$24K is too high. I would say MSRP should be the max you should pay.

 

Plenty of people ARE paying $3000 or more over MSRP in Los Angeles area.

 

yea they are! they must think i'm a sucker! i'll go ahead and email the dealer you suggested! can you pm me some details like your name for a reference to give to the guy? thanks!

many dealers have also been responding with the fact that they simply do not have the vehicle in stock!

 

I could PM you but he has my name and he'll remember me, since I drove from Los Angeles county and it just happened.

He knows I go by Kenny here, my real name.

 

whoa... i just got a quote for $25,900 for the non-navi model. insane! so far i haven't gotten anything less than $23k from any of the 30 local dealers i emailed. i really want to be out the door for $23,500 or less... is that too much to ask!?

and thanks kenny, i emailed keith. hopefully he can come back with something i want!

 

No, its not too much to ask. No mater what don't give in. Someone will treat you right.

 

Maybe expand your area a bit? I got a quote from Bakersfield for $500 below MSRP a couple of months ago. Basically, the farther you get from the big urban areas, the better the prices get (with a few exceptions, I got mine at MSRP/no addons in the heart of the Bay Area).

 

I gave up looking in the city.

Look in the remote corners of California or in areas with a lower per-capita income where I suspect there will be less demand for hybrids.

 

I just tried Lancaster, Santa Barbara, and Bakersfield Hondas. I'm still waiting to hear back from all three. I keep getting emails from dealers trying to get me down to their dealerships without giving me a price quote in the email... and actually, while I'm here, allow me to step on my soapbox about car dealerships. Ahem:

I absolutely HATE car dealerships and the whole car buying process. Yes I know the dealership is there to make as much money as it can, but for what? For allowing me the pleasure of parking my car in your covered garage for a few days? Nowadays, the car dealer is effectively obsolete, at least for me. Before I head into the dealership I've already done all the work the dealers used to do. I already know all the specifications of the car. I've read countless reviews. I've gotten real world feedback on it from sites like this. I've poured through photos, videos, and virtual test drives. I've done the dealer's work for him at this point!

It's not like I walk into a dealership, ready to buy a car, but don't know which car I want. I mean, I should do that. Find a dealer to torment knowing good and well what the price I'm willing to pay for a certain vehicle is, but go with an empty stare. Tie up a dealer for hours by asking questions about every single model on their lot, test drive each and every single one of them and really make the dealer work for the money he's about to receive. And when he gives me a price I don't like? I'll just walk off the lot.

In short, the dealer isn't working for my business... why should I pay the dealer mark-up!! Grrrrr

 

Response below:

1) At 110hp combined, with a fastest 0 - 60 time of 12.4 seconds, how is it a getting onto the freeway and passing from say 60 - 75?

For normal freeway driving it has slightly more than adequate power. Three days a week I commute 110 miles/day in the LA area on I-10 and 210. Power has never been an issue.

The 0-60 time is a questionable real world statistic that becomes even more problematic with a CVT. 98% of the time, the power is needed outside of a standing start. CVT does just fine delivering that kind of power and a manual shift, for THIS car, is just not needed anymore.

This is not an endorsement for CVT everywhere (I also own an S2000).

2) Did anyone here consider an EX non-hybrid 06 Civic? If you have and test drove both, what were some advantages/disadvantages you noticed?

Never considered one, since this is about HOV for me. Of course, saving the environment factors in as well. Did I say that with a straight face?

3) The HOV stickers, I understand they are being limited? If I were to purchase an 06 HCH before the end of this month, what are the chances of my obtaining one?

From what I have read to this point, you should still be ok for getting the sticker. Someone ran the "math" and I think March would begin to be risky. However, with the new tax credit for the year, demand may pick up.

4) Now, my 03 Element was one of the 1st 20,000 Elements off the line, being a new model and all there were certain things that were fixed in later itterations of the Element. Since the 06 Civics are a whole new generation, have there been any TSBs or annoyances that members here have noticed with their HCH's?

Some, not all, tripometers are recording incorrect average mpg. One would think that is relatively insignificant, and it would be on a "normal" car. But on a hybrid? The average mpg per tank is your "reward" for purchasing the car...

The seats, for me, are extremely uncomfortable for more than 20 minutes. There is way too much lumbar. It's an insane amount actually. I still haven't figured out what to do about it. Will probably take it to an interior shop and have it corrected.

5) I'm in the LA area, can anybody recommend a good dealer? In the So. Cal area, what have members been paying? I see on Edmunds.com that invoice for the standard Hybrid is $20,517 and the Hybrid w/Navi is $21,885.

I counted myself fortunate with purchasing mine at MSRP. Other quotes were above MSRP outside of LA. Of course, Navi seems to be in relatively short supply vs. without Navi. Dealers have told me that maybe 1 out of 8 are Navi.

I appreciate the help guys! And hopefully I'll join your ranks soon![/QUOTE]

Great questions. Usually these come after someone has purchased the car as in, "Did I GET a good price?" oh please, oh please, oh please...


Jesse