Leasing vs. Buying: What’s Better?

A question we often find our customers asking us at Keyes Honda is whether it is better to lease or buy their next car. Many factors can affect the decision like your lifestyle, needs and preferences, personal tastes and priorities. While there isn’t a perfect answer to this question, we hope we can provide our Los Angeles, CA area customers a quick overview of the advantages of buying and leasing.

Advantages of Leasing a Honda Vehicle

Leasing a Honda vehicle is a great choice when you want to maximize your dollar. Generally, you have lower monthly payments with a low—or no—down payment. You also have the option to drive a car with more options or better features than you might otherwise be able to choose when financing or buying a car. Another benefit of leasing is it easily allows you to transition to a new car every two or three years. If you are someone who gets a new car itch every few years, leasing may be a better option for you.

Advantages of Buying a Honda Vehicle

One of the best advantages to buying a Honda vehicle is that vehicle is yours. You can modify as you please and you can drive the vehicle as much as you like as there is no excess mileage penalty. You are able to build equity and you also have more flexibility since you can sell the car whenever you want. Over the long term, buying a car is usually more economical and allows you to keep your automotive costs as low as possible.

Both leasing and buying offer car buyers different advantages. If you are stuck between the two options, please stop by our Honda dealership and let our expert sales and finance teams help walk you through the pros and cons based on your personal situation. We regularly offer Honda specials on our new inventory, including the latest Honda cars, and on our used inventory. Our knowledgeable finance department is happy to help you when it comes to leasing or buying a Honda vehicle. We look forward to seeing you soon. 

2017 Honda Ridgeline Wins “North American Truck of the Year” Award

At Keyes Honda, we are very happy to announce that the innovative 2017 Honda Ridgeline has been named the 2017 North American Truck of the Year. This prestigious honor is given by a group of over 50 members of the North America automotive media and is distinctive because it is not tied to a single publication, radio, or television station but determined by an independent group of journalists from the United States and Canada. Presented each year at the opening of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, NACTOY recognizes the most outstanding vehicle of the year based on multiple factors including innovation, design, safety performance, handling, driver satisfaction, and value. It is the second consecutive year for Honda to earn a top honor, with the Honda Civic winning North American Car of the Year honors in 2016. “This award is a prized validation of the innovations and advantages the Ridgeline offers midsize pickup truck customers and a great recognition of the American development team’s work,” said John Mendel, Executive Vice President of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “This is a terrific way to kick off 2017, and we’re looking forward to sharing more innovative Honda products in the year ahead.”

The 2017 Honda Ridgeline includes a host of industry-exclusive standard and available features including unibody construction, a Dual Action Tailgate, In-Bed Trunk®, a scratch- and dent-resistant composite truck bed and the world’s first Truck Bed Audio System. The 2017 Ridgeline is also the first and only pickup to earn a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when equipped with available front crash prevention system and LED headlights.

If you’re interested in learning more, please stop by Keyes Honda serving the San Fernando, CA area. Let our expert staff walk you through the impressive features of the 2017 Honda Ridgeline and set you up for a test drive. We pride ourselves on our extensive inventory of new Honda cars and look forward to helping you find the Honda of your dreams.

Trade-in Your Honda Vehicle at Keyes Honda

Trading in your car, truck, or SUV is a great way to lessen the cost of a new vehicle you may be interested in purchasing while also extending the life of your current vehicle. You can also save time and money in not having to fix up your car or purchase expensive advertising. At Keyes Honda, we offer competitive values for trading in your current vehicle—you’ll always get a fair value for your vehicle and our friendly sales and finance teams make the whole process hassle-free, convenient and simple. We value good trades and purchase stock as key to our success. And as such, we are willing to pay for good inventory. Just bring your vehicle to our nearest delivery center location and receive a free written appraisal and commitment to purchase, which is good for three days. If you’re unsure of the value of your vehicle, just head over to our website and complete the simple trade-in value tool. This free service is a great way to help you determine an approximate Trade-In Value.

At Keyes Honda, we do our best to make trading in your current vehicle as fast and convenient as possible. Once you’ve completed the paperwork, it’s time to leave your current vehicle and drive off in your new Honda Accord or any other great Honda vehicle. Though, there are a few things you will want to take care of before you leave your vehicle at the dealership. Be sure to take out all of your personal belongings. Check under the seats, in the glovebox, or any other spot where personal objects may be hiding. You will also need to bring a few items with you, including the vehicle’s title, owner’s manual, and any other paperwork that goes with it.

If you’re ready to trade-up to an exciting new Honda vehicle, please stop by your San Fernando, CA area Honda dealer. Our team can’t wait to walk you through our new Honda cars and assist you with your trade-in. We look forward to seeing you soon! 

Honda Tops Sales in 2016

At Keyes Honda, we were ecstatic to learn that Honda has topped individual car buyer sales in America for 2016. The Honda Civic is the best-selling compact car* and the Honda Accord is the best-selling mid-size car**, the Honda CR-V is the best-selling compact CUV*** and the Honda Odyssey is the best-selling mid-size van**** in America. This makes it the 4th straight year that Honda has America’s most popular car, SUV, and minivan. If that wasn’t enough, Honda is the fastest growing automaker in the U.S. in retail sales, according to data from Automotive News. “We want to thank our customers for the trust they’ve placed in Honda, which is the basis for everything we do,” said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Division. “Retail sales are the results of customers voting with their wallets and pocketbooks, and we think that’s the only true measure of customer demand and product appeal.” At Keyes Honda, we know how much our Los Angeles, CA area customers love their Honda vehicles and it looks like many other Americans share that enthusiasm.

In addition to topping individual car buyer sales, Honda had many other year-end retail-sales achievements:

•   Honda Civic will post the all-time best sales performance in its 44-year history, making Civic America’s best-selling car with individual buyers.

•   Honda Accord will post a fourth straight year of retail sales leadership among midsize cars.

•   Honda CR-V will post a seventh straight year of sales gains and further cement its position as America’s best-selling SUV over the past 21 years.

•   Honda Odyssey will be the best-selling minivan with retail buyers for a seventh straight year.

•   Honda Civic, CR-V, and Accord will be the three highest retail-selling vehicles in the auto industry after full-size pickups and will combine for sales of more than 1 million units for the fifth straight year in 2016.

With a full line-up of spectacular vehicles, we can’t wait to see what happens in 2017!

*Based on IIHS Automotive Polk CYTD December 2015 non-luxury traditional compact segment new retail registrations in the US.

**Based on IIHS Automotive Polk CYTD December 2015 non-luxury traditional midsize segment new retail registrations in the US.

***Based on IIHS Automotive Polk CYTD December 2015 non-luxury traditional compact CUV segment new retail registrations in the US.

****Based on IIHS Automotive Polk CYTD December 2015 non-luxury traditional mid-size van segment new retail registrations in the US.