[nolen5879]

What should I expect if I choose to order from a dealer; trim and color I want is not available in my area.

I have been advised I can put $500 down to secure the order.

What paperwork should I receive as relates to the order?

I assume those who ordered agreed to pricing prior to placing the order. Is that the case?

Thanks for the info!

 

[DSERVIT]

Have the deal in place, the OTD price in writing, when you give them the deposit. You don't want the truck to come in and have them tack a bunch of add-ons onto the MSRP.

 

[zroger73]

Dealers vary. Mine didn't ask for any money down and were able to swap pending factory orders with a dealer in a different state to get exactly the Ridgeline I wanted. I also got below-MSRP pricing and full book value on my trade and they're not putting their usual several-hundred-dollar accessory package on it since it's coming straight from the factory. Admittedly, the dealer's GM lives right down the road from me and passes by my house twice a day, so my experience isn't typical.

A eager or willing dealer will work out an in-stock trade or swap factory orders with another dealer to get your vehicle sooner (days or weeks) than a virgin, factory order (could take months). Requiring a deposit is simply a sales technique - it has nothing to do with the ability to trade or factory-order a vehicle. If a dealer gets a vehicle you want and you end up not buying it, someone else will. They're not going to lose either way.

 

[CCDAstro]

I think this is the system they use. Not exactly a factory special order if I understand it, more a way of allotting production and aligning it with what dealers and customers want at any given time.

http://www.autonews.com/article/20140526/RETAIL07/305269961/honda-revamps-ordering-system-to-give-dealers-cars-they-want

 

[phineas]

Generally speaking, I agree with DSERVIT. I have to admit, however, that I didn't do that as completely as he suggests.

You guys are going to laugh at this but I had a rapport with my salesperson. I decided to take the handshake approach knowing I was potentially throwing away $500. That way we weren't writing up a deal that I might not want. But also, this is how Honda was working at the time. Because there were so many trucks on order and no one had seen the colors at all and there were no models in stock to test drive, they were taking the $500 to be returned to the buyer if he or she wasn't satisfied with either the test drive or the color. That may have changed already. If I were buying right now, I'm not sure I would've done what I did.

So we agreed to all the terms of the deal, trade-in price, sale price, the out the door price including the cost of registration etc., and then I let them charge $500 against my Visa card. I would never write a check in that situation. With the Visa card you have a little protection. And that's how the deal went down – exactly as we laid it out. We didn't have a deal until the truck came in and I had a chance to look at it closely and drive it and that's how the salesman played it. If there'd been any deviation I would've asked for my money back immediately, and if that hadn't happened, I would've called Visa and yanked payment. For most people, most of the time, there's no reason to take the handshake route.

 

[it8ezbngrn]

G

So we agreed to all the terms of the deal, trade-in price, sale price, the out the door price including the cost of registration etc.

+1. Theres no haggling later if you don't settle the deal first. Make sure you agree to everything first. Ordering you;ll get what you want but probably not the best deal. If you wait you might find the one you want at a better price. I almost had one at $2700 under but I refused to take $500 less for my trade. They were charging a $350 dealer trade fee.

Use TrueCar or costco and build a car there and let dealers find one for you.

 

[nolen5879]

+1. Theres no haggling later if you don't settle the deal first. Make sure you agree to everything first. Ordering you;ll get what you want but probably not the best deal. If you wait you might find the one you want at a better price. I almost had one at $2700 under but I refused to take $500 less for my trade. They were charging a $350 dealer trade fee.

Use TrueCar or costco and build a car there and let dealers find one for you.

This is what I did. I communicated with multiple dealers on OTD pricing. Best deal I initially found was MSRP + tax + registration/title; no dealer fees or add-ons. I continued my search and found one dealer that beat the other deal by ~ $1500 OTD. I asked for and got that deal in writing, but the the Truck I wanted (White RTS 2 WD) could not be found in surrounding area. Dealer advised I could put $500 (Visa) down to get one ordered. Wait time is 2-3 months, but they will continue to look to find the truck at another dealer.

 

[Doobiewah]

Wait time is 2-3 months

Well, every time I see that written by new shoppers, I feel less and less bothered that I might have gotten a better deal. It is rare you leave a car dealer thinking you 'couldn't' have gotten a better deal and you did extremely well; however, I am seeing more and more that I got a fair deal, and I got exactly what I wanted.

Hopefully, this dealer will get you your truck faster than they told you!