Hi All,

This'll be my first new thread here on GH ... here we go:

I've been looking into getting a 2006 HCH to replace my '01 Isuzu Rodeo when I move from the mountains of Nevada to the traffic of Washington DC next month. Anyway, I've been in contact with some of the dealers in the DC area and got the following, somewhat troubling, response from one of them:

Everything I've heard has said the MSRP will be about $21,500. I certainly hope I don't have to spend the extra $2500 ... at that price, navigation should be included

MSRP has been estimated at $21,500 WITHOUT the NAV system. $2K for the NAV is about right, no? I think that price is comparable to stand alone NAV options for other cars....

I inquired at a local dealer in my city and he told me "we are not sure what the price of the vehicle will be at this time." I wouldn't cancel any plans or research until the final numbers are released. Although for being a member of my credit union, he offered me a $500.00 discount when I am ready to buy.

19,900 miles and (slowly) counting

That's what I heard as well. That's why I'm concerned that the dealer is saying $24k BASE price.

The dealer may have a markup and is not willing to do less than $24k, but that doesn't mean you can't shop other dealers. Honda would not raise the price by $3000 from '05 to '06. MSRP for the 05 Hybrid CVT is $21,050 with a $550 destination charge. Still, if the new model has that $500 price gain (it's reported to be $21,500 rather than $21,050) then if you add Nav and the destination charge, there's your $24k sticker price. The dealer probably doesn't realize the navi version isn't the base model, that's all, plus he included the destination charge.

Dont buy the car there. My dealer tells me msrp will go up about $400 across the board on all civics. Go with the $500 increase if it makes you feel better. And never pay msrp for any car from a thug dealer. Im glad I have a honest dealer that only charges $364 above invoice on any car honda makes. I cant beleive folks pay what amounts to list price for cars. Hybrid or otherwise. If I did that with my boilers, pumps, chillers, cooling towers and such I would never sell a thing. And would likely get asulted when I least expected it for trying to rip somebody off.

I love the look and specs of the '06 but I'm increasingly glad I bought my '05 in April when I did. Not only have I saved big time over the past 5 months, but I looked at mine, test drove it, and drive it off the lot in the span of about 2 hours. None of this down-payment wait-listing silliness.

Thanks for the info, psyshack. I suspect that this particular dealer is speaking out of the wrong hole.

You're lucky to have such a good Dealer in OK. Has anyone had a good experience eith a Honda Dealer in the Mid-Atlantic region?

Welcome to Economics 101 and the law of supply and demand. The dealer is perfectly within his rights to charge whatever he thinks the market will bear. Thanks to the soaring cost of gas, demand for hybrids far exceeds supply and will do so UFN. So there's little incentive to offer discounts. Case in point: I bought my HCH on 3/31 via the Internet at a decent discount to MSRP. The next day, that dealer dropped all discounts and started charging full MSRP. And according to the salesman I worked with, hybrids are still selling like hotcakes there.

At least I was able to get an HCH. Not only did no dealer in these parts have a Prius to test-drive, they all had waiting lists as much as 9 months long. One dealer did have a 1-year-old Prius, but they wanted more for it than the new HCH I ultimately bought.

When the Mazda Miata first came out, people were so desperate to own one that they were willing to wait several months and pay several thousand dollars over MSRP.

I bought my Insight exactly five years ago today.

Including air conditioning (a MUST in Texas), it was $23,000. Considering the passage of five years and the doubling of the price of gas, $24,000 for a five-seater does not sound bad. Let's not forget the hybrid improvements.

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

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www.cleanmpg.com

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