Not a Ridgeline Owner due to $55

[Ridgeline4wd_Archive]

Well over the past 2 weeks I have talked to 4 Honda dealers. Well this morning the verbal agreement was made. RTS with Navi, sunroof, hitch, fog lights and mud flaps. Invoice plus $700 and then trade-in value for my camry. (would have like to sell it on my own, but so convinient this way) I wanted to buy at the nearby dealer to take advantage of loaner cars and location, plus they had the silver truck still wrapped in plastic with only 4 miles on it.

Long and the short of it. Invoice + $700 - trade + TTL. I agreed and drove the 20 minutes to the dealer. Well like all other dealerships they try to add doc fees of $55 or other hidden fees, well that wasn't the agreement. Invoice + 700 + Tax +title + License and no where in there was there a "D" for documentation.

The sales guy had to go talk to the manager. Manager was a very rude guy also abrupt, standoffish. No way wo how! He then gave me the sob story about how they aren't making money already on me and they gave me everything I wanted, bla bla bla. I told them that the agreement only inlcuded ttl and sorry but I was leaving. The manager then told me that if I didn't take the deal then it would be higher if I came back. The sales guy was pretty upset because "I" was blowing the deal over $55.39. I looked him in the eye and said that wasn't included in our deal was it? He agreed. I left, walked right by the shining Ridgeline and drove home.

Well with the three Toyota's I bought in the past(not an expert by any means) I never had a manager close the door to negotiations. The truck was clean, check book was out, paper work filled out and ready for me to go and they let me walk out. Too bad they can't just tell you they are going to add the hidden fees, but they don't. Even if they call back I don't know if I would buy from them if this is the way the managers at Muller Honda in Highland Park Illinois treat their customers.

They could have apologized for not informing me of the hidden fee during the negotiation and then say that the deal is a good deal and if I needed to think about it, or they couldn't go any lower or maybe split it with me or any number of options, but this guy was so rude and final. Pretty much I was trying to rip them off.

Sorry for the ramble, but is there a Honda form I can fill out and submit managers names etc? In the scheme of things $55 isn't alot of money on a $31000, but that wasn't the deal I agreed too, but then again, $55 shouldn't have been a big deal to them either. My pride will keep me from going back and that is becasue of the way the manager chose to approach and interact with me.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Ridgeline4wd_Archive]

I f you really wanted a Ridgeline I think you may have been "A Penny wise and a pound foolish".

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A deal is a deal....don't give in to the Stealers.....they are counting on it. I did this with my CRV. They called me two days later and completed the deal as agreed.

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Kudos for sticking to your guns, $55 may not be much, but believe me if you gave in your conscience would always be tormenting you, telling you are a whimp, a pushover, a door mat. a LOOSER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

The RL's price is gonna go down.The employee discounting by other companies is at all time high, and soaring gas prices make a V6 truck a gas guzzler.You will get a deal better than the $700 over invoice. 8)

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GMs employee purchase went off as of midnite tonite and they will not renew it because they have no inventory. Don't know about ford or chrysler. I hate DOC fees and in Mo. if you charge one person a DOC you have to charge everyone. Last car I bought they were up front about the doc fee and I just had them deduct that much off of the selling price. Doc fee was 89 dollars so I traded for in your case I would have paid 611 over instead of 700. Good luck.

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You didn't buy a car over 55?

Give me a break. Come on, no one can be that CHEAP.

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I don't think I am cheap I don't like getting cheated. The agreement was price plus TTL and I specifically asked about any thing else. The deal we made was final, or at least I thought and then they change it at a point when they don't think you will walk away due to too much time invested. I think that is wrong. I also think most people just pay it because they don't want to start the process over again. It is very manipulative if you think about it.

They wouldn't add $55 to the value of my trade or deduct it from the acc. They were gambiling that I wouldn't walk away over $55, well they were wrong.

I was just sticking to the original agreement, but then to threaten me that I wouldn't be able to get that deal if I left and came back was the icing on the cake.

[Ridgeline4wd_Archive]

Tell them to take it off the price or just split it or pay it.

I would not let a deal go for 55, split it and move on...

The bottom line is are you getting a good deal? I think so.

I love my new ridge, I would have paid a lot more than I did but I didn't have to... I paid 34 800, loaded with just about every option DVD, roof, NAV, camera, running boards, just about every dealer option. I am very pleased. Plus I am driving the car.

Try a new dealer but don't give up. You are missing out on a HOT ride.

Joe

[Ridgeline4wd_Archive]

I'm right there with you in spirit, hkmail1. If they wanted your business, then they should've been polite, not rude, and flexible. I don't blame you for walking out. I'm the kind of guy that might even pay more somewhere else if they treat me better! Good luck.

BTW I've never bought a Toyota in my life because of the 'hidden' charges that they refuse to negotiate, etc. I've walked out every time. In fact, I'll probably never go into a Toyota dealership ever again in my life!

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IMO,this has nothing to do with $55 but a matter of principal.Me too would rather or could pay $55 more somewhere else for the right treatment.its funny that you mention this because I also found that a few dealership I visited the sales staff was very polite but the managers had a chip on their shoulder kinda attitude.One of them yelled at me from across the showroom saying"COME BACK WHEN YOU'R READY TO BUY".I had already made it clear to them that I don't want to waste their or my time and I want their absolute best selling price.needless to say I shook my head and walked away.
you didn't loose anything and you will get a better deal elsewhere like I did.

[Ridgeline4wd_Archive]

If the $55 would have been part of the final negotiation than I would own a Ridgeline and be none the wiser. The problem is the sleezy way they add on hidden fees after the deal is final. Then to play their mind games on you and bully you into paying them just because everybody else does. Well there is a reason normal people think car sales people have questionable morals.

The stupid thing is the manager didn't leave any way to continue the purchase. He embarassed me and made me feel stupid. Well that is just how you want to feel when you are about to spend $31000. The was no option to continue negotiating, the only option he really left me was to leave.

[Ridgeline4wd_Archive]

Well last night I started thinking about saving some money and buying a Tacoma (confort zone), but now I think tomorrow I am going to go fishing at the other dealers with the same deal and see if I can catch another silver RTS Navi still shrink wrapped and ready for a new home. :)

[Ridgeline4wd_Archive]

hkmail1 wrote (View Post): › docWrite("quote")
Well last night I started thinking about saving some money and buying a Tacoma (confort zone), but now I think tomorrow I am going to go fishing at the other dealers with the same deal and see if I can catch another silver RTS Navi still shrink wrapped and ready for a new home. :)


I like that idea! Good luck and, of course, let us know what you end of with...8)

[Ridgeline4wd_Archive]

You'll find your Ridgeline at the price you want....even if you have to travel a bit. I just emailed 50 dealers in Western Canada for pricing. Some aren't moving......but enough are!!!!

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Interesting Story. When I made my deal I stated that I didn't wany anyone talking about "extras" after wards in the Finance office (I was paying cash anyway). So I prearranged that.

When I'm doing the final signing the guy says "how do you want to pay for the $20 to transfer the plates". I said "I'm not, you guys are paying for it". He then phoned the Sales guy etc. etc. etc., They Paid.

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$20.00, 50.00, 199.99 admin fee......maximize profit is the term I think.

WITHOUT GIVING OUT THE QUOTE OF THE LOW BID....I have been quoted everything from MSRP to 1900 off!! Needless to say I am quite pleased with the results in this "tight market". I will reward the best price with the deal....there is more than enough in it to cover my vacation.

[Ridgeline4wd_Archive]

BC Don wrote (View Post): › docWrite("quote")
Interesting Story. When I made my deal I stated that I didn't wany anyone talking about "extras" after wards in the Finance office (I was paying cash anyway). So I prearranged that.

When I'm doing the final signing the guy says "how do you want to pay for the $20 to transfer the plates". I said "I'm not, you guys are paying for it". He then phoned the Sales guy etc. etc. etc., They Paid.


That's the way it should be! Good job 8)

[Ridgeline4wd_Archive]

Silver RTL Navi,Sunroof, fog lights, mud flaps and hitch. Called another dealer that I hadn't included before and it turns out they are just as close to my office as the other dealer.

$100 cheaper than the dealer I walked out on Saturday. Went in around 3:30 today and i will pick up the Truck tomorrow with acc installed. Just got off the truck yesterday, only had the one navi with sunroof. Still had plastic, inside and out and only has 3 miles on it.

The sales guy was very nice, manager even nicer, and even the finance manager was great. They made me feel like I was getting a great deal. Just lilke you want to feel when you spend $30,000.

Castle Honda in Morton Grove. Hopefully everything will go as planned tomorrow.

Now I hope the last sales guy calls me so I can tell him I just bought one, sorry. Then again, I guess the manager probably won't let him call me back. I wonder if I made him mad.

[Ridgeline4wd_Archive]

It makes me happy to see someone standing up for the prinicple of this whole issue. It isn't about $55. The guy that called you cheap likely has no principles, so he wouldn't understand anyway. Can't people see that how you treat someone is as (or actually MORE) important than money? The reason I am driving the car I have today is EXACTLY the same reason you walked out of that dealership. I wanted an Infiniti G35 and had purchased 2 other Infiniti's previously. But, because the G35 was Motor Trend Car of the Year, they decided that rather than keep a loyal customer, they would try to gouge me and not negotiate on price. I walked and bought something else (nicer) instead. I can't tell you how glad I am that I did that. Yes, I love my car, but I also love that I did what I believed was the right thing to do.

*stepping down from soapbox*

-RTL44 :oops:

[Ridgeline4wd_Archive]

So, what is the status of getting a new Ridge?

Can you find a better dealer to work with?