Dealers can't sell showroom floor trucks?

1963 Views 14 Replies 14 Participants Last post by Stealth-01, Nov 3, 2016

nachomama

Discussion Starter · Sep 16, 2016

I've been looking for a white RTL-T and have been able to find two within 150 miles. Both dealers have them listed as available in there online inventory list. I emailed the closest dealer yesterday to verify it was still available and what was the internet price. He replied it was available and the price was $37,900. So I headed down later that day ready to buy it. Long story short, it was on the showroom floor with a "do not sell" sticker on it and about $3000 worth of accessories on it that is not listed on the website or window sticker. The sales guy made a big production of offering to sell it to me even though Honda said they couldn't. We couldn't reach a number and I didn't want those accessories so I left.

I then called the next dealer to verify availability and any accessories on the truck. The manager said that it was the showroom floor model and that Honda would not let him sell until it had been there for 6 months. when I told him about the other dealer willing to sell it, he said that they would get in big trouble for that.

I haven't been car shopping in a while, but how can they advertise it as available if they can't sell it to you? Ugh!

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cccbock1

· #2 · Sep 16, 2016

I have to be honest and say I have never heard of this. I can think of many reasons why it might be the case, but I'm betting if someone shows up with a wad of cash and says they want the showroom model, then the rules will be bent.

I'm guessing Honda is basically "giving" the dealers you visited those showroom models with no floorplan charges (essentially free inventory for 6 months). This helps keep a show model always available when all the regular arriving inventory turns over fast. Makes sense on a low production vehicle.

Reactions: 2

IanRTL

· #3 · Sep 16, 2016

Typically this is up to the dealership. When I sold for a dealership 10 years ago, we would have top of the line models with a slurry of aftermarket accessories attached to them in the showroom. It isn't mandated by Honda that you have to wait 6 months before selling one. It's up to the dealership if they want to sell it or not. Typically, if a specific model is brand new and they sell very quickly, dealerships won't sell the showroom models so that they always have at least one for prospective buyers to look at, touch, sit in, etc. If it's the last one at the dealership and there is a new shipment of them coming soon (and a price is agreed upon), the dealership will most likely sell it. The only thing that would keep them from selling it is if it has a LOT of accessories on it because the dealership basically eats the cost of their shop installing all of them.

Bottom line, it's not a mandate from Honda that the dealership can't sell floor models. It's up to the dealership if they WANT to sell it or not. There was a silver RTL-E sitting in the showroom at my local Honda shop for about a week before it disappeared. They can't keep them in stock long enough. When I went to have my airbag inflators replaced last weekend, all they had was a silver RTL-T on the lot and a grey RTL-T that was a demo driven by the sales manager. I drove past a few days ago and the RTL-T that was on the lot is now gone.

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ridged

· #4 · Sep 16, 2016

I find Honda and their dealerships to be somewhat snotty and independent. I have purchased only one Honda in my life and it is unlikely that there will be another just because of the uppity attitude. With that said, I am still very happy with my Ridgeline.

Reactions: 1

feetdry

· #5 · Sep 16, 2016

My present RTL came off the floor and I will say all 17's I see at my closest dealer keep changing on the floor. I'm in this dealership almost twice a month and every time it's a different Ridge on the floor. They can't keep them in stock.

bkp

· #6 · Sep 16, 2016

ridged said:
I find Honda and their dealerships to be somewhat snotty and independent. I have purchased only one Honda in my life and it is unlikely that there will be another just because of the uppity attitude. With that said, I am still very happy with my Ridgeline.

I've found that to be dealer dependent no matter who the manufacturer is...
The first dealership I went to, we had a pre-agreed OTD price before I even showed up, and then re-confirmed two more times, in the interest of not wasting time... After a demo ride, long talk, we finally sat down, and he showed up with the paperwork at almost 5k over what we had talked about... He told me that's the price, and if I didn't want it, he'll easily sell it to someone else...

I walked.

Bought another RTL-T an hour later, at a dealership that worked w/ me, and came in at an excellent price without the BS...
Texted the 1st sales guy a pic of me and the new RL w/ the other dealership's plate frame... (along w/ a 'salute')...

Same manufacturer... different dealerships... different attitude entirely...

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FTM1

· #7 · Sep 16, 2016

Who Told You That?
When I went to my dealership to look at them they on the website had 4 this is when their first shipment came. The salesman told me everybody got 4 to start off with he was at the Texas Ridgeline party. But they had the Black Edition on the showroom floor I sat in it. They had the RTL-E at the entrance/exit gate I examined it The other one I parked my car next too it I think the other was already gone. But the next week the BE was not listed in their inventory & the RTL-E both gone. So somebody got that BE that was on the showroom floor.
There is/was a youtube of that BE at the dealership like many others had but it was outside at the time. This was probably the day it first came off the car carrier.

trainman605

· #8 · Sep 22, 2016

You have to understand that dealers have to have something to show the prospective buying public. The upper end vehicles are what sell the buying public, true, not all will buy the higher price models, but customers have to start somewhere in their buying process. I would hate to have only RS and RTS on the lot to sell, not that these are not very nice models, but as you can see the upper end models are what is selling at the present time. I would think that dealers should not mislead their customers, if they don't want to sell their showroom model, tell the customer upfront it's not for sale at this time, but we have more coming everyday and we can deal on those. Customers will soon find out for themselves that Ridgeline are in demand at this time, but I don't look for it to last, as you know everything changes in time. We are only four months into the sale of the 2017 Ridgeline's, what will it be a year from now.

trainman

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Fast Ed

· #9 · Sep 22, 2016

I guess you also believe in the easter bunny.

IanRTL

· #10 · Sep 22, 2016

Fast Ed said:
I guess you also believe in the easter bunny.

At this point, the RTL-E and Black Editions are getting just about as rare as an Easter bunny sighting.

Reactions: 2

Monty28

· #11 · Sep 23, 2016

Dealers will get some vehicles from Honda that are Dealer Demos, these are owned by Honda, not the Dealer, and my understanding is these can't be sold. These aren't necessarily the floor models though...

moe.brian

· #12 · Sep 23, 2016

Monty28 said:
Dealers will get some vehicles from Honda that are Dealer Demos, these are owned by Honda, not the Dealer, and my understanding is these can't be sold. These aren't necessarily the floor models though...

A dealer near me (in Ohio) has a Ridgeline that says it's a factory-owned demonstrator and not for sale right on the Monroney.

Ridgerunner67

· #13 · Sep 24, 2016

Two dealers (1 in Va, 1 in NC) told me the same thing; their two demos could not be sold for 120 days.
At one dealership the owner was using it as a daily driver.
Both were exactly alike, RTL Ts, AWD, gray. Neither of those two dealers had any E trims in stock or on the way.

RTL Es are very hard to locate in my region (central southern Va. and central NC) but I was to put a deposit on one arriving about Oct. 18th at a dealership 45 minutes from our place.

erikras

· #14 · Oct 10, 2016

Just ran into this today. I went to look at a RTL-T and was told they couldn't sell it for 90 days because it was a factory demo. They couldn't have had it too long since it only had 12 miles on it. They had already outfitted it with the bed extender, roof rails, and diecast step rails.

Stealth-01

· #15 · Nov 3, 2016

Late to the party with this but, I went to two different dealers, one in Oklahoma City and one in Kansas City, they both had "Demos" that could not be sold for 120 days. In addition, they both received direction from Honda as to what accessories were to be installed on the Demos!

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