Hello. I am looking to purchase a new CRV-EX, modern steel metallic (dark gray) finish, gray (preferred) or black interior, and no options. I am very familiar with the specs and features of this model, so you don't need to do a sales pitch for me, which would waste both your time and mine. (Though I will want to do a test drive at the dealer I choose.)
I want a fair deal. If you send me your out-the-door pricing, a copy of the Monroney label, and the invoice you paid from the factory, that will go a long way toward helping me choose the best dealer.
Honda's website has the MSRP for the CRV-EX at 27,860 -- your dealership's website has the MSRP listed at ____.
I would like to know your best price -- based on DEALER price plus your markup, not MSRP -- for a 2021 CRV-EX in the standard factory configuration (i.e., I'm not looking for any options). I would like your best TOTAL price, including all fees and taxes, and broken down by line items. Your offer will be competing against a number of other Honda dealers, so please give me your best honest offer.
I am looking to make a purchase toward the end of May and plan to bring my own financing. If there are any end-of-month or Memorial Day specials/incentives, you can inform me of those too.
If Honda offers any corporate incentives, please note that I am a college graduate and a military veteran.
I really do look forward to a reply from you with your best firm offer for the vehicle I've described above. Thank you
Best is if you just do the legwork online. You can find all dealers within the range you’d be willing to deal with. See who has the best prices, who has in stock the vehicle you want. Etc. Best is if you can find a few, including going a little more distance than you think you’re up for. Then realize their online sales director is probably the one best empowered to give you the best deal. Call them up and tell him or her you’ve been doing some online research and you’re interested in whatever specific car they have and if they can agree to whatever price you think is the best you can get that you will just come in and do the deal on the spot as agreed. Be clear that you need their absolutely all-fees-included price with it. That you won’t be schlepping their way without the deal agreed to, but if agreed to you will be in that day or the next morning, ready to go. There actually is a lowest price that they are allowed to sell/lease a vehicle, because I hit it once with a dealer. After they had delivered my car to the door, I had signed the paperwork, and they had gone home, their online sales director contacted me out of panic and needed me to overnight a signed deal for $50 more (without my actually needing to pay that), because it was below what they were allowed to send to Honda. Just beware, because if it is a sleasy dealer, they are at risk of trying to slip something more in when you go to complete the paperwork. Best is if it is a dealer nearby, so they can at least anticipate getting you as a service customer after the sale.
Like you, I do my own research and know exactly what model car I want and in what trim. I have my own financing ready to go. I'm not even that picky about price (though I do know what is fair). I'm okay with the sales rep getting a decent commission.
But they still make it a hassle. They try to sneak on things like VIN etching (total rip-off) and chintzy all-weather mats that I can get much cheaper (and better quality) online like with Weathertech. Or those infernal locking nuts that require a special key to get off. I don't plan on parking my car in Harlem and I want the ability to change out a flat tire on a wintry night without having to waste time hunting around for that special socket!
Then you always get the hard sell on the extended warranty (where they have their highest margins) and they try to make you feel stupid for turning it down. I don't need it because I never have plenty of money in my cash accounts - I can pay for an expensive repair every now and then and still come out way ahead of the game.
Why can't they just let a guy buy a car hassle-free! If that ever happened for me, that dealer would have a customer for life.
Anyway good luck and you didn't mention if you had a trade. If you do, take my advice and sell your old car privately or through some other outfit like CarMax (they give a decent price on used cars and cut you a check on the spot). Never trade your car in with the dealer that you are buying your new car from. They are very good at what they do and they will find a way to get over on you with the trade.
Also realize that when you pull into a dealer, once they get you inside, they have somebody doing a walk-around on the car you drove in there looking for blemishes and what not. They are already looking for an angle. Last time I bought a new car, I drove my wife's two-year old car in there and left my 6-year old car at home. I was able to get a decent price negotiated because they thought they were getting a sweet trade-in on the other end. Then I sold my 6-year-old car to CarMax and used the cash to add on to my downpayment.
Finally, never, ever finance your sales taxes and fees into a loan. Pay cash up front for all of that (as part of your downpayment) and only finance what's left on the car. Thirty percent should be the minimum you put down on a car and then no longer than a 60 month loan (48 month is better). That way, you are never upside down on your car and so don't have to worry about silly stuff like "gap insurance."
Cut the email down to 1 or two sentences.
some people will find a vehicle with a
CV transmission to be very annoying
I certainly did
Did anyone answer the actual question you asked?
Know every detail of what you’re looking for - trim package, color, engine, tires etc etc... whatever. Then put that information in a letter and send it to every appropriate dealer within a hundred miles stating YOU WILL BUY THE CAR from the person who offers the best price...
Then wait...
“Hello FReepers.” Hello.
A car dealer friend in Los Angeles told me that people call him, tell him what they want and accept or reject what he says. Takes five minutes.
Sharp customers learn what they want by researching Ebay and other sites and then call all the dealers in a 100 mile radius in order get what they want.
Hyundai’s are excellent cars for many reasons.
I suggest you get a two year old car under 50K miles.
a MUCH better option would be to buy a Honda Certified Pre-owned vehicle that was purchased by a dealer at auction of single-leasee, off-leased Hondas ... they typically have only 30,000 miles and are three years old ... Dealers have to put a ton of money into them to bring them up to Honda Certified standard: minimally new tires, brake pads & rotors, fluids, battery, sometimes new glass ...
Honda Certified Pre-owned will have a five-year power-train warranty and a one year warranty on everything else ... you can also ask to see the paperwork to see the checklist of everything the dealer had to do to bring the car up to spec ...
look for one that has a Car Fax that shows the car has been sitting on the dealer’s lot for a while and who is probably desperate to quit tying his money up while it’s sitting on his lot ...
you’re likely to buy such a car for about half the price of a brand-new, identical model ..
They don’t negotiate much. I’m on CRV number 2 and they told me they believe their cars are fairly priced so the price is the price. I’m still driving my 2006 CRV that has never broken down since I bought it. Maybe try to negotiate on a new 2020 leftover.