Topic: Not happy with Honda and the 2006 CR-V

[hondasalesguy]

Does their base car even have A/C? And if it doesn't, do you think they sell very many? I haven't sold a car without A/C for 3 years...Option it up to what MOST people want and the prices are close. Can't please everybody and it is cheaper to put A/C and power everything in all models than to add it on piece by piece... it also avoids us having "red headed stepchild" models kicking around at the end of the year that nobody wants.

[safristi]

..Crappy Resale Value.....!!!! SOFTBALL fer Honda SalesGuy whose havin' a SLOW day..now give me $3,000 orf a NEW CIVIC...... ...oops solly I anwered the page 1 question what does CRV stand for..yer ALL on Page two...YOU ALL MUST BE WRONG.....

[G0dspd]

Putting A/C and power everything in all models would be a good idea for Honda ... they're mostly a "passenger car" company anyway.  But maybe people who can't really afford a car are happy to have the option of a barebone Honda?  Also, some people don't want AC in their car ... I suppose that hondasalesguy is in a dealership situated in a big city where AC is almost essential.

[hondasalesguy]

news flash...A/C is considered essential in basically all of Canada. Thats why less than 5% of cars sold these days don't have standard A/C.

When the Fit lands in the spring I'm sure there will be a base model with no A/C, no power equipment, etc. Hopefully it will start under $15K and appeal to those who are on a lower budget...

[barrie1]

It seems to me that every Hynundai Sold is one less Honda Sold as well as a Domestic car. How many cars do you think the average client buys. No matter what brand is bought from what dealer someone else looses the sale. Personally I do believe the Hyunda is a much better buy then the Honda product as I hear much more reliability problems on this web site about the Honda then we have ever heard about the hyunda. The 1st rule of Salesmanship is not to slag the other guys product out loud as it makes you look jealous that he has a better product. Hondaguy you do this all of the time on here and have done it again. Your attitude for a Salesman is terrible towards the other brands especially when most of them are as good or even betterbuilt for the money.     

[smainville]

Barrie Barrie this is so predictable, the only reason you take the time to reply to these post is because of your one and only experience with a Honda.  You brandish your poms poms everytime something is written about Hyundai in hope they kill Honda overnight.  Well Barrie sorry to say it ain't gonna happen.  Hyundai is a vastly improved brand, acknowledged, but it's not all pink.  You can visit sites on the web where people talk about anything and that includes Hyundai problems.  In my eyes I think Hyundai is hurting your GM's big time!  Ya ya we heard it so many times 

[hondasalesguy]

Barrie I went back to every post I made on this page and couldn't find anything remotely resembling me slagging somebody else's product. I acknowledge that the Sonata has gotten some good reviews, I admit that they are making some inroads in this country and selling lots of cars. What I said is that Hyundai seems to be taking more sales away from the domestics than they do from Honda and Toyota. The typical domestic buyer is more concerned about the "deal" than the typical Honda/Toyota buyer. Not that our buyers don't want good value, they just think of more than just price or interest rate when they make their buying decision. If interest rate or cheap prices were all that mattered, neither Honda nor Toyota would be as succesful as they are. (Honda grew by almost 6% in 2005 in Canada)

Last time I looked , Barrie, it was your beloved General who was taking more shots to the head and losing more market share year after year. And as I have mentioned before this is not good for the overall economy, even Toyota admitted it would be healthier for everyone if GM could get its act together and become competitive again.

I drove a Cobalt recently in a comparison against Civic/Corolla/Sentra/Mazda 3. The Cobalt has a nice engine surrounded by a rental car interior with fit and finish barely any ette rthan the Cavalier it replaced. If this is the best the General can come up with to fight the Japanese compact cars, they will be left in the dust once again, having to heavily incentivize these cars to help them move off dealers lots.

[tumbler]

I think your logic reflects many today.. the CRV is no longer a winner or a soloist.. but rather a "has been" .. one can find much more value and bigger bang for their buck in the xtrail, hyundai tuscon, and kia..   honda held the mantle for many years in the small suv market, but nowadays, the other manufacturers have caught up and i think are offering greater value. 

Was walking by the dealer yesterday, and asked for a brochure for the 06 CR-V. I'd been told there weren't going to be any changes, but that's not true. They've killed the low end model the LX, or rather tossed a few useless extras onto it, called it a new Special Edition, and of course jacked up the price some $3000 or so. Just a total gouge, by forcing upgrades onto prospective purchasers instead of leaving them optional. Would it have killed them to continue to offer a lower end "entry level" machine?

I've now gone from the CR-V being my front runner for our new purchase to actually being annoyed when I see a CR-V on the streets. Unless the new Rav4 has some huge flaw, this decision of theirs will definitely mean my $30K goes to Toyota or Hyundai instead of Honda.

[Shnak]

I'm not sure why you say the X-Trail presents better value than the CR-V since the X-Trail was molded around the CR-V, and doesn't sell for much less, if at all, than the CR-V.

The Hyunda Tucson, Kia Sportage and now Suzuki Grand Vitara, sell for cheaper, so I guess they present better value... but there's more to "value" than selling price...

[smainville]

The 1st CRV came out in 98, the 1st X-Trail came out in 01 and the present (more square X-Trail like)CR-V in 03.  There are  some similarities between the X-Trail and the CR-V ie. tailights.  We could also say they all copied the Lumina and Transport van as far as those lights goes:).  I still think the CR-V is a great vehicle and Honda is not stupid, they've adjusted their packages probably because that's what people want and are buying.  I doubt very much they will lose anything.

[barrie1]

I see it this way where the General is still the biggest car builder in the world with Toyota being in 2nd place. The last time I road in a Honda I found the ride to be too harse and the materials not up to my value standards at all. We all have our views on different makes and models but Honda is not the biggest Dog on the block yet and with so much competition out there every year I don't think they ever will be. There's still a reason for GM to be in 1st place and don't say its loosing money on every car as thats not quite true at all. No Company can loose Money on every car and still hold on the top spot year after year like they have and continue to do. Your idea of interior comfort is not my idea of the same. Something that scares me is the body rigidness of the Honda cars. All Makes use the windsheild to some degree of structural strength when it is in the car. This thread recently with the windsheilds being too soft and having to be replaced on more then one posters car is an example of the weakness of the build in my mind. I have never ever heard of too thin a windsheild in any other make or model of vehicle in my life. Sorry i just can't buy cheap materials at a premium price.   

[mrthompson]

The hardness of a material doesn't necessarily equate strength/rigidity.

[JD]

I urge anyone in the market for a compact SUV to check out the Hyundai Tucson/Kia Sportage twins and the all-new 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara...  IMHO the best vehicles in the catagory right now, especially the Grand Vitara.

[smainville]

Honda is not the biggest Dog on the block yet  You're absolutely right, but it never ceases to amaze me watching them enjoy such success for a company that size, all the while the big dog has got its tail between its leg wondering what the fack to do next, trying too catch up to the Japanese is an impossible task and Hyundai  is pushing up it's arse! 

he he he, JD alias Amorak the automotive authority has spoken, the Suzuki looks good but the small dealer network would worry me, so let's hope it's reliable.

[hondasalesguy]

OK I have tried not to get personal but ol' Barrie is goading me, I am feeling playful, so what the hey...

Barrie: news flash - there is a new thing called "spell check" you may want to look into it. It's hard to think of someone as knowledgeable about the car business when they spell "lose" with two "o"'s..

rigidness - try "rigidity"

windshield - try using the "i before e, except after c" rule

harsh - not harse, unless you are a Newfie talking about a horse...

Xtrail said it best - Honda may not be the biggest dog out there, but so what? They are among the most profitable auto manufacturers relative to their size, they are still growing in their primary markets (Canada and the U.S.), and they consistently are rated among the top couple vehicles in their respective classes by most automobile magazines and consumer guide publications. I think a lot of the flack Honda gets on here is more of a backlash than anything else. When you are successful it is inevitable that sooner or later people just get sick of you. I have heard lots of people over the years say that they dislike nothing specific about the Honda Civic, other than the fact that there are just too many of them on the road... Best seller in Canada for 8 years... and this has been done with a minimum of manufacturer incentives. We sell you the CAR, not the PROGRAM.

Always striked me as odd that although Toyota is much bigger than Honda, and doesn't have any more real pizzazz styling wise than Honda does, you don't hear much flack about them... And Toyota has a very good chance of overtaking the General in global sales within the next couple years...

[G0dspd]

Oh no! Someone doesn't like Honda.    He must be stopped immediatly!   

Maybe Toyota doesn't get as much flack because they have a better customer service or just a better PR departement.

[hondasalesguy]

hey everyone has a right to their likes and dislikes.. whether its fast cars, dressing like a woman, eating tofu, i got no problem with that. I do have an issue with people who do't have their facts straight, or who misquote others, or who are generally so narow minded that they don't have any concept of reality in the global car business...I'm doing just fine personally and the people who dislike my product are unlikely to ever darkem my doorstep and waste my work hours so more power to 'em...

[kmak]

he was obviously an idiot

when in doubt check the website or ask if the salesman has been selling Hondas very long!

The salesman wasn't a complete idiot. He/she just failed to write down what was included.
Base SE: $29,300, auto: $1,200, Freight & PDI: $1,455; For a total of $31,955.

Is it just me or is the freight and PDI getting really pricey. 

Ah, it might have something to do with the rapidly rising rate of fuel?  These vehicles are produced and shipped at an increasing cost.

[smainville]

BTW Barrie, don't get me wrong, they're some GM's out there I really like and I sincerely hope it does it for them.  I would take an Allure, Impala and oh the beautiful Lucerne over a Sonata any day.  But not a Malibu or G6.  I also hope Ford has success with the beautiful unique Fusion, no copying here!

[barrie1]

As we all know already no-body builds a perfect car yet, one that would sweep everybody off their feet with all of the right toys,whistles and bells. Yes there are some cars from GM that I also would not buy but thats my view of need and style the same as the next customer. I personally prefer larger vehicles for myself and the Honda Products are just too small for my tastes and personal needs. So are some of the GM's and Fords and many others on the market to-day. Honda Salesguy what I don't like is when someone who sells one product continually downgrades another man's productespecially when that product is built by a Company who is really trying to overcome a bad stigna from the past history of it. Even Honda in the early days had some very serious build issue's but has overcome them since. Many folks don't remember them but some of US do and don't forget. A vehicle is usually the 2nd largest purchase a person makes in their life with a home being the big one itself. When you are badly stung once you never forgive or forget about the taste of the deal even many years later. Thats normal human nature and you never go back to that product again. I have owned doz's of vehicles in my career and only had one as bad as that no matter what make or model I bought. I have also rebuild rust buckets as a hobby and know when and how far it will take to bring a vehicle back to proper standards of safety. This could not be done at all on the one product I bought from your company as it was too far gone in only 11 months. Stung once never twice. How's my spelling to-day?