8th Member's Dealer Experiences - Locations - etc...

[cbondhonda]

This is a thread that will be completely devoted to talking about your Experiences at the Dealerships you have gone to and the way you got the deals you did....

ALL I ASK IS DO NOT TURN THIS INTO A PRICES PAID THREAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want to see the whole deal....how everything went down......what you thought about your sales person / Dealership and how you bought the car you did.....not just some number you are putting out there that is something you think sounds good!!!

Post On!

Chris

[radiocontrolhead]

I don't know if this really applies here. But didn't really know where to ask this.

I'm planning on putting down a deposit on a Habi Red Si. It's going to arrive at this dealership in the next few weeks and want them to know that this is my car. I had a few questions though. What conditions should I expect when dropping a deposit? Is it refundable? What if they decide to change prices on me after the car arrives? Do you negotiate prices before hand? What should I recieve from the dealership? What if the car never gets there. How long before I should expect my deposit back?( is there a time frame? two weeks or so?) Do they usually have a contract written up especially for deposits?

Thanks.

[cbondhonda]

Originally Posted by radiocontrolhead

I don't know if this really applies here. But didn't really know where to ask this.

I'm planning on putting down a deposit on a Habi Red Si. It's going to arrive at this dealership in the next few weeks and want them to know that this is my car. I had a few questions though. What conditions should I expect when dropping a deposit? Is it refundable? What if they decide to change prices on me after the car arrives? Do you negotiate prices before hand? What should I recieve from the dealership? What if the car never gets there. How long before I should expect my deposit back?( is there a time frame? two weeks or so?) Do they usually have a contract written up especially for deposits?

Thanks.

Each Dealer is Different ....but Here they are 250.00 Fully Refundable and Transferrable. There is no limit of time as to how long its good for until the car arrives....then you have 48 hours or 2 buisness days to purchase it before you lose you place and the Deposit is either refunded or transferred to the next one available.

Make sure you get something in Writing....with "Approved Dealership Personnal" signing off on it. Not just some hand-written Note saying you have a deposit.

Get a Copy of your reciept showing what you paid and how much...and try to use a Credit or Debit card...that way if there is any funny buisness you can claim Fraud or whatever to get it back.

Expect refunds to take anywhere from a week to 15 days, as usally most dealers work on an every 2 weeks time frame on check writing and bill paying.

Also, try to get a Specific Stock number or even better a VIN Number of the in-Coming vehicle....that way they cant pull the "Oh it was the Wrong car" lines.

Chris

[radiocontrolhead]

When should my dealership expect a VIN? The allocation search you did for me said that the target dates for this car was July 8th to July 12th. Is this around the time she should expect the VIN? The last 2 dealerships I followed using these target dates,the car arrived about a week after the target dates so I'm guessing these are build dates? I'll put down a deposit when I can get a VIN I suppose. Just wondering when to expect one.

Thanks.

[trogers8]

I purchased my car in Gulfport, MS at Pat Peck Honda. It was umm a Saturday, April 29th, 2006 lol. My mom and I walked in, I saw the RR EX coupe on the lot, I knew its the one I wanted and I told her I don't care how much they come off the price I want the red one. So, we didn't really hassle much with them, all we did was say we were not paying for the "protection" package or the mud guards and sun roof visor already on the car. The did give us all that bullshit about how it's a "Honda" and these cars are so in demand that coming off the Sticker price was not really gunna happen. I had gotten the same words from Honda of Slidell in Louisianna, so I was sort of over all of it and just ready to buy the damn car. Total time spent to purchase the car including signing finance papers was like 1 hour and 30 mins I belive.

The salesman was a young guy, said he had worked there for 6 months, so he did go back and forth with the manager about 4 times, and finally he got to ring the bell for our sale. I ended up paying $18,100 for the car, before taxes/fees.

[cbondhonda]

Originally Posted by radiocontrolhead

When should my dealership expect a VIN? The allocation search you did for me said that the target dates for this car was July 8th to July 12th. Is this around the time she should expect the VIN? The last 2 dealerships I followed using these target dates,the car arrived about a week after the target dates so I'm guessing these are build dates? I'll put down a deposit when I can get a VIN I suppose. Just wondering when to expect one.

Thanks.

I usually know what the VIN is within Days of the Car being Built....so she should have a VIN if Delivery Date is mid-July......If thats the Build dates...it will be end July before she has it.

[Janizary]

This could be long...

Shack/Findlay Honda (Henderson, NV):

• 3 Total cars purchased from this dealer

Each transaction was painless (including my Si, purchased in Dec 2005 at a discount), quick and professional. I deal exclusively with the Internet Sales manager at Shack and have all my negotiations handled before I ever set foot in the dealership. In-and-out in less than an hour each time. No games, no bait and switch, no high pressure sales (including the numerous options on extended warranties of various forms, etc.)

I HIGHLY recommend this dealer if you are in the Vegas area. See Tom MacMillan.

That said Chris still has better prices if you want to take a plane ride to Texas, or arrange to have your new car shipped to you. I will very likely be purchasing my next Honda from Chris.


Honda West (Las Vegas, NV):

• No vehicles purchased through this dealer, just fruitless negotiations.

I am not even sure where to start with this dealer...

-Market Price Adjustments (MPA) on EVERY DAMN (new Honda) VEHICLE on the lot. ($2K to $4K+)
- This is the dealer in Vegas who had a $30K '06 Si (Every accessory from Honda, plus some of their own accessories, +$4500 MPA)
- Very unwilling to negotiate on just about anything. They are the 'largest' Honda dealer in Las Vegas, centrally located, and get most of the drive in traffic. Even with their outrangeous pricing they still sell lots of cars so they just don't care to negotiate ("If we don't sell it to you we will just sell it to the next guy...").
- Sometime back my wife got a flyer from HW that read "$4,000 off any vehicle for Clark County teachers" (my wife is a teacher). She was looking at possibly getting an Element at the time so I agreed to go in with her to see 'what was what'. The salesmen said "Well, with that $4000 off that will bring the car back down to MSRP" Yes...it had a $4K MPA on the vehicle. I said, "No, take the $4K off MSRP and we will start to talk." That was the end of the deal as the salesman wouldn't even discuss it. Asshats.
- AVOID THIS HONDA DEALER LIKE THE PLAGUE.

Desert Honda (Las Vegas, NV):

• 3 Vehicles purchased from this dealer ('85 Accord [used], '85 Prelude Si, '00 Civic EX) + negotiated on a 4 (I think) vehicles for friends.

- This is my 'old' Honda dealer and was happy with my sales experience there. I dealt with a particular salesperson over several years. Got good pricing and no pressure, but with good service and attentioin from the salesman. When this salesman left this dealer (moved out of state), I moved to another Honda dealer.
- I have tried negotiating deals at this dealership more recently for friends looking at new and used Hondas and they have been fairly receptive to negotiations, however on all new Honda's they have a mandatory "Desert Protection Package" (Paint protection, mud gaurds, trunk tray) that adds $1K to the price of any new car. NON-NEGOTIABLE. Paint protection is a scam. If you want to pay that extra $1000 for a trunk tray and mud gaurds feel free to shop here.

Towbin Dodge (Henderson, NV):

• 2 used jeeps and negotiated for numerous friends on purchases on new and used vehicles through this dealer.

- Okay, first things first. If you have seen 'King of Cars' on A&E this is that dealership. The Chopper.
- At any given time the showroom will be chok full of the 'credit challenged'. Frankly, half the time it looks like family time for gansta rap.
- That said, if you have the fortitude for marthon negotiations, you can and will get AWESOME deals through The Chopper. Sales is as high pressure as it gets, they will roll out every salesmanger under the sun, play every game there is, but if you are willing to be ruthless, you can score on your car prices, big time. JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE IT ALL IN WRITING.
- The Chopper is number one on the planet in single point Dodge sales for a reason: Low, low, low, low prices...just don't expect them to roll out those absurdly low prices without a 'fight'.
- I have a few salesmen I work with here (on the same sales team). We have 'friendly fights' each time I come in with another friend to negotiate on their behalf. At the end of the day we get along fine...the negotiation process is brutal, however.
- KEEP IN MIND: They WILL try to screw you and will do it with delight, if you show weakness (like a dog sensing fear, lol), but if you know what you are doing (particularly since I've negotiated on well over 30 vehicles here for either myself, but mostly friends), and you know how low they can go, and are willing to put in the hours that are required to get there, you can make out well here...just take a shower to wash off the slime when you are done.



Towbin Infiniti (Las Vegas, NV):

• Purchased my G35C here.

- As the name says it is part of the 'Towbin Auto Group'.
- Dealt with one of the internet sales managers here (now gone).
- They negotitated enough that I felt pretty decent when I signed on the dotted line. Negotiated very flexibly on add-ons.
- That said, the same 'slime' that you feel when you leave Towbin Dodge seems to coat you whilst you are at this Infiniti dealer. Once again, I felt like I was at a gangsta convention while I was in the dealer...certainly not the clients I would have expected to be at the Infiniti dealer.


Prestige Infiniti (Las Vegas, NV):

• Negotiated for 3 vehicles for friends here. My next Infiniti purchase will be at this dealer (if I buy Infiniti again).

- Prestige Infiniti is actually also part of the 'Towbin Auto Group', however, thier physical location (near upscale homes) brings in a very different client group than Towbin Infiniti.
- I have negotiated with 2 different salesmen on 3 cars here and been very pleased with the deals I have worked.
- Low pressure, up front dealing, no constant stream of salesmanagers, all in writing, fairly quick negotiation process.
- The deals on used luxury cars here is simply the BEST IN VEGAS. You have to go and negotiate here to believe the prices on used BMWs, Lexus, Mercs, etc. As with his Dodge dealership, The Chopper will negotiate very low used car prices to move those damn things off the lot.
- Highly recommended if you are in the Las Vegas area and are looking for a new Infiniti or used luxury car and have the appropriate negotiation skills.



Desert GMC (Las Vegas, NV):

• 1 New vehicle purchase

- Quickest deal I've ever made
- Gave VERY good trade in on vehicle (and I usually sell privately, however, that under $1K difference just saved me the trouble of selling privately)
- No pressure sales, all up front deals, no games, etc.
- If you are in the Vegas area and looking for a new GMC, Pontiac, or Buick, see Arthur Throckmorton at Desert GMC.
- (and even though this is a Desert Auto Group dealer, no magic 'protection packages' were required here).


Saturn of Henderson (Henderson, NV):

• Purchased 2 new vehicles here.

- Its a Saturn dealership, what can you say...
- No pressure whatsoever.
- Internet sales person actually makes 'deals' on prices so the 'one fixed' Saturn price thing is still flexible.



Friendly Ford (Las Vegas, NV):

• Two new vehicles for myself, a few new negotiated for friends, and a few used negotiated for friends.

- Best Ford deals I've been able to work in Vegas have been at this dealer.
- Some games, some pressure, just be prepared for it and you'll do fine.


Integrity Chrysler/Jeep (Las Vegas, NV):

• No vehicles purchased here, only negotiations.

- This is the 'Honda West' of Jeep dealers in Vegas.
- Bait and switch, MPA's, games, high pressure, manager bombardment, etc.
- Negotiation? What negotiation?
- Go somewhere else if you want a jeep in Las Vegas, really, you will just waste your time here. Crooks, shysters, slime...the lot of 'em.


Desert Toyota/Scion (Las Vegas, NV):

• 1 New vehicle for myself, negotiated a few vehicles for friends.

- Toyota side is 'okay'. Nothing special. You can negotiate deals, just keep your eye on your wallet.
-Scion side is probably number one in vegas. No games, no pressure, just straight up dealing. See RAY Salcedo at Desert Toyota/Scion if you are looking for a Scion in the Veas Area.


Findlay Toyota (Las Vegas, NV):

• Purchase 1 new and one used for myself, negotiated several for friends.

- Recommended Toyota dealer in Vegas valley. Like Shack/Findlay Honda, straight up deals, low pressure, no games.
- My saleman just left there to move to Findlay Caddy so I need to get a new 'guy' at this dealership.

Towbin Hummer (Las Vegas, NV):

• Negotiated for a friend.

- Yep, another Towbin dealership.
- Take your slime suit with you.
- Hard negotiations here. This is NOT a Chopper dealership. One of the other Towbins runs it.
- Got a decent deal for a friend due to all the other 'Towbin' deals I've worked with them over the years, but it was a grind getting there.

Lexus of Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV):

• Tried to purchase one Lexus...left without deal. Negotiated one other for a friend.

- The level of snobbery in this dealership is beyond compare.
- There is a very serious attitude of 'If you want to negotiate then perhaps you should be shopping somewhere else" that fills the showroom here.
- I negotiated over several weeks (I kid you not) for an IS350 (even trying multiple sales staff) and just could not get ANYWHERE with these people. Beyond frustrating and gave me a VERY bad taste in my mouth for Lexus.
- That said, I did negotiate a decent deal on an ES350 for a friend. Must be less demand for this model as they were willing to move off retail fairly quickly.

- Desert BMW (Las Vegas, NV):

• Tried negotiating on a 335i...failed miserably

- Much like the Lexus dealership, bad attitudes here. Looked down on negotiations "It IS a BMW you know? Perhaps this isn't the car for you?". Asshats.
- If you are in the Vegas valley looking at a BMW, go elsewhere. Las Vegas BMW was working some decent figures on a 335i RHT for me, but we are on hold now, pending the 135i rollout.

[radiocontrolhead]

Originally Posted by cbondhonda

I usually know what the VIN is within Days of the Car being Built....so she should have a VIN if Delivery Date is mid-July......If thats the Build dates...it will be end July before she has it.

But how do you know for sure if it's build dates or delivery dates? Two dealerships I've tracked have had the car come in 2 weeks after those "target dates" on the Honda Interactive Locator. Does it change? I'll just keep getting updated with the dealership.

They want $500 for a deposit. I'm thinking that's way too much for a deposit, isn't it?

[CHRIS]

holy crap janizary!

[cbondhonda]

Thats what IM TALKIN 'Bout JANIZ!!!

you most Spread some 'round b4 u can give it to Janiz again! +1!!!!

[Janizary]

What can I say? I like to buy cars...even when they are not for me.

I personally rotate some 'new' car through the corral about 1 per year, maybe 18 months. Whether it is something new to replace an aging commuter (okay, 'aging' may be relative for me), something new and 'fun, new hauler, or starting the next 'project vehicle'. My wife is even okay with my 'hobby' since it gives her a variety of cars to drive as well...though she won't drive the F350 Quad cab. Its like driving a 737 in a parking lot. heh.

The rest is just "Car purchasing vicariously". I used to HATE buying cars, then somewhere along the line I got to enjoy the negotiations process, particularly the slimier the dealer/salesman the better. With those you can just take off your 'human being' hat and get right down to being monster right off the bat (and all the silly 'buyer tactics' that such entails. Kinda' like Pro Wrestling antics during car buying...).

Frankly, the deals I like best usually are with Internet Sales managers who deal quickly, fairly, and get right to a bottom line price off the bat, so we can both not waste each other's time. I don't expect 'the world', but I do expect a bargain, particularly since I am very likely to bring in both myself as a repeat customer, but my friends as well. And, as can be seen, I bring in ALOT of friends. I am the 'goto guy' for car buying amongst my friends and business associates.

I'm actually in a 'dry' spell for myself right now. I have not purchased a new car (for me personally) in a while...and I need a fix. As Chris knows I want a ridgeline for light duty hauling (the F350 is just outrageous for anything buy hauling my toy box)...but I REALLY want to see the diesel version that is coming out. My 'guy' at Towbin Dodge calls me about every other week on Ram deals, but I really don't want another full-sized truck cluttering up the corral.

CyberGypsy is much worse than me (particularly in the price-per-vehicle department, heh), and I am pretty sure Mike (T|X) has me beat on single-point car rotation.

[cbondhonda]

So you have "Rang the Gong" before eh???

LOL

[Janizary]

ABSOLUTELY!

Rang the crap out of it. Really, you have to throw out any shread of personal pride or respect when dealing at the 'Chop Shop'.

For anyone that goes in, ask for your sales rep to dress in his 'Chopper Show' costume. It makes the purchase process that much more fun when your salesman is dressed in a Genie outfit, a cowboy outfit, has rabbit ears on his head. LOL, I am laughing just thinking about it. Rabbit Ears Ronnie (aka Brandon) you would not even know he was the same person.

I always call and forewarn my salesguys that I am coming in with a friend so we can all be ready 'a few rounds' in the ring. lol.

[tennisfan16]

how much can I get a new s2k for?

[cbondhonda]

Originally Posted by tennisfan16

how much can I get a new s2k for?

Ill make a Post.....on the main page of my forum

[weezer0321]

I bought my Civic Si from Willet Honda in Morrow, GA. Other than the price I got, it was a terrible experience. The salesman, was neither bad nor good. He was new (so it seemed) and did nothing but give me the keys in the parking lot for the test drive and run errands for other salesmen participating in the deal.

The problems started after a deal was agreed upon, and we were going to sign papers. I waited 2+ HOURS just to have the papers printed to sign and was given "It will be 5 more minutes" about 15 times and a "We had them almost done, and the computer cut off in the middle of it."

Then during all of that, the dealer never put a drive-off tag on, which the police spotted before I did. After a drive back (I live about an hour away from the dealer) I got a temp. tag. However, the temp tag expired before the dealership processed the VIN number into the system (or whatever it is), so I couldn't get my plates before the temp. tag expired, so I had to drive back AGAIN to get ANOTHER temp. tag.

On my second trip back to get a tag, the sales manager reminded me of their referral program...I laughed in his face and told him I would never refer someone to him. My family has bought two cars from Patton Honda in LaGrange, and they are a great dealership to work with. They didn't have any Si's though....

Don't buy from Willet Honda if you are in south Atlanta.

[tommyroo]

Crown Honda
Pinellas Park, FL

Buying: 6/10
Ordered my Si in Oct 2005. They made me put down a deposit and sign a contract for msrp. They said I was the first on their list. Didn't get my car until Feb 2006 when I was told Dec 2005.

Turns out either I wasn't the first on their list or they bumped me.

On top of that when I was picking up my car the sales guy told me I was lucky they didn't know how popular this car was going to be or they would of added a few thousand to the price.

Service: 0/10
Brought the car in at 3K because the alignment was off. They wouldn't even look at it. Said it was torque steer and I need to get used to the car.

I actually believed gave them the benefit of doubt but a year later I know it's just an alignment issue. I'm mean it veers to the right when coasting.

Brought it back again for the alignment and I even brought in a service bulletin (06-068). They agreed to fix it. Kept my car overnight (alignment machine wasn't working) next day I get called and told they changed their mind because my warrenty was up (over 12K). I was pissed but said screw them, I'll just pay for it myself when I get the HFP suspension.

Warrenty: 0/10
So far they have done everything in their power to avoid doing any warrenty work such as looking at my transmission.

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

Started with where I bought my 05 Civic EX. Phillipsburg Easton Honda located in Phillipsburg New Jersey. I called and spoke with Patty Novak who is the person who helped me out with my way out there warranty questions when I first got my 05 and started to play with it. Because of that she got my first go, they had a GG 07 SI coupe that she kept trying to rush me to the finance guy to purchase, I told her NO more then 20 times and that I was just researching. Eventually I told her to see if she could locate a FBP and she wanted a $500 deposit. I told her I would keep looking myself and get back to her if I was interested. 5 days go by and she is calling me every 2 or 3 days and then she tells me she can get me one in 30 days. I agree and gave her a $500 FULLY refundable deposit. Then I keep doing my homework, and decided to pay this forum a visit. After talking with Chris here on the forums I ended up contacting every dealer who either had a FBP on the lot or about to be delivered. I spoke with well over 17 dealers and finally found one in Mechanicsburg PA who was willing to deal with a better price then P'burg Easton Honda. I contacted Patty and advised her of my findings, and she completely wigged out... seriously guilt trip and all, then the date for the SI started jumping around from June, July, Aug, and last time was September. Then she started telling me should could beat the OTD price I was quoted by the other dealer by $500. When I called her on that she kept stalling and stalling. By this time I was afraid that my other lead would get snatched away so I put down an deadline for her to get back to me. She tried to get me to stretch that and when I demanded a YES or NO answer she finally told me the truth. Regardless I would never go back to P'burg Easton Honda -10 out of 10 for just outright stupidity.

Bobby Rahal Honda in Mechanicsburg PA
See above they where one of the 17 different dealers I spoke with. The salesperson I was dealing with got me an OTD quote in 5 min. No playing any games and trying to say one thing and then doing something else. I am currently awaiting the car to arrive Build date is July 17-24 hopefully I have it before the end of the month or first week of August. I will update once I take delivery. My only downside with this dealer is what I was offered on Trade. $13,500 for an 05 Fiji Blue EX coupe with less then 27k miles and its in excellent condition. Personally I think thats too low so I am trying to sell it privately. If not then I will have to trade it. Even P'burg Easton Honda was willing to go at least $14k. Overall 8/10 my only complaint is trade value.

[BLU BY U]

Rick Roush honda, medina ohio

sale process - 9/10

delivery on time - 10/10
got the car a week before it was supposed to be in

warranty - 10/10

was one of the first to get the honda reflash, they didnt even question me about it.

front left tweeeter was crackling, they replaced it

front right suspension noise, they replaced the strut.

not to mention a free car wash at every visit.


nothing but good to say about roush

[BluePhoenix]

Once I actually get the Si I'll post my experiences (went to about 5 Honda dealerships so far)....

But for other cars...

Acura of Auburn, Auburn, MA --> HIGHLY recommend for sales and service. No pressure at any time... Got to take a 2004 TL for 24 hrs to use in my daily driving routine plus the loaner cars during longer maintenance was awesome - new TSXs and TLs. No problems even just running around town in the TL-S while my battery was being replaced! Awesome all-around

Wagner BMW of Shrewsbury - Recommend as well - excellent sales and service - we bought two used cars from them - one Honda and one BMW.

So far have been impressed with the offers from Honda Village in Newtonville, MA and their service seems pretty good... The best price is so far from Honda of Westboro... but as of yet haven't made a deal with anyone...