President's Weekend a good time to buy a Honda?

[1.5CivicEX-T]

Hi Everyone,

New poster here. Used to buying Fords over the last 15 plus years. And during all of those purchases, there were always large discounts to be had. Several thousand or more under MSRP. I'm finding out quickly that's not the case with Honda vehicles. Never thought it was in the first place, but confirmed now. I'm interested in a 2017 Civic EX-T Manual. Not too many of those around. Even in the Washington, DC area.

Anyway, seems some dealers are NOT discounting the manuals as much as CVT's. Have a few goof quotes on CVT's that I'm not interested in (Dealers didn't pay attention that I asked about a manual EX-T) coming in at around $21.7 before doc fee and TTL but none lower with manual. In fact 2 dealers said the CVT's were cheaper than the manuals due to very low inventory. No matter that the manual in build and price online is $800 lower. Has anyone else run into this while buying a manual EX-T? They aren't more than CVT's are they?

Also, like the title says, does Honda really discount anything more during this upcoming weekend? I'm seeing commercials like crazy about it. Since Honda doesn't seem to discount much in the first place (They obviously don't need to) is this weekend really anything special?

Lastly, does Honda offer any sort of "Private Cash" like Ford or Chevy? Usually it's $500 off if you get a brochure. Or like VW where you can join a club and get an extra $500 off? I don't see anything just looking around, but didn't see it with Ford right at the beginning. Had to dig to find it.

Any tips buying a Honda would be appreciated. And yes, I'm reading!! Thanks in advance! Great site!

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[FK7Hatch]

Hi Everyone,

New poster here. Used to buying Fords over the last 15 plus years. And during all of those purchases, there were always large discounts to be had. Several thousand or more under MSRP. I'm finding out quickly that's not the case with Honda vehicles. Never thought it was in the first place, but confirmed now. I'm interested in a 2017 Civic EX-T Manual. Not too many of those around. Even in the Washington, DC area.

Anyway, seems some dealers are NOT discounting the manuals as much as CVT's. Have a few goof quotes on CVT's that I'm not interested in (Dealers didn't pay attention that I asked about a manual EX-T) coming in at around $21.7 before doc fee and TTL but none lower with manual. In fact 2 dealers said the CVT's were cheaper than the manuals due to very low inventory. No matter that the manual in build and price online is $800 lower. Has anyone else run into this while buying a manual EX-T? They aren't more than CVT's are they?

Also, like the title says, does Honda really discount anything more during this upcoming weekend? I'm seeing commercials like crazy about it. Since Honda doesn't seem to discount much in the first place (They obviously don't need to) is this weekend really anything special?

Lastly, does Honda offer any sort of "Private Cash" like Ford or Chevy? Usually it's $500 off if you get a brochure. Or like VW where you can join a club and get an extra $500 off? I don't see anything just looking around, but didn't see it with Ford right at the beginning. Had to dig to find it.

Any tips buying a Honda would be appreciated. And yes, I'm reading!! Thanks in advance! Great site!

So I bought mine from Sport Honda in Silver Spring. They actually might have a few manuals in stock now, because when I was buying mine, they said that they had some on order. That being said, Honda's presidents day sales are usually .9% financing on 2016 models and I think the accord. The only $500 incentives I know are military and recent graduate.

 

[josby]

There are definitely large discounts to be had on Hondas. They don't make them as easy as Ford does, but still, 15+% off Honda MSRP is definitely attainable and 10% off MSRP is pretty average. But high availability - the fact that many other Honda dealers have the identical car on their lot - is what helps you get a deal, and if you're going for a model with limited availability like a EX-T manual, it hurts your ability to get a deal, I think.

Still, February should be a lean month for car dealerships - most people are paying off debt from Christmas and haven't gotten their tax refunds yet. That's probably the whole reason they do Presidents Day sales. I think February, particularly the end of February, would be likely to yield a better deal than a lot of other months would.

From what I've seen on here, the DMV area is one of the best areas in the country to get a good deal on a Civic. Lots of high-volume Honda dealers.

 

[Sman]

Email every dealer within 100 miles of you for a price quote on getting a manual ex-t in the color(s) that you want. After all of the replies, you can either go with the lowest bid, give everyone a second chance (go talk with the manager deal), or take the lowest bid to the dealer with the one available and ask if they'll match.

In these situations I like dealing with out the door prices since the dealers around me have "dealer fees" that can range from $0 to $399............

 

[1.5CivicEX-T]

Thanks for the replies! It seems that a lot of dealers don't advertise on Cars.com or Autotrader.com. I've never even heard of Sport Honda (Zero Manual EX-T's) or quite a few others in the N. Virginia/Maryland area until I did some digging. Does the main Honda site have a car nationwide search feature? I don't see one. I'm definitely missing a lot of dealers going by the two car sites above. And going dealer to dealer sites looking for manuals is a sloowwww pain!

I did get my first email quote. $19,925 before doc fee, taxes etc. So not bad. Just don't think it's the color I want. Unfortunately no white manuals w/black interior anywhere near me within 400 miles. If I didn't have a trade I'd fly there and drive back, but can't risk not knowing what I'll get from a trade long distance and then get screwed when I arrive.

Yes, the doc fee for this quote is $599. But that should be broken down on the contract and easily visible. Just part of the buying process. Those that charge very little doc fees make it up somewhere.

 

[Billy4202]

Thanks for the replies! It seems that a lot of dealers don't advertise on Cars.com or Autotrader.com. I've never even heard of Sport Honda (Zero Manual EX-T's) or quite a few others in the N. Virginia/Maryland area until I did some digging. Does the main Honda site have a car nationwide search feature? I don't see one. I'm definitely missing a lot of dealers going by the two car sites above. And going dealer to dealer sites looking for manuals is a sloowwww pain!

I did get my first email quote. $19,925 before doc fee, taxes etc. So not bad. Just don't think it's the color I want. Unfortunately no white manuals w/black interior anywhere near me within 400 miles. If I didn't have a trade I'd fly there and drive back, but can't risk not knowing what I'll get from a trade long distance and then get screwed when I arrive.

Yes, the doc fee for this quote is $599. But that should be broken down on the contract and easily visible. Just part of the buying process. Those that charge very little doc fees make it up somewhere.

Honestly, there haven't been a ton that have sprung for the EX-T 6 speed and posted their purchase price, and the CVT is by far the more popular option so the manuals are gonna take some work to find.

What dealer did you get the quote from, maybe they can do a transfer and honor that quote if you're looking for a certain color? Cars.com/Autotrader aren't always the most updated.

I'm *technically* not in the DMV, but yeah like @josby said there's so many options that there has to be a dealer that has your desired choice.

Was that offer from Tysons (doc fee looks painfully familiar)?

 

[1.5CivicEX-T]

Honestly, there haven't been a ton that have sprung for the EX-T 6 speed and posted their purchase price, and the CVT is by far the more popular option so the manuals are gonna take some work to find.

What dealer did you get the quote from, maybe they can do a transfer and honor that quote if you're looking for a certain color? Cars.com/Autotrader aren't always the most updated.

I'm *technically* not in the DMV, but yeah like @josby said there's so many options that there has to be a dealer that has your desired choice.

Was that offer from Tysons (doc fee looks painfully familiar)?

It wasn't Tyson's. I believe most dealers in the N. Virginia/DC have a doc fee of $599-$699. Maryland is capped at $300. Yes very steep. And it's not a Honda thing. They all do it. I think Tyson's does the super low online pricing and then nails you with delivery fee AND doc fee on top of internet pricing. Ouch. I'm checking with several to see if they can do a trade or have an incoming white one w/black interior. That's my preferred choice. I went to a dealer today that didn't have any manuals just to see the car up close. The color choices were interesting. Can't tell if I like Aegean Blue Metallic or hate it!!?? Sometimes it looks absolutely fantastic and sometimes it's almost Smurf like. The Cosmic Blue looked completely black today, though it was heading towards sunset when I was there. Definitely want to see that color again in bright sunshine! (Blue is my favorite color but for me white on this car is perfect) Just overall a great looking car and works with any color! That back end though.............

Found exactly what I'm looking for...........In Cincinnati. Only 532 miles away!

Second email quote came back.......$19,950. So pretty much the same.

Third email quote came back..........$19,997.

Right under $20,000 seems to be the lowest they will go so far. Guess this weekend isn't that special. Seems like the norm in the N. Virginia/DC area.

 

[OrlandoNabby]

Honestly, there haven't been a ton that have sprung for the EX-T 6 speed and posted their purchase price, and the CVT is by far the more popular option so the manuals are gonna take some work to find.

What dealer did you get the quote from, maybe they can do a transfer and honor that quote if you're looking for a certain color? Cars.com/Autotrader aren't always the most updated.

I'm *technically* not in the DMV, but yeah like @josby said there's so many options that there has to be a dealer that has your desired choice.

Was that offer from Tysons (doc fee looks painfully familiar)?

I purchased my Civic Coupe EX-T with manual transmission in the Orlando area at the end of January. It was 1 of 2 manual transmissions in about a 400 mile radius. The manual transmission appears to be a dying option on many vehicles unless you want the bottom of the barrel with no options! I paid 21,300 before tax, tag, title, doc fee, etc. That included the dealer's "Appearance Package" which was wheel locks, tinting, door edge films, trunk protector, nitrogen filled tires with a 1-year AAA-like membership. 21,300 was exactly what Consumer Reports quoted, without the dealer add-ons. I got them to take the cost of all of those off, so I know there is some serious profit in there already. Fortunately for me, it happen to be in the Energy Green Pearl I wanted anyway. It had been on the lot for 43 days.

Hope this information helps others looking for manual costs.

OrlandoNabby

 

[FineBottledWater]

I did a price comparison on the hatchback in DMV area about a month ago. DMV area is great for negotiating as there are many dealers in the area. In my opinion, it is not always about the best price for that make/model, but the value of what you paid and if you are happy with it.

For example, @microtran bought a Civic Hatchback with all the accessories included. For the same car, he paid a few hundred more than I did, but he received over 800 bucks of included accessories. Could I live without those accessories? Absolutely. Which is a better deal? No question about it, @microtran had a better deal.

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