I've settled on the Honda Odyssey EX.
MSRP is $32,828.
Dealer Invoice is $29,327.
I'm getting it for $29,624, or $297 over Invoice.
This total already includes their doc fee and a dealer accessory fee.
Is this a good deal, or should I keep shopping?
p.s. I used to be fast, now I drive a minivan.
Oh man, the minivan purchase. Probably the low point of a man's life. Hopefully you don't get too drained by the college bills to make up for this later with a V8 something or other.
But to answer your question, I have no idea except truecar.com says market average selling price is 30445. So I guess you're doing pretty good.
Just curious, how many kids do you have and how old are they? Did you consider an SUV instead? I guess you give up quite a bit of space and a bit of gas mileage, but would be much manlier and of course you could do stuff like take the little munchkins 4 wheeling in Death Valley.
You need to check Edmunds forums -
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ee93eaa/28672#MSG28672
I think you are over by about $1500, give or take, judging by what I read above.
We had considered the Honda, but we live in a snowy region and Honda doesn't offer an AWD model. Got the Toyota Sienna. Better vehicle in my opinion. You'll be dropping some additional dollars, but it'll be worth it if you're dealing with winter driving conditions, I promise.
Get a used minivan. New automobiles are a scam.
I have a Toyota Sienna as well. It's a 2000 and it has 275,000 miles on it and counting. My mechanic says he thinks it will make it to 300k. I don't remember what we paid for it (we got it new from an on-line dealer), but I can certainly attest to it's durability.
The MonBRO Doctrine wrote:
Get a used minivan. New automobiles are a scam.
Buy used running shoes. Used shoes are a scam.
722 wrote:
Buy used running shoes. Used shoes are a scam.
I think you should reread what you just wrote.
Being a dad doesn't mean that you have to drive a minivan. My kids love our Bentley and my brothers kids love his Rolls. Don't get sucked into the idea that you have to have a minivan to be a family man.
That's not a bad deal though maybe a tad high. I just bought a 2012 EX-L for $31.5K + ~$400 in doc fees. If you want to go lower, I got good results by emailing internet sales managers and naming my price. I had three bites without any negotiation whatsoever.
A few notes:
- Honda has forbidden its dealers from offering its cars below invoice price on web sites (google "Honda Truecar dispute"). When that policy went into effect, the price that my credit union could offer through such a service instantly went up by $1500. IIRC, before this happened, I could get an EX for about $28.5 - $29K.
- Truecar prices are *self-reported* by dealers so they are not necessarily representative.
- I disagree about buying used minivans. They are a terrible deal right now. For example, I've seen a 2 year old CPO model listed for more than I got my new vehicle. Minivans are also less reliable than the average commuter vehicle, and repairs are expensive, so I'd rather have the manufacturer's warranty.
BTW, I hated the idea of buying an expensive minivan, but I'll have four kids in car seats soon so there really was no choice. Now that I have one, I love it. The Odyssey is very comfortable to drive and has the best seating options for those of us with young kids.
The MonBRO Doctrine wrote:
Get a used minivan. New automobiles are a scam.
That hasn't been the case lately. My last two trucks I looked for used and ended up buying new. Better deals and cheaper financing. Used trucks are freaking expensive.
Thanks for the advice, everybody. We have a 16-month old and twins due in a couple months. This buy is driven by car seats more than anything. I'd love to keep using my trusty '96 Jeep.
I appreciate the heads up on Honda's policy of forbidding dealers from advertising an internet price below Invoice.
I'm going to try to land the EX-L for $32,000 or under, including doc fees.
Much appreciated, fellas.
AWD is good if you have snowy conditions but will drink more gas than FWD. FWD with decent winter tires is a solid option.
I'm partial to Chrysler Town and Country minivans. Also check out the VW Routan, basically a T&C with a VW logo. I've driven a lot of different ones over the years and owned a few. I would stay away from Mazda and Dodge and any GM or Ford product, lousy builds. Honda, Toyota, Chrysler and VW are all solid.
Dad Now wrote:
We have a 16-month old and twins due in a couple months. This buy is driven by car seats more than anything.
Wow...congrats! Yeah, I think once you make the jump from two kids to three (or one to three in your case!!) you pretty much have to go minivan. We went with one that can seat seven. This comes in handy when your kids have friends over, family is visiting, etc.
Honda, Toyota, Chrysler and VW are all solid.
WTF are you saying ?
Honda and Toyota are made in a Japanese managed auto plants and are the best.
Chrysler and VW are not made by Japanaese are TOTAL crap.
Old married fart wrote:
I'm partial to Chrysler Town and Country minivans.... I would stay away from Mazda and Dodge and any GM or Ford product, lousy builds.
Dodge and Chrysler are built on the same platform, on the same assembly line with many of the same parts.
Dad Now wrote:
I've settled on the Honda Odyssey EX.
MSRP is $32,828.
Dealer Invoice is $29,327.
I'm getting it for $29,624, or $297 over Invoice.
This total already includes their doc fee and a dealer accessory fee.
Is this a good deal, or should I keep shopping?
p.s. I used to be fast, now I drive a minivan.
Please rethink your choice. The dodge/Chrysler town and country is the rolls Royce of mini vans. You are an idiot if you choose any other minivan.
Minivan's defined my childhood. Maybe some dad's egos take a hit but the kids will really enjoy it.
Get a used minivan.
Look into a Chevy Traverse.
Same price range.
Same seating.
No sliding doors, SUV crossover with a V6.
You don't have to get a minivan. Save your soul.