Question:
I am looking at the Honda Civic Hatchback DX. Occording to the Honda
website
(http://www.honda1999.com/cars/civic_hatchback/features.html) air
conditioning
is an "accessory". But, I cannot find how much it should cost (MSRP nor
dealer invoice).
I have also checked Edmund's site, but it did not have info on A/C
costs.
(http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/cars/Honda/1018.99.html)
Does anyone know about this?
Answer:
You won't find the invoice price on the 'net because it's a dealer
installed option. We went through this problem when we bought our CR-V.
The dealer probably has the invoices somewhere but I never found them. I
know Honda has recommended prices for many accessories, but dealers will
charge whatever they want anyway. The recommended price for a CD changer
was around $450 plus installation; my dealer wanted $800!
My recommendation with accessories in general is to find out how much it
would cost from an internet Honda parts seller (two of my favorites are
www.hparts.com and www.manhonda.com) and use their prices to bargain,
while allowing some leeway for labor. You may also find how much they
would charge for an A/C unit, too, although I wouldn't know. Some people
would recommend that you purchase all your accessories through the
internet and save a bundle that way, although if your dealer installs
them, you get covered under the 3/36 new car warranty instead of the 1/12
parts warranty. (We ended up having an Alpine CD changer installed for
$400 and took a chance on the warranty.)
