Enthusiasts Create Naughty List for Dealers Marking up Type R Civic
Markups are inevitable on performance and/or special edition cars like the FK8 Civic Type R. But now, a group of enthusiasts are on a mission to put a stop to tacked on dealer profits.
Disappointing Revelation
U.S. based Honda fans waited what felt like forever to get the chance to buy a Civic Type R before the FK8 finally landed here in America. With a base price just north of $35k, it was affordable, to boot. There's just one tiny problem, however - dealers are still marking these things up, even after two years on the market.
Photos: Honda
Shocking Markups
Not all dealers place markups on cars, of course. But the average markup on the FK8 Type R is currently hovering around $4,000, with some selling for up to $10,000 over sticker. And that's a real shame, in our opinion.
Photos: Honda
Taking Action
We aren't the only ones that feel that way, of course. But instead of just griping about it, some folks over at the CivicX forums are doing something about this lingering problem.
Photos: Honda
Explosive Thread
There you'll find the "Civic Type-R Over Sticker Dealer Naughty List" thread, which contains more than 7,500 posts of people reporting marked up cars from all over the country. This expansive thread has exploded to over 500 pages as of this writing.
Photos: Honda
Recent Complaints
We weren't surprised to see a large number of posts beginning back in 2017 when the Type R originally hit dealerships. But there are plenty of current posts calling out dealers as well.
Photos: Honda
Big Money
A large number of these markups are in the $10,000 range as well. The highest, at least right now, was a whopping $17,500 over-sticker price on a car for sale in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photos: Honda
Bait and Switch
Even worse, there are plenty of folks in this thread that highlight "bait and switch" tactics used by several dealers. Typically, the dealership advertises a Type R for a lower price but then reveals a much higher price when the potential buyer shows up cash in hand.
Photos: Honda
Terrible Lies
One such incident happened in Houston, Texas, where a Type R advertised for $34,000 was actually selling for $43,000. In New Jersey, a forum member called a dealership about a car they had advertised for $34,000 on their web site, only to be told it was actually $42,000.
Photos: Honda
Where's Honda?
Unfortunately, there isn't much that Honda can do about these greedy and shady sales tactics since dealerships are independent entities. They could choose to cut allocations as a form of punishment, but that doesn't appear to have happened yet.
Photos: Honda
Fighting Back
So for now, we the people will fight back the only way we know how - by calling these folks out online. And with any luck, prospective Type R buyers will refuse to pay these ridiculous prices and force dealers to stop!
Photos: Honda