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So we have been watching and the car in CA that we have been looking at has dropped in price. We are about to call the dealer back in a few days, but since we can't make the trip out there is it a bad idea to buy the car by just going off the pics the sales person is sent us ? Also can we trust the car fax report for the car ?
So we have been watching and the car in CA that we have been looking at has dropped in price. We are about to call the dealer back in a few days, but since we can't make the trip out there is it a bad idea to buy the car by just going off the pics the sales person is sent us ? Also can we trust the car fax report for the car ?
Yes, it's a bad idea to buy anything of significant value based on pics unless you trust the seller and have clear full recourse. If it's an Acura dealer, why not just call and leave them a refundable deposit.
What is this, NSX Prime? Vultures, indeed! same thing happens every time someone even hints that their car is available.
If I can get an awesome deal off lease, I haven't ruled out the possibility of purchase at lease end. I'd have to get a hell of a deal, though.
I have never done this, but what if you turn yours in at the end of the lease, but then ask to buy it back at market pricing? I would think that work in your favor? Who takes the loss between your scheduled value at the lease end and the current market value at the time? The same in reverse if there was a premium?
Yes, it's a bad idea to buy anything of significant value based on pics unless you trust the seller and have clear full recourse. If it's an Acura dealer, why not just call and leave them a refundable deposit.
yes it is a Acura dealer and the car is a cpo vehicle.
You say the dealers spoke to each other prior to the auction, but that was after the car arrived in California. The car was originally delivered to a Georgia Dealership. Why would they ship it across country and then send it to auction? If you are willing to pay a few bucks there are very detailed VIN search tools online. BUT if something did happened to the car, and it was never sold to a consumer, those details may not be reported by the dealer. The car has 47 miles and has been in possession of 3 dealers already? Odd.
It is a good price, and very low mileage with CPO, but I expect you could do just as well with a brand new RLX PAWS Advance and not have this mystery tacked on.
you mentioned to use a very detailed VIN Search tool online, can you recommend one ? Since most probably we are going with the CA car since they dropped their price.
Cars travel between dealers, sometimes they exchange if customer whats specific color combo. RLX is hard to sell by dealer & private party, being that said I'm not surprised if this particular RLX ended up at 3rd Acura dealer even via auction. I would be suspicious if dealers other then Acura.
Cars travel between dealers, sometimes they exchange if customer whats specific color combo. RLX is hard to sell by dealer & private party, being that said I'm not surprised if this particular RLX ended up at 3rd Acura dealer even via auction. I would be suspicious if dealers other then Acura.
Ya it it did move to 3 Acura dealers and the last dealer bought it at auction from the second dealer. The dealer told me that the second dealer had called their General Manager and they worked out a deal to buy the car and they bought it at auction and they CPO'd the car once they bought it since they are a Acura Dealer.
I have never done this, but what if you turn yours in at the end of the lease, but then ask to buy it back at market pricing? I would think that work in your favor? Who takes the loss between your scheduled value at the lease end and the current market value at the time? The same in reverse if there was a premium?
That's exactly how I'd do it. I understand that Acura really insists on its residual value at lease end. I'd therefore just turn it in, then negotiate a market value sales price in a separate deal with the dealer. My residual value is 49% (.49*$66k=$32,340)! If I can get it at whatever market value is in 14 months (probably $20-25k by then ), I'd strongly consider doing that rather than move on to something else. It'd be the financially prudent thing to do, rather than spending the same money on a new Accord Sport 6MT (my current Honda hotness) or a used AP2 S2000, or spending even more money on another leased luxury car. We'll see.....especially as Acura offers nothing else with the potential exception of the MDX, that has any interest to me.
That's exactly how I'd do it. I understand that Acura really insists on its residual value at lease end. I'd therefore just turn it in, then negotiate a market value sales price in a separate deal with the dealer. My residual value is 49% (.49*$66k=$32,340)! If I can get it at whatever market value is in 14 months (probably $20-25k by then ), I'd strongly consider doing that rather than move on to something else.
Or hunt down a super deal on a CPO 2016 SH and get the benefit of the faster infotainment system and the 360 cam (I cannot imagine living without it now).
That's exactly how I'd do it. I understand that Acura really insists on its residual value at lease end. I'd therefore just turn it in, then negotiate a market value sales price in a separate deal with the dealer. My residual value is 49% (.49*$66k=$32,340)! If I can get it at whatever market value is in 14 months (probably $20-25k by then ), I'd strongly consider doing that rather than move on to something else. It'd be the financially prudent thing to do, rather than spending the same money on a new Accord Sport 6MT (my current Honda hotness) or a used AP2 S2000, or spending even more money on another leased luxury car. We'll see.....especially as Acura offers nothing else with the potential exception of the MDX, that has any interest to me.
Boy don't you hate it when you read a response to a post and find a stupid typo in your own post. How stupid I feel. That Engrish language got me again!!!!
Ok so the RLX we have been looking at that is at a CA Acura Dealer (its a CPO Car) and now they lowered the price to where we are mostly ok with the price. We are going to ask if they can come down a just a few hundred more and then we can accept. Now if they say ok and we make a deal, there is one issue we can't fly out or drive to the dealer who has the car. Since its a CPO car would it be ok to buy the car based on pictures since its at Acura dealer ?
It's a risk to purchase any car, sight unseen, even from an Acura dealer. I advise asking an AZ member who lives in the area the car is to eyeball it for you. There are also numerous remote inspection services you can pay to inspect the car for you. For example, eBay uses SGS Automotive Used Vehicle Inspection | Transportation | SGS .
It's too bad you can't go see the car yourself. The RLX is quite a comfortable ride over long distances.
It's a risk to purchase any car, sight unseen, even from an Acura dealer. I advise asking an AZ member who lives in the area the car is to eyeball it for you. There are also numerous remote inspection services you can pay to inspect the car for you. For example, eBay uses SGS Automotive Used Vehicle Inspection | Transportation | SGS .
It's too bad you can't go see the car yourself. The RLX is quite a comfortable ride over long distances.
Well the car is for my parents and they can't go all the way to the dealer, so the remote inspection sounds like a good idea.
Guys... i would wait one more year at least when 2016 drop the price, worth waiting for all extra features...
Maybe. Maybe not. The 2016 is 2 models years behind and we cannot assume in one year they will be priced where the 2014s are today. And in this thread there are two 2016 SH Advance for $20K off sticker and low miles. Very few have reported new purchases with any significant discounts or even paid sticker on the SH. I think the depreciation will slow after that initial drop. Waiting another year may not bring them into the low $30s where some 2014s are bottoming. Its a bit of a crap shoot to save a lower annual value drop where purchasing used in the current model year with low mileage is as close to buying new with a $20K discount.
I anticipate the RLX (both variants) will be listed in 'Best Used Car' accolades, just as was the RL. The safety rating along with Acura / Honda reliability reputation will make these a significant buy over a same year Accord EX or Touring.
Of course the variables apply differently to each person and each car.
I have decided to hold off on replacing my 05 RL until 2018/19. I figure by then the 2016 SH will be going for about 30. For those buying new cars, the article below is going to sting a little.. Basically, buying a new car amounts to one of the worst financial decisions you can make.
I have decided to hold off on replacing my 05 RL until 2018/19. I figure by then the 2016 SH will be going for about 30. For those buying new cars, the article below is going to sting a little.. Basically, buying a new car amounts to one of the worst financial decisions you can make.
Totally agree with buying new cars is worst from financial side. A lot of people OK to pay extra just to know it's a brand new! Also, if you buy a car for 10+ years it's not that bad financial decision...
What you value may not be shared by all. It may be a 'smart' choice for you, but do not project your values on others. There are people in the world who do not put financial efficiency of an automobile at the top of their life priorities. They may not see that as the worst financial decision. Otherwise we all would be driving the same cheapest car on the planet and Barrett-Jackson would not be in business. And it comes across that you are trying to convince yourself not to accept the price of admission. I paid $42K for my RL new. I sold it for $13.5K ten years later. That equates to $287 / month to own and drive the best car I have ever owned (thus far) for a financial payout less than the cost to lease a Kia Rio. And the cost of my 10 years of pleasure...priceless.
Last edited by TampaRLX-SH; 08-31-2016 at 04:54 PM.
Yes, if you keep the car for 10 years, the cost of ownership goes down. Not many of those luxury buyers keeping their cars, however. Having bought an 05 in 2008, I'm also in the $270 per month range....and every month that goes by makes me feel even better. Maintenance costs have been very low, most covered under warranty. I've put maybe 2.5k into the car for Tb, brakes, tires and shocks. The deal for me will be a 2016 SH in 2018/19, hopefully around 27k again.Ideally, I'd love to be able to give my 05 it to my 11 year old son when he can drive in 5 years, but that may be too far down the road.
it is not about accepting the price of admission, it is like you say, how you value things, and I don't value losing 20-30k in a year or two just to have the latest and greatest as being very high on my list. I love my 05, it serves me well, so no need to not keep driving it right now. If I needed a new car today, I'd be looking to replace it with a 2014.
Well the car we were looking at in California Sold by the time we got in contact it was a very good price so it sold somewhat fast. So now we are going to go back to our local dealer, since on edmunds.com they say Acura is giving a 6,000 Incentive to the dealer on RLX's and another 3,000 too. Plus the sales respective has been calling us at least twice a day for the past week, so we want to go back to see what kind of deal we can negotiate on a New RLX. Also the dealer got more RLX advances in stock too.
Well the car we were looking at in California Sold by the time we got in contact it was a very good price so it sold somewhat fast. So now we are going to go back to our local dealer, since on edmunds.com they say Acura is giving a 6,000 Incentive to the dealer on RLX's and another 3,000 too. Plus the sales respective has been calling us at least twice a day for the past week, so we want to go back to see what kind of deal we can negotiate on a New RLX. Also the dealer got more RLX advances in stock too.
So you're starting your negotiations on an RLX Advance P-AWS car with 9,000 off the MSRP without having to do anything at all.
Basically 52.5 without having to lift a finger.
Get your finances straight ahead of time, or know for an absolute certainty that you can get Acura Finance at their lowest rate (which is basically below the rate of inflation), and you can probably negotiate even more from a position of strength.
9 grand off MSRP is from American Honda...the dealer and salesman haven't given up anything, yet. :-)
At prices like this, no matter what Consumer Reports says, that's a hell of a lot of car for the money, especially the 2016 version with the surround cameras.
Yes, if you keep the car for 10 years, the cost of ownership goes down.
It seems to me that a big problem with the most modern cars is that manufacturers are building certain lines of cars with the notion that they will be leased instead of purchased.
They no longer have to build the kind of cars that they used to...or at least they don't think that they have to.
Ever since my dealer started talking about replacing the VCM rocker arm assemblies, I've been researching Honda motors a little bit.
Although in general the big J Motor continues to enjoy a good record, there's a big downturn that started about 2008 or so, which is when VCM started coming out. And then another dive in 2014, when a different kind of VCM entered wholesale production in the Odyssey and Accord.
A lot of it, I think, is people just not liking what the VCM J Motors *sound* like, whether or not it affects reliability.
To an experienced driver, it can sound like spark knock. And at certain speeds, coming and going in and out of VCM can caused automatic transmissions to change gears frequently.
The combination of events leads the owners to think that something's not right, and it's especially prevalent among owners of older Honda and Acura on which they've put 250,000 miles with no issue.
Setting a routine to search for this has found me issues with almost every Honda that's produced, customers complaining that it's making noises or just not acting right. Odyssey. Accord. TLX. MDX.
But if you search back a bit to models that had no VCM, like the 2006 or 2007 Accord 6-6, both sedan and Coupe, absolutely nothing but praise. When you get back to those models, the complaints you hear are totally different, like why on earth didn't they put an LSD in a car with this much power.
Old Honda people might just have to get used to the fact that new Hondas aren't acting like they expect.
But that doesn't mean that anybody else is better.
Last edited by George Knighton; 09-03-2016 at 07:45 AM.
Every big dealer, Honda or Acura, is going to probably have about 3 motors at any given time that they are rebuilding for excessive oil consumption.
They're having to take the motors apart and install a special kit that basically consists of different composition rings with slightly different specifications.
Some people have perfectly normal oil consumption, but there's enough of a problem that every big dealer has a couple to an average of 3 motors being rebuilt at any given time.
GK, how are your observations about the Honda/Acura relative to those from other manufactures? Maybe in comparison the H/A issues are less invasive than other issues other brands are experiencing? I don't have a frame of reference on the topic.
GK, how are your observations about the Honda/Acura relative to those from other manufactures? Maybe in comparison the H/A issues are less invasive than other issues other brands are experiencing? I don't have a frame of reference on the topic.
All I know is that Honda and Acura have slipped quite a bit in the ratings from people who try to quantify such things.
It wasn't that long ago that Honda would have been on top of all of them.
The last CR ratings that I recall, Honda was down to #8. Acura was #11.
Well the car we were looking at in California Sold by the time we got in contact it was a very good price so it sold somewhat fast. So now we are going to go back to our local dealer, since on edmunds.com they say Acura is giving a 6,000 Incentive to the dealer on RLX's and another 3,000 too. Plus the sales respective has been calling us at least twice a day for the past week, so we want to go back to see what kind of deal we can negotiate on a New RLX. Also the dealer got more RLX advances in stock too.
if this is the case, the discount should come off the invoice price. I believe invoice is around 58-60 so with 9k off, you would be at around 50 for a new 2016 SH, maybe even less since these cars tend to sell below invoice.
if this is the case, the discount should come off the invoice price. I believe invoice is around 58-60 so with 9k off, you would be at around 50 for a new 2016 SH, maybe even less since these cars tend to sell below invoice.
Well I will find out since this car is for my parents specifically for my dad so we are going within the next 3 days to see what kind of deal we can make. The sales manager has been calling us for the past 2 weeks.
Well we went back to the dealer and the Sales Person who we were woking with left the dealership due to getting sick. So we got a new sales person to work with and he showed as a 2016 RLX Advance that the Owner of the Dealership was driving, it had 2800 miles on the odometer. He said we would give us a better deal then what new RLXs sell for since this one had a few miles. True Car show the average price is 53,763, So how much should we offer for the car ? My parents liked the interior color and exterior color too, it had a Graphite Luster Metallic and Graystone Interior. We also found this car on Auto Trader: Cars for Sale: New 2016 Acura RLX in w/ Advance Package, Pembroke Pines FL: 33027 Details - Sedan - Autotrader
We have to make the decision soon weather or not to pass on the car the Owner is driving. We are not sure what is the max we should pay for the car, we do not want to over pay for the car.
08-27-2016, 06:06 AM
Vultures, indeed! 
), I'd strongly consider doing that rather than move on to something else. It'd be the financially prudent thing to do, rather than spending the same money on a new Accord Sport 6MT (my current Honda hotness) or a used AP2 S2000, or spending even more money on another leased luxury car. We'll see.....especially as Acura offers nothing else with the potential exception of the MDX, that has any interest to me.
