HEAVY markup on new 2021 Civic Hatchback 6spd

[todd111]

I’ve been shopping for a new 2021 Civic Hatchback Sport 6spd. Now, I know it’s not a great time to buy a car given the chip shortage and since the Civic is in the middle of a model year change. I just didn’t expect such HUGE markups. I found dealers advertising at MSRP but then once we discuss the vehicle, they mention the added “accessories” which were $7k at one dealership and a whopping $15k at another. At $40k, you might as well try to find a Type-R.

I’m only interested in the 2021 Civic Hatchback Sport 6spd because the 2022 version will have a lesser engine than the 2021. Yes, I know the 2022 Sport Touring has the better engine but I’m tall and can’t have a sunroof. It’s disheartening that a new one is SO expensive and even a used one is often more expensive than the original MSRP.

For anyone else out there shopping right now, I hope you find better pricing than what I’ve been seeing.

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[justasimpleman]

Best suggestion I can give you, shop around, even be willing to drive out of your area. When I was looking for my si, it was right after it was announced that there would be no 2021 version (wasn’t on purpose, just kinda happened that way), and majority of the dealerships I contacted were charging $2k up to $5/6k on top of sticker. Kept contacting dealerships, and one of the most expensive ones ended up beating my lowest offer (sticker) by like $75.

good luck.

 

[aegeanbluecivic]

Like justasimpleman mentioned it’s best to shop around. Since you live in California, well not sure which part of it you should potentially have the luxury of having several dealers in the area. At least for me in San Diego there’s like 7 Honda dealers. Since you got a quote go to another shop and see if they will beat it, unfortunately you will have to put in some effort to get a good deal but that comes with the car shopping experience.

For me at least the first dealer wanted to lease for me at 344 a month lol and the sales guy was proud telling me my monthly payment went down by 20 bucks I was like eff that cause they low balled my trade. Went to another dealership and they went down to 244, when I went back to original dealership and told them the quote the sales manager went down to 224 even on a premium colored one. I got my car less than msrp about two weeks ago if that helps for reference.

Also be adamant about taking out accessories. When I got to the finance office they tried to tack on the typical car alarm and Honda care but I told them i already got a sweet deal from the sales manager so I don’t want to go higher as another dealership is giving a competitive price not that far from them.

Not sure where in California you live but if you live in San Diego try DCH Honda, when I told the salesman I came from another dealership already they probably didn’t want to try to wear me out so they went low.

 

[todd111]

Thanks for all the great feedback and advice. I’m looking for such a specific vehicle with only four new ones listed online in the US (two were sold and the other two had ridiculously expensive required “accessories”). Because of this, I’ll probably end up deciding to shop CPO.

 

[abc123]

Thanks for all the great feedback and advice. I’m looking for such a specific vehicle with only four new ones listed online in the US (two were sold and the other two had ridiculously expensive required “accessories”). Because of this, I’ll probably end up deciding to shop CPO.

Don't look at the online listings. I would call the dealerships, and ask if you can order one. I paid a refundable deposit of $500 to reserve an order. They will take $500 off if you decide to buy the car obviously.

I don't know if they are still arriving on the dealer lots, but if they do, the few remaining manuals may be allocated to specific dealers. Definitely try to expand the area of the search. You can also try to go through Costco Auto Purchase program. The dealer in my area honored the Costco discount (about $400 off MSRP). There were a number of people already reserved the cars and in "queue" ahead of me, but I got mine after a month of wait. You can reserve a specific VIN and my understanding is that you have about 24-48hrs to purchase it after it arrives on their lot.

 

[Spartan-033]

Definitely worth looking outside your normal area. You may also wish to check with the financial institution you are using for the car to attempt to find a car.

I ended up driving a solid 70 miles to get mine, but was worth it as they didn't put a markup on the vehicle.

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