Dealer Experience

[fearlessfreap24]

How would you rate your Honda Dealer?

The dealer i went to was great. they worked and worked to get us into the accord. they were very pleasant to deal with. The dodge/chrysler dealer i used to go to was never as good as the honda dealer was. the dodge service department was always crappy and really never fixed any of my problems. they were horrible. I hope that my honda dealer's service is as good as there sales force.

[Dave]

hindsight being 20/20, i remember a few errors (for lack of a better word) by the dealer. nothing that would keep me from recommending them though.

[princess]

My answer refers only to the sales dealership. Since service doesn't apply to me. BUT...... Concord Honda was wonderful! They search the whole state until they found my car a few hundred miles away! (trucked it to me) THE car I wanted. They gave me a loaner (a Civic Hybrid) since we traded in the '02. (we're very complimentary about my '02) They took my picture when we picked up the keys & sent me a 2 year calendar with that picture of my car & myself at our first meeting. They gave me a card for 15% off any parts bought through them. (for life) They gave me a "check book" full of discount coupons for all the services. I could've had a free first oil change. And a fair price to boot! Plus what I wanted for the '02!

They treated people that I sent their way well too.

:)

Honda of Corona flew us down to them to buy the Pilot. Gave us a fair price, but nothing extra. They might have if we were locals. (?)

Winter in Pittsburg was not willing to find a car for me or give a decent trade in price. >>which ticked me off, I bought it there & there was a poster right behind the sales guy with "the keep their value" chart!>> Walnut Creek Honda & all the others I contacted were too high.:mad:

[BenjiBoy650]

I've looked up and down the Peninsula for a good dealer and frankly have found none. I've dealth a lot with Serramonte Honda. At one point I asked them to demonstrate for me how the Odyssey's folding rear seat works. The reply was "show me the money," never mind the fact that they weren't allowing test drives. At another time, we had agreed on a price, and then they said oh this and that are extra. We made them throw all that into the price anyway. And then they printed out the contract with a higher price, probably with all the stuff added in. Fuming mad at them for this. Their service department also left a lot of oil on my friend's engine block, which smoked away on the highway. Had it caught fire, there would have been a lawsuit.

Also dealt with Grace Honda once. They changed the timing belt on my dad's '86 Accord, put it back together and then said "oh by the way, your crankshaft seal is shot, but now that it's all back together you need to pay for the labor all over again." WHAT! Why didn't you just call me when you had it apart! Geeeze...at least their parts department is good, I like them. Not so bad prices and the people know what they're doing.

I took my car to Mike Harvey Honda for the Air Bleed Screw Recall. While I was there, I was definitely not impressed by the service department. They advertise a whole bunch of stuff like a nice waiting room and such. When I got there, their waiting room was small, unlit, with no coffee and only tiny cups for water that was almost gone. Their parts department tried to charge me 2x as much as some other dealers for the same part. I was looking around in the service department and saw people start up cars and just needlessly rev engines for the hell of it I guess. One guy just started up an Accord, put it in reverse and revved it to 2500RPM or so just to move it the whole 300 feet outside. Why?! Then when my car was done, they called me (at least there's that). When I went to pick it up, they told me the receipt is sufficient proof for the DMV. I came back to read the TSB, where it CLEARLY says the technician should fill out a salmon colored form to be given to the customer, and that the customer should be told not to give it to DMV unless asked for. Ridiculous.

[benjamming]

Originally posted by fearlessfreap24
How would you rate your Honda Dealer?

Compared to other Honda dealers, other brand dealers such as GM???

[fearlessfreap24]

Originally posted by benjamming
Compared to other Honda dealers, other brand dealers such as GM???

all of the above

[BenjiBoy650]

I'd say Honda dealers are better than Dodge dealers. I've heard stories of Dodge dealers around here stealing radios and saying that it was gone when the car arrived. Never dealt with one though. I can tell you Mercedes dealers are only SLIGHTLY better than the Honda dealers, which really sucks considering I paid $7200 for my used Accord and $44,000 for the ML320 :bawling:

Oh yeah...fearlessfreep your gas price chart depresses me. If I ever see $2.09 a gallon I will fill up all 4 cars + about 500 gallons worth of gas cans lol.

[princess]

My mercedes driving buddy likes the dealer in Walnut Creek. The Jag driving buddy was going all the way to Dublin for one she liked. Then she bought her new in Walnut Creek, so I don't know now. My Dodge driving buddy won't use a dealer at all!

[snakehair]

Just had my first good experience at Criswell Honda in Germantown, MD. The sales force was typical, low ball the trade, try to add everything imaginable, and sell every service and contract over and over again. the dealer gives away nothing, does not do loaners or even have free coffe. In the year I have had my '03 V6 sedan (Redondo), I have had to go back to the service dept. three times for each complaint (toe alignment so far out it cupped the tires...was told I was lucky they didnt charge me for alignment), rattling center console lid..three tries to get right; replaced the whole driver's seat frame to keep it from moving when braking; and the dreaded brake judder..new pads and rotor turning at 10K). Had my oil changed, tire rotation and checkup there and was surprised by the difference between the regular service dept.. and the Express Service. Express Service manager is great. Left feeling like a person, not a open wallet and had an idea my car was looked out for also. Not overjoyed with the "Honda quality" I had always heard of and don't have a real high opinion of this dealer. I do like the ride, the performance and the look of my Honda (first one) and am glad I stepped down from the Avalon, Passat, Maxima test drives to try it out.

[anysia]

I'm trying to catch up on posts since I just joined a few days ago!

:)

anyway, I loved my dealership this time! I first started out by requesting quotes via the internet/email and using the spreadsheet on carbuyingtips.com.

I wasn't in need of a car. My 03 Civic LX was terrific, but I REALLY wanted an 04 Accord coupe! So I requested the quotes to see what I might be able to get one for. I really liked the dealerships who were also willing to give me a ballpark on the trade in via email!

I could tell right away that some dealerships didn't want to negotiate against other dealerships via email. They wanted me to come in in person, where I'd loose all control and I'd walk out of there paying somehwere near sticker!!!

The dealership I bought my car from, Moon Twp in Pgh, PA was terrific. They looked at their inventory and didn't have an ex with cloth and mt in nighthawk black. They looked at what they were due in and sure enough found one due in mid-june. They called and told me and gave me a quote on it and a ballpark on the trade. I went there that evening (this is after about 2 weeks of haggling between about 6 or 7 dealers, none of whom could actually FIND the car I wanted!). I ended up putting down a deposit that night. I never felt pressured into anything with them. I even managed to dodge the rustproofing and extended warranty and all without much of a fight.

The night I picked it up, my salesguy actually spent about an hour with me helping me to leanr how to drive it since I had never finished learning how to drive a mt. I thought they went above and beyond by doing that! He called me about a week after delivery and offered to give me more lessons if I want!! Now if only I can make my way back to the dealership to get those lessons.... I could use the help and the confidence boost I know he'd be able to give me!

Anyway, I just thought my experience was so great that I'd share! And now my husband is considering getting rid of his annoying Nissan Sentra for either an accord or a civic or possibly a crv at the same dealership thanks to my experience there! He's finally coming to his senses!! (Where was he 2 weeks ago when I asked him if he'd rather keep the Civic and ditch the Sentra???)

[princess]

So happy to hear of a GOOD experience!
Congratualtions on the new Accord!
Welcome to the forum!:D

[BenjiBoy650]

Does the salesman know you're married? lol

[Inspector1]

AHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:


I1;)

[anysia]

lol!! Yep, he knows I'm married! It hasn't stopped him from offering more lessons though!:D I kind of had to mention it when I filled out yet another AHFC loan request! :D

I thought I would've been an old pro at filling those out after my history! (After college bought a new 2000 Civic LX sedan, traded in Feb 03 for a 2003 Civic LX, and now the 2004 Accord!!) But I had to keep asking questions about how to list my husbands info so he wasn't a coapplicant! This was the first car I bought since the wedding.

I think I have a little addiction forming here!

:blush:

[BenjiBoy650]

Originally posted by anysia
lol!! Yep, he knows I'm married! It hasn't stopped him from offering more lessons though!:D I kind of had to mention it when I filled out yet another AHFC loan request! :D

I thought I would've been an old pro at filling those out after my history! (After college bought a new 2000 Civic LX sedan, traded in Feb 03 for a 2003 Civic LX, and now the 2004 Accord!!) But I had to keep asking questions about how to list my husbands info so he wasn't a coapplicant! This was the first car I bought since the wedding.

I think I have a little addiction forming here!

:blush:

You should buy Honda to drive a long time, not to trade in!!! But you're forgiven, the Civic isn't much to drive. We'll see how long you can put up with an Accord :)

[anysia]

I just had that conversation this morning with someone in the parking lot! LOL!!!

They asked why I keep buying Honda's if I keep trading them in! Two reasons-1. There's not exactly many cars out there that you can get away with trading in every year or two and not be upside down on the loans, and 2. I seem to be drawn to the looks of Honda's (hence why the 2003 civic sedan was traded in!!)

The goal for the Accord is for it make it past the payoff ATLEAST!!!!

But hey, I'm open to something coming up before then! Maybe a better job and the ability to get a V6???? :D

[in2it]

I had a good experience purchasing my Accord at Coggin Honda in Jacksonville, FL. I was originally looking at a Mazda 6s HB loaded because I thought I could not afford a Honda Accord loaded since there were no incentives or anything and the sticker was over 30k at the one dealership I had gone to and driven at. Then I was on Edmunds.com and came accross a forum of people discussing how much they were paying for fully loaded Accords and I couldn't beleive my eyes. The very next morning I got online and e-mailed 3 Local Dealerships and 3 Dealerships that were within 100 miles. I negotiated by using the Out the Door (OTD) price and was able to get an awesome deal on a 2 Dr V6 6Spd San Marino Red with Navi. Dealing with the Internet Sales Department of Coggin was a pleasure even though their first response to me was practically MSRP. When I told him how much I wanted to pay he asked me if I knew what the price of the car was. I said yep! He said let me go ask my manager and when he came back he said that maybe he should buy one too and that the manager had agreed to the price. They had to get the car from another dealership (One that I had talked to, but they hadn't come down as much) and it was supposed to be in the next evening. Well when it showed up they told me I couldn't pick it up because of a stain on the paint they had to buff out and they asked if I would wait 3 more days for the car if they gave me a free Rear Wing Spoiler. I was like "Hmm free spoiler for 3 days time. Ok!" Then when the 3 days were up they told me that the detailers equipment had messed up and that the car hadn't gotten done. So they said if I would wait 2 more days they would put mud guards on also. I was perfectly fine waiting, but I was really dying to drive the car. So after 5 days I got it and the Sales Person was just a pleasure the entire time. I had a pleasure annoying the Finance guy while we did the paperwork. He ended up giving me a free Honda keychain. Finally, I enjoyed the way the Dealerships Customer Service Manager handled the fact that I had to wait. I would recommend this place to anyone! It was the best car buying experience I have ever had, even though I didn't get the car on time. They made me more than happy to wait. In the month that I have had the car I think I have put about 900 miles on it so now it has 1200. I really like the growl of the engine when it kicks off the VTEC. It makes me feel like the old days in my 73 Chevy Nova with a 350, Holley 750 Double Pumper, Headers, Intake, and Cherry bombs. Well, not quite the same as the Nova, but nicer in every way other than straight line acceleration. And then the acceleration on this 6 spd is nothing to be disappointed in.

in2it

[anysia]

I was just thinking I should've asked for an Accord keychain like the ones I've seen online!

When I convince my husband to trade his Sentra in, I'm going to ask!!!

Congrats on your car! Sounds like you r dealer was great too! :)

[BenjiBoy650]

Wow your dealer seems to be the best so far, but make sure they tell you where the stain was! If it comes back in 3 years, you want to have something to say that the paint had come damaged and the problem has resurfaced. My friend's Accord hood has bubbles in the paint, and it's a Honda Certified Used Car, and the dealer doesn't want to do anything about it. Hmmm looks suspicious to me, maybe a rust bubble :( BTW your car had 300 miles on it when you picked it up? Why? I saw an Accord that was returned after one day and it only had 55 miles.

As for the keychain, I hate all keychains! I even hate the keyfob for the alarm. They're so annoying when they're hanging (when the key is in the ignition), rattling and stuff.

[princess]

like this?

[Wolffit]

After a few weeks of searching for a new car, I finally decided on the 04 Accord EX V6 6-speed w/ Navigation. I sent out emails Monday morning to about 2 dozen Honda dealerships within about 100 miles of home. Within an hour I was getting phone calls and emails from dealerships offering to sell me the car, whether they had it in stock or not. Some of the offers were at outrageously high or low prices. The worst offer I got was for something around $28,000 plus freight, tax, tags, dealer fees, etc. The best was $23,844 plus freight, tax, tags, dealer fees, etc. I printed out the emails from the top 3 offers and took them to one of my local Honda dealerships during my lunch break and said "OK, you have the car in stock, but your offer is about $1200 higher than the best written offer I have. What can you do?" We talked for a bit, then I excused myself for having to get back to work, and left. After work, with a phone offer from them of $24,244 plus (etc), I went back to sign the paperwork and see what else I could get out of them. What I ended up paying:
Car: $24,244
Freight: $490
Processing: $295 (VA isn't regulated, so everyone charges a lot)
Tags, etc: $80 for 2 years
Tax: 3.175%
Fog lights & wing spoiler: $1170(? 1070?)
The total price of the car, including everything listed above, and a 7 year 100k mile 0 deductable HondaCare warranty, LoJack, and EasyCare window etching: $29,460 - a few hundred under the $30k limit I set for myself a month ago when I decided I might want a new car.

I know the dealership is still making money off the sale, but I also know that I got a fairly decent deal. According to edmunds, the TMV for the car is around $27,500 plus (etc), and invoice is about $25,500. But of course you all know that. :}

The overall dealership experience? Pretty decent. Buying the car took a bit longer than I had hoped, I left my office a bit after 4 and left the dealership around 8. They did show me around the service department, let me talk to a few of the techs, and of course proudly showed off that they have the #1 Honda mechanic in the country working as their shop foreman. Unlike other dealerships, they didn't bother trying to sell me a different car, or convince me I wanted options that I didn't want. In fact the sales manager warned me away from the auto-dimming mirror, saying that even the 04 mirror on an 04 Accord had some problems. At no point did they try to sell me the non-Navi car for the 'best offer' price, like other dealerships had tried to do. At no point did they put a deadline on the offer.

Overall, a pretty good buying experience.

Now I have to learn how to drive a stick. ;)

-Wolffit
The car: Accord EX V6 6-speed w/ Leather, Navigation. Sapphire blue pearl w/ black interior. 23 miles at delivery.

[anysia]

Princess- That Accord keyhcain is cool too! The one I found online is a chrome one (i think it was around $10). I haven't seen the one like yours before! I want a nice keychain like that! Right now I still have the dealership one on my keyring!

[princess]

We bought our's at the dealer when we bought the Hondas. He has a matching Pilot one. We also bought the plate frames, also chrome with the same lettering as the key chain.:) We did change his plate frame a little, it had chrome on chrome which made the lettering too obscure. So he bought some of the touch up paint & carefully painted around the letters. It looks nicer & matches his Pilot.

[anysia]

i may get a chance to see how nice the dealership really is.... will they help me get a new car and manage to keep my payments the same (or within a predetermined reasonable amount?)

the true test of a good dealership. how they deal with a situation like mine.... will they work with me or will they sense the urgency and try to get me for all they can? ;)

[brickman]

I don't think any particular manufacturer has better dealers than any other. It is the people at the dealership...the employees and their philosophies that make any given dealership what it is....whether that is good or bad. I drove Ford's for a long time and my wife still does because we found a Ford dealership that has treated us great and has a service department that I trust...and that second part is huge on my list...it is very tough, in my opinion, to find a trustworthy service shop. When you do, don't let it go. The only reason I bought the Honda was because I didn't like the Taurus and I wanted a sedan. The dealership I bought the Accord from was the second one I went to because the first one tried some creative BS on me and I walked out....some of these Honda salesmen have very inflated egos in regards to the product they sell...big turn off for me.

Just my $.02...

[princess]

I agree! The personality of the one you're dealing with makes the biggest difference! The place & person that I bought the '02 from was not recommendable! I only went there because in my homework, they had the best price. They didn't bother telling me that they didn't have one on the lot until AFTER I'd agreed to buy from them!

The purchase of the Pilot was not a big deal... the salesguy was excited that we aren't hagglers. We thought the price was fair & they'd added some extras we may not have wanted, but liked when we saw them. We didn't tell them though!;) They did pay our plane fare to see it......

The '03 Accord was an all around wonderful experience. Great personality & put an extra effort in to find what I was insisting on. Teased me about trading in the'02 with only 13K in 2 years! All light hearted, but did his job well. I recommend them to our locals all the time..... it's NOT where my prince works....I DON'T recommend their sales at all!

Knowing how hard it is to find a decent service dept. isn't part of the sale since you can take it to any....but having the feeling that the whole place is worth trusting is always good!!:thmsup:

[anysia]

i'm busy getting my hopes up with my latest dealership!! i loved them when i bought this car. i loved them so much that today i decided to call up my salesguy and talk to him about my situation and see what he had to say. i was 100% honest about it and he said he may be able to help me out. i have to call him once i get the car back (since unfortunately it is not totalled at this point.)

he also talked to me for awhile on things to make sure they look into at the body shop and questions to ask. he offered his help if i need it at all and to call with any questions or anything i might have during the process of getting it fixed. all in all i talked to him for maybe 20 or 30 minutes tonight about the accident and the possible routes i can take outside of trading it in.

so far, so good. i feel like i can trust him at this point. don't want to get my hopes up on being able to trade my car in, BUT the situation doesn't look as bleak as it did earlier today.

but if this dealership can really help me out with this, i will most likely be sold on them for life! :)

[piturra]

Hi - new here and I thought I'd share my purchasing experience.

My serious researched was between April 29-30th, ... and my main sources was Edmunds.com & Honda Official Website.

The new Accord will be replacing my 1993 Accord LX 5-sp MT Sedan w/155,000+ miles, ... which my daughter will get (think purchase but w/family discount of course) sometime before she moves down to San Luis Obispo to attend Cal Poly this fall.

Anyway, I finally decided to purchase ...

2005 Accord 4 cyl. AT EXL PZEV Sedan
-------------
MSRP = $25,265.00 + tax, tire / doc fees and DMV.
-------------
Invoice ......$22,271.00 +
Destination .....$515.00
------------------------
Total = ......$22,786.00 (based on edmunds.com)

... the last decision was what color???

Initially wanted the Eternal Blue Pearl and so, on the evening of May 1st, ... I used Edmunds.com 'Local SF Bay Area Dealer Quote' links.

The first quote I received was from Autowest Honda Fremont for $21,086.00 "+ fees", ... I thought wow!!! :banana: $1,700 under INVOICE!?!?!? The best my credit union rep. could get was $600 under invoice, or around $21,635. so we're going the right direction. I emailed Autowest Honda Fremont the next day to have them spell out what the "+ fees" were, which they eventually sent and yes, the emailed $21,086 include DEST!!!

Later, the next email quotes came in $21,436 from Stevens Creek Honda, Santa Clara.

Anderson Honda, Palo Alto didn't email at first but followed up by a phone call and I was informed my price would be $21,786.00. I asked if he price match, I referred to my $21,086 email quote from Autowest Honda and he said that they do. He asked if he could send me an official email quote and since his $21,786.00 price is a template, it would still reflect his first quote $21,786, although matching $21.086 was no problem.

Anderson's email quote was complete with all fee's spelled out! The other emails or phone calls were just their price quote with the obligatory applicable "+ fees."

Since I live a few miles from Palo Alto, I really wanted to deal with Anderson and after carefully reading their email, I notice that their Low Price Guarantee will actually BEAT the lower quoted email price by $100!!! So, that would make it $20.986.00! :banana: :banana:

After a few day's, basically waiting for 2 other Dealer quotes, which finally came $21,786, ... $21,586 by Capitol Honda San Jose & Larry Hopkins Sunnyvale respectively. Phone discussions with each didn't improve my lowest quote. Capitol Honda actually ??? matching and mention about the ending May 2 incentive (which I read about this Forum - thanks Dennis) and would check, ... but he never called back.

So, ... it was time to make an appointment with Anderson Honda in Palo Alto.

When I called in the morning, getting an appointment for May 4th was no problem, but getting a Eternal Blue Pearl was. They completely sold off their entire inventory of Accord 4 cyl. AT EXL sedans. :( The few they had were already sold or demo's, but since we (actually my wife) still wanted to test drive one and check out the colors during the daylight, we made our appointment for 5 pm.

After lunch about hour after my initial call, ... they called back to see if I wanted the Eternal Blue Pearl Accord that they found in Santa Cruz which they can get thru a Dealer trade, but after I was informed that it would have an approx. 80 miles on it since they will drive it to Palo Alto, I decided NO! They traded anyway so it was at the lot when we got there. While we were walking around Anderson's lot looking the different Accord V6 colors (Eternal Blue looked darker in person and the Desert Mist Metallic w/Ivory looked really nice :) ), I had the salesman run over to the Santa Cruz Eternal Blue Pearl Accord and check the mileage (car was in their garage), ... it had 110 miles on it! Glad I didn't approve that, ... I want to put the first 100 miles on it!!!

After our test drive (Silver Accord 4 cyl. AT EXL sedans), he checked his computer log and the next three coming Accord 4 cyl. AT EXL sedans will be between the 6th to 9th (?) and their colors were Black, Silver and Desert Mist (which he called Beige). So we choose "Desert Mist Metallic / Ivory Interior w/Burled Wood trim accent" :yes:

Now looking back, ...hind sight, in my case the whole process happened rather quickly ...

1) Sunday May 1st - "Get Dealer Quotes" Edmunds.com option (got 6 Dealer QUOTES)
.... a) Quotes ranged between $600 to $1,700 below INV w/Dest.

2) Monday May 2nd - Worked an email/phone deal with Anderson Honda
.... a) Verified they will Beat my lowest Dealer Quote by $100 - which made it $20,986 + fees
.... b) Anderson emailed me OTD estimate, ... which was a little more than what I finally paid (see below) OTD

3) Wednesday May 4th - Made an appointment to test drive, choose a color from the coming three 4 cyl. EXL Sedans
.... a) They sold all their remaining NEW 4 cyl. EXL Sedans last Sunday May 1st - the last 2 were Graphite Pearl.

4) Wednesday May 4th - Choose Desert Mist Metallic and put $500 down, later they emailed me the VIN #
.... a) The other 2 colors were Black & Silver - all 3 cars arriving between May 5th to 9th.

5) Friday May 6th - Took delivery and paid CASH!!! :thmsup:
.... a) My car had 4.5 miles on the odometer.
.... b) We were there about an hour and a half
.... c) No hassle or haggle - all were very professional, knowledgeable and friendly.

Final tally Anderson Honda in Palo Alto:
Price: .........$20,986.00 ($1,800 below INV)
Tire Fee: ...........$8.75
Doc. Fee: ..........$45.00
8.5% tax: .......$1,735.06
DMV (Est): ........$187.00
======================
TOTAL: .........$22,961.81 OTD :thumbsup:

All-in-all, Anderson Honda in Palo Alto was great, so naturally, I voted 'GREAT'!!!

Since then I added Front & Rear Splash Guards / Heat shield Windshield Shade (both from handa-accessories.com), Heavy Rubber Floor mats (Wal-Mart) and a small Convex Mirror for my Driver Side Mirror (Kragen).

After a week and a few days, I have 222 miles on it and so far, I love the car!!! :jumping:

See my signature to see pic's of my car.

Phil

[Pairallel]

piturra - nice job getting that deal - especially considering it wasn't an overstock situation.

Welcome to the elite Pilot + Accord group too...make sure you check out Honda-Pilot.org if you haven't already.

And welcome to Driveaccord... :thumbsup:

[anysia]

welcome piturra! :wave:

sounds like you got a great deal!!! ;) congrats on your purchase! nice pics also! i haven't seen too many pics of the beige interiors before! :)

[piturra]

piturra - nice job getting that deal - especially considering it wasn't an overstock situation.

Welcome to the elite Pilot + Accord group too...make sure you check out Honda-Pilot.org if you haven't already.

Thanks Pairallel!!! Glad to be here!!!

I joined Honda-Pilot.org about a year before purchasing our (actually wife's) 2004 Pilot w/NAV! We sat & compared the Pilot between the Toyota Highlander, Volvo XC90 and Saturn Vue during the 2002 SF Moscone Center International Car Show! (http://community.webshots.com/album/56164674mjDWuu) Later we test drove the Pilot and Highlander, ... Pilot won by it's better suspension, firmer ride (wife and daughter are sensitive to motion), road feel and of course, ... fit and finish!!! :dude:

Due to our personal circumstances and timing, we didn't really get serious until August 2003 and finally bought thru our Credit Union rep. She was the only one that could get us one for $1,010 under MSRP which due to popularity, most SF Bay Area Dealers were reluctant to quote, and then waited about a month to take delivery!

Those were the crazy, limited supply Pilot days - eh??? :rolleyes: What color Pilot did you get and how many miles have you logged???

We choose Sage Brush Pearl (originally my wife choose Silver but, ... changed her mind so we waited about another 1-1/2 to 2 weeks longer) and we now have around 22,000+ ... trouble-free, just rotate the tires and change the oil, ... miles.

And welcome to Driveaccord... :thumbsup:

Thanks!!! :yes: It took a while to find this Forum, ... I read about it in one of the Posts @ Edmunds.com Honda Accord "Prices Paid & Buying Experiences" Message Board. That's where I learned about Dealer Incentives for March & April. I guess I just caught the Internet Sales Team @ Anderson's Honda in a good mood to price match!!!

welcome piturra!

sounds like you got a great deal!!! congrats on your purchase! nice pics also! i haven't seen too many pics of the beige interiors before!

HI :wave: & Thanks anysia!!! Looks like you got a fast and fun Coupe - gotta' love all the great enhancements and cool stuff Honda adds when you get an "EX"!!! :thmsup:

Since I just recently found this Forum, I plan to read up all the interesting INFO in this Forum during the next few day's so hopefully I can contribute something informative, ... if not amusing! :naughty:

Have a great day,
Phil

[Pairallel]

What color Pilot did you get and how many miles have you logged???

Interesting - we bought the Sandstone Metallic; Sage Brush Pearl was our 2nd choice. We also have about 22k on the Pilot, with no problems yet. My wife loves it, and gets visibly angry with me whenever I suggest we look at the new Odyssey. She wants nothing to do with a minivan ever again. (I think the Pilot helps her self-image during her mid-life crisis years). Of course, the same could be said of "my" Accord... :biggrin:

[anysia]

HI :wave: & Thanks anysia!!! Looks like you got a fast and fun Coupe - gotta' love all the great enhancements and cool stuff Honda adds when you get an "EX"!!! :thmsup:

Since I just recently found this Forum, I plan to read up all the interesting INFO in this Forum during the next few day's so hopefully I can contribute something informative, ... if not amusing! :naughty:

Have a great day,
Phil[/QUOTE]

yep, me and my coupe!! after 2 practical civic sedans it was finally time to get the car i REALLY wanted! :biggrin:

have fun reading up on everything! we're more than just cars at times! although that's obviously the main focus! ;)

[SSMV6]

Welcome to the forums, piturra! :wave: I'm sure you'll find it very informative and helpful. Don't forget to search about adding a TL sway bar! :D It's the best $40 you can spend on the car!

[Agile]

Welcome!! I second SSMV6's post regarding the TL Sway!

[piturra]

by Pairallel ... Interesting - we bought the Sandstone Metallic; Sage Brush Pearl was our 2nd choice. We also have about 22k on the Pilot, with no problems yet.

I liked the Sandstone (my first choice) but like I wrote above, my wife originally wanted the Silver, then changed her mind after looking @ the Sage Brush Pearl one afternoon @ Anderson Honda, ... a week or so before our ordered Silver Pilot was to arrive @ Capitol Honda. The Sage Brush Pearl came about 10-12 days later.

The only accessories we bought for the Pilot was the Half Bra (lot's of construction going on our CA highway's) and Rear Splash Guards. I just recently bought the Universal Heavy Grey Rubber Floor Mats (for Sedans) from Wal-Mart (like the Beige ones I bought for my Accord).

by Pairallel ... My wife loves it, and gets visibly angry with me whenever I suggest we look at the new Odyssey. She wants nothing to do with a minivan ever again.

I don't blame her! We rented a Dodge minivan when we were in Texas (Hondo) for a vacation last summer and although it was nice minivan to take the family around, we both felt during that week, ... that our Pilot could do the same with more comfort and space (5 passenger's and luggage’s)

by Pairallel ... (I think the Pilot helps her self-image during her mid-life crisis years). Of course, the same could be said of "my" Accord...

We resemble that sentiment totally!!! Though, because of the gas prices, my wife wouldn't mind getting a used Honda S2000 or Miata to go back and forth to her Prudential Realty office if no client is involved, or go shopping or when running errands!!! So, I totaled her last 72 fill-ups and our Pilot is averaging 18 MGP - mostly City with some Highway - better than my wife thought, so for the moment, she just looking @ small used trucks for hauling stuff!

by anysia ... yep, me and my coupe!! after 2 practical civic sedans it was finally time to get the car i REALLY wanted!

Wow, what an upgrade!!! My son had a old used civic when he was in high school, ... lost that one in an accident (totaled but not his fault).

Later he bought a 1988 Accord LX Sedan and loved that car, until he had another accident that totaled the frame and right side wheels. This time it was his fault, while turning a corner he sneezed and slid into the side walk curb. (really, ... that's what happened!!! :rolleyes: )

Now he drives a White Subaru 4WD WRX wagon w/spoiler and low profile Mags & Wheels. So far, ... just two boo-boo's ... :boohoo:

1) A lady backed into his right rear panel / bumper in the Kinko's parking lot.

2) While he was waiting for the check for that fender bender, while waiting to cross-traffic, he was rear ended by some lady not looking. :headbash:

She basically hit the same right rear bumper area and since she was at fault, he got a check for that accident too!!! :naughty:

My son had all that fixed, had extra money and his car looks good as new!!! :thmsup:

by SSMV6 ... Welcome to the forums, piturra! I'm sure you'll find it very informative and helpful. Don't forget to search about adding a TL sway bar! It's the best $40 you can spend on the car!

Thanks SSMV6!!! Finally read all about the TL sway bar (thanks Agile also) and if I were 10-15 years younger, ... I'd probably do that!

But at this point in my life, ... I choose AT and I love the stock suspension, ride, handling and maneuverability of my Accord. I know it's not as exciting as the modified sedans and coupes I see here, :eek: ... but the stock car is exciting enough for me! :yes:

Phil

[lilduke99]

My dealer experience was good from the dealer I purchased the car from. I bought mine at Schaumburg Honda after much consideration. I had looked at Grand, Honda of Lisle and Motorwerks in Barrington. The first trip to Schaumburg was painless, no high-pressure tactics. After that I got the bright idea to go to Grand and you can say it was a waste. The guy knew absolutely nothing about the car, was quoting me specs of a Civic and the Hybrid Accord and would not let me leave!!! All he would do is give me payments. I kept telling him I don't give a **** about payments I want a price. Anywho, we finally made it out of there, eventhough the guy called non-stop for a month and a half. :censored: :furious: :rant: Talk about dense.

So I figured one Saturday morning I'd go back to Schaumburg even though though they gave me a higher price quote. It was the last weekend of the 2.9% financing and I figured what the hell? I went by myself and really held firm. The negotiating did take about 2hrs total, but I refused to pay for the dealer add ons and I could care less if they had to make "some money on the car to pay for the lights" I also challenged every figure they gave me with an invoice price from Intellichoice I had gotten saying $24,600 for a target price w/out destination on my model. Grand had told me I could have one for $23,500 like the newspaper said "if it was still avavilible" but I left the "If still avavilble" out of the discussion with Schaumburg. I ended up getting the car for around $24,200 with destination, $23,700 before dest. Then I whipped my trade in on them. That took another hour!!! Ok, trading in a Ford at a Honda dealer won't get ya much dough, but my old car was loaded, low miles and in impeccable condition. They wanted to give me fair so I said I'd walk and trade it in somewhere else (Carmax is down the street). I hadn't signed anything at that point so eventually they caved and I got "Good" for my old car. The paperwork was easy and the Finance Manager didn't give me any bs. I got the gap insurance (b/c I financed for 60 mos and I am a worry wort!) for $199 vs the $499 they wanted. I didn't get the warranty yet b/c $1295 is outrageous even if he came down from $1495. I'll deal with getting that next spring when the tax refund fairy comes around.

Since I bought my car I haven't had any problems with the car. :yes: I had an out of state trade in which had its funny flops with paperwork (they resold my old car in 3 days, made $3000 but didn't realize they didn't have the actual title to the car. I asked them if they wanted it and that day they said no. I just mailed it to them last week, but it still amuses me. So, needless to say the new owner of my old car is still waiting to title it in IL. HAHA) :lmao: :naughty:

I know they have late service hours :notworthy which I will need and they are less than 10 minutes from where I live and 20 from work. I've purcahsed a few things from the parts department there since and have had no problems. Their parts perople are actually knowledgeable (compared to all the weeeiiiners at ford), and I got my plates from them in less than three weeks.

Overall I give 'em a good. :thmsup: Excellent or Great to me would be reserved for a better price, but given where I live and when I bought it, it worked out better than 95% of the people who drive out of there! I couldn't believe how many people just came in and signed papers without haggeling!!!

As far as service, ask me in a year. HA maybe not even that long. I just realized yesterday that in just under two months I have 2500 miles on my car!!!!! :dunno: :paranoid:

[Bigbucks1959]

Glad to hear of your good experience in Pittsburgh.
I had a great experience just this weekend with Smail of Greensburg on my Honda.

Funny thing is, that I originally had planned on buying from Valley Honda in Monroeville like 5 minutes from my office but the salesperson was a dolt..and that is being nice...LOL

Got the deal I wanted, they drove it to my house in Murrysville at 9am Saturday and I signed the paperwork and took delivery in like 5 minutes..we had already done all price and terms discussion over the phone..

On a differnet note...I also looked into buying a TL but got totally turned off by one salesperson who thought he was selling me the golden goose or something....

I asked him how much above invoice do you sell the TL for?
He said "We discuss how much below MSRP we sell the TL for"
He then had the audacity to actually say the following:
"I will not discuss price or terms over the phone"
I said "It is only a car"
He said "How often do you buy a ..."

I did not hear the rest , I had already hung up...LOL

I am in sales so I take very little crap from other sales people.
Plus who has time to drive to a dealership and sit there while they screw you around on pricing....The internet and the the phone are our friends.

Good luck to all

Phil K.

I'm trying to catch up on posts since I just joined a few days ago!

:)

anyway, I loved my dealership this time! I first started out by requesting quotes via the internet/email and using the spreadsheet on carbuyingtips.com.

I wasn't in need of a car. My 03 Civic LX was terrific, but I REALLY wanted an 04 Accord coupe! So I requested the quotes to see what I might be able to get one for. I really liked the dealerships who were also willing to give me a ballpark on the trade in via email!

I could tell right away that some dealerships didn't want to negotiate against other dealerships via email. They wanted me to come in in person, where I'd loose all control and I'd walk out of there paying somehwere near sticker!!!

The dealership I bought my car from, Moon Twp in Pgh, PA was terrific. They looked at their inventory and didn't have an ex with cloth and mt in nighthawk black. They looked at what they were due in and sure enough found one due in mid-june. They called and told me and gave me a quote on it and a ballpark on the trade. I went there that evening (this is after about 2 weeks of haggling between about 6 or 7 dealers, none of whom could actually FIND the car I wanted!). I ended up putting down a deposit that night. I never felt pressured into anything with them. I even managed to dodge the rustproofing and extended warranty and all without much of a fight.

The night I picked it up, my salesguy actually spent about an hour with me helping me to leanr how to drive it since I had never finished learning how to drive a mt. I thought they went above and beyond by doing that! He called me about a week after delivery and offered to give me more lessons if I want!! Now if only I can make my way back to the dealership to get those lessons.... I could use the help and the confidence boost I know he'd be able to give me!

Anyway, I just thought my experience was so great that I'd share! And now my husband is considering getting rid of his annoying Nissan Sentra for either an accord or a civic or possibly a crv at the same dealership thanks to my experience there! He's finally coming to his senses!! (Where was he 2 weeks ago when I asked him if he'd rather keep the Civic and ditch the Sentra???)

[Pairallel]

On a differnet note...I also looked into buying a TL but got totally turned off by one salesperson who thought he was selling me the golden goose or something....

I asked him how much above invoice do you sell the TL for?
He said "We discuss how much below MSRP we sell the TL for"
He then had the audacity to actually say the following:
"I will not discuss price or terms over the phone"
I said "It is only a car"
He said "How often do you buy a ..."

I did not hear the rest , I had already hung up...LOL


That cracks me up :banana: !!! I would have gone 1 step further and called back to speak to the owner or at least the sales manager, and let them know that their salesman's pompous attitude just cost them a deal.

:yes:

[Bigbucks1959]

Yeh, I thought about it, but decided..screw em..they lost a future customer.


Phil K.

That cracks me up :banana: !!! I would have gone 1 step further and called back to speak to the owner or at least the sales manager, and let them know that their salesman's pompous attitude just cost them a deal.

:yes:

[SSMV6]

Hehe. Sorta reminds me of my experience with my local Acura dealer, too.. The first visit was good and no pressure. The salesperson was kinda dopey and seemed to know a lot about the car so I went back for a return visit to talk about prices.. .. BIG mistake! That's when I realized that he has 15 years of experience under his belt... He tried to pull every trick in the book at me (literally). "what if I can make the payments $xxx a month?" Paying MSRP and getting $1500 less than the trade-in value for your old car is a good deal since you're getting a new car". Keeping my keys at the service counter, etc... Worst waste of my hour's time ever.

[psyshack]

We bought the wife her 05 Accord EX 4 dr. 4 cly. auto in red with no accesries for $21,214 out the door. TTL will be paided at tag office and is not part of the deal.

This was the very best car purchase Ive ever had. Im in sales. I sell boilers, pumps and there support products. If I ever buy another Honda it will be from Mark Roberts.

There asking price is published on the net. No hidden fees and no BS. They took care of the AHFC. No fus no mus. Then they knocked another $300 off it. They where very nice and fast with the whole thing. From the time I made my mind up to buy, got thru the priceing and credit app. stuff. Less than a hour. Then driving up to the dealer and picking up the car was in and out. Didnt even test drive the car. Just signed and left. Told them " Its not right you will see me "

The rule of thumb here in the Tulsa market is. Don Carlton and Joe Marina hope you dont know about the other dealer so they wont have to match that price. Tulsa as a rule is a awful city to purchase anything major in. Must be the old oil money mentality or there just plain stupid. I choose the latter. OKC is much cheaper than Tulsa off the bat also.

I know the Co. I work for dosent keep as high a margins in the OKC office as we do in Tulsa.

Honda called lastnight with a survey of the purchase and I ranked the dealer as high as I could,, all 5's. Also let them know just how crappy the other Tulsa dealers are that I mentioned above.

I hope its as good a car as the purchase was :)

[Bigbucks1959]

Yeh, U gotta love em..LOL

Don't they realize how much the internet has changed their job......We should be able to go right to the finance manager and sk him what kind of rate they r going to get us....

Bargaining should be done via email and phone....No t gonna pressure me into any sale.


Did you say they held your car keys? I would have been fuming and walked out right away and went elsewhere..that is one of the auto sales tricks from the 60's. they should really growup.. :banana:


Phil K.

Hehe. Sorta reminds me of my experience with my local Acura dealer, too.. The first visit was good and no pressure. The salesperson was kinda dopey and seemed to know a lot about the car so I went back for a return visit to talk about prices.. .. BIG mistake! That's when I realized that he has 15 years of experience under his belt... He tried to pull every trick in the book at me (literally). "what if I can make the payments $xxx a month?" Paying MSRP and getting $1500 less than the trade-in value for your old car is a good deal since you're getting a new car". Keeping my keys at the service counter, etc... Worst waste of my hour's time ever.

[anysia]

Glad to hear of your good experience in Pittsburgh.
I had a great experience just this weekend with Smail of Greensburg on my Honda.

Funny thing is, that I originally had planned on buying from Valley Honda in Monroeville like 5 minutes from my office but the salesperson was a dolt..and that is being nice...LOL

Got the deal I wanted, they drove it to my house in Murrysville at 9am Saturday and I signed the paperwork and took delivery in like 5 minutes..we had already done all price and terms discussion over the phone..

On a differnet note...I also looked into buying a TL but got totally turned off by one salesperson who thought he was selling me the golden goose or something....

I asked him how much above invoice do you sell the TL for?
He said "We discuss how much below MSRP we sell the TL for"
He then had the audacity to actually say the following:
"I will not discuss price or terms over the phone"
I said "It is only a car"
He said "How often do you buy a ..."

I did not hear the rest , I had already hung up...LOL

I am in sales so I take very little crap from other sales people.
Plus who has time to drive to a dealership and sit there while they screw you around on pricing....The internet and the the phone are our friends.

Good luck to all

Phil K.

on the acura salesperson~that cracks me up!!!! :lmao: i'd have to have told him WELL, for your info, i seem to be on par to be trading in my car every year or two, so you might want to bite your tongue dumba$$!!!!!!!!!

i email smail and valley in my hunt too... smail almost had me at one point.... but i think country motors in butler had their price beat and had found one of the cars i wanted. i started to negotiate with him and talk about financing (was going to give me 12k on my civic without even seeing it based on my mileage and no major accidents), but then he "lost" the car i wanted. tried to talk my into a white v6 for 23k or an auto blue exl for about $300 more than the black ex mt with cloth that i wanted.... but i held to what i wanted. couldnt afford the white v6 and i wanted a mt, so the exl was out.

almost went to baierl too, but another sales guy supposedly sold thecar i had been working on the deal on.... so i told him let me know if he found the one i wanted again. washington honda also almost had me, but lost me due to their conduct. hated them when i bought the 03 civic, but was willing to go back if i could get the best deal there.....

ended up at moon because i felt like the internet salesguy was alot less pressuring and nice and he waited to call until he knew EXACTLY where he could DEFINITELY get the exact car i wanted from! :thmsup: they were due a brand spanking new one in on their lot a few weeks. so i went out there to get numbers for my trade in and to see what the payments and all would work out to be once the trade was coupled with the price i had already negotiated on the 04 coupe. it all worked out!! :thmsup: i still can't say enough about how much i loved that dealership! :biggrin:

[BenjiBoy650]

Does anybody else notice that they have a bunch of knuckleheads working in their dealers internet department? I've emailed Honda/Toyota/Mazda dealers all over the Bay Area, and I find it very appalling that most of them are pretty dumb. Their emails have typos - tips me off that they don't use spellcheck nor even bother to proofread. They know nothing about the car and they aren't very professional at all. Given that I'm making a 20-30K decision, I'd expect that the guy (no girls so far...surprising?) would at least proofread their emails.

[n1accord]

My internet purchase was very satisfying. Sure, they felt me out with a goofy price, but I stated that I would commit for $1k below invoice with no junk fees and they accepted. Delivery, check out drive, and service after the sale (phone calls and emails) were top notch. I'll continue to "window shop" in the showroom, but when it's time to make the deal, internet is the way to go.

The other nearby dealership sold me the Odyssey. Although I use an independent garage for service, when I came in at 99k mile to make a tranny claim, they were very courteous, and professional, and I was a happy camper.

To summarize, I've never met a Honda saleseman I didn't like, and there are 2 superb independent Honda garages here that work with me as needed.

[bmanflyer]

I just bought a 06 Accord EXL from Crown Honda of Greensboro, NC

I was told when I bought the car you got a great deal but we have a 110 price guarantee, if you find a lower price within 7 days we will refund 110% of the difference. Well that was worth nothing because the next day I received a internet quote for an identical car from another local Honda dealer for 800.00 less. I went to the lot and verified the car and the price. I called Crown and was told I needed a signed buyers order from the other dealer. The other dealer refused to do this because they do dealer trades with Crown and did not want to upset them. The General manager from Crown said he could not help me. I then found another dealer with a lower price that was willing to give me the signed buyers order. Well then crowns general manger said this order had to include my trade??? I ask how could the other dealer include my trade when Crown had my trade. He said I should have thought about that before I made the deal. It is crap that they use this tactic to sell you a car but them make it impossible to collect. BUYER BEWARE OF CROWN HONDA IN GREENSBORO, NC
:dunno:

[stiller fan]

welcome aboard.... :wave:

word to the wise next time..... don't step foot inside the dealer, except to test drive.... you can buy online, or pt dealer against dealer to get the best price... do all of the haggling over the phone or e-mail.....

[mypp]

word to the wise next time..... don't step foot inside the dealer, except to test drive.... you can buy online, or pt dealer against dealer to get the best price... do all of the haggling over the phone or e-mail.....

i dunno if i agree with that...
i'm happy with the price i got (i think), but i think i may've done better in person.

here's a short version of how negotiations over the phone went:

my friend to me: i got quoted 16K for an accord LX at dealership X mem day weekend. you should call them. you'll prolly get smth slightly higher because they told me to come, as they had my color, but in the end didn't, so they felt bad, plus it was mem day (both big sales day -and- end of month).
me calling the dealer: my friend got 16K, i want it too
dealer: no can do. that was something mgr quoted because we messed up on her car
me: what's your best deal?
dealer: $17,400. will you put a deposit down?
me (having researched prices): yes, as soon as i see a signed fax from you with that quote
dealer (next day): my manager said he can't approve that. we can fax you papers for $17,800 (plus 200 doc fees)
me (thinking about it carefully, as it's still the best deal around outside of fees): let me talk to sales mgr (still over the phone)
sales mgr: sorry, this is as low as we can go. the price i quoted your friend was only good for her and only for that day. i didn't approve the sales person's quote of $17,400. it's $17,800 firm
me: but dealer Z offered me $17,600, but you come highly recommended, i'd rather buy from you, blah blah blah
sales mgr: at $17,600, you should buy it from dealer Z. for that price, i'm willing to lose a customer and risk you telling all your friends you didn't like dealing with us. bye (hangs up)
me (calling sales person): well, too bad i can't buy the car from you
dealer: let me see what i can do. [calls back] mgr still says $17,800 but we'll drop the doc fee from 200 to 75.

so they faxed the paperwork, i left the deposit, went and picked up the car. (took it for an enjoyable test drive, but what's the point? :) i wasn't comparing it to anything, i -knew- i wanted an accord).

speaking of test drives, the sales person kept really quiet. i turned the radio/cd player on briefly to make sure it works while standing at the light, and he recommended that i turn it down once we get going, so that i can listen to the car itself. wow :)

i was really impressed with them not trying to push extras. nevermind pinstriping or vin etching... they didn't even offer me an extended warranty!!! (not that i would've bought it from them anyway).

the paperwork took FOREVER and ever and ever and ever.... i left after 1.5 hours of paperwork, taking 1 receipt and telling them to overnight me the rest (which they did). the pkg didn't include loJack price quote i asked for.

but anyway, my point is, i think if instead of dealing over the phone, i actually showed up with money in my hand, i may've done better. not sure how much better, but better :( :( :(

[Mike Nassour]

Well, this seems like as good a place as any for an initial post!

I've had one dealer here in Austin who has taken care of every Honda I've ever owned. The service experience has been exceptional. It sure would be NICE if I could BUY a car from them!

For some reason, they never come down to the same price point as the other two. Indeed, when I picked up my last new one (a 2001 LX V6 back in 2000), I wound up going to San Antonio, as the northside dealer there was the only one that would work at invoice plus that early in the model year.

Indeed, whenever I've asked other dealers about the pricing discrepencies, they refer to my present dealer as a "boutique", that they're really not interested in "moving metal".

Well....I'll continue to go there for service. But I just don't want to waste my time when it's time to buy.

Mike Nassour / Austin TX

[stiller fan]

wow, can we switch locations???? :yes: :deal:

2.47 here in philly and pitt....

[BenjiBoy650]

Down to $2.65 here that's not bad for us. My last tank to beat that was on 3/29/06

[hermann]

Down to $2.65 here that's not bad for us. My last tank to beat that was on 3/29/06

Bought some fuel for $1.96 in Kansas City Sunday. But it is back up to $2.07 today..I'll bet they were selling off the rest of the summer blend. We are now using normal gas since Sept 15..

[aljlin]

My family's actually bought 2 7th gen Accords, my sister a 2003 4d LX I4 Dark Blue (Forgot the color tone and a little lazy to look it up) and then I just got a 2007 2d LX I4 Graphite Pearl. We bought it from two different dealerships, but we both looked at the same dealers ... She ended up getting it at Stevens Creek and I got mine at South Bay Honda (Los Gatos). We both had bad experiences at Stevens Creek, but for her when she was going to buy hers, she found a nice person and one who was very helpful and so we bought from her. :) That was cool. My experience was so-so to bleh, when we were searching for my car (I had gone with her so I saw: laziness when it was warm and the guy telling us to let him know if we needed help and him going back to the shade, to the lady who we ended up buying from who was very nice and helpful and spent the time to search for the car we wanted.) My experience at Stevens Creek basically comes down to, they expect that the cars will sell themselves, not them selling the cars. The guy we dealt with for my car was new, and I knew more about the car (even the other vehicles we had asked him about) than him. He also was a little whiny. We had seen him once during a look-over, but weren't impressed so we didn't remember him when were more serious about the purchasing, and when we came back and didn't ask for him, he asked us why we didn't ask for him when we got to the dealer as if we were locked in with him, since he had shown us the car a couple weeks ago. (I had honestly forgotten about the guy ... ) Eventually it came down to they didn't have the car that we wanted on the lot, and they were being lazy to get a car of the model that we wanted (they didn't have a single 2 d I4 LX auto on the lot ) out of the storage. Yes the storage lot was far, but we were willing to talk about price and buying, but they kept, at each time we asked them about looking at the car before signing, asking if we were going to buy if they brought the car here. They felt that it was a waste of time if we weren't going to buy, to bring the car from storage over here, or that we weren't good enough that they would spend the time to go get the car. He kept saying it was going to take too long, an hour or so to find and bring the car over here. I figure, if they want my business, work for it, also, if anything now they have one of that model type over here. Oh that and one of the assistant managers tried to make it a pity sale, saying our salesman is going to college and is trying to earn a couple bucks, please give him the business and sale ... Not sure why they tried to go that route with us, but obviously it didn't work since we went somewhere else. As much as I understand being a college student and earning the business, I don't think it's really relevant to me. If he wants the business and earn the money, he's going to have to do a much better job selling and getting me a deal than work the "i'm a poor college student, buy a car from me" route.

Our experience at Larry Hopkins were both pretty nice until we wanted to bargain, when they became a bit b****y and refused to budge. South Bay Honda's a smaller dealership, but it was nice, because it was pretty low key and they were definitely trying to work for our business. We've only been there once, and that was when we went to get my car. They were patient with their customers and were definitely trying their best to help as best as they could. I did see one customer go bezerk, but ... that was a little bizarre since I guess he had in mind one way that it was going to happen, and when they didn't do what exactly he wanted, he started screaming at them and raising a huge fuss. The poor lady he was with looked totally embarassed and slinked out of the dealership. They seemed to have been trying to handle him pretty nicely being calm and at least trying to calm the guy down, but with a guy who's screaming and slamming things on the table, well what can you do? I was pretty impressed with them and they got us a pretty good deal. I mean, we didn't get the best of deals, but they threw in a couple of things, like the fender guards, and the door guards, and wheel locks, and some service perks. But overall the guy is nice, he gave us his card and told us to call him whenever we needed help, etc. They also was pretty nice about making sure we knew exactly what we were paying (including license and fees) when talking about price so we knew what it was going to cost DURING negotiations. I personally liked South Bay Honda, and I liked Capital Honda when we visited there. That place was pretty nice and they were pretty personable. I've heard Anderson Honda's pretty good about getting a good deal, and they had actually quoted me lower than South Bay (We had shaken about the deal though so it was kind of late) but I know they didn't have the car we wanted in stock and I didn't want a dealer trade, since I wanted to see the car before purchasing. My friend said the same thing about Anderson Honda. They'll do anything for a sale. Plus we got a couple extra perks at South Bay which we probably wouldn't have gotten there. Anyways my $1 worth. ;)