Reddit posts say that some greedy Honda dealers are raising the price of the reborn Prelude by huge amounts, making it cost more than $60,000. The Honda Prelude costs $43,195, which is more than 40% above the company’s stated price. In a statement on invoice pricing, Honda said that while it agreed that independent sellers should be able to set their own prices, it strongly opposed its dealerships raising rates. A lot of people on the internet are critical of the revived Honda Prelude’s on-paper features, but the car is getting a lot of attention. Because of this, it shouldn’t be a wonder that car dealerships are raising the prices of new cars to make a little extra cash. Even though Honda says markups are bad, rumors on social media and a Carscoops story say that some Honda dealerships are trying to make a lot of money from them. When we asked Honda about the price hike, they said, “While it’s great when demand for one of our products is so high, we strongly discourage such markups and recommend that our dealers invest in the long-term relationship with the customer.” In the end, the price is set by the free market and the sellers, who run their own businesses. When dealer markups are factored in, the data becomes useless. One dealership may offer prices hundreds of dollars lower than the supplier across town. A number of people on social media, however, have already shared pictures of sellers who have marked up the cars by about 40% more than the $43,195 list price. Someone on Reddit shared a picture of a window sticker that cost $61,714. Paint protection ($1195), wheel locks, splash guards, a cargo tray ($1995), and a touchscreen cover ($395) were all included in the price. The $10,000 markup the dealer added, about 25% of the Prelude’s original MSRP, is, without a doubt, the icing on the cake. Someone else sent a picture of the $63,850 price tag from the Facebook page of a California shop. The post says the Prelude is one of only 60 in the state, capitalizing on the car’s original scarcity. After driving the Prelude, it’s a good car. But a skilled Honda worker wouldn’t say it’s worth $60,000. Honda sells the Prelude as a “single-trim” car, meaning the only choices are paint color, wheels, and dealer-installed accessories. While most of the marked-up cars will probably sit there and collect dust, some shops will get buyers who want to be among the first in the US to own the 2017 Prelude. Still, if you really want to buy a new Prelude, you should wait until they start selling them at stores. Since Honda hasn’t said when production will end, dealerships that use the words “limited” or “exclusive” to describe the car won’t be able to do so for long.
