[ExFed]

Let's use this thread to try to provide useful information about dealer options. Are particular options useless? If they are worth having, what is a reasonable price? I have written a few examples below. Please add information about these and other options, so buyers have a chance of getting a reasonable deal on the car they choose. Without the right information, the chance of getting a reasonable deal is almost zero.

Those who are finding unwanted dealer options on cars they are buying, need to be as picky on the price of the options as on that of the car.

It doesn't make sense to work hard to get the car for $500 less only to give it back (and more) in option overcharges.

If you don't want an option, tell the dealer to remove it or make it free. For example, nitrogen in tires is of very little value and cost the dealers pennies, yes pennies, to add to tires.

Wheel locks are a desirable option, but anything over $50-$60 is too much. Ask the dealer to reduce to that price or remove them. (You can do better buying them yourself online.)

So called paint sealant should be no more than $50 or so. Much better is do it yourself (instructions are given elsewhere in the forums).

If you don't do it yourself, take it too a reputable detailing shop for the work. It should include washing, claying, waxing, and sealing at a minimum.

An option is worth $0 if you don't want it, or, or if you do want it, a reasonable value based on info. in these forums.

Do your homework so the dealer doesn't have all the aces. Arm yourself with a few aces yourself before you begin to negotiate.

 

[mikeb298]

Paint sealant is a complete waste of money….Let me restate, Paint sealant from a dealership is a complete waste of money. The dealer I work for charges like $695 or something crazy.
However, at least we use good products (Opti-seal, Blackfire mainly) but the detail guys do a terrible job applying them, with minimal prep work and no claying EVER. That being said for $695 I take that to a very reputable detailer and have it done right and come home with a $100-150 or so to spare.

Security guard, VTR, glass etching etc…….WASTE

Mudguards….a lot of dealers install them and some charge some don't. If you don't want them then ask to take them off, usually they would rather leave on at no charge vs paying service to remove and incurring more expense. If you do want them and they are already on don't pay more than $100 for them. If you want them and they are not installed, buy afterwards and install yourself for less than $100.

Most dealer options are useless. I did buy my '13 with the under spoilers and some other accessories financed into the deal w/o labor. Parts dept gives a better deal to new car dept than to an employee, plus it only added a few extra $$ to my payment vs shelling out lots of out pocket.

 

[Flyboy]

I agree with everything above.

The car I bought already had tinted windows, wheel locks, trunk mat, pin stripe, mud guards and door edge guards. I told them I didn't any of them and got ready to walk out when wanted to charge me $1,000 above our negotiated price. The dealer then gave them to me for free rather than lose the sale.

Turn down interior fabric protectant - buy a can of Scotch guard for a few dollars and do it yourself. That's all they do.

Turn down extended warranties - you can buy them cheaper as long as the bumper to bumper warrantee is in effect. Why finance an extended warrantee for three years while the factory warrantee is in effect.

Turn down prepaid service - two oil changes a year are about $80. Most dealers will give you the first oil change free. The service department will inspect your car every time they change the oil. Rotating the tires is about $40. When you replace the tires most tire retailers include free rotation.

Turn down added security systems - the car comes with one and it is good enough for most people. If you want an upgrade they are available cheaper online or at other places. I guess if you live in the Bedford Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn you might need the extra security.
Whatever they offer you if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

 

[tripplesix]

Do not, under any circumstances, get what my dealership calls Luxcare Protection, "which has been professionally applied to the exterior painted surfaces and interior carpet, fabric, leather and vinyl surfaces of [my] vehicle by [my] Selling Dealer." This protection is warrantied for 5 years. I don't even remember how much I paid for it but I feel like I remember it adding $11/month to my monthly payments, which is too much. What a waste. The only time they can work on it is Mon, Wed and Fridays... all day. My weekdays do not work like that. I am probably the only ****er who said yes to this nonsense. Foolish foolish me. Say No! to Luxcare (or whatever your exterior/interior protection might be called).

And holla at Montgomery County. :wave: I work in Montgomery County.

 

[ExFed]

HondaCare extended warranties are almost always cheaper online. For example, an 8 year/120K Mile/$0 deductible HondaCare warranty is about $1,150 from Hyannis Honda. (Contact them online and then use a credit card by phone to buy the HondaCare).

Dealers charge upwards of $2,000 for the same warranty. Some dealers even try to sell you a non-Honda extended warranty because the markup is even bigger.

 

[ExFed]

And holla at Montgomery County. :wave: I work in Montgomery County.

And a holla back at you. :thmsup:

 

[glen e]

I really can't think of any option that a dealer sells/adds is worth it. Get all your acces at College hills and mount locally if needed.

 

[Flyboy]

The real issue is that everyone now knows the dealer invoice cost of the car from various Internet sites. Dealers will sell you the car at or below that figure and try to recoup some profit elsewhere. They do get money from Honda at the end of the year or quarter called the hold back. They usually won't include that in your negotiation. Also, they get some advertising money and a $500 bonus if you finance through American Honda. The bottom line is that there is not much left for them in profit on selling new cars. They make it up on service, parts and used cars.

I intended to buy my car for cash but they asked if I would finance through Honda so that they could make $500. I felt sorry for them and also i am a good service customer so I financed the minimum amount and paid it off in a month. I later teased my salesman that he owed me the $7 interest i paid because he erroneously told me that the interest didn't start for a month.

I am not shedding any tears for them because most dealerships are now owned by large corporations even though they may have the name of the founder on the sign. They sell a lot of cars nationally at very small profit margins but make it up on volume. The other areas are where their profit margins are bigger. Every car dealer is paying interest on their inventory every month. They are anxious to move metal near the end of the month to get cars off their financed floor plan before the next months shipment of new cars arrives.

All the accessories and wax jobs they can sell just improve their bottom line. Just be prepared to walk out the door because some other dealer is just as anxious to make a sale.

 

[Hogan773]

The real issue is that everyone now knows the dealer invoice cost of the car from various Internet sites. Dealers will sell you the car at or below that figure and try to recoup some profit elsewhere. They do get money from Honda at the end of the year or quarter called the hold back. They usually won't include that in your negotiation. Also, they get some advertising money and a $500 bonus if you finance through American Honda. The bottom line is that there is not much left for them in profit on selling new cars. They make it up on service, parts and used cars.

I intended to buy my car for cash but they asked if I would finance through Honda so that they could make $500. I felt sorry for them and also i am a good service customer so I financed the minimum amount and paid it off in a month. I later teased my salesman that he owed me the $7 interest i paid because he erroneously told me that the interest didn't start for a month.

I am not shedding any tears for them because most dealerships are now owned by large corporations even though they may have the name of the founder on the sign. They sell a lot of cars nationally at very small profit margins but make it up on volume. The other areas are where their profit margins are bigger. Every car dealer is paying interest on their inventory every month. They are anxious to move metal near the end of the month to get cars off their financed floor plan before the next months shipment of new cars arrives.

All the accessories and wax jobs they can sell just improve their bottom line. Just be prepared to walk out the door because some other dealer is just as anxious to make a sale.

I know it seems like a "tough business" and "how do the dealers put food on the table" but they are doing it somehow, and there are lots of them!

I don't try to be a jerk but I also don't "feel sorry" for them. As for "paint sealer".....PLEASE DON'T BE CONNED BY THIS. Does anyone do anything for themselves any more? This is just car wax for chrissakes. Why don't you go pick up a bottle of decent wax or "sealant", a couple microfiber towels, and spend an hour on a Saturday afternoon applying to your car? I pretty much guarantee you will do a better job than the kid at the dealer slapping it on 15 minutes before you pick up the car. $695 is a FRIGGIN JOKE! My lawd.

I've found many dealers here will add mudguards. I don't personally like them, so if I found that the lowest price dealer HAD THEM and GAVE THEM FOR FREE then I might even take them off myself (and sell them on Ebay). More likely I will find a dealer who doesn't install accessories and get them to match the lowest price.

Question - is it easy to take off the mudguards yourself without damaging anything? I'd think it is a few screws, but I know there was something about "cutting the fender" to install them so if that is the case I'd prefer they were never there.

 

[HondaBob]

I guess wheel locks are useful if you have the 18" sport wheels that have been stolen from other members' cars, but I'm not a fan of them. My salesman threw them in for free but I'm thinking of taking them off. There is not much for the lock key to grab onto when you are torquing them and I'm afraid I'm gonna bust a knuckle or drop the torque wrench sometime. So I'll probably just take a chance on having them stolen. That's what insurance is for, right? Besides if these wheels hold up the way my Odyssey wheels have, I'll want new ones after X years. Those are some really sad looking wheels now on my Ody.

 

[drowned12]

I can't think of any dealer options that you should ever say yes to. Even the "free" ones should be declined, because there's usually some fine print that says "Well it's free *now*, but in 6 months we'll auto renew and bill you for it".

 

[karfreek]

Dealer options installed:

Accord:
Body Side Moldings
Rear Wing
Rear Bumper Guard

Odyssey:
Roof Rack
Fog Lights
Body Side Moldings

Why?
* Covered under 3/36 warranty if installed at delivery
* I work 60+ hours a week, time on the weekend with my family is worth way more than the dealer charged.

Jay

 

[DevilDogDoc]

The real issue is that everyone now knows the dealer invoice cost of the car from various Internet sites. Dealers will sell you the car at or below that figure and try to recoup some profit elsewhere. They do get money from Honda at the end of the year or quarter called the hold back. They usually won't include that in your negotiation. Also, they get some advertising money and a $500 bonus if you finance through American Honda. The bottom line is that there is not much left for them in profit on selling new cars. They make it up on service, parts and used cars.

I intended to buy my car for cash but they asked if I would finance through Honda so that they could make $500. I felt sorry for them and also i am a good service customer so I financed the minimum amount and paid it off in a month. I later teased my salesman that he owed me the $7 interest i paid because he erroneously told me that the interest didn't start for a month.

I am not shedding any tears for them because most dealerships are now owned by large corporations even though they may have the name of the founder on the sign. They sell a lot of cars nationally at very small profit margins but make it up on volume. The other areas are where their profit margins are bigger. Every car dealer is paying interest on their inventory every month. They are anxious to move metal near the end of the month to get cars off their financed floor plan before the next months shipment of new cars arrives.

All the accessories and wax jobs they can sell just improve their bottom line. Just be prepared to walk out the door because some other dealer is just as anxious to make a sale.

Yep the old front end back end deal. I got my 13 EX with 15000 miles on it, a lease return perfect inside and out with tint on the back windows and wheel locks for $20700. The dealer then added on a BS extended warranty that their own company owns and sells for another $2700. I said no thanks finance says well we gotta make money somewhere, we marked the car down $3000 to make the deal go through etc etc. I said ok fine do it. Waited until the deal was picked up by the bank then went back to the dealer and cancelled it. They weren't happy about that. Oh well. I love to hear them say that they are losing money on the deal... Like any dealer would take a deal that they aren't making money on! They would say sorry but we can't make it happen.

 

[ltxi]

Unless it's a convenience issue and you're willing to pay the price, buy nothing extra from the dealer.

 

[Bykim5]

I would say none but my car came with mudflaps and some stupid pinstripes which i removed the next day.

 

[honeygee2]

Just tell the dealer. You want a car that just "Hit the ground". They will know what your talking about ...no options will be installed. Then offer them at least 10% off MSRP and go from there.

 

[newtohonda]

Know what dealer accessories you want first. The accessories can be bought yourself at any Honda parts place, to which online shops will give you by far the best consistent low prices. Some of the accessories obviously take little or no install time but some of the others such as the sonar backup sensors, which require drilling large holes into your bumper, are much more involved.

 

[natethegate]

I've paid 214$ for interior lightning. Worst waste of money ever it does not light anything at all. You have to put your feets really near that tiny bulb to see a little red light.

 

[Mick the Quick]

You can get those options at delivery to roll the purchase price into the car loan if you want to pay over time. Also, to get 3/36 warranty on the options. Other than that, it would be best if you looked around for a better deal online.

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