help buying a new car in NoVA (sales tax, living in)
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There are many Honda dealers in the region, but one that I would go to is Criswell in Germantown, MD. Hendrick is also good, but when someone I know was looking for a particular vehicle, they didn't have it -- and said person wound up getting it for less in Hagerstown, MD.
If you're looking for a pre-owned at the franchised dealer, you can get a certified model. CPO come with additional warranties, and are inspected much more closely than regular used cars. "Carfax" does not certify cars as to their mechanical condition, but some dealers attempt to say that it's "Carfax Certified" in that the report does not show any issues, such as salvage title or theft recovery. Such "certification" does not include an extra warranty as the manufacturer's own CPO program does.
I agree that you could get a deal on a Civic, especially a lease return CPO that would be less expensive, and would not lose as much value in the first year. The Civic is a popular car, so there should be many choices in the CPO ranks. You can also search on HondaCertified.com to see what vehicles are in the program at various dealerships in the region. The CPO asking price is also listed online.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Thanks for the feedback, folks. I started to look at carmax.
bmwguydc, I understand what you wrote about the certified vehicles. That is the route I am planning on taking after the feedback I got here and elsewhere.
Now I just need to get familiar with all the variables involved in buying a used certified car.
I suppose the restriction with a certified car is that if I check a carfax report on a particular one, I can go and talk about only that one at the dealership. But it could be gone before I make to the dealership. Conversely, if I go to them and am showed a particular car, I would need to come back home and check its carfax report form its VIN. Again, by the time I go back, that vehicle may be gone and we would need to start all over again. Is that how it goes? Or am I missing something in the picture?
Any Honda-certified vehicle will pass the Carfax review. Honda North America is pretty strict about the vehicles allowed into the certification program, so you should not have to worry with CPO. Every CPO has a Carfax, so you can view it when you go to the dealership. You don't have to review it on your own before-hand, unless you want to do so.
A CPO vehicle will be a little more expensive than a regular used car, or the same car at a non-franchised dealer. The important thing with certification is that you receive a Honda warranty with it, not a third-party warranty for which you may have to pay extra at another dealer. Some third-party warranties are not even very good, hence the reason why CPO is a great program.
The only thing to be sure of when at the dealership is that the vehicles shown are all Honda-certified. Some will have non-certified used on the lot as well.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
bmwguydc, thanks for the explanations and the info.
Regarding the carfax of a certified used card, is the report that is available on a dealership's website any different from what I would get if I were to purchase it directly from carfax using the VIN number? In other words, is Honda dealerships' website carfax report as trustful and complete and I would get if I were to obtain it myself from a different source?
It's the exact same Carfax report that you would get from Honda as you would purchase on your own. The nice thing about Honda is that you don't have to purchase the report/packages of reports on your own as it's included with the vehicle. The dealer will show the Carfax to you, though many do have them posted on their online ads. Carfax is independent, and Honda just includes the link to the Carfax database report as part of the listing. They don't edit the information contained in it, or present it in a different format.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Thank you for the confirmation. I was doubting whether the carfax from Honda's certified vehicle's link was a teaser (and that I need to buy it to see it in full). I was wrong. Glad to know that I am getting the full information right from them.
Next up, I have read a lot about having the used car checked from your own mechanic to detect any problems that may not be reported in the reports. I understand how important this can be when buying from an individual or from non-certified places. Is this step as crucial in Honda certified vehicles' case also?
I would recommend a mechanic's check with many cars, but for a CPO Honda, I might forego that step. Hondas are pretty reliable, overall, and making the grade for CPO, the vehicle would be free of any mechanical or structural problems (crash repair) that might be indicated by a mechanic's inspection. Purchasing from a franchised Honda dealership, you have warranties about the car and the sale, since it's a late-model vehicle, not exempted by age or mileage. With a private party sale, or purchasing from a used car dealership, a mechanic's inspection is critical because the vehicle is not CPO; and with private party sale, you have no warranty other than an existing vehicle warranty that may be in effect.
If you do want to have it inspected, Carchex is a good service that's independent and reports to you, not the dealer. They will dispatch someone to look at the vehicle, and you can meet them there if you wish. The services offered are reasonable, around $150. If the car has been previously Carchex inspected, which you can tell by entering the VIN, you can get a reprint of the existing report for $25. That may not be the case with a late-model CPO Civic, though, but can come in handy for other vehicles, especially classics.
I would probably have an on-site inspection, even with a CPO, but then I tend to like my own documentation/reports from my side of a transaction.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
A bit of advice on Carfax; Any info on there has to be reported to Carfax by the repair shop. They are not required to report it to them so you could get a clean report that is not completely true. That's where the advice on a Certified Pre-Owned comes in. The manufacture stands behind the car just like a new car and some even offer extended warranties on top of it which could cover the life of the loan. If you title it in Virginia you will also save on your annual property taxes with a CPO because it's assessed at lower rate due to deprecation.
There are many Honda dealers in the region, but one that I would go to is Criswell in Germantown, MD. Hendrick is also good, but when someone I know was looking for a particular vehicle, they didn't have it -- and said person wound up getting it for less in Hagerstown, MD.
I second this. When I bought my Civic last April, Criswell was by far the best of the three I went to (Leesburg Honda and Fairfax Honda were the other two). Very professional, low-pressure atmosphere and they don't try to take advantage of you (at least the salesmen I worked with didn't.)
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