Ultimate Mommy-ride Found!

Last week, we had wasted so much time, effort and was given unnecessary stress at CarMax for the used 2005 Honda that we bought from them. After signing the papers last Thursday and driving it home Tuesday this week, we returned it yesterday because of poor after sales service. I have to give it to them though, they honored their 5-day money back guarantee. It’s a long story and I won’t bore you with the details of my family’s ordeal. Suffice to say if it would have happened to less civil people, they would have gone ballistic or to have gone to a meister lawyer! But we are peaceful creatures and believe in rational thinking.

When my confidence level with CarMax plummeted down this week, I started looking around for Honda Odysseys from other dealerships. My lady luck was with me and I found out that Honda is giving good incentives. Hondas keep their value so well that the used 2005 Odyssey with 17K miles has very minimal price difference compared to the brand new 2006 models. After our experience with the used vehicle(not certified used) we decided to buy brand new. I compared prices online between Honda dealerships around the area. What I liked about Ourisman Honda of Laurel is that they show their inventory online unlike the website of another dealer that had so much annoying blinking stuff but doesn’t show their inventory and prices. All flash and no content. Online shopping should be straightforward as can be. I like to shop online without getting pressured so I want to see what is being sold. There was another dealer in the area but I didn’t consider them because my husband said he and a friend didn’t have a good experience with them.

I narrowed my search down to 2 dealerships and asked for quotes. I also printed out AAA new vehicle purchase certificate. Internet Sales Manager of Ourisman Honda of Laurel: Terry Meyers beat the quote of the AAA certified Honda dealer(I recieved offers from 3 different sales agents from the same dealer, not a good sign. I was pressured into going down at that moment[even after I said that I had to consult my husband first] to the dealership for an extra $100 discount. Duh? We are talking of $27K+ transaction here, hello?). Terry did a good job of listening to what I had to say rather than giving me a sales pitch. Terry and the whole Ourisman team did a wonderful job of making us happy customers and drove home with our new Honda with big smiles on our faces(without us camping at their showroom!) . What a refreshing experience! We got the most value out of the money which we will be paying for the next 63 months.

Ourisman Honda of Laurel- certainly My Good Find!

In case you are shopping for a mini-van, I highly recommend 2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L over the EX(19/25 mpg). Advantages: 20/28 mpg City/Highway driving. “Powered by the intelligence of i-VTEC® technology, VCM™ quickly and seamlessly activates or deactivates the three rear cylinders, depending on the driver’s needs. So you get the best of both worlds: V-6 power when accelerating or climbing, as well as the efficiency of a smaller engine while cruising.” - Honda.com