Rated 10
Buying a 2011 Honda Odyssey, and saving $2500 off of MSRP.
Visit a few dealerships to get a feel for their willingness to negotiate and make a deal with you. Choose a rep who is knowledegeable i.e. ask them questions about features of the car (e.g. fuel economy, cost of an oil change, make and model of tires, etc.) to "test" them on how well they know their product. Try to purchase close to month end as dealerships are more willing to close the sale to make their quotas - even the manager reminded us to close our potential deal before month end as he had to send in his reports to Honda Canada. Look at creative ways to bring the price down e.g. throw in accessories (like rubber car mats) or free oil changes for just a few more dollars. Wholesale price report was helpful to have starting point - rep knew what I was talking about when I asked him what his margin was. Using the Wholesale Price Report, I started negotiation at wholesale+3%.
Gina from Vancouver, BC
reported on Friday, September 02, 2011