I didnt do that I negotiated the final price not the price before fees. but would be minus $45 I think for title/licensing, 3% tax in VA and $400 dealer "document fee" I have to dig up the invoice, my price of $35,200 may be the final price before "document" fee, now I dont remember anymore. LOOKED UP PRICE,final out the door price of $35,429 so I was off $229 from my original post.
But when negotiating work on the OTD price, if they start with the TTL and other fees, get them to give you breakdown of that as well as any dealer fees. You want to negotiate the final price, dont let them put in hidden fees, well not really hidden, keep in mind that sales methods is to sell you on the emotion. They want to excite you with the price, then add all the other stuff on so you are focused on price not out the door price. \
There are many variables in getting a good price, need to do your research, be willing to make a few sacrifices (choosing dealer in stock as an example), how large the dealership is, the sales rep, region and time of year you are purchasing.
Also dont get any add-ons in the F&I, that is a profit center, if Honda still has advertised finance rates then you are good to go, if not make sure you go in with a few quotes for finance as well, and know your credit score. I have had a F&I office try to bump up the rate a few tenths of a point on me as that makes a difference over the life of a 5 year loan, not much but another few hundred is another few hundred.
I am all for dealers making a profit, but the more research and info you do the better you can negotiate. I enjoy doing the research and taking in all I can learn, I sent about 4-5 months of researching the Pilot before pulling the trigger and more time when looking at the competition as well before I shortlisted the Pilot.
