Tariff 2025: Panic Buying a Honda HR-V on the Eve of Economic Sanctions
It's a total zoo out there, so good luck, you’re gonna need it ...
It’s Tariff Week 2025, and auto dealerships across Los Angeles are ablaze, understaffed, and overcrowded, right when demand is at its peak. Supply is low to boot. It’s a total zoo out there.
Anyone who was ever thinking about buying a foreign, or foreign-made, automobile is on the hunt for a new make and model at this very moment. The market is so red hot right now, completely scorching in fact, that it’s difficult to keep up with inventory. A car you liked this morning, may be gone by this afternoon. Seriously.
Dealers and sellers, pushers really, have all the leverage right now. At this point it’s not even about the car you want, but rather the car you can get. The car that is already on American soil and safe from any additional import fees. It’s just a matter of time, persistence, and endurance because buying a new car in this climate will wear you down to a brittle, withered pulp.
Take the case of Downtown Honda in Los Angeles. The place is an absolute madhouse right now, and I’ve witnessed the surge in panic buying, the frenzy so to speak, firsthand. It’s wild.
Distinguished and recognized as a “high volume store,” with big days nearing 100 sales – that’s how the in-house financing expert described it – Downtown Honda was already a bustling scene before I ever entered through its doors in early March.
Those numbers have skyrocketed in the wake of the tariff announcement, and now at least a dozen salesmen, and women, are on the floor at any given moment, on the prowl for clients with fresh, meaty fingers to sign on the dotted line. Anyone with credit and a pulse, essentially. It’s such a highly energetic and competitive environment that a timid buyer will not receive much attention from the suited and uniformed staff, who are pushing sales. Hard.
Going back a few weeks, before Trump even announced the auto tariffs, I was already on the hunt for a new family vehicle. Spending weeks to compare dozens of dealerships and stock across L.A. county (a pro tip from my brother-in-law), I found a sweet 2025 Honda CR-V AWD Hybrid in Canyon River Blue in downtown L.A.
The second pro tip followed, as I called up the dealership, set an appointment, and asked for a specific model and VIN#, all of which I pulled from the website. With all this info handy, the online sales department immediately knew I was a serious buyer. We set up a test drive.
Impressed with the CR-V, but not quite ready to pull the trigger on the purchase, I left Downtown Honda with the salesman’s number and info. It’s a commission-type gig, and there are some pushy vultures out there. I don’t do business that way, so I found a more laid back Helpful Honda Person, as they like to be called.
A week later or so, I returned for another visit. Surely, they thought the sale was in the bag at that point, but this follow up was to explore more options. The CR-V just wouldn’t work for my needs right now. I refined my search to vehicles less than 180-inches in length and 75-inches in width, on account of my awkward and slanted driveway. Nothing would piss me off more than to sink a grip of cash into a beautiful new car, only to learn that I’d need to park it on the street and deal with that whole mess on a daily basis.
On my second visit to Downtown Honda, we shifted our focus to the 2025 HR-V Sport, which met most of my criteria. The lack of a Hybrid engine was definitely a big adjustment in expectations, but the roomier cabin, added trunk space, updated and slick features, and slightly raised profile fit the bill. It’s one of the more spacious crossovers, and the 4-cylinder, 2-liter engine has plenty of punch. It’s quite a little roadster, much mightier than it looks, and the AWD will pay dividends once it hits the mountains or the switchbacks of the Pacific Coast Highway.
Still, I like to sleep on every major life decision, so I took a pause. It was at this point that another salesman, along with his T-Rex of a manager tried to swoop in and steal the sale. They were convinced they could push me over the finish line, offering nothing additional, but relying on good old peer pressure to box me into a corner.
“The car sells itself,” manager-Rex stated, counting his hijacked commission in his head before I agreed.
I walked away that day. I just don’t do business that way. What does that make me? A sensible, rational human being, I think.
Regardless, I returned home to do a little more research on the Honda HR-V and other cars in class. At this point, I was already drained by the search, but I still did some digging, Toyota Corolla Cross, Nissan Kicks, Mazda CX-3, Chevy Tracks, Ford Escape.
The search dragged and dragged. It became a saga. And then President Trump announced today’s (up to) 25-percent tariff hike on foreign cars …
Almost immediately vehicles started flying off lots. Well, driving off lots, of course. But with exceptional and unprecedented speed. Lucky thing I started my car hunt well before Trump slapped us all across the wallet. Otherwise, I might still be at the dealership at this very moment, just hoping to scrounge up anything that remains in this final batch of pre-tariff vehicles.
Timing is of the utmost importance, and right now, the customer has very little leverage. Anything that has yet to clear customs, even if it’s in the port and listed online as “in transit,” will be hit by new tariffs. Vehicles already on the ground, the ones exempt from additional import taxes, are at a premium. And the dealers know it.
Returning to Downtown Honda on Monday, Cesar Chavez Day, I could feel the increase in foot traffic. The frenzy was in full effect, with names completely filling the sign in sheet, tables packed with potential buyers flipping through contracts, figuring out trade in options and financing deals.
My credit’s good, so I wasn’t sweating the money. However, the model in Urban Pearl Grey, the one I scouted and wanted, was no longer an option. It sold a day prior. So, if I wanted to drive off with a new ride today, the options were limited: white, red, and Nordic Forest Pearl. I selected the latter, a premium finish.
At this point, I was just hoping to find a good insurance deal.
Honestly, I thought my old broker would be able to find the best price out there. We have history. But, when I reached out for a quote in the middle of my search, he kept offering rates that seemed way out of line. Especially given 10-plus years of business and coverage.
No worries, Downtown Honda has an entire insurance department dedicated to finding you a bargain amid this groundswell of business, and they did. I was actually a little salty heading into the insurance phase. Less than two weeks prior, the manager spit some nonsense about securing a complimentary, temp insurance policy so I could drive off the lot while still shopping for coverage. It was a false promise, of course, and when I inquired about the option again, he clammed up, his little, tiny arms drifting back into their shoulder sockets.
I wasn’t about to let this lack of follow through blow up the entire deal. The salesman was clearly at the behest of the corporate structure. There was no more bargaining to be done, so at least insurance bro turned the situation around with a reasonable policy.
Anyway, at this point, we’re over two hours into the process and I’m escorted upstairs to the “lounge,” which is nothing more than a few chairs and a 60-inch smart TV playing some god awful cooking show on repeat. There’s no hospitality, no craft services: water, soda, snacks, fruit, nothing; for the dozens who are just waiting for their chance to fork over tens of thousands of dollars.
Have I mentioned that it’s a seller’s market?
Conscientious not to completely drain my cell phone battery, I sit and watch the chef prepare any number of dishes, none of which I ever intend to cook, patiently waiting for my crack at the financing department. The wait this time isn’t that bad, maybe 45 minutes, although I saw others stuck at this phase for upwards of 180-plus minutes. Just to buy a car.
Signing dozens of contracts over the course of an hour, I pass on additional upgrades and packages one last time. I press down on a set of thumbprints before receiving the title. The end of this process is near, I can feel it. Finance bro even alludes that my new car may be ready shortly, and then I’m hit with a sudden reality. Sales bro has re-entered the picture, asking for a few signatures and initials. “It still may be a little while, Daniel. There’s a backlog to wash the vehicles right now.”
Back to the lounge. Back to the chef, his lame recipes, and his exquisite nail jobs. Episodes running, on repeat, as my mind melts to mush with just the fanciful daydream of a brand new 2025 Honda H-RV AWD dangling in front of me.
In the end, it’s close to six hours before they call my name to pick up my new car. I race into the garage and do one final inspection before taking hold of the keys and pairing my phone to the BlueTooth.
From there, I crank up the punk rock, the debut LP from LA’s own Niis, and blitz through Downtown LA. I even pick up a large pepperoni from Purgatory Pizza, my favorite spot, to celebrate the deal, now complete.
I’m completely spent. But at least I evaded the dreaded tariffs.
This panic buying trend doesn’t only apply to foreign cars, but Hondas: Civics, CR-Vs, Accords, Pilots, etc.; the real cars for real people, the affordable cars that drive this city, and this country, are particularly in demand. These tariff increases affect everyone in some way, but it particularly hurts folks living on tight margins, for whom that extra import fee might be a deal breaker. Many of whom are hopping off the fence, in droves, to sign up for low-interest financing.While supplies last, at least.
So good luck out there, you’re gonna need it.
More Car Reviews and Road Trip Tales From Dan Shapiro
*This story is in no way an endorsement for any product or business. Just a little vignette from real life experience.
**This piece includes use of an AI generated image.