[Chief]

Hi Folks,

My name is Joe. My wife is getting a new vehicle and we've pretty much decided on the Crosstour EX-L AWD.

She had a new '93 Accord SE years ago and it was the bomb. As far as bikes, I've owned mostly Honda and have a lot of confidence in the company. I recently won a 2010 Harley Wide Glide in a raffle and don't plan on another bike ever. Just cause it's a Harley , I also drive an '04 Nissan Titan 4x4 Crew that I bought new. Anyway I digress:

She rally likes the Crosstour, and so do I. We test drove the EX-L awd yesterday and all she needs to do is decide what color she wants. Haven't made any deals yet.

I'm leary of first model years, please tell me of any problems that are occurring with this new model. Being it's built on the Accord platform etc, I feel it should have better reliabilty than average 1st year models, but there isn't much data out there. Let me know what to watch out for please. How have the dealerships/company been handling any issues? Are they addressing them reasonably?

Now as far as the deal itself: Any suggestions on what to ask for before it rolls off of the floor such as tires, Dealer options, etc?

The price the salesman gave us was $30,640 plus tax with 1.9 percent financing. We will talk a trade in and some cash, I could go either way on those. His price is only 923 dollars above 'consumer reports bottom line'. That's with no haggling and no offers from me (yet) I think his offer was pretty good, but I will go lower. Either there is more padding in the sticker than meets the eye, or they are just in a hurry to get the 2010's off the lot, or it's just a good deal. What do you think about that price? Should I wait for the 2011's to start showing up?

Sorry for being so long winded on my first post, I appreciate your time and suggestions/opinions/experience. As you can imagine, I'd like to get this done and at this point need as much input as I can get before pulling the trigger Guess I'll have to force myself to be patient.

Looking forward to 'Meeting' and hearing from you.

Thanks,

Chief

 

[melchor1106]

Try to find a CT that has a build date of sometime after March of 2010.

Look for loose or ill fitting taillights.

Look for chipped paint at the edge of the bottom corners of the rear hatch spoiler.

Look for chipped paint at the front radius of the taillights.

Check for sticking door handles.

Be sure you can live with the level of rearward visibility.

Listen to the stereo. Does the subwoofer work?

Are you OK with the speaker system being stronger in the front than in the rear?

Check for signs of water leaking into cargo area.

Then do all the stuff that you would normally do when you accept delivery of a new car.

-fred

 

[CCT]

Welcome, Chief......glad to have you along.

Fred summed it up very well.....Only thing I could add would be to get the navi including backup cam. It's not cheap at another 2k in Canadian dollars (not sure what it is on your side of the border- I expect closer to $1.5k) but it might be money well spent in light of visibility issues.

Another possibility that's been discussed is the aftermarket or dealer installed backup sensors and camera (along with an aftermarket navi)

If I were to do it over again, I have to admit I would go the extra 'green' for the navi with backup cam.

Best of luck with your purchase.

C.

 

[Army Dad]

Welcome Chief,

Fred and Colin pretty much covered everything. I have the Navi, and glad I paid the extra bucks for it. The navigation part is a sidebar for me, the rear view camera is a great assist, and there are a few more 'toys' in the Nav unit too.

I got the EX-L with Navi for about 29,8k. Bought it in early August. Check Edmunds.com and look for Honda to Dealer incentives, that will show you where at least some of the incentive money is.

Oops, rereading your post, you were offered the 1.9 interest. Usually the low interest/ money incentive is an either/or situation.

That said, be sure to press the dealer before October 1, you are at the right time of the month to buy especially if the sales manager needs to move a few units to make his bonus.

In the past Honda has been real proactive, especially with new models to get things corrected. I got a Ridgeline the first year, there were a bunch of issues but the forum members said Honda jumped all over any problem to get it fixed. Eight months out I got the Ridge and never experienced any of the problems, so they were corrrected on the assembly line also.

My build date is July 2010, and once again, knock on wood, I have not experienced any of the problems Fred listed from the members here.

Good luck with your purchase, let us know the great deal you work out.

 

[Chief]

Been on a sabatical with the car situation. Wife's been busy with other stuff.

I plan on looking at other vehicles too. The Forester although we've had 2 already. Good cars, not great. Never cared for the performance and handling of subaru although they hold up pretty well.

Maybe the Ford SUV and the Mazda which should be almost the same thing except for badging?

Drove the Murano and she just didn't like it although I thought it was pretty nice. Oh well I'm only here to help her decide and work the price. In the end it's her decision. No way I'm going to push her into anything, not even color. I learned that lesson well awhile back. After all, she has to live with it, not me so much.

I'll keep you updated.

Thanks Tons for the valuable info Guys, there's not much info out there yet and I really appreciate it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chief