Speculation on future Honda financing offers

[JCA]

I’ve been looking at a Clarity and am 90% sold on it, but am not quite ready to pull the trigger yet. I don’t really need a new car for about 6 months when my beloved 2007 Civic starts being used by a new driver in the house, and I’m still a bit torn on choices. Other cars I’m considering are the 2019 Volt or a Civic or Accord with a manual transmission...just for fun (or what passes for it in a practical everyday car!) But that's not the point of this thread

The current California financing offers on 2018s that end tomorrow (2/28) are pretty good (0.9% APR loan for 0-60 months, or lease with federal tax taken off the cap cost and a very good money factor equivalent to a ~0.5% APR) to the point that they compare very favorably against paying cash.

I’m sure the actual price of the car will be just as negotiable next week, but I wonder if I’m giving up the best financing incentives that will be in play over the next few months. Were there similar deals at various points last year or does Honda tend to have similar offers periodically through the year?

 

[Sandroad]

The correct word is in your thread title: speculation. Who knows? Every time I've wanted to buy a Honda there's been special financing/leasing available through Honda, but my local Credit Union has also done really well on interest rates. But maybe I've just been lucky. I wouldn't worry about speculation for 6 months from now. If you don't need a car yet, just wait until August and see what's available. Don't buy a Volt. I'd love to have an Accord with a manual! But I've found resale value on those is a bottomless pit, so look for good used.

 

[The Gadgeteer]

The Clarity is one of the best overall cars in existence in my opinion but it is a low production car. Honda will make more Accords in month than Clarities in a year. I think the car should be a runaway hit but who knows if cars like the Clarity will ever catch on with the general public.
So while much of the car comes from Honda’s standard parts bin much of the car is very unique with quirks that may never get acknowledged much less addressed other than in forums like this.
Just keep that in mind.
I think using regen paddles and playing with the various modes satisfies the part of my brain that enjoyed manual shifting, maybe more so. I might even sell my motorcycle. The Clarity is engaging when you what it to be and relaxing when you need it to be. It really is a car like no other.

 

[David in TN]

My last three Honda vehicles have been purchased at 0.9% or 1.9%.

My last one was a 2017 Honda Civic Si. Some called it a "mid-life crisis" car. It had an active suspension that allowed it to corner at nearly 1.0g. Ran really, really, really good! My MPG for the 25k+ miles that I put on it was 36.57mpg.

I really enjoyed that car except for: the 6-speed manual transmission was a pain in stop-and-go traffic, which, living in the Nashville area, is some of the worst in the US.
The place where I work and drive in this traffic, 35 miles from my home, built a new building that incorporated 120v, 20amp, charging locations for EV's. So, I got to pondering, and researching.

Now that I've had the Clarity for a couple of months and approaching 3,000 miles, I have found that I enjoy the ride (the Si's was quite good, too,) the techno-toys that it has to offer, the Honda-sensing (wasn't available on the 2017 Si,) and the gas savings. ACC w/LSF is amazing in this traffic!

My perfect car? Give me a Civic Si, as a hatchback (or can you just do this with a HR-V???), with a DCT, including paddle-shifters, Honda-sensing, PHEV with 50-mile EV range, and performance of current Si, and package it for under $30k, with 0.9% financing, and I'd be one happy guy!!

 

[Aaron]

I went back and forth between the volt, model 3, and clarity for close to a year. I have learned there really never is a hurry. As you correctly stated, negotiation will always exist and interest rates may rise and fall....do they every really rise or fall by more than a point or two?
It depends on what your personal needs are but the Model 3 was just too expensive and the volt was too small. Clarity all the way.

 

[Mariner91]

Were there similar deals at various points last year or does Honda tend to have similar offers periodically through the year?

As far as I can tell, the 0.9% APR (up to 60 months) is year round, though they seem to break it up on a every 3-4 month offers. I know I got mine at 0.9% 10/21 (that offer "ended" 10/31) and they had a new offer of the same on Nov 1. Same/similar thing when I was researching for a minivan and looking at Odyssey 3 yrs ago

 

[NorCalPete]

My experience was similar to Mariner's. I watched Honda's 0.9% APR offer "end" three times while I was researching the Clarity Plug-in, and a fourth time while I was negotiating prices with a half dozen dealerships; it was still available when I purchased the car on December 26. I pulled the trigger then because 1) I found the price/model/color/manufacturing-date (Nov 2018)/odometer-mileage (6) that I wanted, 2) for federal tax credit reasons, and 3) because my wife's 2000 Nissan Altima was done being a reliable car for her. (Yep, we "buy and keep forever" when it comes to new cars for my wife -- I only buy used cars for myself.) For our situation, waiting to get what we wanted (and when we wanted it) made more sense than speculating about interest rate increases.

 

[maguzma]

Might be helpful, last year during March and April the dealerships provided great discounts (probably because of tax season). March was especially crazy.
I helped friends get in deals including Honda's.
For example, I helped a couple of guys at work get into Buick Encore (Preferred packages) leases with zero down and zero customer cash/at signing for under $200 and that included delivery from Los Angeles to San Diego. Mazda, Lexus, Chevy (Bolts, Volts and SUVS), VW all had great lease and purchase deals. You should see new discounts come out on the 3rd of the Mar.
I suggest you call or email around for quotes and then turn them around during the first week of March and who ever beats you should consider getting.