify for beforehand.

Regarding trade value, go to Carmax and tell them you want to sell it to them. It will not be the best price, but they are always fair and will give you a good starting point with other dealers. When I bought my Civic, I had an 01 Silverado to dump. Carmax was within $200 of my highest and lowest trade offers.

Also know that whatever the trade in value, you get that plus some Sales tax credit since you already paid tax on the trade in. Using very simple numbers: if the trade value is $1000 and your sales tax is 7%, you're really getting $1070 for the car. The dealer will point that out and try to confuse you with it. Using the previous example, say your buying a $10,000 car and your trade is $1000. The sale price is $9000 + $630 (7% tax) - $70 (Tax credit on trade). Know your numbers, than you do not have to worry about theirs. If you go in knowing the numbers, its hard to screw with you.

Finally, keep in mind, that you can usually get more on your own if you want to go that route.

 

After some dealship hopping, i was able to get an out the door price. Was going to run it by this forum to see if its something worth considering.

As was suggested to me by a previous poster, i went to edmunds.com and got a price for the car. Turned out its about 18,700. Through dealership quotes i was able to get a price of about 18,335 (this includes destination charge). Same dealership's out the door price was 20,335 (price includes license and sales tax). I asked them if they would negotiate to 19,000s range, but they wont budge, at least today they didnt.

So, my question is to the poster above who bought his car for around $18,000, was that the out the door price, or was that the price before the tax and license.

If you could reply to me that would be great.


Anyone else any input?

Thanks!

 

I paid $18,200 before tax, dest, and doc fees. Out the door was $21k. Mine is an 07 EX Auto with a Honda Spoiler ($700 installed).

I assume you're looking at a manual because $18,335 including destination charges is below invoice for an auto. Invoice for an 08 EX manual is $17,220. Destination charges are about $600 (for Illinois. not sure about Seattle). That would put a really good deal at $17,900-$18,000. The $20,335 out the door isn't bad. Are tax and license fees really high out there? My tax and license fees were$1570. They are charging you $2000. Not sure if they areburying something in there or if those are legit numbers because I do not know what Washington charges for tax and license. You probably want to review the tax and license fees.

Take that offer to another dealer and see if they'll beat it. If you have it in writing, someone will beat it. There are a few hundred $$ that they can give up and still make money. If the Civic market in Seattle is hot, you may have to pay the $20,335. Its a not a bad deal, but you might be able to do a little ($300-$500) better if you keep shopping. I am lazy and hate dealing with car salesmen. If it were me, I'd try one more dealer and take the best deal. My time and sanity are worth $300 to me. I'm sure others will disagree with that as they are out for a killer deal only or they just cannot afford the extra $$. Hope this helps. Good Luck!

 

8.9% sales tax, + .3% auto sales tax + temporary license to drive the car while a real license is being made... thats what was explained to me

Im not sure if its a seattle thing, but hearing that you paid about 21k makes me think i am gettign a decent deal


Ill print out my emails and take them to the dealership closest to me and see what i can do there. Thank you for all your help!