All of my new car buying experience came from watching my father buy new cars throughout my lifetime, and so the process of purchasing a new car all by myself was unchartered territory. Part of me was nervous and apprehensive over the uncertainty of the process, and the fear of dealing with a potentially pushy and/or disingenuous salesperson was also something I dreaded in my mind. Still, the reality was I needed a new car and thinking about all the advantages of having a new Honda (the roadtrips, reliability, fun, etc.) were more than enough to help me press forward.

Test Drive - Colorado Springs and Pueblo

The adventure began in earnest 13 days before I would drive my new car home. On Tuesday, October 3, 2007, my friend Lisa and I visited a Honda dealership in Colorado Springs to test drive and look at the all-new 2008 Honda Civics that were coming out. I was not prepared to buy the car that day (as I needed an extra week to get my finances in order), but I nevertheless thought it would be a good idea to do some research, look at new Hondas in person and have some fun with a dear friend.

We arrived at the Colorado Springs dealership that morning and I became so giddy upon viewing all their wonderful new Hondas! A friendly salesperson named Tim* came out to greet us and helped me test drive a 2008 Honda Civic Sedan. Soon after, Lisa and I test drove another Civic, a 2007 Honda Civic Coupe (manual), which was their remaining 2007 in the coupe style. It was a great running car, just like all new Hondas are, and the sticker price was in the right price range too.

Top right photo: Me standing giddily in front of the white 2007 Honda Civic Coupe that I test drove on October 3, 2007.

While I knew my finances weren't quite in order to buy the car that day, part of me was really motivated to buy the car within a few days and to get the deal done. However, there was just one problem: The color was white! There was no way I was going to potentially buy a white car. I'm sorry to those who have white vehicles, but I could not and would not own a car for a lifetime that had a color of white!

Nevertheless, that second test drive persuaded me on purchasing a coupe instead of a sedan, and the sporty back end of the coupe was a significant factor. I graciously thanked Tim in Colorado Springs for his time, stated I was a serious buyer and told him I would likely be in touch.

After eating at a Chinese buffet in Colorado Springs (and I'll admit, I really should have taken pictures, heh heh!), we traveled south to the Honda dealership in Pueblo. Who knows? Maybe they would have a Honda Civic Coupe in a manual transmission sitting on their lot, we thought. At the lot, we immediately walked throughout the available Honda Civics, but all of the vehicles were the pricier EX version. A friendly salesperson greeted us and gave us the basic sales pitch about how he can order any specific vehicle for us. After receiving his business card and booklets for the Honda Civic Sedan and Coupe, we ventured on our way. As we were leaving the lot, Lisa pointed out an observation that I did even not notice: Most of the cars on the lot had small "dings" on the roofs, apparently from hail. Lisa and I felt bad for the sales people who would obviously have a tough time selling those cars if they were not fixed.

Two left photos above: After visiting the Pueblo dealership, Lisa and I enjoyed a pleasant afternoon drive on Phantom Canyon Road. You can see all of our photos of the scenery here: Phantom Canyon Road.

Colorado Springs Salesperson Turns Me Off

On Thursday evening, two days after testing driving the Civics and making a connection, I e-mailed Tim, the Colorado Springs salesperson. I thanked him for the experience of the test drive and requsted that he get some 2008 Honda Civic Coupe LX's with a manual transmission on his lot, most preferrably in the color of galaxy gray metallic. This is when the problems began: In a reply, a man by the name of Mark*, claiming to be Tim's partner, informed me they would not get this particular car on the lot until I put down a non-refundable deposit of at least $500. I replied back stating that would not work ... Why would I put money down on a car that I haven't even negotiated the price over, let alone seen with my own eyes? Red flag, red flag!

I called Tim the next day and received the same answer: I would have to buy the car or put a deposit down before they would get the car on the lot. Oh and here was the "kicker" (i.e. the very questionable assurance I received from Tim): If I put a deposit down and/or bought the car, then he could get my exact model ... THE NEXT DAY! (So um, if it is that easy to quickly get a car on the lot, why not get it on the lot beforehand? It's a Honda; It would defintely sell quickly even if I somehow didn't buy it.) At that point, it became fairly clear Tim's rigid position was a sign that I was not going to work with him. His behaviors indiciated he seemed more determined to have my money in his hands regardless of whether I was satisfied. After this phone conversation, I knew I needed to look for other options.

At this point, let me say that I learned a lot from this experience about how to buy a car:

1) I have the power, because the money is in my pocket. It's my job to get a salesperson's appetite hungry.

2) Because of #1, I will not write a check or give any money whatsoever until I'm happy - and I will be happy when things are done my way. I realize things can't be done perfectly my way, but in general, I will only work with a dealer who understands this basic principle and shows it through actions.

South Denver Dealership Works With Me

So I called a Honda dealership just a bit farther away in Centennial, a suburb located in the south Denver metropolitan area. I randomly received a salesperson named Tammy M., and I told her exactly what I experienced with the Colorado Springs sales team and suggested she had the opportunity to gain a sale. I expressed my desire and emphasized it needed to be in the following order:

1) I wanted to show up at her dealership and see the exact car I would purchase in color, transmission and make.

2) After looking at the car and "falling in love" with it, we would then negotiate a price.

3) Once the price was negotiated, I would then write a check for a down payment.

Tammy was very agreeable to all this, and then she really impressed me: She actually gave me a "no" answer and explained why about something I asked that showed she wasn't trying to impress me. She explained most of the first 2008 Hondas arriving on her lot had automatic transmissions, a more popular option over a manual transmission. The particular Honda Civic was currently not on her lot, but upon looking on her computer, she tracked down that the exact car of my desire would arrive on her lot in 10 to 14 days. Her honestly about all this was so refreshing, and it begged the question: If Tammy in Denver had no power to get the exact car on her lot sooner, what magical powers did Tim in Colorado Springs supposedly have to get my car on his lot the next day?! (My hunch: Tim lied.)

Photo Above: The Burt Kuni Honda license plate decal on the front of my car upon purchasing it. I was very clear that I did not want any stickers or decals on my Civic, but I was agreeable to having their license plate decal and frames on there which could be taken off easily. They had no problems with this and Tammy even admitted that she does not like dealership stickers on her car.

So far, so good. I simply asked Tammy to contact me as soon as possible when she knew for sure that the car would be on the lot. I was clear I would very likely arrive at the dealership within 24 hours of her call and take the next step. I was so happy!

Over a week went by and I called Tammy on Monday, October 15. The car had not arrived, she said, but it would likely show up that week. Upon my request, she gave me the VIN on this particular vehicle for car insurance purposes.

The next day (October 16), Tammy called to inform me the car arrived. Fortunately, my work schedule was totally clear and Lisa and I trekked to south Denver. My experience at the dealership was quite pleasant. I met Tammy's partner Marilyn who helped me test drive the Civic and of course, I liked everything about it. The negotiation of the final price of the car went fairly smoothly, and to my surprise, I was also informed that I would receive 2.9% financing on the unpaid balance on the vehicle. Nice!

After negotiating the price, I was clear that I wanted to see a financial breakdown of all costs, including tax, financing rate, the price of the car, etc., and that was done without a hitch before I even opened my check book.

Meeting the woman who offered the extended warranty was the last notable event, but only because of how Lisa behaved! The extended warranty deal of eight years or 120K miles for an extra $2,000 did not sound all that bad to me, but I rejected the offer because it was outside my budget. Plus, it's a Honda and Hondas have never given me any major problems under 120K miles. At one point, Lisa became a little opinionated when the saleswoman noted that electronics are covered under warranty and she once had problems with the electronics in her car. Lisa insisted, "Honda wouldn't put it in there if it was going to break down." The saleswoman retorted with a comment and Lisa quickly become assertive, "I'm a Honda person and I know they wouldn't put something in there that would be junk." Lisa, Lisa, Lisa ... Just be kind and let me gently reject her sales offer. There's no need to argue! Ah, it was funny! ;)

That night, I drove off in my brand new vehicle (the subject of this web site) and Lisa captured one photo of me before I drove off. Get this: There were only three miles on the odometer when I test drove the car and just six when I drove it off the lot for good! Of course, in Colorado fashion, it snowed throughout many stretches of Park County on my 120+ mile drive back to my mountain home, and even more, it has snowed three more times in the first week of owning my car. That's the way it goes living out here! ;)

I'd like to give special thanks to the following: My Dad for his encouragement throughout the process, Lisa for going along with me twice to the dealerships and Tammy M. and Marilyn at Burt Kuni Honda in Centennial for making my car purchase painless and enjoyable.

Lastly, let me encourage you. If you're struggling with all the uncertainty of buying a new car, it can be done. Just remember, you have the power as a potential buyer and don't "pull the trigger" until you feel absolutely good about the situation. Good luck!

-Steve (October 21, 2007)

* - I changed the names of the salespeople in Colorado Springs, whom I did not buy the car from.