[nullnvoiddd]

Looking at one near me, did the carfax and it has been well maintained, 2 owners, no reported accidents. Dealer sent me a vid of the car since I am 90min from them. Exterior looks good interior I noticed two damaged portions of the leather one by the driver's door armrest and one in between the seats.

Dealer is asking 10k:
9k car
Title$66.75
Registration$46.25
Dealer Documentation Fee$799.00. - this seems too high by a few hundred (in NC)
Taxes$286.47

Dealer is a licensed Honda dealer w a service shop and have done a 150 point inspection on it.

I am thinking to ask for an 8k out the door price paying in cash (personal check). Would want to make the deal over the phone so that I don't drive out there and not come to an agreement with them and then need to get a Lyft home. I won't spend 10k on it.

Thoughts or advice? Haven't bought a car from a dealer before.

Any crucial inspection things i need to ask about? Car has extensive service records in the carfax report so it seems like it has been maintained well.

The timing bellt was replaced at 136,462 miles in 2022.

Thanks.

 

[Ash051]

Sounds pretty good to me, I definitely agree with haggling down to $8,000 if you can.

Don't mention you are paying cash until you have the deal in writing and are actually paying. Dealers make a lot of money through financing and interest, and you don't want to tip them off that you won't give them that profit until you have the deal locked in.

Also, I'd suggest email over phone. Have it put in writing.

 

[nullnvoiddd]

Sounds pretty good to me, I definitely agree with haggling down to $8,000 if you can.

Don't mention you are paying cash until you have the deal in writing and are actually paying. Dealers make a lot of money through financing and interest, and you don't want to tip them off that you won't give them that profit until you have the deal locked in.

Also, I'd suggest email over phone. Have it put in writing.

Agreed

Does them only have 1 key work in my favor toward lowering the price. The interior damage to the armrest and left driver side door elbow rest would cost about $600 to fix.

I would want to get an out the door quote in writing prior to seeing the car, so i wont be able to drive it first before talking price, since its 90min away.

 

[Ash051]

Does them only have 1 key work in my favor toward lowering the price.

I'd say it does. Either use that as leverage, or ask them to cut a second key at no charge to be included in the sale.

 

[DerekWildstar]

I concur with what @Ash051 said.

If the car has been well-maintained, there shouldn't be too much drama aside from the usual wear and tear of 13 years an 150,000+ miles of driving. Just maintain it and fix small problems before they become big problems, and you should be fine. Given that the car is from the Carolinas, rust most likely won't be as much of an issue as it is in cars from my neck of the woods.

Good luck!

Edited because I don't read titles... sigh.

 

[nullnvoiddd]

I concur with what @Ash051 said.

If the car has been well-maintained, there shouldn't be too much drama aside from the usual wear and tear of 13 years an 150,000+ miles of driving. Issues with the rings due to VCM can be a problem with this generation. Not every single car, of course - I drove my 2012 V6 coupe to 228,000 miles with no ill effects with VCM fully active (no oil burning, no misfires, and the plugs were pretty clean when they were changed at 205k). If you want to explore ways to deactivate VCM, there are several devices commercially available.

Oil pump seals can give up the ghost (mine started leaking right around 155,000 miles), and speaking of leaks, keep an eye on the VTEC solenoid, which sits above the alternator - it if starts leaking, the car will most likely need both the solenoid and the alternator replaced. Otherwise, just maintain it and fix small problems before they become big problems, and you should be fine. Given that the car is from the Carolinas, rust most likely won't be as much of an issue as it is in cars from my neck of the woods.

Good luck!

It's a manual so no VCM thankfully

 

[DerekWildstar]

It's a manual so no VCM thankfully

Right you are - I totally missed that in your title. 🤦

 

[nullnvoiddd]

I'd say it does. Either use that as leverage, or ask them to cut a second key at no charge to be included in the sale.

Based on the cost of the interior repairs for the torn leather and the missing key that's close to about $1000. That's assuming that keys are between about 2-300 bucks to replace.

 

[Ash051]

Based on the cost of the interior repairs for the torn leather and the missing key that's close to about $1000. That's assuming that keys are between about 2-300 bucks to replace.

Use anything and everything you can to your advantage in haggle world!

"You mean I have to shift the gears myself? In commuter traffic? UGH!! I'll do it, but I better get a good deal to make up for it!"

 

[WiiMaster]

$200-300 is probably a good ceiling for the cost of a new key. If you choose to get more than one key made, you'll save some money as you only have to pay for the programming once and that covers any number of keys you decide to get at that time.

 

[RCarlL]

With a car that age and mileage, I would insist that it be inspected by an independent mechanic that knows their way around Honda V6s. I know that you said that you live 90 minutes away from the selling dealership, but if you can find a mechanic near where it's being sold that has a good reputation, spending $150-250 to have it fully inspected might be a great idea.

Even if the car was well maintained, stuff just wears out as the years go by and the miles get added on. Much of it has nothing to do with reliability, but can just start to add up and make a car a bit less appealing in the long-run. Suspension components and exhaust, for example, are two things that could end up costing a few grand to replace if that's needed, which is possible on a thirteen year-old car with 150,000 miles. Even if it needs some things replaced, that doesn't mean that it's a bad car- but it could give you a bit more leverage in terms of getting a lower price.

Rust is another issue that could make or break this vehicle. You said that you had a Carfax- was it previously owned in a northern state that likely uses salt on the roads in winter, for example?

 

[nullnvoiddd]

With a car that age and mileage, I would insist that it be inspected by an independent mechanic that knows their way around Honda V6s. I know that you said that you live 90 minutes away from the selling dealership, but if you can find a mechanic near where it's being sold that has a good reputation, spending $150-250 to have it fully inspected might be a great idea.

Even if the car was well maintained, stuff just wears out as the years go by and the miles get added on. Much of it has nothing to do with reliability, but can just start to add up and make a car a bit less appealing in the long-run. Suspension components and exhaust, for example, are two things that could end up costing a few grand to replace if that's needed, which is possible on a thirteen year-old car with 150,000 miles. Even if it needs some things replaced, that doesn't mean that it's a bad car- but it could give you a bit more leverage in terms of getting a lower price.

Rust is another issue that could make or break this vehicle. You said that you had a Carfax- was it previously owned in a northern state that likely uses salt on the roads in winter, for example?

Thanks thats good advice. Agreed.

They were not flexible on price and marked the price up $1k when I asked for the repairs to the interior leather damage be done and a 2nd key made, so I won't be purchasing it.

 

[nullnvoiddd]

With a car that age and mileage, I would insist that it be inspected by an independent mechanic that knows their way around Honda V6s. I know that you said that you live 90 minutes away from the selling dealership, but if you can find a mechanic near where it's being sold that has a good reputation, spending $150-250 to have it fully inspected might be a great idea.

Even if the car was well maintained, stuff just wears out as the years go by and the miles get added on. Much of it has nothing to do with reliability, but can just start to add up and make a car a bit less appealing in the long-run. Suspension components and exhaust, for example, are two things that could end up costing a few grand to replace if that's needed, which is possible on a thirteen year-old car with 150,000 miles. Even if it needs some things replaced, that doesn't mean that it's a bad car- but it could give you a bit more leverage in terms of getting a lower price.

Rust is another issue that could make or break this vehicle. You said that you had a Carfax- was it previously owned in a northern state that likely uses salt on the roads in winter, for example?

Also , in this case , it was being sold by a Honda dealership with their own service center who did the inspection. Ordinarily, I would take a used Honda to a Honda dealership service station to get it inspected in this case since it was being sold by that same Honda dealership.Are you saying I should take it to a different mechanic to get inspected? That makes sense, because they're an objective party but wouldn't the Honda service center at that dealership know best what to look for?

The car has been owned in NC for its life.

 

[RCarlL]

Also , in this case , it was being sold by a Honda dealership with their own service center who did the inspection. Ordinarily, I would take a used Honda to a Honda dealership service station to get it inspected in this case since it was being sold by that same Honda dealership.Are you saying I should take it to a different mechanic to get inspected? That makes sense, because they're an objective party but wouldn't the Honda service center at that dealership know best what to look for?

The car has been owned in NC for its life.

I wouldn't trust the selling dealership to provide an honest report of the car's condition. They might have a lot of experience with these cars, but that doesn't mean that it was financially beneficial for them to actually fix things on this car before putting it on the lot. There are far too many dealerships that try to put band-aids on problems with cars like these and hope that buyers won't look too closely under the hood before buying it. There also might be things, as mentioned, that are not necessarily 'wrong' with the car, but might prove to be expensive maintenance items that are going to be needed soon that the dealer might have either overlooked or just refused to address before putting the car up for sale.

I would take it to an independent mechanic that has a good reputation and have it inspected. Again, it might be a perfectly good car- but it would be nice to get a list of things that should be addressed immediately along with things that might be needed in six months, a year, or beyond. You are not likely going to get that type of information from the selling dealership or their service department.

 

[nullnvoiddd]

I wouldn't trust the selling dealership to provide an honest report of the car's condition. They might have a lot of experience with these cars, but that doesn't mean that it was financially beneficial for them to actually fix things on this car before putting it on the lot. There are far too many dealerships that try to put band-aids on problems with cars like these and hope that buyers won't look too closely under the hood before buying it. There also might be things, as mentioned, that are not necessarily 'wrong' with the car, but might prove to be expensive maintenance items that are going to be needed soon that the dealer might have either overlooked or just refused to address before putting the car up for sale.

I would take it to an independent mechanic that has a good reputation and have it inspected. Again, it might be a perfectly good car- but it would be nice to get a list of things that should be addressed immediately along with things that might be needed in six months, a year, or beyond. You are not likely going to get that type of information from the selling dealership or their service department.

That makes perfect sense thank you

 

[smsgtusaf]

Agreed

Does them only have 1 key work in my favor toward lowering the price. The interior damage to the armrest and left driver side door elbow rest would cost about $600 to fix.

I would want to get an out the door quote in writing prior to seeing the car, so i wont be able to drive it first before talking price, since its 90min away.

The arm rest and and door arm rest cost about $30.00 on amazon and less than two hours to replace. Easy job.

 

[nullnvoiddd]

The arm rest and and door arm rest cost about $30.00 on amazon and less than two hours to replace. Easy job.

Ok thanks, can you give me a link to what materials id need?
Dealership quoted me that it would be a $600 repair