Well, after sitting on the fence for the last couple of weeks regarding whether or not to buy a Civic Hybrid, I decided today to go ahead and pull the trigger. Went to a couple of local dealers for a discussion on what they had in transit, with the expectation that I'd leave a deposit for one.

Both dealers I went to quoted higher than normal MSRP's. Upon inquiring, it became clear that both were throwing in an "Appearance Package". I know the HCH is in great demand (there are none to be seen or test driven at any of the D.C. area dealers I've checked with) and so I'm resigned to having to pay full MSRP. I'm also resigned to buying the NAV option, since it seems most models being shipped now also include that. I have a real problem, though, with having to pay for a bunch of yet-to-be-installed bells and whistles that I have no use for. The sales guy at one of the dealers tried unsuccessfully to get approval from his manager to let me buy a vehicle without the package. The best the manager was willing to do was knock off the 150-dollar "mud flaps", still leaving 4-500 dollars of other stuff I'd have to pony up for. Nah, I think not.

Just wondering what other's experiences have been. Are dealers universally loading stuff on this much-desired vehicle? Or are there some out there willing to let them go for Honda's MSRP?

I'm going to keep looking, but it definitely was a disappointing experience.


As an aside, I decided to buy an HCH not entirely because of the frugality it offers - I'm fairly convinced that, for me, there's likely to be little cost savings over the life of the vehicle compared to a standard Civic or similar compact car (I'm fully expecting to have to pay for at least one battery pack replacement). What finally sold me was that you guys that already have one make it almost sound like a game, every time you drive it, to maximize your MPG. I do 70-80 freeway miles every day and, as foolish as such a reason might sound, the idea of having that kind of constructive entertainment to help pass the time seems oddly beguiling.

Now if only I can find one...

Jeff