The Skeptic

I've been lurking on this board on a daily basis since March 2001 when I first heard about the TL-S. In that time, I have read a HUGE volume of information about the TL-S on this forum. Armed with this knowledge, I took delivery of my 2002 SSM TL-S on 12/29 and am beyond satisfied with this vehicle!

Needless to say, I was able to negotiate a fair deal with minimal hassle because I went in prepared and informed. So thanks to all the folks that post on this board. And, a special mention to the following members for their high-quality, no B.S. posts:

* PeterUbers
* Road Rage
* daverman
* Type S Dragon
* Darla
* Tea Elle
* The Phantom
* Juniorbean
* Mr. Hyde
* snook789
* RedLined

I am looking forward to "giving back" to the board now that I am actually an owner. Thanks again!

The Skeptic

TUFF GONG

Nice! Congrats and good luck on your new ride Skeptic.

You will definitely love the TL-S, even more as time goes by. I'm still loving mine more and more everyday (Since July!)

BTW, nice color

ElegantTL-S

Awwww! Why isn't my name in it?!

Congrads on the purchase!!! Have plenty of fun! I'm right behind ya! I'm gonna get mines next week.

Mr Hyde

You're very welcome, and welcome aboard!!

oblio98

Good Luck! You will love this car....

:-jon

thephantom

Congratulations on your purchase, glad I could help. Enjoy your new toy!!

daverman

Congrats, and welcome to the club!

typeR

...i bought my cl-S on 12-29...'01 good time to buy...congrats..

rominl

congrats on the new car you will want to sleep in the car very soon

Road Rage

As one of the resident skeptics/curmudgeons/theorists, it is nice to know someone is listening, as it sometimes appears that people on the Forum would rather just spout off without having "peer comment" by people with information that questions or clarifies the spouting. Welcome aboard, and may I say I like your commitment to contribute, rather than just take. Good luckj with your car!

rockinTLS

Congratulations and welcome to the board.

TypeSDragon

Welcome, I am so honor to be on the list of people who doesn't post crap, unlike some people (asianknights aka postwhore)

Laurelcrest

Congrats on your new buy! Did the board help you negotiate a better price? How much did you ultimately spend?

The Skeptic

Based on the experience of other board members, I feel that I was able to better negotiate the price in a number of ways:

1. I learned about the strengths (engine, features, value) and weaknesses (transmission, paint, brakes) of this vehicle based on the real world experience of board members. (This helped me to make an informed decision on where to spend my hard earned money).

2. I was able to establish a reasonable min/max selling price range based on what other board members were getting in my area. Having a realistic price range during the negotiations let the dealers know “I was for real” and not just “Kicking tires”.

3. I gained insight into Honda Motor Finance Corp’s. money factors and residual values. (This was important so that I could calculate estimated lease payments before meeting with the dealer. I was able to verify the dealer’s calculations to ensure that there weren’t any hidden fees/charges/profit).

4. I was able to build a short list of local dealers with which other board members had a neutral to positive experience. (I.e. dealers with a bad rep did not make the cut).

5. I learned about the “fax attack” approach and opted to use email to contact the Internet Managers from the short-list dealers to obtain a price quote. (I used Acura.com’s “Request Quote” feature for this).

6. The dealers with the three lowest quotes bid against each other to earn my business. (I did most of the “negotiations” over the phone).

7. On delivery day, I knew what to look/check for based on the experience of other board members. I informed the dealer that the PDI would need to be 100% otherwise the CSI would reflect a poor score.

I negotiated my transaction in two parts, Part 1: Selling price for the vehicle, Part 2: Financing:

The sales price for my deal was $29,521 (includes $480 destination charge), no dealer installed accessories. Tax, DMV and processing fee were additional. This price was $579 (or 2%) over the invoice price listed on Edmunds.com ($28,462 Base Price + $480 Destination Charge). The money factor for a 36-month lease was .00225. The 12/01 residual value was 61%.

BTW – the price that I was quoted was $912 less than Edmunds ‘TMV’ price and $1,120 less than CarsDirect.com price.

So, ultimately, yes…the board did help me negotiate a better price!

nameeri

Wow thats a good price...Congrats. Please tell me that your car does not have the NAV...Cuz if you paid that price with the NAV then you will really hurt my feelings and my ego

Nice color choice as well.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Skeptic... congrats on your purchase. That's about the price I got my car for, however, I opted to finance. Good luck with your car, you're going to love it!! Oh and thanks for recognizing me in your list!! Glad I could help!!

edgalang

Wow.....you did your homework well. I think you may be the first (that I read about) to get the markup offer lower than me (percentage wise). I offered 3% above invoice and made dealers fight for me too, but I did mine in person since I didn't think they would take me seriously over the phone. The only regret I have is that I should of done what you did and buy the car as is bone dry. Reason why, is that I would of prefered to buy everything off this site first, since after thinking about it, maybe they gave me my offer so easily since I offered to pay for the additional accessories at MSRP.

jbs221

Congrats Skeptic! Good color! I just got mine in mid December. I like to deal with a fixed amount off the sticker, as opposed to an amount above "invoice". Invoice is a moving target, the sticker is right on the car. I got $3K off sticker for my TL-S w/Navi. I had read that there's aprox. $4,300 in profit in this car and felt $1300 a reasonable amount for the dealer. My financing was external of the dealer so it wasn't an issue. I was trading in a 5 year old American car so I new I was dead meat there. That's where most of the negotiations took place. I knew what my car was really worth and got very close (-500) so I shook hands and drove away in this hot car! Also, the dealer includes mud guards and wheel locks in all there cars.

Guest

Hi, Skeptic

Nice to see another new person here.
Which dealer did you get that awesome price for?

And since the new year just came i am not surprised that dealers are slashing prices. I got a 1st quote of $30,000 over the phone and the dealer even said if i was really serious and came down to take a look he was willing to take a few hundred off.

Anyways I think that paying 2% over invoice right now is about right, since their is now a 3% dealer holdback for acura. which mean they make 3% even if they sell at invoice.

Personally i am might wait for the 2003 model comin out in about 3 months. I know that its gonna be the same car with few changes, but a newer car is gonna get more in terms of resale value in the future. Another reason is i am also thinking about the new infiniti g35. Its no acura, but with 260bhp real drive and near 50/50 weight distribution. Also the weight on the g35 is ligher than the acura. Its coming out in march, i am gonna wait for the performance numbers to come out before i decide.

The Skeptic

The dealer was Brunswick Acura on Rt. 18 in East Brunswick, NJ.

I'm cool with 2% for the salesman and 3% for the dealership. I understand that the salesman is trying to earn a living (just like the rest of us) and the dealership needs to show a profit to stay in business. I think one can achieve a win/win result if you try and maintain a balanced view towards negotiation.

Sometimes the absolute lowest selling price doesn't equate to the better overall value or experience.

tea elle

Skeptic,

Thanks for listing me in such fine company! I'm so glad that I was able to help, and it sounds like you did a fantastic job in getting your vehicle.

Have a great time, and be safe.

"tea"