The only strategy you need is to be able to get up and walk out the door if your not getting your price. Any other game is a waste of time, as the dealer has had a lot more practice at it than you.

The trick is knowing what kind of price to expect. Do your research. Edmunds.com, kbb.com, etc. Spend some time looking at what people around here have paid. Be aware of the difference in the value of a car with 10 miles on the clock vs. 120 demo miles.

-b

 

i feel like i got ripped off

i bought an 06 in the begining of november for little less than 31 before taxes. I also do live in hawaii where there are only 3 honda dealerships and had 4 or 5 s2000s brand new. 3 or 4 06 and 1 07. 2 black that was an 06 and 07 at the same dealership. man i should have went lower. i was there for 4-5 hours as it is sending the salesman back and forth

 

No need to feel ripped off. You only have 3 dealers to play with.

The local dealer near me won't go much below $31k for MY06 right now and they have several that have been on the lot since last summer, including the color I wanted. I drove over 300 miles to get mine but I'm not limited like you.

On the other hand, I drove the S to work in 22 degree weather today. You can enjoy yours all year round in paradise. Maybe I'm the one getting ripped off! I used to live in Clearwater, FL. Not anymore.

 

This is the exact reason why I had to turn down an 06 demo NFR w/ 800 miles.
I ended up choosing an 07 w/ different color, and I'm still glad I did.
I know that some people will say that those miles won't do any harm to a new vehicle, but I feel more comfortable buying a new car w/ 18 miles on it than buying a possibly abused vehicle.
Just my thoughts.

Dan

 

Check out this thread for recent pricing.

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.ph...=350264&st=450

Don't forget that Honda dealers get back 3% of MSRP for holdback, i.e., they make/get back another ~$1,000 from the factory even if they sell it at their invoice. Not to mention other montly/quarterly/yearly sales volume rewards. I got my new '07 for $33.1K OTD (8.6 miles) on 12/31/06. Shop around and speak with Fleet Managers. If you can, I'd suggest getting one now as there are a lot of S2Ks looking for new owners. Once spring hits, the good deals will disappear along with the cold nights.

 

If I live in the Bay Area, CA, where we don't really have freezing winters, will there still be a significant price difference in the winter vs. the summer? Like the OP, I was looking to buy an 07 in May/June. How much would I save if I waited until, say, December or January (2008)?

Also, would I risk not being able to find an 07 LBP if I waited too long? At what point in the year would it be difficult to find brand new models of the previous year?

 

this is a good strat. also call them and tell them you are looking at only buying an s2k, don't care what color it is (even though you may), and are looking in a 150 mile radius (or more) from where you live and are looking to buy within the next X weeks. This will get the dealers competing against each other and give you the upper hand. I did this when bargaining for a leftover '06 and got the dealer down to 29, 500 OTD and that was a month ago....ended up buying a barely used '05 though.

 

Thanks for the info guys.

I just talked to a dealership today. The fleet manager was straight up about everything...showed me invoice, and told me how much they would make at the price they were selling ($32,502). However, he said there's a special where they would sell @ invoice + shipping & handling. The base price ended up coming out to $31,915 (invoice + S&H) and $34,723 OTD. This is for a new '07. Is it possible to get any lower than this?

 

A dealer in a northern state that is under 2 feet of snow may give you a better deal. How far do you want to travel?

 

Save your $ and purchase a leftover 05 if possible or a low mileage Honda Certified!!!