Wrong time to buy guys...
I sensed this day coming, closed the deal on a 2008 Silver HCH II w nav - 23.5 OTD in Northern VA. Now I see folks paying 3-4K over that. Let the market settle a bit.

Funny story, my neighbor is a sales guy for Rosner Toyota. As of last weekend, he holds the record for "highest markup" on a sale. Some guy with more money than sense walked in and paid $3800 over sticker on a Highlander hybrid. That's the buying mentality right now...

 

Zoiks. The WSJ just had an article about how higher gas prices are shortening the time to cover the "hybrid premium" on many cars. At $4/gallon, the HCH covers the premium over a regular Civic in ~6 years. The Highlander hybrid, due to a huge premium over the regular engine, takes ~17 years. Guess that buyer will have to keep his a little longer still.

The Boise Honda dealer wants $2550 over MSRP to order a HCH -- that'd buy a lotta gas.

 

Ouch...
That "6 year" statement is also flawed in that it's based on average milage. The more you drive, the quicker you achieve ROI. Those of us who commute 100 miles/day or so will see return on the premium price in less than 3 years...

 

Ouch...
That "6 year" statement is also flawed in that it's based on average milage. The more you drive, the quicker you achieve ROI. Those of us who commute 100 miles/day or so will see return on the premium price in less than 3 years...

 

I just paid $500 over invoice.

2 months ago, I had a verbal agreement at our dealership for $21,809 (08 w/o nav). When I called back, he told me he would honor that price, but only for another 48 hours and only if I put down a $1,000 deposit. So on my deposit check, I wrote on the Memo line: "08 Civic Hybrid: $21,809, $89 doc, plus TTL" That way, the check served as a written contract, especially once it was cashed by the dealership.

Now it is 2 months later, and the car just came in! I added $735 for a C62 Honda Care service plan (72 months, 120,000 miles), and my out the door price is $22,692.

He did say that I was the last person to get a price under sticker, because the demand is so high and will not come down. I'm glad he honored his word.

He was shocked that I specifically asked for the "C62 plan for $735". He asked me how I got that information on the plan name and the cost, since that is their cost. I simply said that the internet is full of customer experiences. I found out about Saccucci Honda's warranties from this site. Thanks!

 

6 months ago, I had good success in bargaining down my 'dealer of choice' (the closest one) by getting on-line quotes from 5 other dealers in the area, then sending them to the dealer I finally bought from; beat the MSRP by a bit, with no hassles (but I got suckered into the wheel locks! Rookie error). In the process, I contacted a couple of the dealers online directly, but I also got multiple quotes from area dealers via the link at Cars.com. At the advice of a friend, I also got quotes via the online broker Carsdirect.com (which also can link quotes from area dealers). The Carsdirect.com quote wasn't quite as good as some of the more competitive bids but still beat the MSRP.

Of course, that was 6 months ago, and times have changed. I was also apparently lucky to have so many dealers within 'striking distance'. But my friend's experience with Carsdirect.com was very positive (though she bought an evil Toyota)-- she had to wait ~7-10 days for delivery, but then had no problems with the car, delivery, or financing. Picked up the car at a her local dealer, where she has warranty service performed (again with no problems). If I hadn't gotten a better price from the dealer, I would have gone this route, but obviously I can't speak from personal experience.

Nevertheless, If your local dealer is giving you such a hard time, I wonder if this might be an option to explore?

P