I live in the San Francisco bay area, and it seems like most dealers here are charging anywhere from 2000 to 4000(!) over MSRP for the '06 HCH w/NAVi. Here's what I've found:

Capitol Honda: MSRP+3000 (sales mgr)
South Bay Honda: MSRP+2500 (sales mgr)
Honda of Stevens Creek: MSRP+3000 (salesman)
AutoWest Honda: MSRP+4000 (email quote)
Larry Hopkins Honda: MSRP (I put down a $500 deposit here, but I don't have the MSRP offer in writing, now I'm worried they will see what everyone else is doing and jack it up)
Anderson Honda: Got an online quote for MSRP, but it was emailed to me while I was on my honeymoon Once I got back, the offer had 'expired'. Now they won't give me a new price or take my deposit until they get more info on their next allocation (all the HCH's in their first allocation are already sold)

Is this typical of what others are seeing? Anyone else in the SF bay area with different info? I may just wait until the inital rush is over and they go back to MSRP, but it seems like (from this forum and vtec.net) plenty of people are getting MSRP, or even LESS than MSRP! Am I just not using the magic handshake???

The guy at South Bay tried to tell me that NO dealer will be selling for less than 2k over MSRP, and that ALL dealers are only getting 2 at a time, so I could be in for a long wait. He also said that Honda is only making about 75,000 HCHs (I thought it was more like 250k?)

thanks!

Bullshit.

Bullshit.

For a list of LA or San Diego dealers selling for MSRP (allegedly), check out this post. A 6-hour trip to LA is not what I would consider a big deal to buy a car. Beats the hell out of $2000 markup. Even some of the dealers I've contacted that aren't on that list are just asking $1000 markup. I refuse to pay markup but even that would be better than what you're getting.

Of course it sounds like you haven't even looked at San Jose or Sacramento or Fresno or a host of other places. Someone is bound to be selling for MSRP, you just have to find them.

As for the "2 at a time" thing, literally every San Diego dealer I've spoken with is getting 5-6 cars in the initial allocation.

South bay guy sounds like he is lying. Dealers get an alotment based on how many cars they sell. High volume dealers will get more than low volume. Maybe he ment that the average will be 2 per dealer. I think the reason you are getting higher prices is that gas is more expensive in CA than elsewhere (for the most part) So the dealers still have a lot of people expressing interest in the cars. Just keep looking round.

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Thanks for the info and the link. These are all dealers in the San Jose area (SJ, Sunnyvale, Los Gatos, Fremont, Santa Clara). I guess I need to start branching out.

I think that guy was just a slime. I told him that I heard that some dealers are getting as many as 10 at a time and he just shrugged and said, "I hope they are". I wonder if the dealers are also starting to take advantage of the "HOV stickers running out" fear here in CA.

I had the same problem in my area with my 2003. 4 local delers all wanted 2-3K above sticker. All I had to do was find a dealer within a reasonable drive (for me, I found one 100 miles a way) that did not have the markup. All I did was go to my closest dealer and say for 2K I'll drive 100 miles to the other dealership, so if you want to make a sale we're not going to even discuss the markup. I still paid MSRP :-) but it took the markup off the table. Granted, you may not find anyone selling an 06 without a markup, but all you need is one....Good Luck!

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I certainly ordered mine (In Durham NC) for MSRP from the factory, no problems. I'm thinking that for that extra 3 or 4 grand, you could fly out to Boise and pick one up there at list price, then have a nice vacation on the way back, with the extra money

Don't bother buying a hybrid in the Bay Area. It's famous for being liberal and dealers know they can price-gouge.

Try LA, Bakersfield, or Fresno.... www.autoland.com

Do *NOT* pay over MSRP.

Thanks for the great advice everyone. Never in my life have I driven 100 miles to buy a car, but there's a first time for everything!

I just submitted online quote requests to a bunch of Honda dealers in the Sacramento area. I'll report back on the results.

Um, what does being liberal have to do with price gouging? If you mean that people are "green' then yes, there's probably more demand from environmentally conscious people in the Bay Area than in many other areas.

The other factor is the HOV stickers. Even if those aren't running out, people who are stuck in traffic every day would really love a car with a sticker. My wife saves an hour in commute time every day in her Toyota RAV4 EV (electric vehicle).

I've talked to several Bay Area dealers (San francisco, Dublin, El Cerrito, Berkeley, Concord). All except Berkeley said they will sell for MSRP, although I don't have a closed deal with any of them yet because I want to get the car in January. If I have to wait till Feb, that's okay too, but I'm not going to pay more than MSRP.

2006 HCH Alabaster Silver w/Navi
2003 Honda Accord LX