Squeeze a thousand easily. I bought a pilot, walked in told them what I was going to pay (after doing a lot of research). Tried to start the bullshit. I told them I was buying a car that day and there were 4 other dealers within an hour's drive and if at the end of the day I had to pay their price at the fifth dealer and it cost me a tank of gas on top of it, so be it. They hit my bid 3 minutes later.

Depends on the are, but around here you’d pay under invoice. On a 42k pilot I paid 34.6 with no negotiation.

Whoa! That's way more room for price than I ever would have guessed. Was that the Touring? How do you like it?

I feel the same way about the new CR-V as you. The new Pilot just does not do it for me.

I bet you have some room, but with the CR-V being brand new maybe not as much as normal. It seems like the discounts get higher as a body style gets older.

drn92

It’s nice. Gas mileage sucks, way less convenient with kids than a van would be. It’s a 2011 Touring. So it was a while ago, but I also bought a Fit for a commuter the first year the new one came out 2015, for 15.x when the sticker was 18.x.

I recently looked at Odesseys, and it was similar, but we’re just going to run the pilot into the ground. As an aside when we were in VT it was much closer to msrp, so competition is your friend.

I had a choice between the CR-V and Toyota Rav-4 and will be going with the Toyota.

I'm buying it in a few weeks so would also be interested in how much I can try to get off the price.

Why limited to those 2 choices?

Negotiable margin should be 7-8% at retail, make sure all applicable consumer rebates are applied first... and don't get pirated on your trade in...

Did you look at the Mazda CX-5? You should...

Mazda looks nice but I am wary of the long term reliability. Especially vs Honda, where my n=1 has been very good.

drn92

That's fair. Mazda has come a long way in terms of quality, durability and reliability. I'll also say that Honda isn't the car company it once was...

Full disclosure: I work with Mazda as a training ambassador....

I had a choice between the CR-V and Toyota Rav-4 and will be going with the Toyota.


I'm buying it in a few weeks so would also be interested in how much I can try to get off the price.


Why limited to those 2 choices?

Those weren't my original choices, just my last 2.

Seriously, though, did you look at the CX-5?

Fair enough. My dad had a '79 RX-7 Limited Edition that was an awesome car in it's day. I always thought the RX-8 was sweet.

I'll definitely look at the Mazda's when we are in the market, but we've gone through several Hondas (Accords and Pilots) and for the most part they have been bulletproof (scheduled maintenance and not an issue over 10's of thousands of miles). Compared to my two Jeep Cherokees it was night and day, and also compared to a Taurus and a Highlander.

I'd also prefer a CX-7. The 5 is too small and the 9 is too big for me.

drn92

Check http://www.truecar.com they seem to be pretty accurate with pricing.

Cool!

Seriously, though, did you look at the CX-5?

I did look at it but there are other reasons for not picking it.

There is no dealer anywhere close to where I will live and there is a Honda and Toyota one very close. The owner of the Toyota dealer is a family friend and has provided very good service over the years. My brother in law is a mechanic and is a big supporter of the Toyota cars so for those reasons I chose the Rav4.

There is (almost) always room, anywhere from a couple hundred to 10's of thousands. It all depends.

First off: MSRP or sticker, absolutely ridiculous number, unless you are trying to buy a super in demand car 911 GT3 RS, Ford GT, etc. Ignore sticker, don't let the negotiation start, or even involve this number.

Invoice: Closer. This number isn't what it sounds like. It is not what the dealer paid for the car. Many/most people will pay "below invoice". Obviously, this would not be possible if that was what the dealer actually paid.

What you need to find out is what, if any/ rebates, or other discounts the manufacturer is offering. These can be several thousand dollars each, and there can be multiple on some cars if they are trying to get rid of them.

Finally, there is always dealer hold back, and marketing support (or something like that), that the dealer can dip into if they want to make a deal. This is the last line of profit for them, if a knowledgeable customer comes in with all the rebate info etc. If they want to move a particular car (it's been on the lot for weeks/months), or they want to hit some monthly number etc., they may cut a little more out to keep you from walking out.

So, best case scenario: a car that isn't selling well so has a lot of rebates, and incentives, that's been sitting on the lot costing the dealer interest: MSRP: 35k, invoice $30k, you could drive away at $20-$25k.

Worst case scenario: a popular car that is in short supply, and other people coming in right behind you: $32-$33k.

So, find out about rebates, incentives. That's how far under invoice you should be able to get.

We have been over this before. Your doing it wrong. Don't talk to anyone at the dealership.

Once you know what you want, shoot an email out to the 5 closest dealerships (or more if you live a a major metro area). They typically have a manager in charge of internet sales and that is the person you want to send the email to. If you also have access to a broker service like Costco or a credit union, use them to. Then take the lowest price you get and send the email out again and ask if they can beat that price. You might have to actually talk to some of them on the phone because they may not want to put out anything into an email, but that beats going to sit in the dealership.

Once you have a good price, go to that dealer. If they start to try to change the deal in anyway, then let them know the guy 5 miles away has the same car for the same price and you just went to them to save a bit on gas.

Two other tricks. First, start this whole process on the last week of the month so you can help them hit a monthly sales quota. Second, find out what standard options packages the dealers are carrying on their lots. If you ask for something not in their standard packages, you will end up wasting time and money.

Well the Ridgeline is in no way, shape, or form a truck so don't worry about "needing a truck".

First, I love your name :) "You better be sick, dead, or mute A-A-Ron."

Not so much about needing a truck to haul heavy stuff but needing a truck to haul "bulky" stuff.