| Do I wait or pay the $3,000 markup?
- Click HERE for Original Thread
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| PJ27 |
I'm new to this whole forum thing so excuse me if I seem like I'm a newbie... :D This is a great place! Come here at least twice a day!
I previously posted the fact that I plunked down a $500 deposit on a Sage Brush Pearl EX-L w/ Nav at one dealership. They said when they got one in that they would only charge me MSRP (no markup). The only problem is that since they are not a high-volume dealer, they only get one Nav model per month and that there's a small chance of getting the SBP color. I could end up waiting a loooooong time. They were nice though.
That was last weekend...
I just got back from my local area dealer, Miller Honda in Culver City. They are a pretty large dealer. In fact they had several Pilots on the lot. I swear I walked by 4 to 5 Pilots, not including the Demo. They checked their paperwork and said they could get me the SBP w/ Nav within a week. A WEEK! And if I was really serious, possibly even 2 days if they rushed things along.
Here's the catch...
They are asking for a $3,000 markup. :confused: WOW! "Of course we can negotiate the markup," the salesman said. Well I would hope so. :)
So now I'm in a bind. Do I really want the Pilot that bad?!?! (Heck YAH!) Am I willing to sit through an arduous negotiation process to try to wittle down the $3,000 markup? Uh... that's a question my wife and I will have to struggle with. My head hurts now.
Well, just wanted to know what all your thoughts were. Did anybody go through the same dillema? |
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| PilotGerharts |
| We kinda had the same thing happen when we were looking for a silver Pilot in June. We put a $500 deposit on a blue one with the local dealer in hopes that he could trade. We only wanted it by Sept for vacation. It became apparent that the local dealer wasn't likely to get a silver one by then so we found one 100 miles away. We paid MSRP but OVER PAID for options that we didn't even want in the first place. It's left us a tad bitter. Don't give in to the markup. Keep looking elsewhere. |
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| xyzzy |
First of all, welcome. It's great to see someone reach out and start posting. I also visit the forum at least twice a day...or was that twice an hour, I can't remember. Anyway, ultimately only you and your wife can make this decision, but you already knew that. If it were me I wouldn't do it. I would rather watch an entire Cincinnati Bengals game than pay more than sticker for a vehicle. But I do fully understand the excitement of a new vehicle and if it's driving you nuts to the point that the extra cash is worth it to you in order to get it home, then here is what I would do.
First, call out to some other dealers in a pretty wide radius. 200-300 miles away. Make sure that you can't find one yourself. If they are telling you they can get one that fast it means that there is one available at a dealer that they can trade with. Chances are it's within a few hundred miles. If you can find it, you might be able to get it at MSRP from them. Even if you are doubtful, give it a shot. It's only going to cost you a few phone calls.
If that doesn't work I would start negotiations on the markup. It will be easier if you are planning to get a few of the larger accessories as it gives you more room to play with profit dollars. If you end up at 1,000 dollars over MSRP and all accessories at dealer cost, it might not work out too bad. Work a deal on an extended warranty ONLY if you were already planning to get one (it's not a discount if you weren't even going to get one). Including regular maintenance for x number of times might also be a place to deal.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Chris
************EDIT*************
I almost forgot. Once you make up your mind, put the decision behind you. If you decide not to jump at the chance, don't dwell on it while you wait for an MSRP opportunity to arive. If you do decide to pay the premium and get it now, don't let the extra cash paid haunt you. Forget about it and enjoy the ride!
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| Howdy Ag |
Welcome to the board. :D
Man, a $3,000 markup is unheard of around these parts. Even on 6/3/02 (roll out day) every dealer I talked to was only asking (and getting) MSRP plus delivery. IMHO, I think you should be able to do better without having to wait forever, even where you are.
Good luck. |
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| 2k3_nbp |
Here in the Bay Area from day 1 the Pilot came out to today, some dealers are still asking $3000 - $6000 over MSRP. (Negotiable of coarse). Went to 2 local Honda Dealers to buy some oil filters. (The filters were 2 for $7.00, pretty good for genuine Honda filters.) and saw at both places asking $35,000 for the LX. I asked a sales guy about the price and he said it's because they added fog lights and running boards to all the Pilots. Now you and I know foglights and running boards only run about $700. Sheesh!!!
Sad part is he said people were actually buying them like hot cakes. |
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| BMWRT |
| I think $3000 is a little bit high. There are places here in the island asking up to $5000 over but we were lucky to find a place that only charged $500 over. Try other places, even other states. |
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| Tony |
| I agree with BMWRT, you might want to try other dealerships. Even if you have to check with dealerships in other states. |
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| gap4jason |
PJ27 - Welcome Aboard!!!
Rule #1 - stay away from Miller Honda (Culver City)...PERIOD!!! $3000 mark-up is insane!!! Miller Honda of Van Nuys is the same - they are doing mark-ups like crazy.
I posted a few weeks ago on the corruption that Miller Honda did - long story short - they flat out lied to me.
Try Kolbe Honda in Reseda - I think the # is 800-735-1424. I got mine from them - no mark-up. Straight deal, they told me from the get go that they are selling the Pilot at MSRP. Kolbe is about 20 minutes away from Culver City (off of the 101/Reseda). Ask for Tom Cervelli. If you want the SBP - you might have to order, but at least you know that there is no mark-up.
The other option I could offer is to shop around. Some folks in this group are fortunate to get no mark-up and have some add-ons included. I'm from Ventura County and I shopped the following dealers:
Vista Honda Ventura - no mark-up, but you have to order and wait
Honda of Oxnard - mark-up to no mark-up negotiable
Thousand Oaks Honda - mark-up
1st Honda of Simi Valley - negotiable mark-up
Keyes Woodland Hills - negotiable
Kolbe Honda - no mark-up
Miller Honda - MARK-UP
Santa Monica Honda - Mark-up
Honda of Hollywood - mark-up
Honda of Pasadena - Mark-up
Colonial Honda - mark-up
Valencia Honda - mark-up, they even laughed when I asked for MSRP
Kaiser Bros. LA Honda - Mark-up
I had forgotten the actual amounts of mark-up. Try Kolbe first - it doesn't seem that far from you if you live near Culver City. |
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| vegasdude |
quote:
Originally posted by BMWRT
I think $3000 is a little bit high. There are places here in the island asking up to $5000 over but we were lucky to find a place that only charged $500 over. Try other places, even other states.
If I were you I will call all the Honda dealership within 50-100 mile radius. You never know they might just have it.
However, some of our members have had bad experience on over the phone dealings. The salesman will give you a different price after arriving at the dealership. You might wanna have them fax you a price quote in writing. |
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| PJ27 |
Thank you to all who replied.
My wife came home and said, "$3,000! No way!". We basically concurred with most of the posts to this thread. We are going to shop around. Gardena Honda, the first dealer we visited, had no markup. We'll keep our deposit and wait patiently. We'll also make a trip to Norm Reeves Honda in Cerritos (or maybe just call).
Jason, thanks for the run-down on all your information regarding markups. I'll definitely check out Kolbe Honda in Reseda. It's close to my mother's house.
-pj |
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| gap4jason |
PJ -
Good luck to you!!!
Let us know how it goes.
BTW, I added 'em Pep Boys chrome tips.......thanks for the "tips" guys!!! |
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| lxblack |
Hey;
If you are in SoCal, I bought mine for MSRP from Gardena Honda.
My deal was given by Fred Vand.
I just called them and asked for a fleet deal and they let me talk to him and he sold it to me for MSRP... Just be ready to buy the car...
Also, if you call further out East, the deal gets a lot better, for example, Hemet, Victorville, and Corona, they don't ask for $3000...
Hemet asked for $1000 in accesory purchase that's all...
Good luck |
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| Tasha |
Man! With that kind of a markup you could take a vacation to a place that has the Pilot at MSRP (or better) and buy it while you are there.
Hmmmm....I wonder if there are any Honda dealers near Disney?
Good choice to pass on the markup! :D |
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| MMM |
PJ27 and all potential Southern California buyers:
There are MSRP deals out there - you just have to let your fingers do the walking!
We just took delivery of our Nighthawk Black EX-L from Norm Reeves in Huntington Beach. We paid MSRP with no forced accessories! I really can't believe this dealer experience because everything was done FAIRLY and HONESTLY! We went to the dealer to do the paperwork and got our car in two days after negotiating on the phone. We were in and out of his dealership in two hours. Give him a call or e-mail him and tell him that the Diaz family sent you!
Bryan Van Cleave
Business Development Manager
Norm Reeves Honda
Huntington Beach
714-963-1959 x8306
714-317-1542 cell
bvancleave02@sprintpcs.com mobile e-mail
We used the internet as well as our credit union's car buying service and found some deals at MSRP but no one was as timely and persistent at finding the car we wanted quicker than Bryan was. He's a very resourceful guy and will find a car out there even if he has to trade with another dealer one of his Odysseys or Accords for their Pilot.
Heed Gap4Jason's advice (thanks Jason!) and call around, making sure you mention that you got their number from their website. Dealers know that you're looking for the best deal on the internet and that you are an educated customer - and will sometimes remove the added markup. If you simply walk into dealerships without mentioning an internet referral, you'll really have to try hard and negotiate the markup - a waste of your time.
Good Luck!
Melvin and Christina Diaz |
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| SteveLuman |
PJ,
Did they offer to kiss you first and take you to eat?
$ 3,000 is Insane!!:3: |
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| gap4jason |
>Did they offer to kiss you first and take you to eat?
That's funny. The day that I was at Miller Honda - they were serving Taco's F - R - E - E !!! Woohoo.....no wonder they're marking it up.:2: |
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| Ms. MDX |
DON'T DO IT! I had the same problems when purchasing my MDX. I walked away from a weasel dealer and started over at another dealer ... had to wait 5 more months ... but I just couldn't give the weasel dealer my money.
They can only screw you if you let them :rolleyes: . If more people walked away we wouldn't be having this discussion. |
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| Twinkie |
| We had to fly across our state to save the $3K. For a $75 plane ticket and a few enjoyable hours drive back, we saved. We did have to wait an extra month, but it just gave me another excuse to lurk this forum. |
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| PJ27 |
Again, thanks to all the replies to my post. I'm quite shocked at the outpour of enthusiasm over the topic.
We'll definitely NOT be going to Miller Honda in Culver City. Now that I've called around, I know I can easily get a better deal. EASILY!
I called Norm Reeves Honda in Cerritos and in Huntington Beach. They both will charge MSRP BUT... :( They will charge up the wazoo in options. One salesperson quoted me $1,700 for the following three options: (1) Side Steps, (2) Cargo Cover, and (3) Wheel Locks. Correct me if I'm wrong... but don't those three items retail for $683. Would you really pay someone over $1,000 to install those options? :confused:
At the advice of another poster (thanks Jason) I called Kolbe Honda in Reseda. The salesman is checking with his sales manager but says he can get me a non-accesorized SBP EX-L w/ NAV at MSRP. He says he has two white EX-L's w/ Nav on the lot that he can use to trade.
I hope to update this thread with some good news soon! :D
-pj |
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| MMM |
PJ:
Did you talk to Bryan at Norm Reeves Huntington Beach? Both my wife and I talked to different people, but it's the internet/fleet manager that you have to talk to in order to get the best deal. Remember to tell him that Mel Diaz sent you (Nighthawk Black EX-L) and he'll get you one at MSRP!
mmm
:) |
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| chrisw42 |
| I bought mine two days before official roll-out (2 June) at Riverside Honda for MSRP with some accessories that were overpriced. Also, Norm Reeves Honda of Temecula has in the past been advertising no mark-up on Pilots. However, recent ads don't mention this. |
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| gap4jason |
PJ -
I hope you get your SBP from Kolbe......it's a proof that on your initial phone call that they already told you MSRP without having to wheel and deal. Let's just keep our fingers crossed on the trade.
If you do get the car from them, I purchased my warranty 7yr/100,000 Honda Care initially at $1500. I know....bad choice. After 2 days, I called Kolbe and was able to bring the price dopwn to $1300 - still not the best deal on the warranty - however, the other dealerships I called offered me $1250...I figured for $50, I'd rather save the trouble and give Kolbe the business.
BTW, did you talk to Tom Cervelli? |
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| PJ27 |
After a couple hours of waiting, I finally got in touch with the sales guy at Kolbe Honda (Steve Shamuu, like the whale he said). Nice guy. Total sales guy, but nice. Sorry Jason, I forgot the name of the guy you mentioned.
Steve said no one that they can trade w/ has a SBP EX-L w/ Nav, but they are expecting one on their lot in the next 2 to 3 weeks. He said if I wanted it, I could have it for MSRP w/ no options.
Guess I'll be making a trip out to Kolbe next week. Wife gave the thumbs up :29:
Will keep you all informed. Probably start a new thread since this one is not really relevant anymore. I should have never even considered the $3,000 markup at Miller Honda.
Thank you to all who posted your opinions on the matter. It was really helpful.
-pj |
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| lxblack |
PJ27, did you call Gardena Honda? They don't put mark ups, it's their policy. I got mine at MSRP from Fred Vand. Try him, he also gives you good deals on accessory install...
Keep all your options open... Don't settle on one dealer until you actually get the car... |
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| mkresin |
We just put a deposit down at a Honda Dealership in Nebraska, O'Daniel Honda in Omaha.
My wife bought her 91' Civic there new, we bought our 98' Accord there new, my brother in law bought his 98' Accord from the same salesperson as us there new, my father in law bought his 02' CRV there new, based on our recommendation.
We put a deposit down, ($500.00) today and offered full MSRP, but wanted the towing package and rear flaps included, EX-L at $30,980. This was a Redrock Pearl EX-L. Another dealership in town had our exact model sitting on the lot and not spoken for. The salesperson didn't think it would fly, but said he would try. We then left the dealership after the deposit check.
The Salesperson, who we bought our 98' Accord from, said he would call us back today, 9/21/02. The person who needed to make the deal was not at the dealership at 12:00 p.m. on a Saturday. Our salesperson told us that all they had was a November production, so probably a December delivery. We hate the dealership that the exact vechile is sitting at even as we speak.
We waited, and no call. Now I am livid at the dealership.
My opinion is that if you do not want to sell us the vechile, then don't. But do not B.S. me.
I will be calling first thing Monday morning asking if our salesperson died or had all of his fingers broken today, so he could not dial the darn phone.
My wife loves this vechile. We want to buy. I am hoping that one of the other two dealerships in town will want to offer a price.
Thanks for letting a Junior Member vent! |
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| eastman |
| For what is is worth I paid only MSRP for my EX and options were at their cost with no installation charges. I wish I would have found out about this forum BEFORE I bought my Pilot, I could have saved a lot on the options. But its a cool SUV and I'm happy......... |
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| MG Pilot |
quote:
Originally posted by mkresin
We put a deposit down, ($500.00) today and offered full MSRP, but wanted the towing package and rear flaps included, EX-L at $30,980.
Wow!!! You asked for a FREE tow package??? Just thinking of a free tow package is impressive enough. But, you actually asked for it! Very nice...hope you get it... |
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| mkresin |
| Just bought and brought home our new Pilot. Red Road Pearl, EX-L, towing package, rear splash guards all for $31,000.00 I think we got a fairly good deal. |
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| havasu |
mkresin, congrats and welcome!
Which dealer did you end up getting it from?
What's your VIN? Join the family; click on the link in
my signature below. |
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| tibbitts |
| just a note here. make sure you got the full towing package. from the dealer this should include the upgraded P/S cooler and an additional A/T cooler mounted in front of the radiator. How much good these coolers do is debatable, but if you have tranny problems down the road and the technicians can prove that you have a trailer hitch installed without the optional coolers, you could have problems with the warranty. |
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| tibbitts |
| congrats to PJ27, I wouldn't pay a dime over msrp unless maybe I was landlocked in Hawaii or some other exotic location. for the 3 grand, you could fly anywhere in the country and drive one home. Many a dealer out there willing to sell for msrp. you made the right move. |
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| mkresin |
| Thanks, I will double check. However, the original price quoted was $861.00 for the package. They are installing next Friday, so I will make sure I get both coolers. |
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