the dealership finally came back at me with a firm number and it was higher than the MSRP on the website. I told them so, and he said they would honor the price on the website. well, that brings me to my question, should i actually be paying MSRP???

2003 TL-S w / navi

here are the numbers:

MSRP 33,480
Destination Charge 500
Total accessories 202.90 (splash guard and moonroof visor)

TOTAL 34, 182.90

and this is BEFORE tax/tag/etc etc

too much???

 

No, do not pay MSRP. Man my local dealer had 10 TL-S sitting on the lot this past weekend and there is no way anyone should pay MSRP for a car.

 

ok, and i agree with you. so HOW do i talk them down??

just say " look man, i know nobody frickin pays MSRP??? "

or do i involve other dealerships?? ( for me, Atlanta area )

 

I was able to drive out the door for 32,225 thats WITH Tax Title and License included. So the car was about 29,500 before TT&L. That also included the Tint, wheel locks, the $500 wheel/tire insurance (anything happens to the wheel or tires I get new ones. No limits ) , rust proof spray , Lojack, etc.. etc.. You should never ever pay MSRP for the TLS. And I purchased it in October of 2001 as a 2002 model. But mine did not have Navi. Point is.. try to drive out the door (including TT&L) for the MSRP only or a below, Never ever drive out higher than MSRP. I also found out I didn't get the best deal either.. Others have driven out for less than me.

 

Don't pay MSRP.

I paid about $30,000 including locks and mudguards for a 2002 TL-S w/o NAVI in April 2001 when the car had just come out and the economy had not gone south yet. Of course, this does not include tax & title. That's different everywhere.

I paid a fair price but by no means the lowest around. Add about $1500 to $1800 on top for NAVI + visor at $83. This puts you at around $31,600 - $31,900. You should not have pay more than about $32K for the car.

Then again, how much is it worth to you?

Just my $.02

Good luck.

 

I pick mine up in a couple of weeks. Here is what I have been quoted (though I am still trying to get the price down some more)

2003 TL-S with navi $32245 + taxes, tags, and $25 processing fee

 

They are probably not going to deal very much on a 2003 just yet.

 

I know you are a ways away from south fl but Rick case has 02s advertised for 29,400 w/o navi.

http://www.rickcaseacura.com/index.c...on=SpecialsNew

 

paying MSRP is like paying 11% above invoice. Edmunds.com recommends paying around 5% for a decent price...I paid 3%.

This was my breakdown down to the penny! Oh, and the dealer that I bought my car from didn't even try to negotiate, they went ahead and took my initial offer. (I visited 6 dealers in total)

Base Price Offer = 30,848.50
Destination Charge = 480.00

Interior Accessories = 216.00
(All-Season Floor mats, A/C Vent Trim, Trunk Tray)

Exterior Accessories = 1,442.00
(Wheel Locks, Full Body Kit)

Total Accessories = 1,658.00

Total Price = 32,986.50

Add $45 for documentation
Tax came to 2,642.52
DMV fees = 472.00
Smog and tire fee = 10

And I also got a 5 year/100,000 mile warranty for 850 i think

So grand total for me was around 37,000 flat

P.S.
I got a 2002 TLS with NAV

 

I purchased my 02 TLS from Acura Carland in Marietta, GA for $29,300 w/o Navi. Included mud guards, trunk tray, destination, doc. fee, and wheel locks.

I know of a couple of other who puchased a 02 Navi from them in July for $31,300 with the same options as above.

You might want to give them a try.

 

Do NOT pay MSRP. There are other threads on the site from the last month where others (including me) have detailed their deals. How many Acura dealers are within a few hours of your location? You need to engage them all and get them to compete for your money. The hungry will come down. Also, you need to do your research to know invoice price for what you're buying, hold back and any incentives. Good sites are Edmunds, Bluebook and if you're willing to spend 25 bucks Fighting Chance.com will give you data on recent purchase prices in your area. I have an O3 TLS NHblack w/ parchment, nose mask, muds, mats, locks and gold that I paid 29,500 prior to TTL. I estimated my deal at 150 over invoice, but the dealer kept all his holdback.

 

thank you for all your replies!!! You guys have been a HUGE help. I will try to get that price down some. I'll keep you posted!!

 

I got mine new Cls 2/02. Navi, Spoiler, wheel locks, moon roof visor....everything possible. $30,800 out the door. Conpairable Tls would be about $200 more.

 

Steve,

A good way to deal is to find out invoice cost on the car the with equipment you want. There are many sites on the Web where you can find this info. The dealer makes money on the markup over invoice plus any holdback from the manufacturer. My '02 is equipped exactly as the one you want and I paid $32,700. Once you have the number, send it to several different Acura dealers via their internet site and tell them this is what you are willing to pay and see what kind of response you get. That is what I did, and it worked (I started at $32k). This was in May of '01, so now that the '03s are out, you should be able to do even better.

I got mine at a dealer in North Atlanta, but I really don't want to send you there to give them any business after this tranny issue and the way they are handling it...it's like anything else, once they get your money, they are basically through with you. Good luck!

Personally, for me, with all of the tranny issues, I could not recommend the car.

 

Invoice + $500 is a great deal
Invoice + $1000 is the most you should pay.

Most people end up somewhere in between. If you don't know what invoice is you should!!!

 

A lot of it depends on where you live and the demand. In the Chicago area last year that had three month waiting lists for the TL-S. With that kind of demand, dealers were commanding list and getting it. No matter which one you went to. Some were offering a token gesture of knocking $500 off the sticker or giving you a deal on the accessories, but that was it. My friend shopped around and found out the same thing, so he had to base his decision off of who would give him a better price on his trade ('99 300M) and also had what he was looking for ('02 WDP TLS w/NAV).

Now I got my TL for $2K under sticker, but that was in '01, so the demand dropped off a bit from the frenzy in '99 when it first came out.

My brother experienced the same thing when he bought his MDX. All dealers were charging MSRP, and some even had forced options such as mudguards and wheel locks). You couldn't even find one, much less get a deal on one.

It's all about supply and demand. Ecomnomics 101.

 

MSRP? No way! The '03 TL is in the final (5th, to be exact) year of the current generation. I don't think the demand is as high as it used to be.

 

I would tell the dealer to kiss my ass and go to another dealer. But before that you need to do your homework or get someone else to help you. You're in no position to shop for a car. Your inexperience could cost you thousands.

 

Nope donot pay MSRP for a TLS or any car for that matter!

 

I paid MSRP does that make me a moron. LOL That's because I bought the TL-S the day it came out. All the dealers were willing to get rid of the TL but not the TL-S. That's just in cali. Plus at that time they didn't even had prices up in Carsdirect.com. I'm telling most ppls who get these great deals went through a great amount of hasseling to get it. You should just go to carsdirect.com and show the dealer the internet price and see if they will lower theirs(if not just buy it from the internet). If you want the car in a curtain amount of time than no you cannot bargain. You have to know your dealers. See if they are moving the TL-S if not they most likly they will give bargains. If they are than best luck in finding a deal.

Mr.T

 

I agree with some of the other folks that where you are in the country makes a difference in your final price. There are ways to come armed with information that will prove to the salesperson that you've done your homework. When they know you have, they're much less likely to give you the high numbers.

What I did is to plunk down $12. for a detailed report from consumer reports http://wwwconsumerreports.org. You can do it online. The report stated what the Acura dealer paid for "wholesale", NOT invoice or MSRP. It also goes into dealer holdbacks which exist on the Acura TLS. When you've got that information, they can't argue with the numbers.

When I knew what car I was going after, I did it online, told them what I wanted to pay (with a VERY fair 7% markup after wholesale). One Acura dealer said OK, car's on the lot, come pick it up. It took a day to contact three dealers online and 1 hour for one dealer to go with my request.

My price for the 2002 TLS with splash guards, wheel locks, trunk tray, sun roof visor, wheel and door protectant trim, was $29,830. No nav.

 

The bottom line is

you always have the option of walking out of the dealership

you want a good deal and the salesperson wants to squeeze the money out of you.. the salesman is not a bad person, that is his/her job.

-Tom

 

thanks for all your comments....

i am now talking to other dealerships in the area trying to lower my buying price. i can't wait to have all this BS talk over with and have the keys in my hand!!!



update: one of the Atlanta dealers has offered $32,890

 

Damn son! A $25 processing fee...that's outrageous! My dealer charges $395...they have these signs all over the place saying so I'm assuming because many a customer has thrown a Pu$$y fit when the dealer told 'em about the fee.


Oh well...live and learn.

 

I bought an '03 TLS w/o navi 2 weeks ago for $30,200 out the door (not including sales tax). This price included mud flaps, wheel locks, trunk tray, pin stripes and gold emblems.

The dealer (salesman going back and forth to the sales manager) started at $32,500, I countered at $30,000. He said that there is an additional non-negotiable $150 transaction charge. So I said make it $29,850 then so it still adds up to $30k. I then pulled out all of my research from this site, Money mag April '02 issue, and a news group all showing $30k was about right without any options.

He countered at $31,600. I said I would go up to $30,200 (including the stupid transaction charge) since they were putting in some extras. He came back at $30,800.

I said I was hungry, going to get lunch and plan to check out the other dealership in town. He came back from the sales manager with an OK.

The whole process took a couple of hours. You have to put up with some BS to get a good price. :yack:

Bring in a folder with your research and don't be afraid to walk out. Also the end of the month is the best time. My salesman said "it's not that we screw you if you buy it at the beginning of the month but it's a lot easier to get a better deal at the end."

Good Luck

 

Hi fshrman, Where did you buy your TLS? I would love to get the same deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dave@owens2owens.com in Dallas

Thanks.