New to the forum - Questions on Florida dealers and wheel options.....
04-03-2006, 12:12 PM
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New to the forum - Questions on Florida dealers and wheel options.....
Hey everyone.....been lurking on the forum for a couple weeks now.
I'm 23 and graduated from USF (Tampa) about a year ago. I'm currently in the process of studying for my life & health insurance licensed and will be working full time by the start of next month.
I've been driving an incredibly reliable 2000 Hyundai Tiburon for almost 6 years now. It's been a great little car, but it's showing it's age (rattles, fit & finish problems arising)....can't expect much more from a $13k car I guess. Once I start making some money with my job, I plan on getting a TSX. For a job like this I think it's important to have a nice looking car (makes clients feel more comfortable), and I'm itching for a new ride anyways.
Anyways, I've got my sights set on leasing (don't lecture me with why I should buy...leasing just makes more sense for my situation) a Carbon Grey '06 TSX 6-speed, probably non-navi. Got a couple questions though...
1) Can anyone recommend any good dealers in Florida? I'm in Tampa and they have a dealer here, but I'm willing to drive elsewhere if it means getting a better deal. My parents live in Naples and I have relatives and friends in the Lauderdale area, so anywhere along that route would be great. I'm willing to drive where I need to to get a deal though, as long as it's not too far (the Panhandle or Jville area is pushing it).
2) I really don't like the rims on the '06's. What are the odds that a dealer would put 04/05 rims on there for me, and how much extra should I expect it to be? I like the silver star 5-spoke rims a lot too, but I'd be happy w/the previous rims if it's considerably cheaper.
3) Does anyone know if the HMAC rates have changed at all in the last few months? Using that handy excel spreadsheet, it appears that I could lease one for about $345 a month + tax with no down payment on a 42 mo lease (assuming I can get the price negotiated to around $27k w/the rims), but after doing some searches on lease threads, it seems like people are paying a lot more. I could use my car as a down payment (I'm guessing I'll get $2500-3k for it), but it seems that the consensus is that putting money down on leases is a bad thing....I'd think I'd rather have that money to cover a few car payments and maybe pay off my insurance for 6-12 months.
4) For anyone who's leased, how nit-picky are Acura dealers upon returning the car? I'm planning on putting an aftermarket sound system in (no, it won't be a deafening bass machine....I like a nice balanced one with excellent mids and highs to go with the lows), and I'm wondering how much I'd have to remove when returning the car. A good friend of mine owns his own car audio shop, so I can have the install be as "temporary" as I need it to be. Obviously I'd put the stock head unit and speakers back in and take out the amp/sub, but will I have to worry about the wiring? I think I'd be fine as long as they're concealed under the carpet, no? How about stuff like dynamatting the doors?
Thanks for the help.
I'm 23 and graduated from USF (Tampa) about a year ago. I'm currently in the process of studying for my life & health insurance licensed and will be working full time by the start of next month.
I've been driving an incredibly reliable 2000 Hyundai Tiburon for almost 6 years now. It's been a great little car, but it's showing it's age (rattles, fit & finish problems arising)....can't expect much more from a $13k car I guess. Once I start making some money with my job, I plan on getting a TSX. For a job like this I think it's important to have a nice looking car (makes clients feel more comfortable), and I'm itching for a new ride anyways.
Anyways, I've got my sights set on leasing (don't lecture me with why I should buy...leasing just makes more sense for my situation) a Carbon Grey '06 TSX 6-speed, probably non-navi. Got a couple questions though...
1) Can anyone recommend any good dealers in Florida? I'm in Tampa and they have a dealer here, but I'm willing to drive elsewhere if it means getting a better deal. My parents live in Naples and I have relatives and friends in the Lauderdale area, so anywhere along that route would be great. I'm willing to drive where I need to to get a deal though, as long as it's not too far (the Panhandle or Jville area is pushing it).
2) I really don't like the rims on the '06's. What are the odds that a dealer would put 04/05 rims on there for me, and how much extra should I expect it to be? I like the silver star 5-spoke rims a lot too, but I'd be happy w/the previous rims if it's considerably cheaper.
3) Does anyone know if the HMAC rates have changed at all in the last few months? Using that handy excel spreadsheet, it appears that I could lease one for about $345 a month + tax with no down payment on a 42 mo lease (assuming I can get the price negotiated to around $27k w/the rims), but after doing some searches on lease threads, it seems like people are paying a lot more. I could use my car as a down payment (I'm guessing I'll get $2500-3k for it), but it seems that the consensus is that putting money down on leases is a bad thing....I'd think I'd rather have that money to cover a few car payments and maybe pay off my insurance for 6-12 months.
4) For anyone who's leased, how nit-picky are Acura dealers upon returning the car? I'm planning on putting an aftermarket sound system in (no, it won't be a deafening bass machine....I like a nice balanced one with excellent mids and highs to go with the lows), and I'm wondering how much I'd have to remove when returning the car. A good friend of mine owns his own car audio shop, so I can have the install be as "temporary" as I need it to be. Obviously I'd put the stock head unit and speakers back in and take out the amp/sub, but will I have to worry about the wiring? I think I'd be fine as long as they're concealed under the carpet, no? How about stuff like dynamatting the doors?
Thanks for the help.
04-03-2006, 09:51 PM
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Originally Posted by CiminoUM5
Hey everyone.....been lurking on the forum for a couple weeks now.
I'm 23 and graduated from USF (Tampa) about a year ago. I'm currently in the process of studying for my life & health insurance licensed and will be working full time by the start of next month.
I've been driving an incredibly reliable 2000 Hyundai Tiburon for almost 6 years now. It's been a great little car, but it's showing it's age (rattles, fit & finish problems arising)....can't expect much more from a $13k car I guess. Once I start making some money with my job, I plan on getting a TSX. For a job like this I think it's important to have a nice looking car (makes clients feel more comfortable), and I'm itching for a new ride anyways.
Anyways, I've got my sights set on leasing (don't lecture me with why I should buy...leasing just makes more sense for my situation) a Carbon Grey '06 TSX 6-speed, probably non-navi. Got a couple questions though...
1) Can anyone recommend any good dealers in Florida? I'm in Tampa and they have a dealer here, but I'm willing to drive elsewhere if it means getting a better deal. My parents live in Naples and I have relatives and friends in the Lauderdale area, so anywhere along that route would be great. I'm willing to drive where I need to to get a deal though, as long as it's not too far (the Panhandle or Jville area is pushing it).
2) I really don't like the rims on the '06's. What are the odds that a dealer would put 04/05 rims on there for me, and how much extra should I expect it to be? I like the silver star 5-spoke rims a lot too, but I'd be happy w/the previous rims if it's considerably cheaper.
3) Does anyone know if the HMAC rates have changed at all in the last few months? Using that handy excel spreadsheet, it appears that I could lease one for about $345 a month + tax with no down payment on a 42 mo lease (assuming I can get the price negotiated to around $27k w/the rims), but after doing some searches on lease threads, it seems like people are paying a lot more. I could use my car as a down payment (I'm guessing I'll get $2500-3k for it), but it seems that the consensus is that putting money down on leases is a bad thing....I'd think I'd rather have that money to cover a few car payments and maybe pay off my insurance for 6-12 months.
4) For anyone who's leased, how nit-picky are Acura dealers upon returning the car? I'm planning on putting an aftermarket sound system in (no, it won't be a deafening bass machine....I like a nice balanced one with excellent mids and highs to go with the lows), and I'm wondering how much I'd have to remove when returning the car. A good friend of mine owns his own car audio shop, so I can have the install be as "temporary" as I need it to be. Obviously I'd put the stock head unit and speakers back in and take out the amp/sub, but will I have to worry about the wiring? I think I'd be fine as long as they're concealed under the carpet, no? How about stuff like dynamatting the doors?
Thanks for the help.
I'm 23 and graduated from USF (Tampa) about a year ago. I'm currently in the process of studying for my life & health insurance licensed and will be working full time by the start of next month.
I've been driving an incredibly reliable 2000 Hyundai Tiburon for almost 6 years now. It's been a great little car, but it's showing it's age (rattles, fit & finish problems arising)....can't expect much more from a $13k car I guess. Once I start making some money with my job, I plan on getting a TSX. For a job like this I think it's important to have a nice looking car (makes clients feel more comfortable), and I'm itching for a new ride anyways.
Anyways, I've got my sights set on leasing (don't lecture me with why I should buy...leasing just makes more sense for my situation) a Carbon Grey '06 TSX 6-speed, probably non-navi. Got a couple questions though...
1) Can anyone recommend any good dealers in Florida? I'm in Tampa and they have a dealer here, but I'm willing to drive elsewhere if it means getting a better deal. My parents live in Naples and I have relatives and friends in the Lauderdale area, so anywhere along that route would be great. I'm willing to drive where I need to to get a deal though, as long as it's not too far (the Panhandle or Jville area is pushing it).
2) I really don't like the rims on the '06's. What are the odds that a dealer would put 04/05 rims on there for me, and how much extra should I expect it to be? I like the silver star 5-spoke rims a lot too, but I'd be happy w/the previous rims if it's considerably cheaper.
3) Does anyone know if the HMAC rates have changed at all in the last few months? Using that handy excel spreadsheet, it appears that I could lease one for about $345 a month + tax with no down payment on a 42 mo lease (assuming I can get the price negotiated to around $27k w/the rims), but after doing some searches on lease threads, it seems like people are paying a lot more. I could use my car as a down payment (I'm guessing I'll get $2500-3k for it), but it seems that the consensus is that putting money down on leases is a bad thing....I'd think I'd rather have that money to cover a few car payments and maybe pay off my insurance for 6-12 months.
4) For anyone who's leased, how nit-picky are Acura dealers upon returning the car? I'm planning on putting an aftermarket sound system in (no, it won't be a deafening bass machine....I like a nice balanced one with excellent mids and highs to go with the lows), and I'm wondering how much I'd have to remove when returning the car. A good friend of mine owns his own car audio shop, so I can have the install be as "temporary" as I need it to be. Obviously I'd put the stock head unit and speakers back in and take out the amp/sub, but will I have to worry about the wiring? I think I'd be fine as long as they're concealed under the carpet, no? How about stuff like dynamatting the doors?
Thanks for the help.
I'm in the Tampa area and I can tell you how I got a decent deal. I requested quotes from Crown in Clearwater, the dealership in Lakeland and Ferman where I ended up buying from. The lakeland dealership gave me the best price and I took the printed email over to Ferman where they had a 6MT in a color I would accept (CG no navi). I gave the salesman their email quote and he gives me the "that's a great deal, we don't discount these cars" line. I then show him the email from the Lakeland dealership, tell him I'll take the car if he can beat the price and I wanted the 2.9% financing that was being offered. He accepted the offer and I took it home. Beware tho, Ferman includes the wheel locks, trunk tray, and mud guards and does not list it on the window. It was totaled out in price. I didnt care for the mudguards but I was afraid if they took it off it would already have show some wear. Just play each dealer against each other, easiest by email and you have it in writing.
I didn't lease so I cant help you there.
I actually like the 06 rims so if youre willing to work something out, let me know i have an 05. My rims are immaculate as is the car!
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Good luck!
04-06-2006, 08:06 PM
#5
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We have two dealerships in J-ville, but again, you said it's a bit far. Plus, I don't know if they can give you a better deal...... Good luck and trading rims with RadYo sounds like the way to go to solve your rim problem...... 
And welcome to AZ!! 
And welcome to AZ!!
04-06-2006, 09:28 PM
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I went to Crown in Clearwater (10 minutes from my house) and could not believe how badly I was treated. The ignored me for the first 20 minutes I walked around the lot. I left and contacted their internet sales dept. They seemed uninterested in finding me a 6-speed and really pushed the auto for more than I was willing to pay.
Long story short, I was visiting Gettel Acura down in Sarasota and could not have been treated better. Salesman greeted me right away and was not the high pressure type. Told him I was interested in a 6-speed TSX...they just had one come off of the truck. Went for a test drive in the actual car (not an AT demo). Longer story short, took home the 6-speed at the lease price Crown was unwilling to give me.
I still drive 50 miles down there to get the oil changed and the tires rotated. The service manager is very cool. He is about the same age as me and has no attitude at all. He takes good care of me and re-surfaced my front rotors at 10K miles because I asked him to.
Good god, I sould like a shill for the dealership, but I am happy with them and will probably get a new TL in Sarasota before my TSX lease is up.
Long story short, I was visiting Gettel Acura down in Sarasota and could not have been treated better. Salesman greeted me right away and was not the high pressure type. Told him I was interested in a 6-speed TSX...they just had one come off of the truck. Went for a test drive in the actual car (not an AT demo). Longer story short, took home the 6-speed at the lease price Crown was unwilling to give me.
I still drive 50 miles down there to get the oil changed and the tires rotated. The service manager is very cool. He is about the same age as me and has no attitude at all. He takes good care of me and re-surfaced my front rotors at 10K miles because I asked him to.
Good god, I sould like a shill for the dealership, but I am happy with them and will probably get a new TL in Sarasota before my TSX lease is up.
04-07-2006, 11:18 AM
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Thanks....I'll make sure and check out the Sarasota dealership. I'm pretty unwilling to budge on getting the 6-speed, so I could see some headaches with some dealers in the future.
Did they give you a decent price?
Did they give you a decent price?
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04-07-2006, 11:44 AM
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Also, RadYo, I'd be very interested in working something out. I'd probably be willing to do a straight up swap, if you'd be down. It's going to be at least another month or two until I get a TSX, but if you haven't gotten rid of your rims by then we'll talk...
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