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Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Honda Civic Prices Paid and Buying Experience
9185 messages, Last post on Nov 09, 2009 at 8:48 AM
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Replying to: anonymousposts (Oct 30, 2005 3:24 am) My girlfriend and I wanted to buy a new Civic Coupe (EX or LX). So I did research here and other places and we used Edmunds.com and Carsdirect.com to send out requests to the dealers in the Houston area. As expected the responses we got back were basically MSRP. Sand Dollar in the Galveston area (about 30 miles south of me) offered $300 below. Then I got a mysterious set of e-mails from the internet manager at McDavid. One said MSRP and that they had the car in stock, then a few minutes later I got a second messages saying $18,310 (EX Coupe AT) and that they had the car in stock. So I e-mailed her back and said we'd be interested. A few hours later I drove to the dealer to check their stock and they did not have the car at all. It was pure bait and switch. I spoke to the Internet Manager there and she claimed they sold the car. This was BS since I checked in person just hours after the message and the dealership was closed at the time. She seemed pretty shifty based on previous e-mails and I really didn't trust her... so I wrote off David McDavid. I will give feedback to Edmunds.com Last night we drove to Clear Lake Honda, just a few miles from my house and spoke to their Internet Manager. He was very straight forward with us. We drove the coupe and we liked it. We sat down and reviewed the list of incoming cars. It seems the coupe is in much less demand than the Sedan. Just about all the sedans in their Nov allocation were already sold. Only one coupe was sold, and a few were on the lot but not in the options/color we wanted. Most of the incoming stock were EX's, only one LX. They would not have an LX coming in like we wanted until the end of Dec, and we couldn't wait that long. In the end we bought a Coupe EX, AT for $18,500 including Dest but before TTL. They also gave us $2,500 on a 9 year old VW golf which was actually a fair trade based on the research I did. I think the price of the car is fair considering the current market, and we were happy with the trade in. Clear Lake Honda also offers free loaners for all service over 2 hours and 3 free oil changes. It was the most enjoyable buying experience I've ever had. I think they were trying to sell a few more cars before the end of the month, and perhaps if we really tried harder we could have gotten them down a little. But for reasons I won't get into, we needed the car as soon as possible. In the end both parties were happy... no yelling and screaming, no threats of lawsuits... just like it should be. If I buy a Honda in the future I will go back here. If you live in the Houston Area give Clear Lake a shot. I can't post names of sales people, but look for a guy with the initials "AJ"  I will never again deal with David McDavid. For those looking for Coupes.. I'd say the market is weakening already and you should be able to get a price similar if not better than we did. I must say the Coupe is a nice car (as well as the sedan). I can't believe how far Civics have come. It s far superior to my first Accord. Good luck and happy car shopping |
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Replying to: craig14 (Oct 30, 2005 7:59 am) So the up shot: hold that internet manager type's feet to the fire and get a car costing more at the "lower" price or what you say was the bait and switch price. Year's ago, I had something similar happen to me with a new model year demonstator Toyota Landcruiser 1996 model. I made a deal for the EXACT car . (VIN #'d to be exact, the contract was written up and signed by both sides.) Seems the car was "presold" to the point the VIN was now registered in the DMV system to a new owner. They of course apologized profusely and offered to renegogiate for another vehicle at prevailing rates, plus a so called "discount". My impression was it was an honest mistake. However, I had a contract, and if I had wanted to back out of it, the dealership would have gone to the mat on it. So I mentioned that my lawyer would take this "easy money case"... So I reminded them we had signed a contract for an exact NEW VIN number car. So what they did eventually wind up doing was to sell me another BRAND NEW one at the agreed upon demonstrator price. The price was thousands under invoice.
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Replying to: craig14 (Oct 30, 2005 7:59 am) In the case of Civics that we can't keep in stock, that may well have been what had happened. I'm not defending that other store but what benefit would come from having a customer drive a great distance when there was no inventory? I will always tell my customers..." I have ONE blue one and I can't hold it for you...call before you leave your house to make sure it's here. I know I sure don't need a ticked off customer driving in for a car I don't have? "Bait and Switch"...Switch to WHAT? I don't have Civis to switch them to! |
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Replying to: isellhondas (Oct 30, 2005 8:41 am) |
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Replying to: isellhondas (Oct 30, 2005 8:41 am) |
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Replying to: craig14 (Oct 30, 2005 9:41 am) |
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Replying to: craig14 (Oct 30, 2005 9:41 am) I just wish people would follow my advise...Ask your friends, neighbors and co-workers for a REFERRAL! Heck, if you see a new Honda in the Costco parking lot, ask the owner where he/she bought it and ask if they would refer their salesperson! |
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Replying to: manueltrans1 (Oct 29, 2005 6:35 pm) |
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