I emailed five dealerships to find if any would offer a price close to invoice. Knowing Honda dealers receive at least 3% holdback under invoice, invoice was my goal. Of three dealerships within $200 of each other, Auto Park Honda in Cary was the closest geographically and the lowest price by a mere $100. I received a price from an online sales girl, and was arranged to meet a sales guy, Ed, for a test drive of I car I already knew I wanted. I signed and walked 3hrs and 10 minutes after shaking hands the first time with Ed. I did not dicker on the "Internet only" price because I felt invoice (per Edmunds) was a fair price to pay. The F&I manager, John, was as straightforward as one could expect for and F&I guy, and I mean that sincerely even if it's a poke at the industry in general for attempting to sell you all sorts of warranties you run a low percentage chance of needing. I can't begrudge someone trying to make a living in a marketplace where the edge is lower for the dealership than it was 10 years ago, and John was professional even while insisting that GAP coverage is a good purchase. At no time did I feel disrespected or belittled for disagreeing with him, and for a profession I generally joke about as one that lies for a living, he seemed more sincere than most F&I guys I've dealt with in the past - although I still doubt his claim that the dealership took a $30 loss on my sale just because I'm likely to bring in other customers, buy more cars in the future, and use the dealership service. Anyway, I enjoyed the experience overall and would have done it again if starting from scratch.
Pros: Straightforward Internet pricing
Cons: F&I is still F&I after all these years... at least without the hard sell at Auto Park
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