bluemule

For $12.00 you can get a printout from Consumers Reports detailing price points for the RL. Holdbacks are a part of the information in the printouts, if it is available.

CR's advice is to always negotiate from CR's wholesale price and to completely ignore any invoice or sticker price. The CR wholesale price takes into consideration dealer incentives and holdbacks that may be in effect.

As a general rule, premium brands such as the Acura will not sell at those wholesale price points, but at the very least, you are aware where the dealer is negotiating from and what the wiggle room is. It's been my experience that you cannot expect the same kind of deal from an Acura dealership as you would from Bubba's AuterRammerSlammerJammer.

For myself, I've never been interested in hammering a dealer for the absolute lowest price for a car, but try to choose a dealer I can live with in servicing and attempt for a reasonable price under the circumstances...this is easier to say than to do.

lindros2

Let me put it this way - on my 2004 TL, I had the standard Bridgestone tire problems. I nearly paid MSRP (being I got the car 4 days after it was officially released). My lease price was actually quite good (since the residual was high on a brand brand new car), but I didn't really negotiate a rock-bottom purchase price.

SO... when others were getting shit on and weren't getting any support from Honda/Acura, my dealer swapped my tires with Michelin Pilot Sports. They had NO REASON to do it - and had to eat the cost.

Did they remember me? Maybe. If I had paid less like the original poster, would I have gotten the replacement tires I wanted? Nope.

And when it was time to get a new RL, guess what? I *DID* pay $42.2k for a 2005.

Being a decent negotiator (and fair) does come back to help you. I'm living proof.

Oh, and I'm in sales myself (enterprise software). At some point if all someone wants is the lowest price (at all costs), we walk.

-josh

NorCalRL

I didn't have the benefit of a crystal ball to tell me that ten months after I purchased my car (4/05 as I said in my posting) that someone would get a better price in 2/06.

atomarchio

Would it be reasonable to negotiate a price with a deal for an RL lease of $599 per month (including 7.5%) with that $1399 upfront?

Let me know your thoughts or even guesses. Thanks.

AltecBX

Dealer in Long Island City. Is the only Acura dealer there.

edbetty

Had a very bad experience at that dealer....beware
The 42K prices are for demo cars only. They will bait & switch you.

AltecBX

How? I told him my color and everything. I'm preety sure it was not a demo, I would never buy a demo. Did you buy anything there?

bkw

Please dont tell me youre talking about Paragon. Do a search on Paragon Honda and you'll see everything from negative reviews and complaints on various forums and the BBB.

They totally screwed me in my S2000 purchase. Not only with the purchase price, but with almost everything after the initial sale.

Stay away from Paragon. Theyre bad guys.. really.

bkw

http://www.dealerrater.com/dealer/Pa...nda-review-265

"DEALER WARNING: This Dealership has written (16) positive reviews about themselves which have been removed. All new positive reviews will be delayed from being viewable for a period of (48) Months."

dadcat1

The Sunday New York Times has an ad for a place that sells Lexus and Acura vehicles at a discount. The RL is listed at $42,995.

freddy202022

Almost all the dealership in the Bay Area have offered me 43K for an RL or 46500 for an RL w/ Tech package ? Is this a good price or should I wait a couple of more months ? How much lower can it go ???

CL6

A penny pincher is a penny pincher and they are almost always the most unhappy customers. They'll take a $50,000 car and if they don't get their '$500' (or how ever much it is) they blow this up in their heads to $5,000 and get hung up on this.

Hey all the people that are able to buy an RL for so little are only helping to kill the resale value of the car they just bought! The irony here is beautiful in a way.

I have no problems with people 'getting a good deal' but it gets taken to the point of stupidity so often. I laugh at the 'give me a free floor mat' customer. How petty.

dtrose

LOL....this is so true. If your going to pinch then go buy a Kia.

rmralston

Second that!

I'd rather let my competition take that kind due to the fact that the buyer is usually a dirtbag that doesn't value my time and effort and will typically rake me over the coals on CSI. Not worth it...I usually pawn the silver spoon pipsqueaks off on the FNG.

Take the deal...and then go to edmunds...

ilas

Not only that, but I don't understand people who spend days and weeks trying to save 500-1000 dollars by working salespeople. If one's time is worth anything, you get the best deal you can get by shopping around in a reasonable amount of time. At some point you just have to stop trying to penny pinch and just buy the car. Think about it, would someone making a ton of money take the time to push a deal for so long....probably not. I know a thorassic surgeon down the street who pays MSRP for every car he buys, not because he cannot get a better deal, but his time is worth more doing surgery than sitting in the car dealership.

Thus, when I hear of someone spending hours and days negotiating, I guess that they probably cannot afford the car anyway and are really on the margin. Certainly this type of potential buyer would be sending a signal to the salesperson that they probably cannot afford the car.

Of course, that is unless the buyer derives some type of pleasure from pushing people to bargain past the point of decency.

msu79gt82

Interesting philosophy I am reminded of the old Midas commercial where an od guy drives up in his chauffeured 1950's Rolls Royce asking for his muffler to be replaced on Midas' Lifetime Warranty. The sales guy asks why a guy like him (rich) wold waste time coming to Midas for free muffler replacement. The guys responds with. "How do you think a guy like me got to be a guy like me."

Its a proven fact that the richest are often the most frugal and smartest with their money - the ultra rich are NEVER frivalous with thier money! What is wrong with getting free floor mats? Why should anyone pay extra for floor mats in a luxury car anyway?? However if the sales guy wants to be a jerk and make you pay $80 bucks for mats and you want the car and that dealership badly enough, then I agree those $80 dollar mats shouldn't be a deal killer.

However I have NEVER paid for floor mats on any vehicle that costs more than $35K and probably never will. By the way it was the $500 extra for a backup camera and lack of a spare tire that was a deal killer for me. Oh and I could have easily afforded it; but sometimes there is principle involved.

CL6

There is a not so nice way that mooches (as they are known in this industry) conduct themselves. As for the CSI thing. 'All Fives' is how we don't get hammered here. Every really bad survey I have ever had has been from one of these unhappy people.

The happiest customer is one who pays all the money... the unhappiest customer, overall, are the ones who count every dollar.

I treat all customers nicely and am couteous to them but the mooches... well more often than not they don't value my time, don't care about anything not having to do with them.

There's a way to save a buck in a nice way, and those people I go out of my way to help.

The problem is this industry has such an oppositional structure. I'm making money so you're losing it or vice versa.

And the new rich spend their money... it's the old money that drives used cars.

...and my 'philosophy' has been taught to me by more than a thousand customers I have had personal interactions with. I did not pick it up on some website.

03TLIN NYC

I may get flamed for this but lets be real people. When it comes to the Acura RL, there is way more supply than demand. Acura doesnt have the pedigree that Lexus, BMW, and Benz has.

Now that we have enough money to get a second car of our choice, the Acura did come to mind, but so did the M45, GS, 5 series. Of the 4 vehicles I'd say I was least passionate about the RL. As owner of an Acura, I hate to say it but it's the truth, Acura prices fall faster because it's just not as desirable after a few years.

lindros2

I agree with your post so no flames from my camp.

However, after owning three German cars before my 2004 TL, I went with "reliability" over "desirability". And you know what? I really do love my RL. It clearly needs bigger wheels and some harder edges, but it's a great car.

-josh