Any Americans buy a new Vehicle from Honda?

[Draug]

Hey there,

I was wondering if any of you living the US have purchased a new vehicle from Honda recently.

Up here in Calgary, the Honda dealerships seem unwilling to haggle on price at all. One even went as far to say it was a policy.

In the US, do they haggle on price?

I am doing some preliminary research to price a Pilot in Canada, and in the US. It might be worth buying one from States instead of one locally. Granted, Honda Canada wont honor the warranty, but, if the savings are drastic enough that doesnt matter.

Any info on the sales process at American Honda dealers is welcome.

Thanks!

[Incinerator]

Which dealer did you go to?

[Hack&Lube]

Are you sure Honda Canada wouldn't honor the warranty? I think I read lots of stories online about people going to the U.S. to buy vehicles and saving 6-10K.

There was a big thread on redflagdeals.com at one point

[Burninator]

I wasn't able to haggle with my Mazda 3 here in Calgary. They were too popular. If I wasn't going to buy it then the next person who walked through the door would. Not much motivation for them to lower the price when they practically sell themselves.

[Felgar]

I got the same line at Mazda too. I believe them though, because they knew with me that they were about to lose their sale. It was clear that the salesman tried everything he could to close but was restricted by his manager who doesn't really care who sells the car if he knows it'll sell. In the end I utilized their 1st payment promo for the full 1K, and I was also able to get all my dealer extras at a reduced cost, but that's it. They never moved on price at all, even though their price was above the MSRP retrieved from Mazda Canada's web page.

I priced my car out in Saskatchewan and was prepared to buy one there but the Calgary dealer moved just enough on the options to make the drive not worth it. Prior to those reductions I could have saved about $1100 by going to Saskatoon. Saskatoon has a policy where they give dealer extras at cost too without haggle, which is nice. I highly recommend everyone at least check a quote from Saskatoon before caving into the Calgary dealers.

[Draug]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Are you sure Honda Canada wouldn't honor the warranty? I think I read lots of stories online about people going to the U.S. to buy vehicles and saving 6-10K.

There was a big thread on redflagdeals.com at one point

Yeah, I am sure. I have been following that thread, and some of those people have it in writing that Honda Canada wont honor the US warranty, and that Honda USA wont honor the Canadian warranty.

[arsenal]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Are you sure Honda Canada wouldn't honor the warranty? I think I read lots of stories online about people going to the U.S. to buy vehicles and saving 6-10K.

There was a big thread on redflagdeals.com at one point

It really all depends on the price of the vehicle.
To try it for yourself, just do a few things.
1) Go to the car manufacturers US and Canadian home pages.
2) Build / Price out the vehicle you are interested in on the US site.
3) Go to http://www.xe.com (website for converting currencies). Convert the US price to Canadian dollars. Compare that price with what the Candian dealerships are telling you.

I have found that certain vehicles are a good $10K cheaper in the US as compared to Canada. One in particular is the Subaru WRX STI, which sells for $30,000 US and $50,000 CDN.
The other thing you have to consider is if you do purchase from the states, you will have to pay taxes and duty on the vehicle when you bring it accross the boarder. Still, even with that, you are looking at around $6000 savings.
That may be alot less for vehicles that are of a lower price. I haven't tried it with honda's or Mazda's though.

And when you consider the current USD to CDN exchange rate, it almost seems a no brainer. If you do want a new vehicle, go to the states and buy one, you will save a tonne of cash.

Update:
Did it quick. Based on starting (no options) MSRP prices on the US and Canadian Subaru sites:
US Subaru WRX STI Limited Edition: Starting $33,495 USD
CDN Subaru WRX STI: Starting $48,995 CDN
The USD converted to CDN (using today's conversion rate) is: 35,615.48
For a savings of $13379.52

[Ironhorse]

Also, don't forget that any vehicle imported may have to be converted to comply with Canadian standards (daytime running lights, metric capable speedometer), which typically has to be done at a dealer; costs will vary depending on what has to be done, and how easy it can be changed.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by fotze

They told you that too eh? They also told me the white one of the model I was looking at was the only one they were getting for the next 3 months because of the popularity, then when I came back 3 days later there were 9 more of the car in various colours. Moral is, they will lie about things that don't even occur to you that they would lie about.

Actually I read about it in the Lemon Aid guide and I think somewhere else online. When I brought up lowering the price to the salesmen he gave me this long winded speech about how Mazda doesn't haggle because they already set the lowest prices. Actually I got the same speech from two different salesmen. So either they are telling the truth or sharing the same lie. But it didn't really matter, because he wasn't going to lower the price anyways.

Originally Posted by Felgar

They never moved on price at all, even though their price was above the MSRP retrieved from Mazda Canada's web page.

That's weird, mine was pretty much on par with what Mazda's website was giving me as a price.

[Draug]

Yeah, Ironhorse and Aresenal, there are a few things to consider when importing. I've done that research already. Subaru's are the best, IMO, to bring over. They already have DRL's and a metic labelled speedo. Being made in NA, Duty does not apply to them either.

But, I am also considering a Honda.... and really was just wondering how much the Honda dealerships in the US haggle. Anyone know?

[Felgar]

Originally Posted by Burninator

That's weird, mine was pretty much on par with what Mazda's website was giving me as a price.

Probably varies depending on the car model...

Sorry to hijack the thread Draug.

[FCAV]

The Mazda dealership in GP was willing to haggle. Now if only they realized which car they were originally negotiating on...

[CRXguy]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

Also, don't forget that any vehicle imported may have to be converted to comply with Canadian standards (daytime running lights, metric capable speedometer), which typically has to be done at a dealer; costs will vary depending on what has to be done, and how easy it can be changed.

Subaru's and GM have DRL's as standard equipment in the U.S. for a while now. I think a few other manufacturers are following as well, although I don't know specifically.

Subaru of Canada and U.S. will honor the warranty on both sides. A couple of local guys here have gone through the whole process with no problems. I honestly don't care about warranty with the savings you'll have importing your own car.

I forgot to add, you'll be paying invoice price of the car. It's a piece of cake down there.

[photon]

I've been looking at importing an Infiniti or Audi.. Infiniti the savings might not be enough to make it worth while, but some of the Audis, especially the A3, it can make the difference between getting a base model and a fully decked out one for the same $$.

Even a used one might work. There are some places that will go inspect a car for you wherever it is. And $1500-$2000 to get a car shipped up here.

[Hack&Lube]

Going to another dealership does help...at least it will show you what salesmen are lying if their stories are different. I rememer when my parents bought their new Civic, one young guy at one Honda dealership quoted an inflated price. When they went to another dealership, the guy there quoted them the correct lower price.

[Drunk Skunk]

A friend of mine bought a brand new Civic Si in 2006, and I was with him. He was able to talk to the sales manager and ended up getting about $3,000 off the price, and an extra $1,500 for his trade in.

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

Also, don't forget that any vehicle imported may have to be converted to comply with Canadian standards (daytime running lights, metric capable speedometer), which typically has to be done at a dealer; costs will vary depending on what has to be done, and how easy it can be changed.

I don't know that any US cars nowadays don't have metric speedometers. One of my cars is an '81 Mercury, and even it has the metric conversion chart on the inside ring of the speedometer.

Are there vehicle inspections in Canada?

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by CRXguy

Subaru's and GM have DRL's as standard equipment in the U.S. for a while now. I think a few other manufacturers are following as well, although I don't know specifically.

I know, for a lot of cars, the DRL feature is either already there or is an option within the car's ECU that the dealer turns on. But a dealer will likely charge you $$ for that service.

Originally Posted by photon

I've been looking at importing an Infiniti or Audi.. Infiniti the savings might not be enough to make it worth while, but some of the Audis, especially the A3, it can make the difference between getting a base model and a fully decked out one for the same $$.

Make sure that you check to see where the car was made. If the Audi was made in Germany (or the Infinity in Japan), you'll be paying another 6.4(?)% import duty due to the car not being built in Canada/USA/Mexico under the NAFTA agreement. Just saying to do your homework so that there are no surprises.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Drunk Skunk

I don't know that any US cars nowadays don't have metric speedometers. One of my cars is an '81 Mercury, and even it has the metric conversion chart on the inside ring of the speedometer.

Are there vehicle inspections in Canada?

Also, the new Hondas with the digital speedometer have a button you can press that just changes from kph to mph.

Yes there are vehicle inspections. There's a lot of paperwork and an inspection and some modifications (DRL) to go through depending on the car but people have done it.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

Make sure that you check to see where the car was made. If the Audi was made in Germany (or the Infinity in Japan), you'll be paying another 6.4(?)% import duty due to the car not being built in Canada/USA/Mexico under the NAFTA agreement. Just saying to do your homework so that there are no surprises.

Yeah, unfortunately all the cars I want aren't made in the US But even with that it still makes sense for some cars.

[Draug]

Originally Posted by photon

I've been looking at importing an Infiniti or Audi.. Infiniti the savings might not be enough to make it worth while, but some of the Audis, especially the A3, it can make the difference between getting a base model and a fully decked out one for the same $$.

I checked out most of the Audi line as well. The one that I found the biggest savings on were the S4 Wagons. I almost went for one, but couldnt stomach the idea of my Toddler daughter spilling ice cream all over the leather Recarro seats!

I compared MSRP of the S4 Wagon from the US to one from Canada, with both of them being equipped the same. In Canada, I would have been billed $76150, including GST and fees. In the US, I would have to pay $57687 Cdn, including recent exchange rate, GST, Duty, and Destination Fees. Montana and Oregon have no sales tax, but being out of state you should never have to pay it anyway. In a nutshell, you can save $18462, or 24%, by buying a 2007 S4 Wagon in the US over Canada. The A4, on the other hand, provides only a 18% savings, or $10079.

The savings were there for the S4... but it is just too nice of a car for me to use as a Family Truckster. Photon, if you do get one, we'll have to get together so you can give me a ride in it!

It looks more and more like I will be going with a Subaru. I will know more when the dealer contacts me in the morning.