December 2006 Archives

One of the knocks often used against the hybrid models is the extra cost.  I thought I would look at it and figure out how much really.  This is Honda's Accord pricing but I think it is representative of others.  The one thing to note is that often the hybrid model is simply an already high end model with the hybrid addition. The pricing below I got from the non hybrid price list and the hybrid price list.

I-4 2007 Honda Accord EX-L with Navigation - $27050
V-6 2007 Honda Accord EX-L with Navigation - $29400
Hybrid 2007 Honda Accord with Navigation - $33090

There are a few other options added in the upsell versions but mostly it is the difference in engines.  The switch from 4 cylinder to 6 is $2350 and then to go to a hybrid is another $3690.  Some would argue that I simply paid $6040 to get roughly the same or potentially worse mileage than I would have gotten with a 4 cylinder.  However there is 87 more HP and 72 more torque, which for someone coming down from a V8 is needed.

Will I recoup $6000 in gas savings over a 4 cylinder engine over the life of the vehicle. probably not.  Will I enjoy I enjoy driving more than I would otherwise, oh yeah.

49576-DSCN0789 Hosted on Zooomr

As I detailed in my previous post I was interested in buying a new Honda Accord 2007 Hybrid.  I sent quote requests to several Honda Internet dealers in my area.  In the end two had identical pricing and I decided to go with the one that was within walking distance of my house.  I told the salesman Keith Kirn that I would be in Saturday morning.  I showed up a few minutes after 10 AM.  I had hoped for a quick process since all the pricing details had already be determined.  We started going over the various details.  I had forgotten to ask for wheel locks so those were added.  We then went through mountains of details regarding my info and my car I was potentially trading in.

About 90 minutes into the process someone went to appraise my car.  As far as I could tell they spent about 5 minutes looking at the car.  I had taken the car to CarMax to get appraised as well.  The CarMax process is a little more involved.  CarMax offered 12,000 for the car, which is sort of sad considering it is a little over 4 year old Lexus GS430.  I guess the 111,000+ miles hurt the value a bit.  When I started the online contact with Keith I mentioned I was hoping to get 13,000 for trade.  After the cursory glance he came back.  He said they couldn't do 13,000 and asked if less would be ok.  I said just give me the number, it was 12,800 which I was more than happy with.  At that point I said ok and we started the full processing.

It was at this point that Keith mentioned they didn't actually have the car I wanted.  Needless to say this didn't make me too happy.  I think he could tell this.  He immediately went to see if they could get it.  First he said in a day or two.  Then left again and came back and said maybe tonight.  He went to check once more and realized that they did actually have one on the lot.   At this point he said they would start prepping it for me.

We then went into full paperwork mode.  Mountains of paperwork, not as much as buying a house but still.  This went on for another 30-45 minutes.  I finally went in to see the "finance guy".  Since I already had a loan from USAA I was figuring this would be easy.  He first tried to sell me a loan, but I quickly shut him up with my rate thankfully.  Then he offered up their "post sale" options list, it was a sad photo copied list.  It looked like something that had been stretched and shrank and copied way too many times, and then had hand written notes on it.  It was standard things like poly-coating, rust protector, wheel warranty and an extended warranty.  The only one I was slightly interested in was the extended warranty, which is offered and backed by Honda.  I had looked online prior to going in at the Honda Care Source web site which lists prices from many dealers.  The prices online were up to 40% less than what Heritage offered.  When I mentioned this and asked for a lower price the guy went off.  He started ranting about how other dealers outside of Maryland aren't required to be bonded.  He said this meant that if he dealer went bankrupt that no one would honor the warranty.  Now remember I am talking about a Honda Care warranty, offered and backed by Honda not some other third party.  At this point I mentioned that it is sold by Honda so does that mean he is talking about Honda going out of business?  He seemed to get flustered and we basically got into a shouting match since his arguments weren't even logical.  I then went back to his earlier statement about MD dealers, and he had to admit that (even by his flawed logic) it would be ok to get it from another MD dealer.  I said thanks and moved on.  I then realized I needed my bank routing number for the USAA pre-approved check.  I didn't have it with me.  I had to go get it.

I was going to take my old car home and get it.  Apparently they took my tags off already though.  At this point they said my new car was almost ready.  I was just going to walk home, but as earlier they were trying to do anything they could to keep me from leaving, even after I said yes and signed paperwork.  Finally at about 2 PM my car was ready.  Keith showed me a few things but for the most part I knew more about the car then he did.  He took the picture you see above of me.  I went home and brought back the completed check.

The process could have been faster and smoother.  I am happy I got the pricing out of the way to begin with.  I could have done without the heavy sell from the finance guy though.  If you want a good price I recommend this method for sure.  It saved me several thousand off MSRP.

I am looking at buying a new 2007 Honda Accord Hybrid. I started by getting a pre-approved loan from USAA since at the time they had better rates than NFCU where I do most of my banking. One of the benefits USAA provides is a service that will negotiate a new car price for you. You give them the model and details and they do the price debate and get everything setup for you. It is supposed to take 72 hours. I called last night to begin the process. First, they told me it would take up to a week, I said fine. Second, once they found out what I wanted they indicated there was no negotiating on that model and more broadly hybrids in general. Ok so much for that.

Next I went to Honda's web site to work on it. On Honda's site I was able to configure the car as I wanted and then request a quote from an Internet Certified Dealer. The one downside is the page is setup to only allow you to send the request to one dealer. Luckily I could just hit the back button and choose another one. I figured I would see what I could get from them all and try to play them against each other a bit.

I sent requests to the following dealers at about 6:30 PM Thursday, I will keep a log of contacts:

Heritage Honda - This dealer has the benefit of being within walking distance of my house. I got an automated response almost instantly. Then the following morning I got an email at 9:22 AM. This email was very detailed on pricing and fees, I was very pleased with pricing. Sent a follow-up at 10:06 AM asking for quote with my dealer installed options. About 1 PM I got a follow-up quote with all the options, again a very competitive price. Currently by far the leader.  They were the winner and I set up a time on Saturday to go in and finalize.  More on that later.

Schaefer & Strohminger Honda - I got what I think is an automated response about 20 minutes after initial contact. A few minutes later I got another email that seemed automated. At 10:30 AM I got an email asking for me to call him to get pricing details. Since I am trying to do this the "Internet" way I asked him to email me details. He responded again about 15 minutes later with the price on a similar model but not the one I asked for and it was quite a bit more than Heritage. I then emailed him Heritage's quote at about noon to see if he could get closer to it. A few minutes later he wrote back saying if I order one he can get that price but not otherwise.  I got an email from them on Tuesday saying thanks for contacting us.  Then on Thursday a more personalized follow-up and I let them know I bought already.

Northwest Honda - The first email I received was a real email asking me for further info. In this case the question was wrong though since they asked the trim level. The problem being there is no trim level on the hybrid Accord. I wrote them back this morning at 7:16 AM and have yet to hear back as of 1 PM. At 2:43 PM got a response with a base price that is exactly the same as Heritage. I sent back the total price quote to see what they can do at 3:00 PM.  At about 3:15 PM they wrote me back with the same final price.  They would have been my second choice, losing only on location.  They contacted me again as a follow-up on Monday and I let them know I already purchased from Heritage.

Anderson Honda - As of 1 PM on Friday I have gotten nothing beyond the initial automated response from this dealer. I went to this dealer in person in May when I was also looking at the Accord hybrid. At this point unless they can beat Heritage's price I doubt I will be working with them.  I finally heard from Anderson on Monday, the price was about $500 more than the other dealers.  I wrote them back and said I already bought.

On Thursday I went up to Atlantic City with Roger and MP. We stayed at the Borgata which is the highest end casino in AC. This casino is almost up to Vegas standards. The only problem is as soon as you leave it you are still in AC.

The main reason we were up there was that Roger and MP both entered the Junkies Poker Tournament. The tournament had about 430 entrants and had a $300 buy in. The event was held in the Borgata poker room. The room is quite large and could easy hold a tournament of 2-3 times the size. Roger and MP lasted for about 2-2.5 hours and probably through the first 50-75 players. They didn't get too many good hands and were slowly whittled down.

For me it was weird being in a casino and not gambling. Just don't have the funds right now to be blowing them on cards or slots. Maybe some day in the future I can partake again. It is both and good and bad to see that the Borgata is so nice and so close.

It has been a while since I have written about movies. There are three I can remember right now and maybe one other I have forgotten. The three movies are Brick, Inside Man, and The Departed.

Brick was a critical success but not a box office one this spring. It was closer to an independent film than a wide release. It can most easily be summed up as a teen noir. It is the story of a high school student attempting to find out what happened to a friend. In the process he has to make deals with people and pit others against each other. It moves very quickly and is very stylized. I really liked it by Kelly was so-so on it. I would recommend it.

Inside Man was more of a mixed bag in the reviews. I wasn't sure about the movie going in due to what I had heard. It is Spike Lee's latest film and he has had some recently that I have really liked and others that have been real flops. The move is a heist move pure and simple, although it has some very interesting sub/side plots. I liked the movie and again Kelly was so-so. I would recommend it as well.

The last movie is The Departed and that one we saw in theaters. This movie is amazing, the best movie of the year and will probably win multiple Oscars. It is rough, a touch long but still really good. The cast is great and used very well. I cannot too highly recommend this movie.

Last Saturday night I ordered something from Best Buy's web site. I ordered it ground since I wasn't too worried about when it would arrive. On Thursday I got curious where the package was. According to the tracking the package was picked up by UPS and then handed off to USPS. The package started in IL and should easily have made it to me by Wednesday if it was UPS all the way. I took the second tracking number and looked it up on USPS. The results were:
"Status: Acceptance

Your shipment was Accepted/Picked Up at 9:19 AM on November 30, 2006 in BALTIMORE, MD 21233"
What that meant to me was the package was accepted for delivery or picked up at a post office. I however wasn't at home on Thursday so this concerned me. I called Best Buy this morning and they couldn't even get the level of tracking info I could. I then went to the Post Office and had them look it up. Apparently the above info means that the Post Office accepted it or picked it up from UPS, not the customer. The package might finally be delivered today.

It just seems to me that the tracking info wording could be done a whole lot better. Also the whole UPS and USPS thing seemed to do nothing more than slowing down the delivery of the package.