Many didn't believe me when I posted my price/accessories list. Serves me right for sharing I suppose: lesson learned.

Quote Originally Posted by UNLS1 View Post
i call shens on 38k
scan the deal and show us!
And while I'm certainly not calling you on it, you must admit that being a salesman, you have a vested interested in keeping prices high.

When I was shopping around, I found that some dealers flat out refused to discuss the kind of price I wanted - One wouldn't budge from 47k. Another said 44k for "this car only." FTG Honda - never go there - felt my price was so ridiculous it warranted treating me with total disdain.

I finally arrived at a dealer that gave me exactly what I wanted, for the price I wanted.

Tips

Remember: You are in control. Work out exactly what you want. Everything. Accessories, Warranty, Spares, etc. Don't fall for the "girl who asks about rust protection after the sale" bullsh*t. If you have a penchant for wasting money and want rust protection - put it on your list as part of the deal. I'll come back to the list.

Now shop around and using all resources available - forums, friends, salespeople - work out what the car should cost. I started by looking at the price of the car without drive away costs - $40k. I then found out how much all my accessories and spares I wanted cost ($RRP) and deducted at least 20% from them before adding the cost to that of the car, proper.

I came to the decision that $43k sounded about right for everything I wanted. By sounded right I mean: I was happy to pay it and it seemed about what everyone else was getting or better.

Now the next step is crucial. I dropped my "official" price to $42k. This gave me the opportunity to beat my own deal.

Now the next bit is the kicker: Walk in to the dealer, go up to the first salesguy you can find and say, "This is your lucky day. I want to buy a Type R." Hand him the list of what you want with the price you want to pay on it and hand him your credit card. "That's for the deposit."

Only thing is, and this is very important: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU WANT ON THAT SHEET - EVERYTHING. THIS WILL BE YOUR CONTRACT.

Postscript: I got my Type R for 43k with everything I wanted. I posted my deal somewhere on this board.

In hindsight, I should've got it for about $500 less and out of stupidity, I forgot to put the extended warranty on my list and didn't really bargain hard enough to go under my "happy" price.