14 October 2007 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA                                        

 

My 2008 Honda Crave Is Here!

Honda CR-V is not the coolest car in the market today but to me who work doubly hard to be able to afford the comfort of living; this is tantamount to owning the most precious toy in the world.  But again, I had the same giddy feeling when DH first bought my very first car 7.5 years ago; a brand new 2000 Ford Focus ZTS.

I am so glad DH is not into buying a “used” car… not that he can easily afford to pay for the price of a brand new one but the most important thing for him is my safety.  We all know the fact that people, most often than not, sold or trade in their old cars for one common reason: something is wrong with the car.

Anyway, it used to be all I really care was to have a car that would take me from point A to point B.  How I have changed over the years.  Through the years, I developed predilection to Mr.  SUV's and I kept telling DH the second time we buy a new car for me it would definitely be an SUV.  Of course I also have a soft spot with  Mr. BMW X3, Mr. Infiniti FX, Mr. Lexus RX 350 but besides being pricey; they're high maintenance too, so I have basically narrowed down my choices between  the two highly recommended car makers by Consumer Reports: Toyota or Honda and since then I had my eyes set to Toyota Highlander.   However, the moment I sat on it, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the feel of it. It wasn’t comfortable enough for me and I felt very overwhelmed by the size. Thus, DH suggested the mid-size Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V which I took liking at it at first except I didn’t particularly like the ugly looking spare tire flaunted at the rear end door.

Imagine the spark in my face when I first laid my eyes on the new redesigned Honda CR-V parked in front of my office building. Oh my goodness the spare tire at the rear end was gone!  I mumbled to myself, I think you are the one for me.  I'll check on you one of these days ;-) 

My Car Buying Experience

My very first car, 2000 Ford Focus ZTS has only 42,800 miles on it; still in very good running condition but we had replaced the A/C twice in seven years already and spent a fortune to get this and that fixed and replaced after the warranty expires.  I finally got so sick and tired of it and DH had enough of my whining so we both decided it's time to to get a new one.  I have researched the trade-in and suggested retail values listed on different sources and they all consistently giving me an amount between $3,500- $4,000.

So last week of August, DH & I went to Coggin Honda to test drive the CR-V.  While driving, I feel in love with how smooth it rides on the highway. This is the only SUV that is very comfortable and it perfectly fits into my rather petite physique. The good visibility is a big plus besides the gas mileage is relatively good; estimated 22 mpg in the city and 28 on highways that isn’t too bad for an SUV. The other neat features about the CR-V are the new tire-pressure-monitoring system and maintenance minder which would alert me when to have standard service performed. I rarely check tire pressures (do you?) and I often put off or worst forget the every 3,000 miles service maintenance but now I have somebody to rely on ;-)

The only thing I didn’t like with Honda CR-V is it only comes with 4 cylinders but then again I know DH would never compromise with me to buy a 6-cylinder car because he is afraid that would get me in trouble knowing how badly I drive. He gets so worked up with my driving whenever we go somewhere and I am the one behind the wheel.  Asked him how my driving is and he'll tell you these: “She drives 10-15 miles above speed limit, she tailgates, she only yields on STOP signs, and she is always drive on the left lane despite telling her over and over again that the left lane is a passing lane" Ok, I plead guilty but I promised to be good from now on.

Anyway, Coggin Honda first offered me $1,050 to trade in my old Ford Focus.  Say what? Are you kidding me?!?!  After all the haggling and bargaining, going back and forth with the salesman and the sales manager,  the trade-in value was raised to $1,500 then to 2,000 to 2,500 and then to 3,000.  I was told that was their last-offer-no-more-haggle-deal for me. Whoa!!!  DH says he had more fun just by sitting beside me, listening to me and the salesman going back and forth for hours.

Five hours later, DH & I walked out the door without buying the car. Can you imagine how frustrated the salesman was?  LOL   So anyway, I spent the next 14 days shopping around;  talking to 4 more different car dealerships in town without DH in tow.    But every day for the next 14 days until the last minute, I still get a call from Coggin Honda and we still go back and forth with the price and every time we talk on the phone the price of the new car comes down few bucks from the previous quote. LOL See how they play the game with me?

Oh, at one point, I actually thought of buying this "used" 2005 BMW X3 2.5  instead of a brand new 2008 Honda CR-V however DH doesn't think it make sense to buy a used car where I can get a brand new one for basically the same amount of money.  He thinks I just want the BMW to show off. LOL Hell, yes he got that right!   That's a Filipina thing you know...;-)   but anyway, I am glad he talked me out of it.  Now,  I'd rather have a brand new Honda CR-V than a used BMW X3. 

Among the five Honda dealers I talked to: Coggin Honda, Duval Honda, Honda of the Avenues,  Honda of St Augustine, Lucas Honda in Blanding Blvd  has offered me the best deal.  To make the long story short, I ended up selling my old car to CARMAX for $3,500 and buying a brand new 2008 CR-V at Lucas Honda. I closed the deal; sold my old Ford and and purchased the new car all by myself.  I can hardly believe I did it without DH.  Wow! DH was so proud me ;-)  Of course, when I pick up the car, DH came with me to sign all the documents as I put both our names down as the owners.  

Well, we've been ripped off twice before when we bought my first car and his SUV few years back because DH has been just subservient to whatever the salesman quoted us for the trade-in and the price of the new car.  I was a newbie then; didn't have a single clue about car buying and I was too shy to even ask a question.    But now,  no one can fool my leg anymore because I learned how to play the car salesman's game.  The first thing I did was tip off the car salesman with this line, "please don't talk to me like I am a woman and foreigner at that who doesn't know anything about car buying.  Believe it or not, I am salesperson myself and I have done enough  research before I came here  so let's do business and talk like a man, ok?"  He smiled and nodded in compliance.    You see?   Had I agreed to trade in value of my old car and agreed to the price of the new car at Coggin Honda without a word, we would have been ripped off by $4,700!!! Even after all the haggling and bargaining I did, had I bought my new car at the other car dealerships, I still would have paid $1,200 more for price of CR-V 2007  than I paid at Lucas Honda for the price of CR-V 2008.  Damn, I am lucky!!

I had the most pleasant car buying experience with Lucas Honda!! It was quick and easy business dealings I ever had so far, unlike when DH & I bought my first car and his SUV seven years ago, it took practically the whole day to do the paperwork before we drove the new car home.   This time,  it took less than an hour for me to drive the car home.  The salesman, Joe and his sales manager, Jim rock!!! They were straightforward, honest and professionals. They even loaned me a car (CR-V '07 pa; full-tank of gas for free; no charge whatsoever!) to drive for a month while I wait for the CR-V 2008 to come out in the market.   I never feel treated any less just because I am woman with foreign accent at that. You know how car salesmen talk to you like you are a woman let alone a minority?  They think women don't know any better when it comes to car buying. 

Here's the most important thing to remember when trading in and buying a new car.

• Check-out the Kelly Book for the trade-in value of your old car as well as other sources for the suggested retail value listed on local newspaper's classifieds, and newsstand publications containing used-car ads so you know exactly how much you can negotiate with the dealer. 

• But never ever tell the dealer about your trade in car until you agreed on the FINAL PRICE of the new car.  I told the salesman, and I made sure he heard it right by repeating to him twice in a row that I want to see the final price including taxes, tags, title, fees and etc and that means that's the fixed amount I pay, no any other extra, no other surprises when I close the deal and sign the paperwork.  Sure enough, when I sign the deed of sale and other paperwork, the amount was no more or less than what we agreed upon.

Noticed the two figures you see on the sticker price? The MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price) and the Dealer's Invoice Price? The truth of the matter is, neither one is actually the Real Price the dealer paid for the car.  Those two figures are just an "artificial" numbers for us to believe we can only negotiate from MSRP down to no less than the Dealer's Invoice Price.   Know that the dealer also get incentives or holdbacks from the Manufacturer.  This is a percentage that is repaid to the dealer by the manufacturer to supplement the dealer's sales commission.  So yes, you need to start bargaining up from the Actual Price (Real Price - Incentives/Holdbacks).   You can obtain this info from Consumer Reports Car Price Service Report for the price of $14 only.

Of course, I know the dealer has to make a profit otherwise why go in business right?   But I told the sales manager, please don't take it on me that much because I work doubly hard to earn every dollar I put in my pocket.

Glad I did a lot of research ahead of time.  Big thanks to the Consumer Reports!!! The 12-month subscription costs me $26 plus another $28 for Car Price Service Reports for Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 that I ordered through their toll-free number at 1-800-693-8714 and it surely saved me thousands of dollars. 

The Pros and Cons of Trading In VS Selling Your Old Car

Trading in your old car to a car dealership is all about convenience—no advertisements, no test drives to arrange, no legal battles to fight if your recently-sold car breaks down and also offers a tax advantage if you are buying a vehicle at the same time from the same dealership because you only pay sales tax on the difference in price between its trade-in value and the price of the new car.

For example: The price of the car is $25,000 and your trade in value is $2,000 then the sales tax is only going to be ($23,000 x .07 = $1,610 as opposed to $25,000 x .07 = $1,750 ( You saved $140 based in Florida tax rate of 7%).

Yes, it is the most convenient and easiest way to go but it is not always the smartest idea because trade-in value is generally much lower than the amount you could get if you sell the old car yourself to a private-party although you can always bargain over the trade-in value and play with the salesman’s game (which I did) or simply accept the dealer's offer and be done with it but then again sometimes the troubles aren’t worth the money you get extra from selling it yourself.

Here's the thing: Selling your old car yourself may guarantee top dollar, but be aware of the work and troubles involved:

• Checking, looking and comparing both the trade-in and suggested retail values listed on different sources such as local newspaper's classifieds, and newsstand publications containing used-car ads in order to determine local market pricing.

• Prepping your car by cleaning and fixing things that aren’t working to avoid running into possible legal battles down the road. Remember there is a liability involved with a private-party sale.

• Placing an ad through local classifieds or used-car publications taking consideration the cost/expenses involved.

• Setting time to answer phone calls from interested buyers and meeting them for test drives.

• Closing the sale and preparing the paperwork involved with DMV: title and registrations transfers and calling insurance company to cancel the insurance policy on the vehicle and etc.

So after you do the math and everything is said and done, do you think the difference in price between the trade in value and the extra amount you will get if you sell the car yourself is worth the troubles? You decide.

For me the best option was to sell my old car to CARMAX.   It's hassle-free and haggle-free way of selling your old car and the price they pay is very closed to the Kelly Book Value.   And the best thing about it is, there is no liability involved. I walked out from their business office with a cashier's check in my hand with titles, tags and registrations were transferred and completed within an hour or so.

Now, I am looking at this little guy to add-on to my new car but Santa says I have to really, really, really be a good girl to get this for Christmas.

Eclipse 7" HD DVD/Navigation In-Dash Receiver
ECE   AVN7000
• 7" color touch screen
• Voice-prompted guidance
• Monitor adjustment
• SIRIUS/HD radio-ready
• CD/CD-R/CD-RW-compatible
• 20GB hard drive

• AVN design: Audio, video and navigation all reside within the same unit, without extra receivers. The AVN 7000 has a hard disk which allows it to handle navigation tasks, as well as entertainment such as DVD-Video and CD, simultaneously—without any interruption.

• Color screen: The AVN 7000 features a motorized, full-color widescreen TFT display with touch-navigation technology. Split screen displays, variable map scales and multiple search modes make this GPS receiver one of the easiest to use.

• Monitor angle/slide adjustment: The AVN 7000 allows you to adjust the monitor's angle and slide position for better visibility. Choose between forward and backward slide positions, and one of seven tilt angles.

• 20GB hard drive: This unit features a built-in 20GB hard drive dedicated to navigation.

• Voice-prompted guidance: The GPS receiver makes audible prompts as you drive to your destination, so you can keep your eyes on the road.

• Massively compatible: This receiver is compatible with CD, CD-R/RW, MP3, WMA, DVD, DVD-R and DVD-RW. It's SIRIUS satellite radio and HD radio-ready as well, and even packs in a standard AM/FM radio.

• High quality audio: This receiver is equipped with a 7-band EQ and listening position selector.

• TV tuner-ready: You can tune local over-the-air TV stations on the AVN 5500 when the unit is connected to the optional Eclipse TVR105 TV tuner unit.

• 5.1 surround sound: The optional DCU105 enables surround-encoded program material, as well as upmixing two-channel material, making audio and visual performances simply stunning.

• Heightened security: The Eclipse Security Network, or ESN, provides an extra layer of security to your investment. You can use a memory stick or CD to set up your receiver's security.

 

*Edited:  March 15, 2008.  My wish was granted and had this Eclipse AVN7000 installed in my car in December 28, 2007. I love, love, love it!