Car Purchase question

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Old Mar 9, 2008 | 08:46 PM
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Car Purchase question

There's a dealer with an 07 demo 3K miles, yes 07, which I've been told had the front bumper repainted. Dealer's close to 2 hours from my house.

Would you buy the car and if so, for how much?

I ask as I'm a bit worried about the repainted front bumper peeling if it should get "love tapped" and me needing to repaint the bumper, at my cost.
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Old Mar 9, 2008 | 09:00 PM
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Originally Posted by geronimomoe
There's a dealer with an 07 demo 3K miles, yes 07, which I've been told had the front bumper repainted. Dealer's close to 2 hours from my house.

Would you buy the car and if so, for how much?

I ask as I'm a bit worried about the repainted front bumper peeling if it should get "love tapped" and me needing to repaint the bumper, at my cost.
If it's Technology model w/ NAV....I would say 34-35K? I would be a little worried if it's a 2007 and it as already had to be repainted in the front. Personally Demo's cars scare me b/c people usually drive the car pretty harsh and most cars need the "normal" breakin. I bought a 2006 for $39,500 before taxes/tags and it was brand new with 10 miles on it.
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Old Mar 9, 2008 | 09:07 PM
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Point taken. I've been told it was the GM's car..

I've read up on bumper peel and if the bumper isn't prepped properly, the paint will peel if bumped. Since it was repainted by the dealer, if I was close by, I wouldn't be overly worried. As I mentioned, the dealer is 2 hours away. Hence, my concern....
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Old Mar 9, 2008 | 09:40 PM
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Originally Posted by geronimomoe
Point taken. I've been told it was the GM's car..

I've read up on bumper peel and if the bumper isn't prepped properly, the paint will peel if bumped. Since it was repainted by the dealer, if I was close by, I wouldn't be overly worried. As I mentioned, the dealer is 2 hours away. Hence, my concern....
Why are all these used demos "the GM's car?"

With that said....it is a base, Tech or CMBS/PAX? If it's the latter, I'd stay away like the plague as PAX support is disappearing faster than snow in Florida. In any case the type affects what you should pay for it.
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 10:21 AM
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Originally Posted by neuronbob
Why are all these used demos "the GM's car?"

With that said....it is a base, Tech or CMBS/PAX? If it's the latter, I'd stay away like the plague as PAX support is disappearing faster than snow in Florida. In any case the type affects what you should pay for it.
No idea, why they're all GM cars..

It's a Tech. So I was thinking like vluu, roughly $35K.

Thoughts?
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 02:31 PM
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You may be able to mitigate paint peel with the 3M clear bra coating. Just don't try to take it off!
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 05:16 PM
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Just an update. I contacted the dealer about the car.

An 07 with 3K miles and a repainted bumper...

Drum roll please...............................

$42,500.

I'll pass...
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 05:48 PM
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Originally Posted by geronimomoe
Just an update. I contacted the dealer about the car.

An 07 with 3K miles and a repainted bumper...

Drum roll please...............................

$42,500.

I'll pass...
They. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding!

It's worth $35k, not more than that. Why not try to work with them? $42.5k is merely the opening offer. I agree with Chas' suggestion of purchasing a clear bra to protect the bumper from more damage. I say talk to the dealer and see how it goes.
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 05:51 PM
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I was thinking of that. Thing is, it was the general sales manager who gave me the price. I'm not overly confident that they're going to drop the price by $7500 if the price is coming from him..

If he gave me a price of say $39K, I'd say there is hope...
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 06:22 PM
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I cannot for the life of me figure out why they are not trying to get these vehicles off of their lots. Over Christmas break a 2006--yes, 2006--RL was on the showroom floor that was driven as a demo of some sort. After talking with the internet manager, he explained a better deal could be had on an '08 and not to bother with the '06. Bizarre.
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 06:27 PM
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geronimomoe,

The FMC will be out by the time you get off your arse and buy one! You have already spent $5K waffling.

I would not pay more than $37K for a used 07, and $39k for a leftover 07. That said, the 08s are going to be limited supply soon (if not already), so the incentives may evaporate. I would not be surprised if the fugly 09 makes the 08s more desired. I had a brief speculation of getting an 08 in Lakeshore or Carbon Gray.

And I have to admit, I am not a fan of the clear bra. However, my 19 month old 06 has 17K miles and is pampered. After detailing it Sunday, I was surprised how many small pits and the few chips in the nose. Almost looks sandblasted. My next one will not be a dark color and will have a clear bra.
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 06:33 PM
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Originally Posted by SPUDMTN
I cannot for the life of me figure out why they are not trying to get these vehicles off of their lots. Over Christmas break a 2006--yes, 2006--RL was on the showroom floor that was driven as a demo of some sort. After talking with the internet manager, he explained a better deal could be had on an '08 and not to bother with the '06. Bizarre.
They want to hold onto the car, go right ahead. It's insane for a dealer not to want to get rid of a car that's been sitting on the lot for an eternity.

Let them keep paying interesting and losing money on the car. They're hoping that some sucker comes in to buy the car.. At the rate of 400-600 a month, they'll be waiting for a long time and losing money....
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 06:37 PM
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Originally Posted by TampaRL
geronimomoe,

The FMC will be out by the time you get off your arse and buy one! You have already spent $5K waffling.

I would not pay more than $37K for a used 07, and $39k for a leftover 07. That said, the 08s are going to be limited supply soon (if not already), so the incentives may evaporate. I would not be surprised if the fugly 09 makes the 08s more desired. I had a brief speculation of getting an 08 in Lakeshore or Carbon Gray.

And I have to admit, I am not a fan of the clear bra. However, my 19 month old 06 has 17K miles and is pampered. After detailing it Sunday, I was surprised how many small pits and the few chips in the nose. Almost looks sandblasted. My next one will not be a dark color and will have a clear bra.
I've been quoted $500 over invoice for an 08 base, that makes it $39750, if my numbers are right, before tax. There is no way anyone should pay more than $35K for that car I was asking about.

You're right though, about the incentive expiring after May 3 if the supply is low. Didn't think about that.

Worst case scenario, I'll get a G35X with the sports package.
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 07:08 PM
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there are still too many 08's around...look for new incentives to kick in by April 1, 2008. I would expect 4k as enough inducement to clear the lot during these tubulant economic times. It will be at least 3.5k. You have waiting this long...wait a few more weeks and the incentives will be in place. (imho, for what its worth)
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 07:52 PM
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Originally Posted by larrynimmo
there are still too many 08's around...look for new incentives to kick in by April 1, 2008. I would expect 4k as enough inducement to clear the lot during these tubulant economic times. It will be at least 3.5k. You have waiting this long...wait a few more weeks and the incentives will be in place. (imho, for what its worth)
Yep. The 2 dealers closest to me have sold roughly 2-3 per month. They have 9 each inventory right now. So I suspect they'll still have them in stock.

Like you said, the turbulent economic times are weighing heavily on people's minds so it would be foolish of Acura to not increase the incentives to get move the 08's in order to stimulate the sales of the 09's.

But of course we're talking about Acura here and on this forum, the consensus is that they've done some foolish things in the past.... So the inventive or an increase of the incentive isn't a forgone conclusion.
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 09:34 PM
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$42K+ is absolutely insane for a pre-driven car, even though it hasn't been titled. I paid $43K for a brand new one BEFORE the incentives really kicked in.

I had the front bumper cover replaced on mine and if the paint is done well, it's as good as new. Mine blends perfectly.

If they would offer some sort of warranty on the paint, it would mitigate that risk, but until they get real on the price, I'd walk away.

The reality is that they actually depreciate the usage on these demo cars, so they can sell them at a discount.

I remember getting my '93 Vigor for over $8K under MSRP because it was a demo and the dealer extended the warranty to cover the miles.
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 10:23 PM
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Originally Posted by GoHawks
$42K+ is absolutely insane for a pre-driven car, even though it hasn't been titled. I paid $43K for a brand new one BEFORE the incentives really kicked in.

I had the front bumper cover replaced on mine and if the paint is done well, it's as good as new. Mine blends perfectly.

If they would offer some sort of warranty on the paint, it would mitigate that risk, but until they get real on the price, I'd walk away.

The reality is that they actually depreciate the usage on these demo cars, so they can sell them at a discount.

I remember getting my '93 Vigor for over $8K under MSRP because it was a demo and the dealer extended the warranty to cover the miles.
Agreed. I priced a "Good" condition (due to the bumper repaint) used RL with 3000 miles on it at Edmunds and the trade-in value was something like 32K.... So, if I was to drive off the lot, I'd lose about $10K right away! Hence I'm most likely not going to buy from them. I never say never..

As for the depreciation of the demo's I didn't know that part...... Can folks on this forum who are in the car sales business confirm that? If that's the case, people who buy demo's at only a slight discount are really being taken!
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Old Mar 10, 2008 | 10:36 PM
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Originally Posted by geronimomoe
Agreed. I priced a "Good" condition (due to the bumper repaint) used RL with 3000 miles on it at Edmunds and the trade-in value was something like 32K.... So, if I was to drive off the lot, I'd lose about $10K right away! Hence I'm most likely not going to buy from them. I never say never..

As for the depreciation of the demo's I didn't know that part...... Can folks on this forum who are in the car sales business confirm that? If that's the case, people who buy demo's at only a slight discount are really being taken!
When I bought my Vigor, I asked the salesguy why it was so discounted, and he told me precisely that they've written off the usage/depreciation of the car.

I'd be curious for the official word, but logic would tell you there has to be something, otherwise why would a dealer put a demo in the fleet? A loaner I could understand since you can charge back Acura from a warranty perspective and I'm sure it's built into the hourly rate since I was never charged for an Acura loaner even when out of warranty.
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Old Mar 11, 2008 | 08:59 AM
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Originally Posted by TampaRL
geronimomoe,

The FMC will be out by the time you get off your arse and buy one! You have already spent $5K waffling.

...

And I have to admit, I am not a fan of the clear bra. However, my 19 month old 06 has 17K miles and is pampered. After detailing it Sunday, I was surprised how many small pits and the few chips in the nose. Almost looks sandblasted. My next one will not be a dark color and will have a clear bra.
Listen to this man! Just BUY one, otherwise you might be stuck with an '09 or worse...an Infiniti.

But don't buy black. I had to get the sucker washed THREE times last week. My hood, at 21K miles and 14 months, looks as if it was machine-gunned by little tiny elves. Acura paint is vastly overrated. Next time I'll get carbon gray...and I'll listen to Neuron and get the clear bra too.
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