Boch Honda

Reason for Visit: Sales (New)

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Boch Honda:
The salesman I dealt with was Jim Travers and he is the polar opposite of a stereotypical salesperson- he's a true delight. The reason I asked for him is that he already had two great reviews online. The people who gave him rave reviews were not exaggerating. Jim Travers explained in great detail the various features of the car and was not miffed in the least when I took time to read the fine print on the reverse of one of the forms. He knows the features of the car (I was looking at a Honda CRV-EX) so well that he allows the car to sell itself and does not resort to any high pressure tactics. He is extremely attentive and good-natured and genuinely seems to like meeting customers. I got a very good price for the Honda CRV-EX; I had shopped around for months and though it is the end of the season inventory clearance, I still got the car for a price less than other dealers were offering at the same time.

I met with Karyn, one of the managers, who was quite personable and who finalized the paperwork. Emily, the accessories salesperson, was pleasant to deal with and not pushy.

Even after the sale was completed and Boch had received the purchase price in full, Jim spent time with me going over the warranty book and reminding me of the various features in the car. If all salespeople were like Jim, buying a car would be a much easier experience for people- it certainly became much easier for me once I met him. And no, I am not related to him nor had I met him before. :)

I would not recommend walking into a dealership without doing your homework first including price comparison. Call Jim Travers in advance to give him time to get the car you are interested in ready for a test drive- Boch has a number of remote lots and each salesperson has to go get the car on his/her own and bring it to the main showroom. Plus the dealership is busy so if you make an appt. in advance you won't have to wait.

Check out AAA rates before agreeing to Honda financing, AAA may offer better rates.

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Reason for Visit: Sales (Used)

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Boch Honda:
Well, I went to five honda dealers. Watertown was nice, but the inventory was small, and high priced. Cambridge honda just wasted my time, promising a low price, but then adding thousands to the sales price for cerification. Herb Chambers on Commonwealth Ave was the worst. The manager was arrogant, rude. etc. I simply walked out. Bernadi was good, but Boch honda in Norwood was better. They have the largest selection, and gave the best price. But please call ahead of time, and try to work out the details. This will save you some time there. I did this, and also went on a weekday in the morning. Less people, and less waiting. My salesperson was Jim Traverse. He was geniunely a kind and non-pretentious gentleman, and was willing to work with me. My wife and I were very happy with our experience there. A little long for my taste, but there was coffee and doughnuts, and a children's playroom. The closing of the deal was a blue balloon for my baby daughter. I highly recommend you save boch honda for last, then make your choice, Before you go to boch, call and make a request for Jim. You'll be pleasantly surprised how he doesn't fit the sleasy car salesperson that we are all to weary of. Be well, and good luck.

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Reason for Visit: Sales (New)

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Boch Honda:
I guess everyone has different experiences. I recently posted my other experience associated with this same transaction about another local dealer also beginning with a "B." I left that dealer after being insulted, spoke with the online sales manager at Boch and relayed the story. She was shocked, not the "I'll say whatever I can to get you in the dealership" shocked, but legitimately shocked. We quickly hammered out terms, which included a better price than the other dealer offered. I showed up two days later to do the trade-in, buy the car, and while there, I had them do some minor warranty work on my 2006 Pilot - Dale in service was very helpful. Yes, Boch Honda is quite hectic on a Saturday morning (and I'm not sure if it was made busier by being on the tax holiday weekend), but if you are an informed consumer I think the experience there is quite good. The work that they did on the 2006 Pilot was perfect...they fixed something that another dealer beginning with an "H" was supposed to have fixed, and flagged something as warranty when it was broken by a suprisingly strong and overzealous 4 year old son (ripped off the backing to the driver's seat)...this may have been aided by the fact that I was also buying a new pilot while they were servicing my old one...
Anyway, everyone will have his/her own experience. I found mine to be perfectly fine. I'd gladly go back again.

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Boch Honda:
I just purchased a new 2008 Honda accord EX-L V6 from Boch and they made it very easy for me. I originally went into the show room a week ago to test drive the car while i was trying to decide what make and model car I wanted. They had offered me a decent price that day to try to get me to buy before I tried other cars, but I declined. I then negotiated a decent price via email that no other deal could even come close to matching. Some other deals treated me very poorly when I asked them to match the price, and refused to even budge with prices that were easily 3K more than Boch's.

Just double check your math in the finance office and decline most of the add-ons and your experience there will be fine.

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Boch Honda:
I had already shopped at a couple other Honda stores. I was hesitant about going to Boch after reading some of the reviews here. However, after reading the review by Proud Grandpa below (5/23/08), I decided to take his advice. I called Boch Honda and asked for Jim Travers. I left a message on Jim's voice mail and heard back from him about an hour later. I asked lots of questions and told him what I was looking for. He found the car I wanted and we set an appointment for the next day (since he was already booked up on the day I called). When I arrived, Jim and the car were waiting for me. A little while later I had the car I wanted at the best price I had seen anywhere. I know there are several reviewers on this page who were not thrilled with their experience at Boch, but I can truthfully say that mine was a pleasure. I think there are 2 factors which account for the difference between my experience and theirs. 1--I called the day before I went down so things would be ready for me when I got there. That probably saved me a couple of hours waiting in the showroom. 2--I had a really good salesperson. This guy was the best, nicest, most helpful salesperson I've ever had. And I'm not just talking about car sales. I mean any sales, anywhere.
Based on the reviews I read and on my own personal experience I would say that if you just show up at Boch your experience could be good or bad, 50-50. However, if you shop around first, call Boch the day before you go there, and get an appointment with one of their best salespeople (e.g. Jim Travers) you'll have an excellent experience.
Let us all know how well you make out!
JustaGuy22

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Boch Honda:
Too long of a story to tell here. I got a good price and thwey have a large selection if that is all you care about. Despite repeated conacts via voicemail there were no calls returned. No responses to FAXes either with answers on questions on the cancellation of a maintenance agreement.

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Boch Honda:
*** USED CAR BUYER WARNING ***

Be aware of how Boch Honda prices their USED vehicles. Boch has no intentions of selling used cars at the prices they list on the internet.
Boch prices from the bottom-up, but they do not clearly disclose this. This price strategy provides heavy foot traffic to their dealership, as people are looking for a low price. Traditionally, people are used to negotiating from the top-down.


Example: Traditional pricing dealer lists car at $15,000. You negotiate down to a price of $12,500. Deal done. Boch would take the same vehicle and list it at say $11,700. Then they would add shop time, delivery costs, and profit. They would then give you a price. This price would be highly individualized to you and based on:

1) your buying position; balance owed, trade, financing
2) your negotiating skills
3) how motivated Boch is to move X number of units on that day

(These items are common with buying a vehicle almost anywhere. The real difference with Boch is the bottom-up pricing.)

RECOMENDATION:

Many of the above attributes are true with buying a car anywhere. Based on my experience with this dealer, make sure you have:

1) settled on a model, year, and know the vehicles details inside & out
2) know what your budget is and be able to pay that day
3) not a time sensitive buyer and are able to walk-away
4) have significant time (4-6 hours) to spend at the dealership

DO NOT BUY FROM THIS DEALER IF:
1) this is your first car deal
2) you don't understand financing
3) you can't read fine print on the purchase agreement

SIMPLY STATED:
This is a traditional, stereo-typical car dealership. The pricing policy/strategy is misleading. Don't expect to be treated like you are number one; they simply do too much volume. If you are an experienced car buyer and know the art of the deal, you can get a great price.

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Boch Honda:
I would strongly recommend you come to this dealer knowing the exact after you've been to other dealers. I just bought a new CRV and they gave me the best price for the model. Nobody wanted to sell me the car as low as they did and I shopped around 5 dealers before them. I wouldn't go there as my first dealer. Also, before you get your cars, know the accesories that you want. You can get them cheaper online, for example Bernardi Honda Parts website. When I bought the car, I had the mindframe that I just wanted the best deal and forgot the sentimental part of the dealer-client relationship. All dealers want to get your money and this is no different. Just don't go there as your first site when you are looking for a car. Good thing that I will say is that they have the biggest inventory of Honda cars in MA. If it is not there in the color you want, you will not find it anywhere. A good recommendation that I have is that you can get a good quote from them chatting online. You can mention a price from another dealership (give real quotes no bs) and they will try to beat that price. That is how I got my great deal. Also make sure that the price they give you includes all fees online(except tax, paperwork...)and if they can send it to your email so you have something that you can print.

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Boch Honda:
Everyone in that dealership walks right by you even though you have been sitting there for almost an hour waiting for assistance. They are the sleeziest, meat-headed people with whom I have ever dealt. I would never advise going there. If you do and are thinking about getting a used car...

...STOP! They will actually sell you a used car for the same price as the newest model. They preyed on my litte sister's naivety and sold her a 2004 Civic for the same price as the new one. When she reconsidered and tried to purchase the new car, they told her it was too late.

Be careful going there. They exude all the negative stereotypes that car dealers have.

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Boch Honda:
My husband and I recently purchased a Civic at Boch Honda despite being warned away from the dealership by several people and by the relatively low rating on this web site.

Boch was open until midnight on the July 4th weekend, so we decided to go there on Saturday evening after having a frustrating experience at another dealership. Overall, our experience at Boch was very good. The sales tactics weren't much different from the other dealerships we'd visited, and Boch did seem to have the largest selection of cars. As you would have to do at most other dealerships, you'll need to do your homework (know exactly what you want and what you should pay for it) and be willing to haggle.

At the end of the day, we ended up with a decent price on the very popular Civic. Our good experience was due mostly to our salesperson, Mike McShane, who worked hard to make the process go as smoothly and quickly as possible. He was as attentive at the end of our visit (at about 10pm), as he was at the beginning. I was especially impressed with the fact that although it was late and had been a very long day, he patiently took the time to explain all the safety features and other instrumentation before we left.

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