Rob144

You've got to sympathize with a salesperson who would only see $150 for selling a top-of-the-line vehicle.

When I was shopping last year, the Acura salespeople were all somewhat dour and not very knowledgeable. At every dealer, the most they could say about the RL was that it could be had for "TL prices" without ever quoting a figure. They just didn't seem all that interested in the car. That really can't help push them off the lot, either.

When I shopped the GS (and ES), the salesperson was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. He left a favorable impression overall, and alerted us to an upcoming "sale". Lexus does hold the line for the most part, and does sponsor periodic sales (like a Nordstrom).

I think every carmaker hopes their next vehicle will be a big "hit" and will be able to get MSRP. Thus, they are relucatant to "fix-price" their cars. I saw an '08 accord at the local dealer -- it had a sub-sticker featuring a $1995 "market adjustment" on a car that stickered around $27K.

Car prices and airline fares -- two consumer items where pricing seems archaic and irrational - and where the consumer now has mountains of information at their fingertips. Hence the seeming decline of the car salesman and the travel agent.


Rob144

neuronbob

The guy who sold me my RL was pretty knowedgeable and even showed me some of the tricks noted on this very forum. In addition, he's the sort of guy not to bully the customer into making a decision. So it depends on how well he/she cares about customer service. Yet another reason I go to the dealer I do--they treat people as if they are buying a luxury car, rather than a Honda. I hope that guy earned more than $150 selling me my car, he worked hard for the sale and spent 1 1/2 hours AFTER the sale thoroughly introducing me to my new car. Some of you here have similar experiences and unfortunately for Acura, that experience is very uneven.

For CL6, I paid a little more than others here ($42.5k at the time) but still feel I got a good deal. I recognize that a salesguy's gotta eat too but at the same time, as a customer, I want to feel I got a fair deal.

CL6

He probably made $150 but I'm sure he made more than that on other sales. If you have a method where you assist people who need it, explain how the car works, and provide support after the sale you're going to do better than your average sales guy. That may not result in you making a ton of money overall but you can always go to another store that rewards this type of person.

I can't stand the person that pays below invoice, is very demanding, unhappy because they think they got a bad deal, and expect Ritz service for Motel 3 prices, and never understand how they are viewed.

Mike_TX

Not to make the whole thread about this but frankly, all most people know is that they paid a lot of money for the car, and if you sold your product too cheap, that's kinda your fault. But it doesn't change the fact that the buyer just forked over a ton of dough, and still don't know the "real" profit the dealer made.

If a car dealer is going to sell his car at bargain basement prices, he should make it clear to the buyer before he agrees to the price that it's a bare-bones deal and not to expect all the frills.

Face it - if the dealer doesn't want to sell the car at a given price, he doesn't have to. The dealer holds all the cards and the buyer ain't exactly holding a gun to his head. So don't make the dealer the victim here! There's so much mystery about car pricing and hidden profits, etc., that buyers feel there's always something left on the table. Blame the industry and its pricing practices for that ... not the buyer.

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larrynimmo

there are fixed price dealerships. When I shopped my Acura RL (and my TL in 03) my closest dealership is a no-nogotiations dealership. They give everyone the same fair price. The TL was $27,500...I paid 25,400 from another dealership. The RL was 39,632...I paid 38,000.

They are willing to give free carwashes...I think they dangled the carrot of a free "must have" real wood gear shift handle to me. I still don't have one, but my car isn't any less special to me.

I am a in the trenches buyer and thoroughly enjoy the chase. I like buying cars at a small profit. I am very professional in my approach. I do my homework, find a reasonable price that other savy shoppers are paying and I make an offer to the dealership over the phone. Many dealerships do say no to my price and I am OK with that. If they bite, I buy. No haggle...no games. The vehicle is ready for me when I pick it up. When I bought my RL I gave a $500 deposit with my credit card over the phone.

tasdisr

I paid 42k for my RL from the dealer. I am sure others have paid less and some paid more, but I felt I received a good deal. When I wanted the extended warranty, they matched the price I found on the net.

This is the fourth Acura we have purchased from them. (Two TL’s, the RL and our son purchased an RSX) The sales people have always seemed knowledgeable, very low pressure and have always encouraged looking at the competition for comparison. They have always seemed pretty confident that value presented by Acura will win the sale.

My wife and I continue to have our cars serviced at the dealer. They are not always the cheapest, but seem to do quality work.

db22

Dealers could try the government approach - based on your ability to pay. The government presently provides you with a service or product and depending on how much you earn determines your tax rate and therefore your price for that service or product.
Imagine going into your Acura dealer and having to tell the salesperson how much you earned per year so that he could determine your price! Only the government (or BMW) can get away with extortion.

Mike_TX

Holy means-testing, Batman!



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