Need more advise!

[HondCivc91]

Alright, I kinda got tired of the other post and it's becoming hidden especially with the new info I have.

I went out shopping, drove an hour today to another dealer who has a 2003 VBP 18k miles on it. They were asking $17.6 for it, and just over the phone they brought it down to $16.2

Went there today and they lowered the price from $16.2 to $15.5 almost no effort whatsoever. I told them it was a good price but it could be better .. I mean afterall it's probably worth around $14

Told them I'd think about it and if they came up with something better to give me a call. I also told them the price they give me is bearing on whether or not my mom (who is purcahsing an Accord at the same time) will also do business with them.

Any suggestions? What do you guys think I can get them down to? I was hoping maybe $14.5 after it sits on the lot a couple more weeks but even if they come down to $15 I think I would be please.

Thanks in advance!

[Tenacious G]

i would pay no more than $14K for it. my car is an 02 with 19K miles. for shits and giggles, i went to www.edmunds.com and checked out what it's worth. dealer trade-in is only $11.5K and dealer retail was around $13K-$14K.

check out that site as it can adjust the price based on where you live.

[mdoyle]

I wouldn't pay anymore than 14k either. I just picked up my 02 with 24k miles for 12.3k from a dealer.

[EvilSlvRCiViC]

put your foot down - dont pay anything over 14k (tax included) i got mine with 29 miles an 03 as a left over and i paid 17,300.00 i think i could have done better but i was excited and didnt think at the time i just bought it. got no extra goodies nothing-- and push for free Lojack - you can get it. any accessories!! good luck

[Jay H]

Another option (if you've run out of options) is to bring in a cashier's check made out to the dealership for what you want to pay for the car ($14,000 or whatever). Tell them casually you'll give them another check for tax, title and license if the deal goes through. Sometimes it helps to lay it out in front of them in plain view and skip the game. I've done this once in the past and it's fun to watch them scurry around checking their numbers. I low balled a dealer at month end on a past car I bought with this tactic and it worked. Money talks.

I agree with others that $14k might be a max to pay on this car, though it might be worth a bit more ($500-750?) if this is the same car you mentioned on your other post with the Honda Certification...

That certification probably costs them a few hours in labor to inspect, but it can't cost all that much. The most laughable "Honda Certified" car that I saw was an '03 Si with an after market exhaust literally hanging off the back of the car (which banged on the under carriage while test driving it since it didn't have any hanger brackets in the rear of the exhaust) and the shifter boot & shift knob were all mangled. Stunk of smoke and the paint looked like it was attacked with a wire brush. They definitely didn't spend any money "certifying" that car based on it's condition.

Good luck,

Jay
03 Si

[EP-Three]

ok, I asked before but I think people thought I was joking. I really don't know the meaning of "VBP", can anyone shed some light on that for me? tia

[Jay H]

VBP= Vivid Blue Pearl

[EP-Three]

oh..... ok, thanx

[HondCivc91]

Jay, thanks again for the awesome advise. I've never thought about that but if I did walk their with a cashier's check I would imagine ANY dealer would start scurrying. I'm gonna sit on it for a while. I have a feeling since the car was on the lot for only three days they're iffy on a low-ball price right away which I don't blame them. They're hoping someone else will come uneducated and buy it at $17.6 - and yes this is the same one that I mentioned was Honda Certified. It's actually in excellent condition, absolutley nothing wrong with it and the engine sounded and from what I can see popping the hood looked maintained just by appearence .. unless if they cleaned out the engine bay during prep or soemthing ..

I'm a firm believer that if it's meant to be, it'll all happen. I'm going to sit on it for a week or two. If it's still there, I'll go with a cashiers check made out to $14 and wave it in their face. If not, like I said, I'm probably gonna go with an '04 Civic Coupe. I've been getting great prices on those probably because they have craploads of them wherever I go. As much as I'd like to be able to wait for another used Si (if this particular one sells), I can't wait around forever. I want to sell my Civic now and get into something new before the summer comes to a wrap.

Thanks again for the advice, especially Jay. If anything new happens I'll be sure to post :)

PS - If I did happen to buy a Civic EX Coupe 5spd would ya' guys still love me?!?! :D

[civic hatch boi]

honestly, i woudln't buy a used car. might as well get a new 2k3 or 2k4. that's imo.

[HondCivc91]

After posting I went on edmunds and configured out what the retail price should be, what I should start negotiating at. I put in the miles, 18,141 ... color, condition, certified pre-owned and it came out with a price of...

16.2 - dealer retail - what I should begin to negotiate at
13.7 - private party
12-6 - dealer tradein

Hmm ... I dunno. If I can get them to $14.5 I'll be more than happy. I doubt they'll come down to $14 even with cashiers check but who knows, it's worth a shot. It's a shame I'm working the next 7 days in a row - I can't go and work them some more :'(

Thanks again!

[HondCivc91]

Originally posted by civic hatch boi
honestly, i woudln't buy a used car. might as well get a new 2k3 or 2k4. that's imo.

My budge seriously can't afford a brand new EP tho ... if you had to buy new but only could afford a Civic EX coupe new (and desperatley needed a new car) would you still do it?

[mdoyle]

You don't neccesarily need to go in with the cashiers check. Just tell them flat out, 14.5k out the door cash. If they say no, walk away. If they have your number, they will call you back.

[SLOazzEPhatch]

Originally posted by mdoyle
I wouldn't pay anymore than 14k either. I just picked up my 02 with 24k miles for 12.3k from a dealer.

there are a bunch around here for sale. of course here is no where close to you. On a couple different occasions i have seen 02's go for about 11-13K.

and PS


SSM-satin silver metallic
VBP-vivid blue pearl
NBP-nighthawk black pearl

[Jay H]

Originally posted by mdoyle
You don't neccesarily need to go in with the cashiers check. Just tell them flat out, 14.5k out the door cash. If they say no, walk away. If they have your number, they will call you back.

Yes, I agree that you certainly don't need a cashiers/certified check to make a deal.

Some dealers need it spelled out a little bit more once in awhile. In my situation, the salesman was calling me every fourth day trying to get me to budge on my offer (to come up in price) on the particular car I wanted (and they knew I wanted it). On the last day of the month, I came in with a check for what I wanted to pay and they did the deal. It was just one tactic that worked for me. Car buying is just one big game. Always be in control of the deal and not the other way around.

HondCivc91: I would decide on a price that you feel very comfortable paying for this Si; whether it is $14,000 or $14,500 or $15,000. Then, walk in to that dealership and offer them that amount (telling them you'll buy the car right now and sign the papers immediately) and see what they do. Make sure you are serious about your offer (they may take it!) and your offer is fair to the dealership. If they balk once again after all this haggling that you have already done on this particular car, then you know they are not serious about the offer you gave them and are holding out for more money. Walk out, write this car off and either buy another used Si at another point in time or find an '04 Coupe that you like.

Also, use www.Hondacars.com to find some dealers around you that have on line inventories. There just might be a few 2003 left over models still on dealer lots. I would suspect you could get a price (not including tax, title and license) under $16k for a new car with a few miles on it. It's worth searching a bit. There still is one new 2003 in my area yet about 30 minutes from me, so they do exist.

A final thought: It's been my experience that the numbers on Edmunds.com and Kelly Blue Book are usually quite acurate when it comes to evaluating a trade or buying a car outright. If Edmunds has a trade in value of "X" for this car, then you can be pretty sure that is what they gave the previous owner for this car (whether he/she knew it or not-most people are clueless when it comes to doing the numbers on car buying). Do the math and you can have a rough estimate as to how much money the dealership is making on this particular car (if you bought it at "X" price), especially since they just got it in their inventory.

Again, good luck!

Jay
03 Si