Buying an I2 in SoCal...

tdp · 11-19-2009, 09:57 PM

Hello, I've been lurking and reading the forum a bit, but this is my first post. I'm in the market for a car. I'm looking very hard at the Civic Hybrid and the Insight, but I'm considering non hybrid cars like a Jetta TDI wagon or a mazda 3 wagon.

I drove an 09 CH about a year ago, but put off buying a car then. I haven't driven an Insight yet, but plan to this weekend.

I ideally would like to purchase a car next March or April, but in an effort to get the Sales tax write off of my income taxes, I'll pull the trigger now if I find an agreeable deal.

I am a Costco member and applied online for pricing on an EX w/ Nav and went into the dealership. I read the "What did you pay for your I2" thread to get an idea of what I'd see and was shocked to see the "discount" Costco price was $500 over MSRP.

In an effort to fact check that dealer, I changed the zip they ask for and got another dealership in Whittier. I'm going to head down on Sunday to check their price.

Here was their breakdown:

Pre - Invoice price - $21,790.11 - This is inline with that pricing thread, or close to it.
Destination - $710
HDAG - $217.90 Supposed SoCal Honda advertising fee for all SoCal dealerships
What they say is their Invoice price - $22718.01
MSRP - $23,100
Costco Price - $23,518
Out the Door - $26,237

23,518 x 1.0975 should have been 25,811, not 26,237. Not sure where that $426 came from.

Now, I know there's an advertising fee in some regions that is non-negotiable (SouthEast US Toyota dealers, I think ) but I'd never heard of one in Southern California.

So what I'm looking for is a breakdown of fees for an Insight sold here in SoCal recently. [LIST][*]Tax wise - I'm looking at 9.75% if sold in LA County, and 8.75% if sold in Orange County? Or do they calculate by where you live, not where the car was bought?[*]Destination - the dealer yesterday quoted $710 on destination, the thread here says $670 but honda.com says $710, so it must have gone up. [*] I'm guessing that HDAG advertising fee is bogus, but I want to make sure here.

I plan to follow the directions laid out in the here but I need to get all my ducks in a row and make sure I make a reasonable offer and take into account all the variables.

Thanks for any help or insight

you can offer .

8thcivic · 12-14-2009, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdp

Hello, I've been lurking and reading the forum a bit, but this is my first post. I'm in the market for a car. I'm looking very hard at the Civic Hybrid and the Insight, but I'm considering non hybrid cars like a Jetta TDI wagon or a mazda 3 wagon.

I drove an 09 CH about a year ago, but put off buying a car then. I haven't driven an Insight yet, but plan to this weekend.

I ideally would like to purchase a car next March or April, but in an effort to get the Sales tax write off of my income taxes, I'll pull the trigger now if I find an agreeable deal.

I am a Costco member and applied online for pricing on an EX w/ Nav and went into the dealership. I read the "What did you pay for your I2" thread to get an idea of what I'd see and was shocked to see the "discount" Costco price was $500 over MSRP.

In an effort to fact check that dealer, I changed the zip they ask for and got another dealership in Whittier. I'm going to head down on Sunday to check their price.

Here was their breakdown:

Pre - Invoice price - $21,790.11 - This is inline with that pricing thread, or close to it.
Destination - $710
HDAG - $217.90 Supposed SoCal Honda advertising fee for all SoCal dealerships
What they say is their Invoice price - $22718.01
MSRP - $23,100
Costco Price - $23,518
Out the Door - $26,237

23,518 x 1.0975 should have been 25,811, not 26,237. Not sure where that $426 came from.

Now, I know there's an advertising fee in some regions that is non-negotiable (SouthEast US Toyota dealers, I think ) but I'd never heard of one in Southern California.

So what I'm looking for is a breakdown of fees for an Insight sold here in SoCal recently. [LIST][*]Tax wise - I'm looking at 9.75% if sold in LA County, and 8.75% if sold in Orange County? Or do they calculate by where you live, not where the car was bought?[*]Destination - the dealer yesterday quoted $710 on destination, the thread here says $670 but honda.com says $710, so it must have gone up. [*] I'm guessing that HDAG advertising fee is bogus, but I want to make sure here.

I plan to follow the directions laid out in the here but I need to get all my ducks in a row and make sure I make a reasonable offer and take into account all the variables.

Thanks for any help or insight

you can offer .

so did you get one?

Piano Tuner · 12-14-2009, 11:04 AM

Around 6 months ago I paid $1500 below MSRP (cash, no trade in) EX, no NAV.
No extras.
The NAV model has a higher profit margin so I'd only pay $1800 or so below MSRP.

See link.
How much to pay for your 2010 Insight

tdp · 12-14-2009, 12:39 PM

I didn't get an Insight. I loved the car, or the concept of it until I drove it. I didn't like the small feel of it, the blindspots, and the small backseat. I did like the new IMA system, with the color feedback. I expect it'll make it to the next civic hybrid and the CRZ.

If I had the money, I'd have bought the Fusion hybrid. Absolutely floored when I drove it. Quite impressed with it. Granted it was 10k more than the Insight, but you get quite a bit for that money.

I bought a 2008 magnetic pearl civic hybrid with XM and Nav, 1.5 years of warranty left and only 13.5K miles on it, plus the previous owner paid the XM bill through December, so I've got a month of XM free. I love the car, especially that I got it for 18k.

Thanks for the info though Piano Tuner