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Addressing the Fit's shortcomings - READ ONLY

209 messages,  Last post on Nov 18, 2008 at 9:44 PM

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What is this discussion about? Honda Fit, Hatchback

Messages Page 17 of 21

#160 of 209 Re: Addressing the Fit's "shortcomings" [chimaera2005] by hungarian83

Jun 08, 2006 (10:53 pm)

Replying to: chimaera2005 (Jun 08, 2006 12:04 am)
VAT is value added tax...of course it translates into all sorts of things in other languages (like ÁFA or "general sales tax" in Hungarian)
Unlike the state tax in the US, which can even vary between counties, the VAT is a national tax set across the country. It is included in the price of a product, and not added on during the time it is sold to the consumer. So if I buy floormats for a Jazz in Austria and they cost 100 euros, that's all I pay. If I buy floormats for 100 dollars in San Diego county California though, I pay $107.75.
 
Also, if you buy a product over a certain price (usually about US$100) in a country that uses VAT, but the final destination for that product is a country that uses a different currency, you can usually get the VAT returned. If I bought a Jazz in Hungary and exported out of the country, I could get my VAT refunded. At about 20% last time I checked, that's a pretty large sum. Of course then you have to deal with export costs, import costs, emissions regulations....it gets messy.
 
Give the Fit a few months and the price will slowly settle down, once supply begins to catch up with demand.

#161 of 209 Re: Addressing the Fit's "shortcomings" [chimaera2005] by crimsona

Jun 08, 2006 (10:59 pm)

Replying to: chimaera2005 (Jun 08, 2006 12:04 am)
www.xe.com for foreign exchange rates, however, since I'm using firefox, I have the Google search bar by default on my upper right hand corner, so I just used that.
 
just try it out: type "100 usd in cad" in google and you get exchange rates. Just know the 3 letter reference for each currency

#162 of 209 Of course... by plekto

Jun 08, 2006 (11:05 pm)

Canada has import fees as well on Japanese cars(company, doesn't matter where it's built, NAFTA nonwithstanding) as do many other countries. Thankfully, the amount in Canada is about 6-7%, IIRC - and is easy to find/verify.
 
Unfortunately, there's no getting around it(added to base, pre VAT price) - so often people will buy a car in the U.S. and bring it into Canada to avoid this.

#163 of 209 Re: Environmental Protection Option? [kagedude] by elladine

Jun 11, 2006 (6:40 pm)

Replying to: kagedude (Apr 26, 2006 5:50 pm)
my dealer, where i'm ordering my fit from, says that the environmental protection option comes with the outside paint protection and undercarriage protection thing as well as some kind of fabric protection, all for like 900$. now i see here, after searching for this forever, that the paint one isn't needed. what about the other two? this will be my first time ever buying a new car so i'm real new to the whole thing.

#164 of 209 Re: Environmental Protection Option? [elladine] by backy

Jun 11, 2006 (6:46 pm)

Replying to: elladine (Jun 11, 2006 6:40 pm)
Do you live near the ocean or where road salt is used? If so, you might want to check into professionally-applied rust protection (e.g. Ziebart), but in my experience it's better to just keep the car clean (including the undercarriage), wax it often, and touch up nicks right away.
 
As for fabric protection, a can of Scotchgard costs a few bucks and takes a few minutes to apply.
 
A synonym for "Environmental Protection Package" is ADM, as in "Additional Dealer Markup."

#165 of 209 Re: Environmental Protection Option? [backy] by elladine

Jun 11, 2006 (6:49 pm)

Replying to: backy (Jun 11, 2006 6:46 pm)
yeah i live in utah, so lots of road salt a few months out of the year. i've only ever owned old cars, in the mid 1980's ones, so really this new car stuff is way new to me. how often is often to wax?
 
so basically this option package they're trying to get me to buy is totally not worth it at all?

#166 of 209 Re: Environmental Protection Option? [elladine] by backy

Jun 11, 2006 (6:53 pm)

Replying to: elladine (Jun 11, 2006 6:49 pm)
I wouldn't buy it. I live in heavily salted roads country (Minnesnowta) and have not had a vehicle rustproofed since '91. I haven't had body rust on any vehicle since then. Cars are treated at the factory with sealants now, much better than in the past. Actually, applying rustproofing can help cause rust by punching holes in the body and doors to apply the stuff.
 
Wax at least 2-3 times a year or whenever water no longer beads up on the surface... or more frequently if you enjoy doing it, which you probably will since it is your first new car and it makes the car look good!

#167 of 209 Re: Environmental Protection Option? [backy] by elladine

Jun 11, 2006 (6:58 pm)

Replying to: backy (Jun 11, 2006 6:53 pm)
thank you so much for your help. guess i can get a hold of them tomorow and tell them i don't want that. even though my car is still 2-3 months from arriving. but i wanna get all that stuff dealt with before it arrives.
 
oh yeah and how do you clean an undercarriage anyway? just spray it with water or something?

#168 of 209 Re: Environmental Protection Option? [elladine] by backy

Jun 11, 2006 (8:11 pm)

Replying to: elladine (Jun 11, 2006 6:58 pm)
Drive-through car washes usually have an underbody spray. That is what I do in the winter since it's too cold to wash the car myself most of the time. A local gas station has an all-cloth self-service wash with an underbody spray for only $5 will gas purchase. Or you can do it yourself with a hose and nozzle--can be kind of messy though.

#169 of 209 Re: Environmental Protection Option? [backy] by elladine

Jun 11, 2006 (8:26 pm)

Replying to: backy (Jun 11, 2006 8:11 pm)
cool. well i thank you again so much for your help =)

Messages Page 17 of 21

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