Large inventory dealership

[want2buy]

Hi folks,

Does anyone have any advice on where in WA or OR it may be possible to buy a Pilot near invoice? I know my chances will be better if the dealership carries a large inventory of Pilots.

Thanks in advance for any advice and/or suggestions. I really want to buy, but only have enough to get me to about the invoice price.

Thanks,
want2buy

[CNYGuy]

I don't live in that area, but I would think deals for Pilots will be getting better in the next couple of months. You may have to take what's on the lot though. We used Costco to purchase ours for a little over invoice last year.

[waynerd]

I'm from the other coast, too, but CNYGuy is right, in the next two months, dealers are going to want to sell the '04s to get the '05s and the prices will come down....I don't know to invoice, but close. Color selection will start to dwindle, too. I noticed several white Pilots on the lot last week when I was at the stealership.

Also, are you looking for an LX or EX? They may be in short supply, while there are more EX-L's around, but they are more $.

This is typically one of the better times of the year to buy, toward model end....if you're not set on the next model year's new toys. If you have your heart set on a certain color, August is still a good time to buy (don't have your heart set on a silver Pilot, though...they don't last long if they aren't already pre-sold and they sell at a premium price...I tried!), however if you're not too hung up on a color, September is a better time to buy.

[rockman19762001]

want2buy how far do you want to go to get a good deal? Dallas Texas has 4 or 5 big dealerships and they tend to be very competitive on pricing. Also, for some reason most of them do not like the Sandstone Metallic which we bought last year.

[hondaman2]

Go to http://www.carsdirect.com . There you will find out the invoice price, msrp, and the carsdirect price which is in between. You will also be directed to dealers with the vehicle of your choice in stock. You can buy the car from cars direct and then you show up at the dealership and just fill out the paper work with no haggling or lying. There is also a price which is called TMV(true market value) which is pretty much the supply and demand price for the car.

There are so many tips to list on dealing with dealers and salesmen that it would take me all night.

go to http://www.edmunds.com for free info on buying a car. wheat to look for, how to get the best deal, how not to get ripped off...etc....

Get a set price not set payments, thats the most important. You pay less this way, and dont volunteer info, he is not your friend neither is the F & I person.




If you need more help PM me and I can help you out.

any way good luck

[waynerd]

want2buy,
I flipped around to some of your other posts, and read you're looking for RES.....that'll be harder to come by and at a premium price, too. REALLY want RES? I don't think you're gonna get it at invoice. Sales managers almost laughed when I wanted just an EX-L for 5% over invoice at the end of June (2nd quarter). One told me if someone sold it at that price, the stealership would beef up doc fees (they did) and cheat on accessories (they tried).

You might also see what dealerships have for demonstrators or manager's vehicles (some still have them) to see what kinda deal you can make. My dad used to do that all the time. He'd order the car he wanted, his buddy that owned the dealership would "break it in" for him (3-4000 miles) and dad would buy it at invoice.

[WA-SSPilot]

When we bought our EX-L back in June Renton Honda had a large supply of Pilots. I think it will be tough to get invoice but it's worth a shot. We ended paying 1k over invoice which was far better than any dealership in the seattle area.

Good luck,

[want2buy]

Wow, I am so impressed by the feedback that I've gotten from everyone on this issue. Thanks!

I am looking for a EX-L with RES, though I wouldn't mind straight EX-L or EX-L Nav. I'm hearing from everyone that given demand, I'll probably not be able to get invoice, so here's my strategy: 1) Wait until September or November - near end of the month, 2) email every dealership in the state (WA) and possibly outside of state (TX seems to be good), 3) In the meanwhile, see if someone else wants to go in with me so that we negotiate two or more cars at once, 4) Ask dealerships to tell me their document processing fee at the same time as their bid.

Sound reasonable?

If all else fails, I'm willing to hold off buying a car for another year at which point, I'll probably just end up buying the 2005 Pilot.

Thanks again to everyone for their advice. This community alone makes me want to buy a Honda rather than a Toyota or Lexus.

want2buy

[74PILOTMOM]

Hey, welcome neighbor!

I'm across the water from you and have been watching Pilot inventory over here, at Westhills Honda. There is no competition in this area, but there is a great award winning salesguy, PJ Zellinski whom you should ask for if your search brings you to this area. He's a no BS, no pressure kind of guy. He told me honestly that they weren't selling Pilots for any less than $2,000 off DEALER MARKUP, so we went through Costco for $100 under MSRP. Not such a great deal, but at the time (12/02), for this area it was. They have 2 EXs (one silver, can't remember the other) and one Sagebrush LX on the lot now. I'm going in Tuesday for service and I can report back to you with inventory if you'd like.

[want2buy]

Hi 74PILOTMOM,

I really appreciated your email, and will likely contact Westhills Honda when the time comes. I'm interested in the 2004 EX-L models. You don't have to check inventory for me, I'll be contacting them. Thanks so much for the offer.

Good driving to you 74PILOTMOM.
want2buy

[74PILOTMOM]

Well, I'm going there anyway tomorrow morning. I'm sure I'll snoop around a little bit anyway. I'm kindof half playing with the idea of trading my mid year '03 in on a late '04 if the price is right. I doubt it, but you just never know. I'd only do it if they' could match my 3.49% interest and give me a steal and good trade in. My Pilot only has 13K on it, even so, I'm sure they won't even want an '03 when they're trying to unload '04's.
Watch out for defective Silver paint in your search. Here's mine incase you haven't heard of this:

[b7xv]

Valley Honda in Spokane suddenly has about 10 pilots on their lot, I got mine in March at invoice plus $500. Contact Mac on the Accura side of the dealership, he was nicer to work with than the guys on the Honda side and he can sell both Honda and Accura.
Good luck, you will love your Pilot. Mine is the red EX-L, no nav. or video stuff, something else to break and aftermarket stuff is cheaper.

[PNW-Pilot]

I wish I could remember what dealership that MS person used to buy his 2. I think it was Honda of Bellevue. If you stay tothe dealerships on the east side of the sound you can get close to invoice if you try hard enough. If you goto the west side good luck, getting msrp is a bargain.

[74PILOTMOM]

Okay, back from west hills honda, and they had 2 LX's(silver, sage) 1 EXL (silver) and one Demo EXL NAV (silver).

Not many.

Gotta agree with PNW...Bellevue is a larger dealership.

[PortlandOregon]

All of you in the Portland metro area might want to consider Griffith Motors in The Dalles. I know it is a bit outside of town, but I ended up paying about $1,700 under sticker and had some options installed at significantly less than the retail price. I started with a lead from one of the car sites and ended up being contacted by them. I had a starting price and we worked through it and ended up at a great price. The key to buying a car is also to include some extras in it and get that worked in as part of the deal. I'd recommend them to anyone. Really good experience!