What would be your lowest offer? 2010 Ody Touring

[Acura Sensei]

Just curious what price you guys would start negotiating... the lowest without low balling a dealership.

2010 Ody Touring
34k miles
$27,XXX

Clean carfax... one owner off lease. Hard to see all details from photos obviously... only defect is one curbed rim.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. I checked on the blue book value... and it's much much higher than the advertised internet price of $27,XXX.

I hope there are no rules on this forum against discussing pricing?

[pkrface]

Why worry about low balling? Use your feet as they are your most powerful negotiating tool. While it does appear to be priced right, there is nothing wrong with trying to get the best price, and the only way to know for sure if you are still lower than they will accept is to head for the door. If they are willing to let you leave you know where you stand. I personally would never start at more than $3k below asking price and work up from there.

[Acura Sensei]

Thanks pkrface... if the negotiations do not come to an agreement with this vehicle... I'd like to keep the door open for another potential vehicle later if I can maintain a decent working relationship with the dealer. They have a better reputation than most.

Any other input? 81 views and only 1 reply on this forum???

[pkrface]

Keep in mind that negotiating hard does not have to create hard feelings. Using your feet can be simply explained by "needing some time to think about it". Your initial offer can simply be explained as what fits best in your budget. The dealer does not need to know that you know it is fairly priced to start with, and by staying cool, calm, and collected you can be both a hard negotiator and pleasant to deal with at the same time. Many people think that you have to be a jerk to be a good negotiator when it simply isn't true. One of the toughest situations is to stumble onto a great deal early on in your search and not knowing how great it is just because you have not spent enough time searching to really know. Good luck!

[Boogety Boogety]

Any other input? 81 views and only 1 reply on this forum???

Well... you're trying to be nice to the dealer, so people won't take you seriously (and neither will the dealer). You can't negotiate lowest price if you're worried about what the dealer will think tomorrow about you today. Dealers have no tomorrow. They only have today, and so should you.

Offer those thieving bastards $20K out the door, and have them counter, and you get serious only when they get serious. Period. Effective price negotiating does not include worrying about hurt feelings on either side... the best deal is when both the seller and the buyer hurt a little bit. They know that, and so should you...

[Acura Sensei]

Well... you're trying to be nice to the dealer, so people won't take you seriously (and neither will the dealer). You can't negotiate lowest price if you're worried about what the dealer will think tomorrow about you today. Dealers have no tomorrow. They only have today, and so should you.

Offer those thieving bastards $20K out the door, and have them counter, and you get serious only when they get serious. Period. Effective price negotiating does not include worrying about hurt feelings on either side... the best deal is when both the seller and the buyer hurt a little bit. They know that, and so should you...

My intention is not to be nice to the dealer... but my strategy has always been to maintain a respectable code of ethics... whether it's in the work place or when buying a car. So I agree with pkrface in regards to keeping one's composure. I've seen too many people become jerks thinking that would make them better negotiators.

I have plenty of experience negotiating with overseas businesses and I assure you that I can be tough.

I was hoping for info on prices paid for pre-owned 2010 touring models. But I take it not many have purchased one since they have recently returned from leases. Searches only yielded info on brand new prices paid.

Any other input would be greatly appreciated.

[Northwoodshyun]

What about buying a brand new 2013 LX for $26-27K? 13 LX comes with many great features.

[pkrface]

If it were me I would use New Cars, Used Cars - Find Cars at AutoTrader.com to do a search of your surrounding area. The advanced search lets you narrow down options and mileage. Once you have a feel for the 50 or 100 miles radius you have an idea where in the big picture this particular van fits. Sometimes you can find pockets out there that for whatever reason the vehicle you are looking for is out of kilter with respect to supply vs demand. Other times you find that you are in the low priced pocket. Being in Jersey I would guess you need to watch out for hurricane Sandy damage and your market may be impacted by many people in need of replacement vehicles since the hurricane.

Personally I believe Boogety's approach would normally turn out disastrous. Offering a lowball price that low and acting belligerent will not get you where you want to go. With 8 years of working in dealerships I can tell you that there are more good people than bad, just like everything else. The people you will encounter during this transaction are everyday humans just trying to make a living. Of course their goal is to make as much money as possible and I seriously doubt Boogety doesn't try to make as much off his employer as he can. I do agree with him on the best deal being one that both aren't totally thrilled with, but I have done my share of deals where both were happy with the final outcome.

[bert]

Bought late January 2012 a 2010 touring / 24,600 miles / polished metal ext / gray interior / sold new October 2010

Even though it has now been a year ago (January 2012)...I bought a 2010 touring from a local dealership where it was a locally one owner trade-in.

Dealer was originally asking $32,000, after sitting on it for 3 weeks, they lowered the price to $30,800, I then showed up same week offering $29,900 cash and to have it off their lot by the end of the month. Showing up in a clean 2001 ex odyssey, it was clear I didn't need the vehicle but instead wanted it and with that they said sold.

At the time for the mileage they were going for $31 - 32k and for a good six months after that I couldn't find any for an asking price less than $31k.

Complaints after one year of ownership...wind noise, interior plastic scratches too easy, factory tires only getting 40k miles, trip computer states 0 miles to empty with 4 gallons / 80 miles plus left in the tank...some days I miss the 2001's simplicity (sold with 198,000 miles) but have no regrets with the upgrade / forgoing the 2011+ model

[Acura Sensei]

I completely agree with you pkrface... I would never consider making an insulting offer as low as that. The trade in value is much higher than $20k.

[Acura Sensei]

Bought late January 2012 a 2010 touring / 24,600 miles / polished metal ext / gray interior / sold new October 2010

Even though it has now been a year ago (January 2012)...I bought a 2010 touring from a local dealership where it was a locally one owner trade-in.

Dealer was originally asking $32,000, after sitting on it for 3 weeks, they lowered the price to $30,800, I then showed up same week offering $29,900 cash and to have it off their lot by the end of the month. Showing up in a clean 2001 ex odyssey, it was clear I didn't need the vehicle but instead wanted it and with that they said sold.

At the time for the mileage they were going for $31 - 32k and for a good six months after that I couldn't find any for an asking price less than $31k.

Complaints after one year of ownership...wind noise, interior plastic scratches too easy, factory tires only getting 40k miles, trip computer states 0 miles to empty with 4 gallons / 80 miles plus left in the tank...some days I miss the 2001's simplicity (sold with 198,000 miles) but have no regrets with the upgrade / forgoing the 2011+ model

Hi Bert,
Was your Ody touring a CPO? What was the overall condition of the exterior? I notice minor scuffs on the rear bumper where the paint has been scraped off. Otherwise, it's in pretty good condition based on my first quick initial walk around. I plan to take a closer look.

I had my eye on 2011 models... but our budget limits us to the 2010 model. Also, the current supply of 2011 models are slim in NJ.

[Boogety Boogety]

Personally I believe Boogety's approach would normally turn out disastrous. Offering a lowball price that low and acting belligerent will not get you where you want to go. With 8 years of working in dealerships I can tell you that there are more good people than bad, just like everything else. The people you will encounter during this transaction are everyday humans just trying to make a living. Of course their goal is to make as much money as possible and I seriously doubt Boogety doesn't try to make as much off his employer as he can. I do agree with him on the best deal being one that both aren't totally thrilled with, but I have done my share of deals where both were happy with the final outcome.

Well. Since I was the principal in a consulting services company with emphasis on process improvement for almost fifteen years, which I sold for nine figures almost ten years ago, and since I dealt almost exclusively with F500 C-level decision makers during that time, I think I know a thing or two about negotiations. I buy all my vehicles cash, I deal with the highest levels of ownership at the dealerships, and I'm here to tell you they don't get insulted when you low-ball them. It's actually funny to them. But when it comes down to getting serious on a final price, that's when everyone gets serious and the fine-point pencils come out. And they don't give a rat's ass about the next time you deal with them, there's only today. Tomorrow doesn't exist for anyone in negotiations...

I never said to insult another human being, nor would I. If you think the normal give-and-take of negotiations is being belligerent, you, my friend, are one of the sheeples that pay too much for whatever you buy. I don't mind my vendors making a decent profit so they can stay in business and take care of my needs in the future. But neither will I give them one single, thin dime over what the least is they will take... and to get there, you have to be tough and unyielding. Good luck with your nice approach...

[bert]

acura sensei,

CPO - it was not for i bought it at a toyota dealership and where as it would of been nice, there was still 11,400 miles / 21months left on the factory bumber to bumber warranty so it wasn't that important to me.

CONDITION - exterior was in excellent shape except for one door ding on the driver side slider door that the dealer tried to 'rub out' but i've seen better work (others don't notice it but i know it is there). as for the interior was in great shape too except for a couple scratches in the plastic side panels at the rear of the van most likely from one not being too careful in pulling things in and out of the van.

if it makes you feel any better about your potential bumper, mine were perfect but within 2 months of ownership someone smeared the paint off the driver side of the rear bumper...was not happy for weeks but it's the unfortunate reality of owning a vehicle.

as for the 2011, i was awaiting their arrival to buy but when the real version came out, for me some of the prototype look was lost and i prefered the front row flip up console, second row armrests and sportier handling that were lost in the 2011 redesign

[pkrface]

Well. Since I was the principal in a consulting services company with emphasis on process improvement for almost fifteen years, which I sold for nine figures almost ten years ago, and since I dealt almost exclusively with F500 C-level decision makers during that time, I think I know a thing or two about negotiations. I buy all my vehicles cash, I deal with the highest levels of ownership at the dealerships, and I'm here to tell you they don't get insulted when you low-ball them. It's actually funny to them. But when it comes down to getting serious on a final price, that's when everyone gets serious and the fine-point pencils come out. And they don't give a rat's ass about the next time you deal with them, there's only today. Tomorrow doesn't exist for anyone in negotiations...

I never said to insult another human being, nor would I. If you think the normal give-and-take of negotiations is being belligerent, you, my friend, are one of the sheeples that pay too much for whatever you buy. I don't mind my vendors making a decent profit so they can stay in business and take care of my needs in the future. But neither will I give them one single, thin dime over what the least is they will take... and to get there, you have to be tough and unyielding. Good luck with your nice approach...

You and I agree on the end result, just not on the principle that anybody owning or working at a car dealership is a "thieving bastard". I just simply don't believe you have to be an a-hole to negotiate. Used is certainly much harder than new as the dealer is just as capable of making a mistake on the allowed value as a buyer is to make mistake and pay too much. When they do and cannot retail it for a profit they will often ship it off to the auction and take the loss rather than retail it at a loss. Doesn't make sense maybe, but happens a lot.

I used to get frustrated with my used car manager when he would come back from the dealer auction having paid $2K more for an auction piece than he appraised a similar car for trade a week earlier. Yes, the trade required reconditioning which would have cost $500, but there was no way the auction car was worth $2K more. Having sold in a dealership for 5 years I can tell you they have a system and the best deal on used is nearly always had after they have had the car for 30+ days. Of course you take the chance that somebody comes along and offers them a fair price in the meantime. I can tell you that in many cases a ridiculous lowball offer frequently resulted in the salesman or sales manager refusing to come down as far as they would have for someone that was nicer. Offering a little less than they own if for does not insult them, but offering $5K less than they own it for usually does. I would love to go head to head with you at a dealer. You may have a bunch of experience negotiating deals, but I have been either employed at a dealer or selling to dealers for over 20 years. I bet the industry specific experience wins head to head. Not sure what you mean by dealing with the highest levels of ownership. Unless you have a personal relationship with the dealer principle or general manager they never get involved in a deal. If they do the price usually goes up as they do not like low profit margins. Ask me how I know...

[Acura Sensei]

Hi Bert,
Sorry to hear about your bumper... that recently happened on my acura TL at a grocery store. I came out to find the rear bumper scraped. I was not happy for a few days but have come to accept the unfortunate incidents in life. It's just a car... that's what I keep telling myself.

Sounds like you purchased the right van for yourself. I look forward to negotiating and hopefully purchasing this van. I do like the new 2011+ generation from a design standpoint... but will gladly accept the 2010 model as the best vehicle for my family at this moment in life.