Just drove the '09 Fit home from the Lot at Mel Rapton Honda (Sacramento). It took 2 trips and whole lotta work just to get $250 under MSRP. *(They didn't want to budge from MSRP.) Persistence paid off, even if just a little.

Ps. It was a Cash 4 Clunkers deal.

Goodbye '94 Ranger V6 4.0. Hello $4500. HAHA!!

 

If I would've just gone home and checked my email one more time... I would have gotten the car for $17171 *COSTCO PRICING - $4500 = $12671. down from an MSRP of 18088 - which included the weather mats, rear bumper applique and something else. $917 off Retail plus c4c def would have been the better deal. But I can't complain. I got the FIT and im happy. and not to mention the first time I went to the original dealer: Carmichael Honda (Sacramento) they were jerking me around. Wouldn't give me straight info on my APR and bs like that... So for now I'll just throw it under the "I paid more for better service" umbrella to make myself feel better. haha

ps. I didn't post the final deal I got in my orig post. $17580 - $4500c4c =$13080 Tafetta White, Honda Fit Sport. w/ First Oil Change. and Free Car Washes.

 

Hi everyone. I posted in the "Last 30 Days" thread. I actually did the deal tonight and pick up my 2009 Base Fit tomorrow. White with the grey interior. At least I think it's grey... who knows... mayber darker. I was pretty much sold on the Fit since introduction and a big selling point was the cargo room which is very impotant for me.

Out here in the San Diego area, dealers are pretty much holding the line at MSRP. I wanted a white one and found a dealership that had one, but almost walked off as they were trying to do a $2K bump OVER MSRP. Not crazy about this dealership... had to haggle over every little thing. They were throwing in the floor mats with the MSRP of 14,750. Then I go in tonight to seal the deal and they say that car was sold and the one I'm getting doesn't have them. I had to basically ask for my cash for clunkers stuff back and start walking out the dealership to get the stupid mats simply on "principle"-- I don't like the deal changing after the fact.

Not impressed with product knowledge either. Asked sales guy if there was an aux input jack on stereo (I didn't notice it because of the cover) and he told me no. Almost went for the iPod adapter because of that.

Any way, the C4C deal is ending this weekend it was announced and I think the announced deadline has swung the balance of power to the dealers on this model... at least around here. There's a rush on to get in on the C4C while there's time. When I had to go to the DMV to get my proof of continuous registration for over a year (who keeps old reg cards when the new one comes?), there was a line out the building of people waiting to pull documentation to get in on this deal. I actually found another branch that had a shorter line, but still out the building.

I'm not unhappy with MSRP, as I said, it's what's happening, especially since the dealers know the door is slamming shut on the deal soon. My C4C car was a 1997 Isuzu Rodeo that had been through plenty-- and was really not worth anything remotely close to $4500 even if I had time for a private party sale. It *just* made the qualifying mileage at 18 combined. Really, when I heard on the radio today C4C was ending this weekend, I had to move on it quickly. I did my C4C trade + 2K down. My FICO was 721, and I got 5.99% for 60 months from Honda. My credit union's best deal was 5.75 and only after doing MOUNDS of paperwork, so I went ahead and went with Honda.

I'm looking forward to getting my new baby tomorrow. The car was actually just off the truck with all the protective coverings on it and plastic wheel covers etc. 15 miles on the odo. I'm the kind of buyer who keeps a car for 10 years or longer. I relish those years without the car payment, so I'm looking forward to having my Fit for a good long time. I had my Rodeo for 12 years and being able to get $4500 for a dented 12 year old vehicle was one of those may-never-come-again deals.

 

Good job on getting everything together to get in on the program! And you're getting the same model I have!

Did you get the cargo mat for the back area? And/or the cargo cover? You might consider those things too. The cargo mat I have is great, since I'm always putting in the groceries or other items and sliding things around back, I know that there will be a lot less wear and tear on that area with the mat.

I, too, am a long-term car owner, the only time I get rid of a car myself is if it's not working...LOL! So protecting from the start is much cheaper than replacing later.

The cargo cover is handy for keeping things out of visibility, so nobody sees what you have back there. But for me it was mostly for the grocery thing. I don't really WANT the sun glaring on my groceries, especially if there are frozen foods.

But if you are using the fold-down seat option a lot, then the cargo cover gets in the way. The cargo mat is a bit in the way too if you have the seats folded down, because the mat has a lip all the way around.

I also recently had the mudguards/splashguards installed. They're kind of rubbery/plastic, flexible. For us long-term owners, we know that a tiny chip today means rust spot in 5 years. And a gaping hole in 10.

I'll get around to having a door ding strip put on too. Those are my suggestions for things that are a "good idea" especially for long-term owners.

As far as product knowledge, sometimes the sales people are new. And like any other job, there are people absolutely passionate about their job and what they do, and others that do the job.

You can see all kinds of knowledge levels on this site. People that know EVERYTHING about the engine...and then people like me...I haven't even looked my engine. I have not opened the hood. I'm pretty sure there IS an engine though, because the car will go.

The people here that know a lot about the Fit might not know a lot about the Ridgeline. So the salesperson could know a lot about one of the car models, and not so much about the Fit. They could be a CR-V expert. But you'd never know it.

The white will really help keeping down the interior temperature too. What color was your Rodeo?

 

Splash guards sound like a good idea! My Rodeo was.... you guessed it... "white." Safe color-- what can I say? A dealer closer to me had a red one, but it just wasn't ME.

I'm picking it up in an hour and seriously considering having the dealer install the USB audio option. They're quoting me $227 to do the install. Parts are about $147, so $80 labor for the installation. I've found a place online that will sell the kit, but I don't think I want to tackle the installation myself. I'm paranoid I'll break something. It was one thing to dig into the guts of my beat up Rodeo, but the instructions call for panel around the CD player and I'm afraid I'll bust one of the retaining clips off or somehow mess it up.

I move some heavy gear. I was thinking of just putting down furniture blankets in the back, or perhaps evening building myself a carpet-covered removable plywood deck to keep it from getting thrashed. The "pet barrier" devices interest me to but I'm concerned that's not the intended use... but it would be nice to have something to protect the back of the front seats if a load shifted forward during breaking.

 

You can look up parts and labor prices online at the Honda Owner's Link. They have an EStore. You can select various dealers in the area (or out of the area) and check their prices. The prices DO vary, depending on where the dealer is.

Some dealers will show a discount on the parts. I saw there was a discount of 10% at another dealership and asked MY local dealership if they could match it, and they did.

I kind of like to do as much local as possible. I know that means I might pay a little more. But the local places have to make money to be able to stay local. Right? And if they don't make any money, they will go out of business. Then I would HAVE to order everything and not even be able to check it out right away, I might have to send it back if it's the wrong thing. So I'm paying for convenience and paying to keep the dealer in my area.

What's the difference between the little plug that we already have and the USB plug? Other than appearance and location. Does one do more? I don't have an iPod, so I don't really know what those things do.

 

By the way, James Steele, I was thinking, you probably wouldn't want the cargo cover...but there is a "hole" behind the carpet that is just for the installation of the snap bottoms that the cargo cover flaps snap to.

You might be able to have some heavy duty vinyl cut that could snap to the bases, that would extend all the way to the back of the car, so it wouldn't shift. It would also flex, so that when you put the seats up, you don't have to pull out a plywood sheet.

Or you could use the vinyl snap on thing you'd have made (or make yourself) in conjunction with the cargo mat already available from Honda. The mat is pretty heavy duty. It's flexible and it fits perfectly in that back area.

While the Fit will hold a lot, it's not a truck. It holds 850 pounds of passengers/cargo combined. Which is more than an Element.

 

a guy @ Landmark Honda told me 17200 OTD for a sport AT. That was a good price. I actually used his quote to bargain with my local dealer. I don't wanna put his name out there on the forum. PM me and I can tell you who I spoke with.

 

I bought 2009 Honda Fit Sport AT/Nav/VSA for $17,895 on Aug 15, 09 plus tax and title. Freight is included in MSRP.