We test drove at Hersons Honda, and there was no markup plus it seemd there was also some room for negotiation at the MSRP.

Appreciate the ideas and tips. Realistically, I may just need to lower my sights (model, trim, year) to stay within my budget, but will take a look at WV and other areas.

Anonymous wrote:What I do is decide exactly what I want, color options everything, then email a wide variety of dealers asking for the out the door price including ALL taxes, fees, etc. I would just email lots of dealers and see what you get. I actually got my last car from the Bethesda Honda dealer this way.

This was wonderful advice until about October, 2020.

I drive to NC for mine to pay MSRP. It was still a two-month wait, though.

OP - try something like TrueCar - it's a seller's market and they will give you their best offer. There are plenty of buyers out there, they'll find someone without lowering the price.

Anonymous wrote:What I do is decide exactly what I want, color options everything, then email a wide variety of dealers asking for the out the door price including ALL taxes, fees, etc. I would just email lots of dealers and see what you get. I actually got my last car from the Bethesda Honda dealer this way.

This does not work anymore.

Not the same model as you, but we bought a Corolla Hybrid and dealers here wanted over MSRP and/or a several months wait.
I started looking on cars.com and contacting other dealerships. I found one in Morgantown, WV that was in transit and we drove over there to get it a couple weeks later. Hybrids definitely not as popular in those hills over there! The dealer said there is a flight from Dulles to Morgantown for $100 and lots of people from NOVA do it. We’re in Maryland and just drove.

Anonymous wrote:What I do is decide exactly what I want, color options everything, then email a wide variety of dealers asking for the out the door price including ALL taxes, fees, etc. I would just email lots of dealers and see what you get. I actually got my last car from the Bethesda Honda dealer this way.

When was this?

What I do is decide exactly what I want, color options everything, then email a wide variety of dealers asking for the out the door price including ALL taxes, fees, etc. I would just email lots of dealers and see what you get. I actually got my last car from the Bethesda Honda dealer this way.

Fat chance w/o markups. Even with, market is still pretty tight and you may have to wait months.

Bump for attention

I am interested in buying a new Honda Hybrid CR-V but am wincing a bit at the price. Bethesda dealer said they're selling like hotcakes and people are paying above MSRP plus all the fees/taxes. Any chance that if I'm willing to drive further out that I can get a better deal? How far would I need to go? Any dealer recs?