I'm on the verge of purchasing an 05 Honda Civic Hybrid, cash sale for the dealer. In your experiences with either recent 04 purchases or those of you with 05's in the area, are you able to negotiate below MSRP at all? I don't believe demand is extremely high in our area.

I had originally wanted to wait for the Accord Hybrid release, but with a price tag over 30K and gas mileage hovering in the low 30's, I'm leaning towards the Civic at this point.

Thanks!

JB

Dealers are pushing the 2004 models right now if they have any left. Local Phoenix Honda dealer last week advertised a 2004 "new" HCH manual tranny for $18,995. That's below MSRP which is listed at $19,650 .

So you will likely be able to pay less for a 2004 model, but depending on how long you intend to keep it, you might be better off at RESALE time down the road with a 2005.

Good Luck either way !!!

Hi Matson29:

___Here in the Chicagoland area, Grand Honda was advertising brand new 2005 HCH’s as follows just 2 or 3 weeks ago for the following:

2005 HCH w/ 5-speed manual - $18,969 including delivery (no TTL)
2005 HCH w/ CVT - $19,969 including delivery (no TTL)

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

I live in Raleigh, NC.

Purchased my 2005 HCH MT for $19,300 + TTL from AutoPark Honda in Cary, NC.

I would expect to pay MSRP only in a market with high demand...

Last Feb I bought my 04 CVT for about $18K.
I told the dealer that I wasn't going to pay their MSRP for a Civic, hybrid or not, given the fact that I'll opt for an extended warranty which would raise the bottom line up into the rediculous.
After a time of bickering we agreed on the price.
I paid an extra $900 for 7yr 70K B2B and 10yr. 150K on the battery.

I also got him to drop the "manditory" dealer fee of $1,500...which was to pay for the 50 inch RPTV that I didn't want anyway.
Seems they were running an advertisement for a "free" RPTV with a new car sale.

After all that I insisted he toss in what he offered before....free tires and oil changes for as long as I own it!

Efficient drivers do it better.
1003 miles a tank personal record. 74MPG calculated. HCH1 CVT

I'm kind of glad you decided not to get an accord hybrid. personally i don't think its worth it since you can only start saving money after 9.6 years of driving. Do any of the HCH owners know if the rear seats can fold down? I heard that the accord hybrid did not..and i wonder if the HCH's rear seats can fold down too

Are you also considering the Prius? If not, why not? If so, I know a dealer with a 3 week waiting list.

A Prius a day keeps the doctor away!

HCH rear seat does not fold down, it is where they have the battery and electronics. <_<

Efficient drivers do it better.
1003 miles a tank personal record. 74MPG calculated. HCH1 CVT

HCH sales in my area are pretty slow. The local dealer usually has about 8 of them on the lot at any one time. I took the time to "watch the lot" over a two week period. In that period of time I think I only saw 2 vehicles move from the lot. I wouldn't call that a particularly stellar sales rate. They were all automatics and identically equipped, aside from color schemes. Knowing that dealer, they are probably pushing them at MSRP, however they either are uninterested in moving them and are demanding MSRP, or this isn't a HCH friendly market. Knowing the dealer's sales practices, I wouldn't be surprised if they are letting prospectives walk away from sales because they won't negotiate.

But then again, I'm not all that fond of any of the foreign car dealers in this town.

This might hurt the feelings of HCH owners, but demand for that vehicle as opposed to other hybrids has always been within Honda's ability to manufacturer them. That isn't necessarily a bad sign. Either Honda has a better handle on demand, as compared to Toyota, or, well, you can fill in the blank on that one.

It has been said:
Hybrid drivers come in 3 flavors, greenie, techie and cheapie. Pick any 2.
2005 Prius, Melinium Silver over gray, package 5 (AI)

Hi All:

___At least it is a target to shoot for …

Brand new (17 miles) 04 HCH w/ CVT: $18,500 from Grand Honda in Elmhurst , IL. They sell the 05’s for ~ $1,400 more. Look around as there have been some absolute steals found by this forums membership on HCH’s in the very recent past.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

LOL, I think most of us know that the Prius is a "hotter" selling car. I bought my HCH because the waiting list for the Prius was 12 months. My old car blew up, so I needed a new one fast. I decided to go with the HCH because I love hybrids and didn't want to wait years to get one. My other option was long term car rental which would be quite expensive.

But here in CA, demand for the HCH is quite high. I've heard stories of people paying above MSRP for them. Basically, unscrupulous dealers milking people for all they can.