Darla

Perhaps you should approach a dealer closer to you and ask if they can meet the price of the remote dealer. You can also tell him that you'll be bringing the car in for service at that dealership, which means extra revenue for them.
Good luck!

TypeSDreamin

I've thought about that, but I don't want to screw the guy who I've been working with.

TL-SorMaxima

I shuffled through a few dealers before I got the best price, which was about 2 hours away. Knowing that I'd be getting my car serviced locally, I went to the local dealer and asked if he could meet the offer. He met it, won my puchase business, and will get all of my service business. Unless you've already given the "2 hours away" guy some deposit money, check with one of your local dealers to see if they'll match the price. Your ultimate goal here is to get the car you want for the price you're willing to pay. Hey, maybe the local guy will do better on the price, through in an extra option, or offer you a sweet service deal!


------------------
2002 TL Type S
Nighthawk Black Pearl
Black interior

Darla

I appreciate that type of loyalty, but you have to consider your convenience as well.

I know that you can take your Acura to any authorized dealer, but there may be some negotiation value in having your car serviced locally.

I have no factual information to back this up, but my guess is that the dealer who sold you the vehicle will strive harder to keep your (present and future) business than one who is 2 hours distant.

DJ Iceman

I agree with the others that your main objective is to get yourself the best deal that you can, but I also sympathize with you wanting to reward the dealer that's actually working with you rather than giving you a "take it or leave it" attitude. Here's one point to ponder: how much of a pain would it really be to drive two hours for service every 7,500 miles? If the sales department is better at that place, maybe the service department is too. I have found that quality in a dealership usually starts with the general manager who expects (demands!) quality from all his departments.

------------------
Why doesn't everybody make cars as well as Acura?

Xorg

Guys, this is pure b.s., Sales and Service have NOTHING to do with each other in a dealership, and any dealership that fails to service you or your new car properly is screwing you over and Acura should be contacted, as well as the dealership's owner.

I bought my car from a dealer over an hour away because the local Sales Manager was a jackass. No problem, I called the SERVICE Manager at the same local dealership, explained that I bought my car from the remote dealer and absolutely NO PROBLEM in offering me the same free oil changes, loaner cars, etc., just as if I bought the car there.

SERVICE is where most dealers make their money these days, and any dealer should be more than happy to offer you Acura TLC level service for your new car - this is what Acura pays them for and its part of their agreement to be able to sell Acura cars!

The SERVICE Manager can also give a crap where you bought the car, they make their money by adding new customers and the service dollars it brings in.

Darla

I agree that in an ideal world, the sales and service functions are separate. However, in real life, the same ownership controls both sales and service. To suggest that these functions are separate in a dealership is maximally naive. Since you can control both functions (sales and service profits), I still believe you can get a better "deal" combining both, IMHO.

Guest

I had this same problem. I live in the New Orleans area but had to go to Houston to get the deal I wanted. I saved over $2300.00 going there-about 5.5 hours away. I had the same service questions. I was told repeatedly that any Acura delership will service your car. In fact I have been to my local dealership a few times already and they have been very nice. I still wish they could have matched the price, but you gotta go where the best deal is!

TypeSDreamin

I think I located a Type S for a deal that makes me happy. My only concern is that it is at a dealership 2 hours away. My question:

What happens when my car needs to be serviced? Do I need to drive two hours to this dealer, or can I go to any Acura dealer? I'm hoping someone can give me an answer because I read where people fly from Denver to So Cal to get their Type S.

Thanks

tgif

No. You can bring it to any Acura dealer for service.

------------------
2002 Acura TL Type S
Nighthawk Black Pearl
Parchment Leather

Tag66

You can get service done at any Acura, but you might want to find out the level of service from the one closer to you. The Acura dealer closest to me will not provide a loaner car unless you buy from them. So I will be driving about 20 minutes further to go to a dealer that does.

Xorg

Darla> Not true at all, in over 12 years of car buying I have NEVER heard anyone tell me they were denied service because they didn't buy a new car in a dealership - its a common dealer trick/scare tactic to make you want to buy the car at the dealership - remember, dealers play on your emotions.

And yes, it is most certainly true that Sales and Service have ZERO to do with each other in a dealership. The departments do NOT work together, in some cases, they don't even talk to each other.

They have their own budgets, their own mission, and their own benchmarks to achieve. Mechanics hate salespeople and resent the money they make, the salespeople look down on the mechanics - this is reality inside a dealership.

The thought that a Sales Manager would run over to a Service Manager and whisper in their ear that you didn't buy the car there is sheer fantasy :-)

Tag66

Any Acura dealer will service your car, but fact is, they DON'T have to give you priority and they DON'T have to give you a loaner car. Even though the dealer right by my house could make a lot of money servicing my car, their policy is to not give loaner cars if you didn't buy the car there. This lousy 'Service' policy just lost them years of my service business-- and I would never recommend them to anyone I know that is interested in buying an Acura from their 'Sales' department.

wayneg

Ahh... the old sales/service controversy. the truth is that any good dealer service department will welcome you with open arms regardless of where you buy your car. Here at Park Ave, we strive to give any of our customers the most pleasant service experience they have ever had regardless of where they purchased their car. In fact, we really try to win over the service customers of our competition. We make money by helping our customers keep their cars in perfect condition, not by giving them grief or inferior service because they didn/t buy from us. Also, in our dealership, we get along with sales and parts. We are all part of a team and all have the same goals. The old fashioned idea of competition between departments is now the mark of an inferior Dealership.

end rant


------------------
Wayne Gruen
Service Manager
Park Ave Acura
*** The opinions expressed above are my own. I in no way speak for American Honda or Acura but strictly for myself ***

2002 TL-S Black/Black
Factory Body Kit, Factory Spoiler, Comptech Springs, Sways, Headers, Exhaust, Xephyr CAI
Tuning by Jens...

Darla

I have a tad more than 12 years of auto-buying experience, but that's extraneous to the issue.

My outlook was that the dealership may want to consider both the initial purchase and the residual service profit and cave a bit on the purchase price to lure in the buyer for a long term commitment. It's merely an element on the total negotiation experience.

DJ Iceman

I certainly didn't mean to imply that you can't get your car serviced at a dealer other than where you buy the car. Hell, I'm in the military and I move every few years so I have to start a relationship with a new service department all the time. My point was just that a dealer who has poor customer service in the sales department MIGHT have poor customer service in the service department too, because my experience has been that all the employees' attitudes derive from the general manager.

------------------
Why doesn't everybody make cars as well as Acura?

Xorg

I understand your point Darla, but it just doesn't happen out there in the dealerships. I mean what guarantee would the dealership have that you would come back to them for service even if you did buy the car there? :-) They're not likely to lower the price on the hope that they'll also get your service dollars.

The only way the sales folks use the service department is to play on people's emotions to make them believe that they have to buy the car at the dealership to get it serviced there. A classic dealer ploy.

I'm going in for my first service next week at a dealership I didn't buy the car at. I spoke with the Service Manager about the appointment, and no problem - I get the same free oil changes and loaner cars the dealer I bought the car at would have given me.

Acura pays dealers to offer this kind of service as part of the Acura TLC service.

Dealers are taught to make people feel uneasy and nervous and to play on emotions, this is why they get people to pay more than they should or normally would. The second most common ploy after this one os the line "These cars are selling like crazy, we're out of stock, etc." and the day after you buy your car, you see 20 more on the lot :-)