I'm working with CarsDirect.com to buy an '06 HCH now. They quoted me $21915 for Taffeta White (couldn't find a silver or galaxy gray) w/out NAV including destination charge (not including doc fees). The stickler is trying to get rid of my 2005 Pilot EX/L first - obviously dealers aren't willing to bargain much when the hybrid is involved.

I'm just wondering if it's worth waiting for the 2007 model HCH? Are there any tips on when they'll be released and does anyone have any idea if the 2006's will be dropped in price at all? I'm guessing if they are, it won't be much based on demand.

cheers / jf

 

JoeFuture - Honda generally releases info about a carryover model anywhere from late July to early September (they're very secretive that way), for a model that will carryover in Sept-Oct.

If you wanted blue interior (silver has this), it *might* be worth waiting to see if they redo the door trim cloth in blue, vs. the ivory that's there now. Other than that, don't expect major changes in the car, the 1st year of carryover. Honda's on track to sell over 200K Civics, so for '07, there won't be much demand to 'fix what ain't broke'. *Maybe* another exterior color choice on the Hybrid, as Honda did with the '06 Accord Hybrid ?

As an aside, I would have loved to have seen this car in Fiji Blue / Gray, but that's reserved for Si's only this year, sadly.

As far as price discounting - your best bet is to go to a region where the cars aren't 'hot'. For awhile, there was a dealer in OK that was selling for MSRP - $1500. Some people on this site have purchased cars there.
With gas prices on the rise for summer, this is NOT the time for discounting a hybrid. That time is during the winter - say, January - but not this year, because the HCH-2 was released so short of a time before that.

You should still be able to get the full $2300 tax credit if you get an '07, especially early in the model run. And it comes to mind that if you find a dealer with an '06 on the lot when the '07s come out - you should be able to deal a little bit there, too - especially if the car's been on the dealer's floorplan a little while.

I see your Pilot is an '05 - you're in a similar situation to me, when I got rid of my Accord Hybrid. My best deal was at the dealer I bought the Accord (& Civic) from. If you're not sour on that dealer, see what they have to say - the prospect of selling 2 cars to a person in a year's time can be an enticement for them, to the point that they'll work with you on the trade.

 

Info on the '07 is rather scarce, which isn't surprising considering it's only April. The best reason I can think of for holding off is that being an '05, your Pilot is still within warranty (unless you're a mad miles driver), and will hold its resale value much better than most domestics. You'll also get the advantage of us '06 owners finding and stomping on the various bugs (the 63 mile reset being the most notorious) before the '07 gets released. If we're lucky, Honda may also incorporate some of the suggestions we've made in the two wish-list threads.

 

Given that the MSRP for the HCH II just increased by 300 dollars less than 30 days ago ( car manufacture date), I doubt the 2006 MSRP will go down.

 

Thanks folks. The dealer I bought my Pilot from only offered me a $500 break from MSRP on the Civic, but they have none in stock (and the next 5 they get are already spoken for - regardless of color apparently). That may just be their way of saying they're not interested in the Pilot though I'm told the '06 Pilot has a $1000 dealer incentive, which is lowering the value of '05s which are now selling new for about $1000 over my lease payoff.

So I'm ok with the $21915 price through CarsDirect I guess. Based on my calculations, if I do a 4 year loan purchase, I'll end up paying about the same for buying the Civic for the next 4 years as I would leasing the Pilot and then buying it after the lease on a 4 year loan. It's that 5th year where the huge savings comes in I don't really have an idea of how the Pilot will keep its value with gas going up and hidden incentives (KBB says I should get an even trade from the dealer, but of course that's not reality). So I think I'll keep moving forward to see what I can end up with. I should hear back on Monday if the dealer's willing to get closer to my lease payoff amount if I put a little more down and wiggle on color choice a bit .

Thanks for the help!

Re: the 63 bug.... Has Honda acknowledged this? Is there any workaround/fix for it, or if you get one, you're just stuck with it?

 

More of the earlier cars (before #6000) had the bug - Honda found the cause and is updating the cars now through a TSB campaign. Any car that's built from this point out shouldn't have the bug.

Good luck with your negotiations. And I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the next 5 are spoken for at your dealer (unless you're in, say, Utah, which has the lowest gas prices in the country right now).

 

The VINs with the 63 mile bug were identified in an earlier thread and ended with the last number somewhere in the 10,000s I believe. The fix is already out. My car, VIN in the 13000s, clearly doesnt have that bug.

I think carsdirect.com and costco type car purchasing makes good sense with this particular vehicle.