Honda has beef with TrueCar.com

Looking for a good price on a car? Try the web for an instant guaranteed quote on the make and model you want. But don’t expect to do it if you want a car from Honda.

Honda, a company that I greatly respect, has me very angry over their issue with guaranteed Internet price quote sites similar to CarsDirect.com, TrueCar.com and Zag.com.

With sites like these, you simply pop in your make and model and the equipment you want. Just like that, you get a guaranteed price to buy the car. It may not be the best price, but it will be a very good price.

For some reason, Honda has decided they don’t like this idea. The Los Angeles Times  reports the Japanese automaker is now telling dealers they won’t give advertising allowances if they don’t stop selling Honda vehicles below invoice through TrueCar.com.

Wait a minute. It is not Honda’s place to try to restrict the free market! I believe sites like TrueCar, CarsDirect and Zag actually lead to more vehicle purchases than would take place otherwise. People like that they can go online, avoid the hard sell (aka the grind) at the dealership and just use a dealership for taking delivery of the vehicle.

Honda, you’re just flat out wrong on this and I hope you rethink your position.

What’s surprising to me is they’re doing it at a time when they need an emergency redesign of the Honda Civic because auto writers have derided it and the marketplace seems to hate it. After that, Honda chooses now to take on a war with savvy American consumers?! I just don’t get it.