To understand my buying process, you have to understand what happened the last time I bought a car. I went to two dealerships, the first of which gave me an offer for my trade-in that was a little bit under its Blue Book trade-in value. The second offered me less than half that amount, until I mentioned what the first dealer offered. Then they “took a closer look” at my car and “realized that it was in very good shape,” at which point they matched the first dealer’s offer.
Since the first dealer didn’t have the exact car I wanted in stock, I ended up buying from the second dealer, but the experience left a bad taste in my mouth. (Figuratively, not literally.)
So this time I decided I would take my Cavalier around to several dealers to see what they would offer as the trade-in value. I made it my test of how much they were trying to take advantage of me.
My first stop was Carmax in Sandy, a week ago Saturday. Even though I was not planning on buying a used car, they buy cars, so I would at least get a basement price at which I could sell my car instead of trading it in. The result: an offer for $2300, about half of the maximum I figured I could get based on the Blue Book trade-in value.
Thursday, I went to Ken Garff Honda of Orem. They offered me $4000, which I felt was a fair offer. Not only that, but they said they would buy my Cavalier for that even if I decided to buy my Civic elsewhere. They also offered me about three hundred dollars off the sticker price of the Civic ($20,105).
Last Saturday, I left home determined to buy my Civic. I drove up to Willey Honda in Bountiful. They had given me the best price quote for the Civic in response to an email query: an “Internet Special” of $19,335. The salesman I met with there was very nice, and he offered me some good advice with regard to some of the optional equipment I was considering. But the trade-in appraisal came in at only $3200. That left Ken Garff Honda with a slightly better differential between Civic price and trade-in price.
I then made my way to the final dealership I planned to visit. I had left this dealership until last because it was where I had gone to do my initial test drives of Honda vehicles, and since the salesman there had been very helpful, I felt I owed it to him to come to him last. Unfortunately, he was on a test drive with another customer when I got there, but his manager started working with me and got the appraisal process started on my Cavalier.
The salesman showed up, and we talked a bit before the appraisal came back. In retrospect, maybe I should have mentioned to him or his manager that I would view their offer on my car as a measure of how much they were trying to take advantage of me, but I didn’t. Their offer: $2300. I told them I had been offered $4000 by Ken Garff Honda. They said that number was probably just inflated to make me feel good about my trade-in while I was being taken advantage of in other ways. That reasoning made some sense — except for the fact that Ken Garff Honda had offered to buy my car for that amount even if I didn’t buy the Civic from them. That meant they were not inflating its value beyond what it was really worth to them.
I told the manager that I had decided to go back to Ken Garff Honda and buy there instead. He offered to match the $4000 for my trade-in. I told him I’d rather go where I didn’t feel like someone was trying to take advantage of me. He offered to match the $4000 and lower the price on the Civic, making it the best deal I had been offered. I told him I was going to Ken Garff Honda and asked for my keys back. He went to get them.
At least, I thought that was where he was going. Another man came over; I think he said he was the used car purchaser for the dealership. He tried to explain to me that they use a standard computer system for determining used car values, but that it was possible to work out a deal. I told him that I felt his system seriously undervalued my car, and that since Ken Garff Honda had given me a more reasonable offer up front, I felt better about doing business there. Finally, he went away and brought me my keys.
I went out to my car, and checked my voicemail to get the phone number of Rick Harris, the salesman at Ken Garff Honda. While I was on the phone, there was a tap on my window. It was used-car-purchaser-guy. He told me that a used car wholesaler just happened to have come onto the lot, and that it was possible that the wholesaler could offer me more on my car than anyone else. I told him I wasn’t interested, and he went away.
I’m not going to name that dealership, but it rhymes with Ockton Ooh Alone Onda.
So I drove down to Ken Garff Honda and talked to Rick. We worked out a deal better than the previous dealership’s desperation offer, and I bought my nice new Civic.
It took a while to get through all the paperwork (they managed to get me financing at 0.35% better rate than my credit union or Capital One Auto Finance.) So it was dark by the time I got my Civic. But here I am with Rick Harris, the guy who sold me the car:
If you’re looking to buy a Honda somewhere along the Wastach Front, I suggest you go in and talk to Rick. Mention that I referred you, and I get $100 if you end up buying a car from them. But since Ken Garff Honda was my best new-car-buying experience, I’d recommend them even without the $100 bounty.
Anyway, that’s the story of where I bought a Honda Civic.