Does Honda Ever Have Rebates/Incentives

[threeputtpar]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
We can pay cash, IF that results in the best money management scheme.


It's always best to pay cash, but don't tell the anyone that at any point in the negotiation. The dealership makes a buttload of money on in-house financing, so if you let them believe that you will be financing it with them they are more willing to move on the purchase price because they will make their profit through the finance department.

The problem is that when you go this route and they possibly take a loss on the sale of the car in anticipation of making it up in the financing, the salesperson gets stiffed on their commission so the dealer won't lose any money.

It is the best way to maximize your savings, though.

 

[rjundi]

Honda's "quality" perception real or not leads to an incredible asset of owning one. They are much easier to resell and typically at better resale price than peers.

That has been my experience.

 

[andrewg]

To the OP and the original question....Yes...Honda does have, on occasion, incentives to purchase one of their vehicles. best way to save money on any car purchase however....is to learn how to negotiate.

 

[doitmyself]

LOL, thanks guys. I never suggested that Honda was the end-all of vehicles. Its just one on my short list, I have never bought one, and was looking for advice regarding that species. Thanks ITguy for clarifying your answer.

Andrewg, I try to avoid negotiating by picking the price I want to pay ahead of time. If they won't match it, within reason, I try another dealer. It's amazing how much difference there is between dealers. I'm fortunate to have many dozens of dealers available within 50 miles here in mid Michigan.

And...seeing how you guys got riled up about Hondas, also on my short list is the Jeep Patriot at the other end of the spectrum. It runs $4,000 + LESS than the CRV, but it has some quality control issues.....flame suit on. I keep my vehicles until maintenance costs/rust takes over, so depreciation and resale value don't come into play as much.

 

[itguy08]

Have you looked at the new Escape? According to the mags, drives the best of the bunch and should be reliable and affordable.

Also the Rogue is a nice looking SUV. As is the new Santa Fe.

 

[HTSS_TR]

For the CRV you can not get much below dealer's invoice. Reasonable price, depend on location, is about dealer's invoice plus $300-500.

 

[doitmyself]

Thanks, HTSS_TR. Thats what I was afraid of.

itguy08 - I really despise the current styling of the SUV's. I agree with one guy that said they tend to look like cockroaches. Just my opinion. For some reason, I can stomach the CRV slightly more than the Escape. The Patriot has a bit of character, IMO (albeit, old).

The new Escape has had several recalls since introduced last fall. I believe it has the problematic 6F35 transmission carried over from the old Escape and also used in the Fusion (correct me, if I am wrong). The tranny was discussed here: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2832371

When I look at the new SUV's, it seems to me they put too much effort into the fashion show exterior looks, with too much body panel bends, flares, molding,or whatever.

And, look at the Escape's interior....what a mess:

 

[The Critic]

There will be very little dealer profit on a base model, FWD CRV. Perhaps you should make a trip out here, since this seems to be a fairly decent price on one from a dealer near me:

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=290880923724

 

[Hokiefyd]

If you like somewhat conservative interior styling, have you considered a 2011 CR-V as a used purchase? You don't typically get a super deal buying a Honda used, but if you like the vehicle better, it may be worth it to you. This is our '08, which has the same interior as an '11.

It has somewhat conservative styling, very easy ergonomics, a very easy-to-read gauge cluster with same-size speedometer and tachometer. Seating is very comfortable (I've done 16 hours at a time in it) and rear seating is spacious for a small crossover. And lots of room in the back, especially with the flip-up rear seats.

 

[itguy08]

Not sure I'd worry about recalls - everyone has them and it's a good thing.

Also not sold on "issues" with the 6f35. Yes, there are bad apples, but I don't think there are mass failures like with other transmissions. Yes, it probably does weird things and there were issues with some early ones. But I would hope those are all corrected by now. My wife has the much maligned cd4e in her Escape. 30k fluid changes and at 125k it still shifts perfectly. You just have to maintain them all.

Although if you don't like the styling, it's all a moot point. Just buy what you like, maintain it well and hope you got a good one.

 

[jimbrewer]

Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: doitmyself

Are there any secrets to getting better deals on Hondas? In particular, I am looking at a base model 2 wheel drive CRV.


Sure. Don't buy one. Their cars are not that great, reliability is average, and prices are high. You can do better elsewhere if saving coin is your goal. And have a car that is just as reliable as a Honda is fabled to be.


Absolutely. If you feel you are married to one brand, prepare to pay up. There was a time when good cars were few and far between and a Honda was head and shoulders better than any competitor. That's not true any more. This "Ford vs. Chevy" stuff is good for laughs but that's about as far as it should go.

If it were me, I'd at least drop by the Mazda place and drive a comparable car.

My personal experience is that the Edmunds True Value price was dead bang accurate, but it took a heckuva a lot hard bargaining to get there. Truecar was also accurate, but I dialed up the sales at the next big city, and looked at the actual sales numbers, not their stupid smoothed over bell curve. I figure you ought to be able to do as well as the next-to-cheapest bar to the left.

 

[DrDusty86]

With Honda's lack of quality in the new cars, why waste your money on a Honda, My Stepmom's van has has Power steering problems, CV axle only lasting 60k miles, Countless transmissions, AC, and DVD replaced. Honda quality died in 2000's.. after that the just are going off the name HONDA/Toyota..

 

[Hokiefyd]

Your stepmom's Honda is a lemon. It happens. You said her Dodge van needed nothing, but our Chrysler van was a lemon. Again, it happens.

If our one experience with Chrysler indicated the quality of the brand, it's abysmal. But it doesn't.

If our one experience with Honda (or two, including our Acura) indicated the quality of the brand, it's exceptional. But again, it doesn't.

 

[DrDusty86]

Jason, google Honda Minivan They are RIDDLED with issues..it's the norm. The trans are a KNOWN problem, The PS pump is a KNOWN problem, The AC compressor Clutch is a KNOWN. Problem. You, my friend are either lucky or brand blinded.. The Caravan was good and I dislike Chrysler products in general.
WHAT THE HECK DOES A manufacture put on 722mm tires only the stealer can service..LAME The vsn has so many things wrong with it in design.

 

[pezzy669]

I personally have used Carsdirect.com and Edmunds.com TMV for my negotiations and have had pretty good luck with that.

My '10 Mazda3 I actually lucked out. I offered Edmunds TMV and requested Edmunds TMV for my trade and everything was a go, just needed to decide on a color combo and they would locate the car for me. When searching I found a dealership 2 hours south that had the exact car I wanted in a color I wanted for ~$400 less than what my selling dealer agreed to. My dealer did a trade and ended up saving ~3400 off sticker price - granted I grabbed a manual transmission which are extremely easy to get deals on. On top of that Mazda (Chase Auto Finance) had 0% financing going on at the time.

If you have not looked at Mazda take a gander at the CX-5. I am a member of truedelta.com and the reliability ratings of Mazda's rival those of Toyota and Honda, my 3 (first year of redesigned model and early build to boot) has been nearly perfect. The only problem over 3 years/35k miles thus far was a HVAC actuator gear which on the warranty invoice was a $170 repair.

Just my .02.

 

[hypervish]

Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
Jason, google Honda Minivan They are RIDDLED with issues..it's the norm. The trans are a KNOWN problem, The PS pump is a KNOWN problem, The AC compressor Clutch is a KNOWN. Problem. You, my friend are either lucky or brand blinded.. The Caravan was good and I dislike Chrysler products in general.
WHAT THE HECK DOES A manufacture put on 722mm tires only the stealer can service..LAME The vsn has so many things wrong with it in design.


Just google chrysler minivan issues - 41TE, strut tower rust, cluster solder joint, underpowered brakes, short brake life, no shift interlock, etc... Even the newest T&C are having transmission problems. At least Honda learned from their vehicles exhibiting transmission failures and fixed them, Chrysler is still having trouble with their transmissions and isn't doing a thing to cure the problem.

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
With Honda's lack of quality in the new cars, why waste your money on a Honda, My Stepmom's van has has Power steering problems, CV axle only lasting 60k miles, Countless transmissions, AC, and DVD replaced. Honda quality died in 2000's.. after that the just are going off the name HONDA/Toyota..


Your post does not answer the question in the subject.

Also a Honda Odyssey has very little in common with a CRV except nameplate and transmission which is not known to fail in CRV service.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Your stepmom's Honda is a lemon. It happens. You said her Dodge van needed nothing, but our Chrysler van was a lemon. Again, it happens.

If our one experience with Chrysler indicated the quality of the brand, it's abysmal. But it doesn't.

If our one experience with Honda (or two, including our Acura) indicated the quality of the brand, it's exceptional. But again, it doesn't.


Precisely. The Internet is filled with squealers posting duplicate info on every site they can. You never hear a peep from the thousands and thousands of satisfied owners who do not have an axe to grind.

Anecdotal experience is very low on my information importance scale. I may not ignore it, but I have in the past and got my best car ever.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
Jason, google Honda Minivan They are RIDDLED with issues..it's the norm. The trans are a KNOWN problem, The PS pump is a KNOWN problem, The AC compressor Clutch is a KNOWN. Problem. You, my friend are either lucky or brand blinded.. The Caravan was good and I dislike Chrysler products in general.


If you Google problems with Dodge minivans, one could come to the conclusion that your stepmom was lucky as well. Anecdotal stories are just that, and they're worth what you pay for them. The truth of the matter is any new car is a risk, regardless of the manufacturer. There are no perfect vehicles.

I assure you that you can find horror stories on the internet related to the car you drive, whatever that is.

Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
WHAT THE HECK DOES A manufacture put on 722mm tires only the stealer can service..LAME The vsn has so many things wrong with it in design.


Honda offers a special Michelin tire/wheel system called PAX. This was only available on the Touring model; other trims received regular 16" wheels and tires. Vehicle research before purchase is as important today as it ever was. Myself, I would not buy a vehicle that has proprietary wheels and tires. Your stepmom made the choice to buy one. If she doesn't like it, she can "de-PAX" the vehicle by installing conventional wheels and tires.

You know, of course, that Honda was not the only manufacturer to offer the Michelin PAX system. Audi and Rolls Royce are other notable manufacturers to offer it.

You also know, of course, that you don't have to take the van to a Honda dealer to have the tires serviced. Any PAX-equipped Michelin dealer can service the tires.

 

[DrDusty86]

I know the Dodge has a couple of issues.. The point is HONDA has more issues and tries to hide them from people as long as possible from people as long as they can. ALL Japanese car companies have done this with Toyota and HONDA the biggest offenders. "oh we don't have a problem with transmissions" Yet they try to implement several fixes quietly and pray one of them works. The same for the PS pump issue, jesus it has been an issue since 99' and Honda still had the issue in 08' Good lord that is SCRAP.The DVD issues and AC issues are relatively new though