Hi guys,

First, thank you to all the fine people participating in this forum. This is an awesome forum. The pride of ownership and the willingness to help newbies and wannabees is wonderful.

As you know, I was negotiating with a dealership here in Denver, Colorado to buy a used TLS. It had 461 miles on it, satin silver in color, with Navi. The onlly accessories included were the splash guards, trunk tray, and wheel locks. As of Thursday night, I had offered $28,000. The dealership was asking $32,947. The salesman promised to call on Friday. He didn't. I guess they want to take their chances selling the car over the weekend. The car did have NAVI, but did not have a spoiler, tint, or clear bra.

Anyway, on Friday evening I visited the second of three Acura dealerships in the Denver area. I had test driven a TL and and a TLS here earlier in the week. On an earlier visit I had seen a beautiful satin silver demo sitting in the sales managers' parking spot. I asked about it but was told that the manager had just started driving it and it was not available to be sold as a demo yet.

Anyway, yesterday evening, I saw the car again. It looked gorgeous -- gleaming like a steel egg in the summer sun. It had exactly the accessories I wanted (and would have added to any Acura TLS I purchased). These included an OEM rear spoiler, clear(transparent) bra on the nose and side mirrors, and tinted windows. The spoiler and tinted windows really complement this car (the tinted windows go especially well with silver, IMHO) However, it does NOT have Navi. The car has 300 miles on it.

I offered 31,000. The dealer came back with $32,000. Before I left, I brought them down to $31,500.

So here is where the deal stands at present. For $31,500 I get:

Satin silver Acura TLS
Splash guards
Trunk Tray
Wheel Locks
Real Spoiler
Tinted Windows
Clear Bra
NO NAVI
Demo with 300 miles

Other sweeteners negotiated with the salesman:

TWO tanks of premium fuel. Tank topped off before I drive off the lot the first time as new owner. Return any time for another fill up.
One Free car wash, vacuum and "like new" detail EVERY month.
Free tire rotations
Free labor on brake job after 40,000 miles (I would pay for parts)
Dealership Employee discount pricing on all oil changes ($18) and other scheduled maintenance.
Dealership Employee discount pricing on dings, small scratches, etc.

Of course, I have to ensure that the dealership will honor these sweeteners. I purchased a car 3 years ago and negotiated 5 free oile changes. The dealership was bought out and consolidated in a new location a month later! The salesman who sold me the car was fired. I lost out there. Not a big deal, but I just need to be aware of that.

What do you guys think? Is this a good deal? Anything else I can ask for before signing on the dotted line?

Thanks guys.

Vasant.

 

Alfred,

I don't want to leave you hanging but I am not familiar with the "value" on some of the option you mention.

What I can say is that I purchased a 2002 TL-S non-NAV for about $30,200 and it included destination, as well as mud flaps and wheel locks. Some in CA have paid $29,600 for the same car from South Coast.

Other parts breakdown per Acura.com:
Trunk tray $106
Spoiler $676
Wheel locks $65
Mud flaps $120

Total per Acura is $32,676 but that does not include the windows and clear bra. Also remember this is MSRP.

Say we take the South Coast price and add the above options. It adds up to about $30,500. Is the clear bra and tinting plus misc. "freebies/discounts" worth the extra $1,000 to you. Also, remember the car has 300 "demo" miles on it. It's probably more "used" than the return with 400 miles on it. If those demo miles were like the ones some us put on them, well...you get the picture.

A few words of advice: Don't get too emotionally attached to the car, especially with the dealer present. Don't rush into anything, take your time. You might be well served by calling CA. At least give them a try. A phone call is pretty cheap in comparison.

Good luck.

 

DON'T TAKE THAT DEAL! With that price you can get a brand new TL-S. Some people got a new TL-S w/ Nav + WL + SG + TT for 32,100.

 

RockinTLS is right...California prices are a lot cheaper in comparison to rest of the country. However, I dont think calling a dealership in CA would actually do you any good (unless you're planning to come get your car here). No offense or anything ROCKINTLS...If you ask dealers in other states to sell you the car at CA's price...they would probably laugh at you. I personally do not know why the difference in price...perhaps more competition in CA...availability of the car...who knows.

If you're still interested in CA prices..I can help you right here. I'm also looking to purchase a Type S non nav. right now...and I have dealt with South Coast and a few other So Ca dealerships. Usually if you just call in...dealership offers about $30,175...give or take about twenty dollars. For w/ nav....its about $1500 more. Realistically though...I've seen cars here sold for about $29,500 for non-nav on an average. Even as long as $29,200. So for w/ nav. you're probably looking at about $31,000 ball park figure.

So depends on how you want to look at your situation. By CA's prices...the deal you have worked out right now doesnt seem too great. Your $31,500 minus CA's average price of $29,500 is a difference of $2000...and thats what's paying all your extra goodies. However, I know other states cant even get close to that price tag of $29,500. Most sell for alot more. If thats the case...then you're deal may not be too bad actually. I would strongly advise you to find out how much everyone is paying for their car in your state....and then compare the figure....then go from there.

 

I just bought a TLS w/NAV in Boston area on Thursday for $31,700

 

2002 TLS w/o Nav, 5 miles, splash guards and wheel locks, $29,750 - CT.

 

Prices seem to vary a lot between different states. From my standpoint, being in Socal, the deal w/o the navi is terrible. You figure the extras (spoiler, splashguards, etc) are worth maybe $1000. And most people receive their splashguards and wheelocks for free since they're almost always already installed on the car. I paid $29,200 w/o navi, so you figure a new TLS with those extras would be $30,200 (and that's a new price). $31,500 for a demo is way too high.

 

None taken.

We had spoken on another thread about possibly going to CA for a car and driving it back. It was in reference to that. Even with a plane ticket he might still get off cheaper buying in CA. A round trip ticket is $200 or less and of course you would only use one-way.

As far as competition in CA goes, Acura lists 42 dealers in the state. Colorado has 4.

Alfredv, what are you thinking about all this "help"?

 

Hi Guys,

Sorry for not getting back to you earlier. A dishwasher in a home I rent out broke down and I had to take care of the tenants needs. While I was at Best Buy I saw a nice "open box" cooking range. And couldn't resist negotiating for that as well. Bottom line: I will have a new dishwasher delivered to the rental home on Tuesday and a new cooking range delivered to our home on Friday. I got great deals on both items -- but it was time consuming and exhausting.

Back to more exciting items like a TLS. I am going to call SouthCoast. I meant to call John yesterday but got sidetracked due to the dishwasher issue. I am fed up of talking to dealerships. In fact, it is 8pm Denver time right now probably 7pm CA time. Am signing off to call John at Southcoast.

Thanks guys.

Vasant.

 

Hi Guys,

Just tried to contact John Huyne, but he had already left for the day. The guy who answered to phone said that they are open tomorrow from 10a to 6p (Unlike Colorado -- where car dealers are closed on Sunday.)

So, I will call John tomorrow. I will tell him that I am well informed due to this board, and I am ready to do a deal. In fact, my wife and I have talked about it and we would rather enjoy visiting CA for a few days.

Thank you very much guys. The deals are much better in CA, and a flight out there will save us a lot of money. Time to burn some of those frequent flyer miles.

Warm regards to all...

Vasant.

 

A little over a week ago, in Louisiana, non-Nav 2002 TL-S
$30,200 (includes destination)

 

If John is not in talk to George. I bought my last 2 Acuras from him (he is now the Sales Manager) I look at it this way if you pay the same amount as I did ($29,600 for a non-navi w/lock and guards) and spent another $500.00 for an auto transport to bring the car back to you in Colorado (you won't put the miles on the car) you are still paying less. If you can wait, see if you can order the car from South Coast and have it delivered to a dealer close to you.

Also, the dealer is making a huge profit on the tint and clear bra. I would find out where they get it done, and take the car to them directly. You will save $$$

 

Alfred,

A little warning before hand...which many members agreed upon from past experiences. Keep in mind when you walk in...that John is pretty agressive. Yes I know....all car sales are....but he's even a lil more. So..just a friendly lil warning. Price wise...stay at about $29,500...if not better...and you're doing pretty good.

 

Hello,

From your post, it sounds like you would like NAVI.

This comes from TLSshopper who came from Phoenix, AZ to purchase his car from John Hyunh.

"Here is a breakdown of the deal for you future TL-S shoppers:
$31,000 TL-S w/Navi and Dest. (inv= $30,430)
550 rear spoiler
135 splash flaps & wheel locks
5 CA tire fee
45 Doc fee
15 DMV fee (temp transit tags)
2,380 7.5% sales tax
$34,130 Out The Door price"

I used this as a baseline. I'd be surprised if you could beat it, but go for it.

John Hyunh offered me a good (not great) deal, but he didn't have a car at the time. I ended up with a better deal ($31,157 for TLS w/Navi, destination fee, splashguards and wheel locks) from Ted Ryan at Keyes Acura.

Good luck

 

This may have been covered before but how does the sales tax/registration issue work when you purchase a car out of state?

In NC the sales tax is 3% on a car. In CA I understand it is around 7.5% - 8%. AZ about the same. I don't know what it is in CO. I was originally going to purchase a car in VA and they were going to set me up with all the NC taxes, etc.

 

From the looks of it, TLSshopper paid CA sales tax. In Irvine, it must be 7.5%. I purchased the car in Van Nuys where it is 8%. This half percent can translate to about $155. This should be kept in mind if one is dealing with John Hyunh of South Coast or Keyes Acura.

TLSshopper also paid a reduced DMV fee (temp fee). CA DMV fee is $285.

 

Hi Guys,

Useful information indeed! Sales tax is is 3.7% where I live (Jefferson County in Colorado). I assume that I will have to pay the Colorado rate -- and not the CA rate if I buy the car from a CA dealer! May be I would have to pay the CA rate if I actually flew to CA. If the car is transported here, may be I won't have to pay the CA rate but the CO rate?

Am I making sense?

John Hyun may know the answer to this question. I tried to contact him again this morning but he was running late. They expected him in at 11a CA time. I will call him in the next 5 minutes or so -- and let you know the answer to this question

Thanks, guys.

 

You should only have to pay the tax and registration for your county in CO. I am just not sure how they do that where you guys are at. The salesman or finance guy should know how or if you can work it that way.

I was going to buy the car in VA and drive back to NC. The dealer in VA said it was not problem. They just needed the county/state I was in so they could set it up correctly. They were going to take care of all the paperwork.

 

Hi Guys,

Finally got to talk to John Huyne at South Coast Acura. He is the Fleet Manager there. Ofcourse, he gave me the usual BS about how popular the car was and that demand was far outstripping demand, etc., etc. I told him that I got his name from the this forum and I knew the prices he had offered in the past. I told him that he had an excellent reputation as an aggressive salesman but also had a reputation of being fair and getting good prices for his clients.

The way he can offer good prices is if there is more than one car of the same color in the lot. Right now he has 2 Blues and 2 Blacks. He offered either of these at $500 above invoice. He had only 1 white colored TLS and that he could offer at $700 above invoice. My color of choice would actually be satin silver, but he doesn't have any of those.

Here is the deal he offered on a TLS WITHOUT NAVI:

Invoice on TLS $28,150
Destination Charge $480
John's Profit $500

Total Cost to me (includes Dealer Prep but does not include taxes) would be $29130.

He also offered the spoiler for $600 and the Wheel Locks+Splash Guards+Trunk Tray for $180. They don't do tinting but that would probably add $200-$300 here in CO

So what do you guys think? You guys from CA are hard to impress with TLS prices. But this is by far better than prices I can get in Denver, CO.

Caveats:

#1 John said that if I flew in to drive the car out, I would have to 7.5% CA tax rather than 3.5% CO tax. I will confirm that tomorrow. I would prefer to drive it back -- but not if the sales tax is so much more.

#2 The dealership does not get involved with trucking companies, I'm on my own if want to have it trucked to Denver (will have to decide on this route depending on Caveat #1 above). I have friend who works at a Auto Broker company. In fact he did the negotiation on my previous car for me (Toyota Camry). I'm sure that came in from out of the state. Perhaps he can save me some costs here. Will talk to him on tomorrow.

#3 My first color choice would be satin silver (carries dirt better, looks awesome with tinted windows and spoiler). My second choice would be Aegean Blue -- which he is offering. How does Aegean Blue look with tinted windows? Is there enough of a contrast there to make it look good? How does the color handle dirt?

#4 Don't know how good the price is for Spoiler ($600) or WL+SG+TT ($180). Any thoughts here?

Thanks for all the support and advise, guys. You have just saved me at least $2000.

Vasant.

 

That deal sounds very good. According to Acura's site;

Trunk Tray 106.00
Splash Guards 117.00
Wheel Locks 63.00

Total 286.00

The cost of the spoiler sounds like a good price. I know other dealers charge between 800-1000 for it.

Also, I know you can prearrange for a trunking company to come and pick up the car at the dealer, we did this once for my boss, where I worked. She bought a new Range Rover out of state and the trucking company picked up the car at the dealer.
You might want to talk to your friend and see what he reccomends

 

Wow, that is a good deal.

If you truck it out I would be the type to inspect the car prior to the pickup so I know for sure what I bought.

Let us know what your broker friend has to say about taxes and shipping, etc. He couldn't set you up to begin with?

 

alfredv: Someone posted my South Coast deal earlier in this thread. I bought the TL-S on 31 May (ie, end of the month really improves the price negotiations with John H). You should be able to get the rear spoiler for $550 and the splash/whl locks for $137 (although now many dealers are including them in a deal). Shoot me a private message if you have any specific questions about dealing with John or South Coast.
Note1: If you add a body kit in the future, the splash guards must be removed.
Note2: I noticed to get John to commit to a low price I had to find another dealer close by that would be willing to give a similar deal. BTW, not hard to accomplish on the last few days of a month.
Note3: Be cautious when completing the deal with the South Coast Finance Mgr; he'll try to push Ext Warranty, LoJack, Honda financing. All at very high margin prices.

 

Welcome alfredv. If you get a great dea; in Calif. Let us know. I may have to do the same, b/c we only have one dealer here in C/S! Hope you get what ur looking 4. They don't offer anything to good here for a trade-in '00 4 a TL-S. Calif. would CROOUK if they heard the prices quoted here 4 the TL-S

 

Hello,

I just want to stir the pot a bit. If Colorado sales tax is 3.7% and you have to pay 7.5% (CA sales tax), then you have a $1000 difference. The out the door price may be the same in Colorado even though the base price is higher. Also, consider charges of transporting the car if you decide to ship it, instead of driving the car yourself.

In regards to the extend warranty, lojak, etc that the finance manager will bring up, just kindly say no. I suggest that you have prior financing, if you choose to finance, prior to going to the dealer. This way, they will always try to beat it. I got Keyes Acura to go down 50 basis points (.5%) on financing.

On the color of the car, I'd just get what you want. If you're not in a rush, they'll eventually have the car you want. When I was shopping for a car, none of the dealers had a silver TLS. They all might have one come in the next couple of weeks. The next thing you know it, they all have Silver TLSs the next week. The dealers are just trying to get their cars off the lot. The sooner they get the car off the lot, the more holdback they get. Tell them what you want and they'll get it. Also, try Keyes Acura since they have more volume than Southcoast. Keep in mind that Keyes Acura will charge you 8% tax. Those darn taxes!

Good luck.

 

Hi Guys,

A quick update because it's late and I need to get to bed (...I've had one drink too many and its gone straight to my head...)

Well, I settled on the ABP 2002 TLS. John Hyunh from SouthCoast Acura gave me an excellent deal: $30,000 for a 2002 TLS -- NO NAVI. This price includes a spoiler, wheel locks, splash guards, and trunk tray. I am pleased with this deal. Thank you very much for all your help. Couldn't have done it without you guys.

When perusing the posts, I got the impression from one of the threads that floor mats are NOT included with the TLS. Is this true? It completely slipped my mind that they may not be included!

In the past, that has been the final concession I got from the dealership. You know .... with pen poised to sign on the dotted line, you ask salesman the question he dreads, "Oh, by the way, Joe, the floor mats are included with this price, right?" Inevitably, he replies, "Well, okay. We'll include them."

Please confirm whether floor mats are included or not, guys. If not, how much do they cost? My interior will be Ebony.

Thanks, guys. My next post will probably ask how you dealt with buyers remorse!

Sincerely,

Vasant.

Soon to be moving from wannabee to owner of ABP 2002 TLS.

 

The floor mats are standard.

 

Vasant,
Andres is right, they are standard. Many of the folks on the forum have pruchased the mats from Tim that have a Type S logo on them. They personalize the car but yet do not modify it.

So you bought an Aegean Blue from South Coast. Good for you & congrats. I was wondering how the transportation & tax situation worked out.

Details! Details, please!

 

Am I the only one leasing here?

My black on black TL-S (no navi) has a list price of 30,115. We took a lease for 36 months at $435 a month. That comes to about $15,700 for three years of driving a sweet car, and just when we start to get bored of it, we upgrade.

Probably the most difficult thing will be staying under the miles, which is 36,000 (12k a year) and 15 cents a mile after that.

However we got it through a broker, not a dealer- I had been dealing with Yuri from Curry Acura in Westchester, but he was so aggressive and forceful I told him to take a hike and went through a friend of my wife.

Good deal?

 

Oh, and I meant to add that the price included everything, taxes etc. Though we live in NY (8%) we registered out of state where we have another home, for a couple of points less.

 

Congratulation alfredv. Welcome to the club.

 

Congrats on the purchase. How are you going to take delivery of the car? Flying out or having it shipped out to you.