tlsshopper

Well folks, after a few interesting dealer discussion sessions (especially with comments like, "you can't buy it for that kind of price anywhere") supported by posts on this forum and private messages from a few key members, I picked up the TL-S w/Navi yesterday from John Huynh (800-96ACURA) at South Coast Acura, Costa Mesa, CA, and drove it back to Phoenix, AZ. (Yeah, the same John you've read about in several other posts on this forum)

Many thanks to bluefrank, Scotty, tlsdave, stan, charles and most importantly acura-tl.com for the great assist either directly or from your individual forum posts. It saved me several $$ and I got out of hotttt southern AZ for a (cloudy) weekend in San Diego.

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

For those of you purchasing cars out of state, be warned; ie, some states (like CA) require the dealer to charge sales tax, even if the car is to be titled and registed in another state (ie, like my deal). The only way in CA to avoid the sales tax is to truck the car to your location; you can't legally drive it out.

Driving the car from SoCal to Phoenix I got 32mpg on the first tank full (had to drive all the way to Yuma though, to get high test for less than the CA $2.xx range). Kept the rpms under 3K, but can't wait to try out the VTEC boost (I already have a Prelude VTEC, but of course only 4 cyls).

BTW, this was my first experience with a Navi system; I found it to be very helpful. I've driven to/from San Diego several times, but when I asked the Navi to give me the best direct route, it found a faster way (yeah and no dirt roads; all freeways). It also kept me honest. When I took a planned detour, it was recomputing the route and giving me directions back to the planned route. I think I'm going to enjoy the Navi capability.

If for some reason John at South Coast can't find you the unit/deal desired, send me a private message; I've got a few other names in SoCal that might be helpful. I found John to be an individual with high integrity and very honest during our negotiations; he accepted my word (and a Fax of my driver's license and insurance card) to solidify the deal. I'm glad we were able to finalize this deal and that John got my business (ie, I was within 1-2 days of another potential deal).


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bluefrank

Let me be the first to say congrats and welcome to the family....

That's a great deal you received!! One of the best I've seen posted...

BTW-Glad to be of assistance

vperkins2

Wow! As a future TL-S owner (who lives in Northern Cal) I am very happy to see you get that deal. I'm definitely open to flying down to S. Cal to save lots of green if the N. Cal dealers don't want my money!

Congrats on your purchase!

By the way, what color did you get?

Vincent

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by vperkins2 on June 04, 2001 @ ]</font>

Guest

Wow, awesome deal. I wish I had known about the TL-S before buying a regular TL. Oh well. I bought at Scottsdale Acura, and while I did get a fair price, I would not recommend them. I bought there because it was the only place for 300 miles that had a black/black non-nav at the time. I got the '01 TL for 27.5k + ass't. fees. My first visit to the dealer was about half an hour before closing and they asked me to leave if I would not buy today. (I still was deciding between a TL and an A6) I drove to Bell Acura to test drive the TL and loved it, but they didn't have one with black leather. So after calling every Acura dealer in the state (all 3) and neighboring states I had to go back to Scottsdale Acura to buy. I did note the bad experience on my survey that the dealers beg you to fill out nicely. And I now drive an extra 20 miles for service.

Guest

TLSShopper -

You Rock buddy!

I think its safe to say that you've got the best deal to date in So Cal. Beat me by $800 out the door price, even though I got the burlwood shift knob.

I knew you couldn't go wrong with John. He would have been my first choice if he had my car in stock at the time I wanted to purchase.

Congrats and enjoy the new ride!

tlsshopper

Out of State Purchase Update: Went to the AZ DMV today and couldn't get the car titled and registered because I didn't have the MSO (Mfg Stm of Origin). Called South Coast Acura and they said it was being requested from Honda Motors, would be in their hands in ~4 days, they would Fedx to me; BTW, this is SOP, so it was no fault of the dealer (they just forgot to tell me). The AZ DMV gave me 90 day temp tags for $15. Now we are street legal.

Vincent: Color is WDP, a very popular color in sunny, hot southern AZ.

kirkdt800: I checked at Scottsdale Acura and they wouldn't come close to any of the potential deals in the greater LA area (I was dealing directly with the GM who told me I couldn't get that kind of price for the car). I purchased my last new car in San Diego; CA just has lots more competition. I didn't try negotiating at Bell Acura because they didn't have my color (and wanted $1800 for a full body kit).

Scotty: My out the door price at South Coast did not include title/registration, just sales tax and temp transit tags. I now must register the car in AZ. But I still think it was one of the best SoCal deals (if not the best) I've seen on this forum.


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