cestmoi

So, yesterday, as I was doing some engagement ring/wedding band shopping in Nashville, I thought I'd drop by my dealership, Gary Force Acura to test drive the 2nd generation TSX that some people have been raving since they saw it in person. (I live about 1hr away).

My sales person whom I had pleasant dealings with was not in as per this guy who approached me when I first went into the dealership. He told me to go look at the 2009 out front since it had a key in it already and that he will get someone who is free to go test drive it with me... I thought.. ok.. no problem.. this will give me time to give the 2009 a thorough once-over. Well, 10 mins past, then 20mins... 30 mins... nobody came by to ask me if I needed any assistance. I guess none of the salesmen wanted to "waste" their time with me.

If I were the owner of that dealership, I'd be PISSED. I am a potential sales opportunity and they've just past me by.

Not too smart on their part. How do they know I won't be dumping my 2006 for the new 2009? Or I could be looking to buy one for my future wife-to-be very soon?

I simply left. Didn't bother asking if anyone would be coming with me so that I can test drive the car.

Oh well.

626tsx

wow they left you alone with the car and the keys? you should have taken off with it

Zyuan10

You should've hide the keys under the tire of another car so it could get run over Damn them for horrible customer service.

At least someone greeted you though... EVERY TIME I go to the Acura dealership, NO ONE ever greets me. Even if I do see a salesperson and they see me, he either walks in the opposite direction or just walk right by me.

JimHolloman

I don't know how well the 2009 models are selling, but thus far I have seen only one of them (in Pigeon Forge) that was not at a dealership -- unless I meet some on the road and mistook them for Saturns.

Soccer_playa1579

ive seen quite a few here in dallas so it looks to me as they are selling quite well.. =)
I actually like the new 2nd gens exterior but have not gotten to really get a good look at the interior as of yet..

cestmoi

My impression of the car itself (no test driving) is this... it actually looks more luxurious and badass than mine (2006)... the seat looks/feels plusher and larger (at least on the driver's side)... as far as the consoles, I prefer mine better where my "not an ashtray" is larger than the 2009's.... I can put more stuff in that area whereas there are less storage spaces now in the 2009... sound-wise, I couldn't tell the difference (it had the tech option), but then again, I'm no audiophile.

adam_m

non-tech '09 actually has pretty good storage space. I can't compare to '08 because I only test drove it once. But the non-tech has a pretty good size storage area above the "not an ashtray" I think this is where the cd changer is on the tech.

I also discovered a small storage pocket on left below steering wheel...had to read manual to find out about that.

[R]isque'

People get busy you know. If he forgot about you, why didn't you say anything?

Colin

Its a double edged sword isn't it? If someone is hovering over your door handle when you pull into the dealership, you hate that too. This kinda goes hand in hand with another thread here where buyers are trying to get a 2009 for invoice knowing that even there there is still some profit for the store.

The problem is, at invoice there is nothing left for the sales consultant except a minimum commission. At most stores, this is 100 to 200. At this rate, a guy can sell 10 cars and make 2000 a month. Thus, I'm sorry to say, you don't get Lexus, BMW or Mercedes quality sales consultants at your local Acura store.

VTEC Racer

MB and BMW sales people do get good commission but even then you don't get the quality of service that you deserve for the amount of money most people are spending. Can't complain about Lexus though. However, Acura is showing signs of improvement.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...30/091463.html

Colin, I'm curious... has Acura corporate offered larger bonuses or anything along those lines for better customer service scores on the surveys or anything like that? I was actually surprised when I saw where Acura was ranked in that study.

Colin

That survey was interesting. Personally I think that its due to the heavy discounts on the outgoing cars. In my experience, CSI is tied to price although it's not supposed to be. For example, lets flash forward to this time next year. Lets say the TSX and TL become runaway hits, with waiting lists and people paying sticker. Even if they are treated exactly the same as they were during the "2008 blowouts", they will rate their experiences poorly because in their minds they are unable to separate the price paid from the professionalism they encounter.

Mokos23

Moral of story:

Honda makes good cars, but the customer service and dealer service is horrible!

davidspalding

Not always.

minkl81

iTrader: (2)

hmmm salesperson that i bought my TL-S from always walks out and greets even though i'm in for a service. he offered to take out new tsx for a spin even i didn't ask for.

[R]isque'

Nah man, you can't say that.

Draconis77

I have had top notch customer service at the local dealership here. It has to do more with the dealership than the brand, imo.

CL6

There's no money to be made at Acura so most of the good people left.

2009TSX

I haven't had to deal with Acura service yet, but my salesman was the first er...salesman that I actually really liked!

After my orientation he called me up to apologize because he forgot to show me the handsfree calling feature, so he took time out of his day to go over the features and even bought me coffee and danish for the trouble!!!

Needless to say -- I felt this was my best buying experience ever.

acuraTLao

I test drove the 09 tsx today.

I was really excited to test drive it because I like the exterior of the car.
Overall, it was a so-so experience. Exterior was sweet up close but interior was kinda lacking. I was surprised at how much plastic-type products were used as interior trims and finish. I used to have a 99 TL and I thought the 99 TL had better overall interior finish.

Drive experience: It was ok. Wasnt as responsive and powerful when the car initially accelerated as I hoped. It felt really big/boxy from the driver's seat.

So basically I wasn't blown away as I had hoped. Again I love the exterior, I wish the interior had better fit, finish, and trim. I wish it had an engine similar to the turbo charged RDX (which I believe is a 4cyl too).

I havent' ruled it out because I don't want to make a full conclusion after a 10 min test drive. Just added my 2 cents to this test drive thread.

MMsTSX

Hey Jim.
I live near Pigeon Forge.

I'm also in quite well with Harper.
They've sold 5 '09 TSX's since their release.

and I too have only seen one on the road, in Knox, a white one.

My local dealership, Harper, is great.
I've bought an Infiniti and an Acura from them.
Both salesmen are and were top notch.

TOP notch.

I'm a reall picky SOB, let me tell ya, and both gentlemen were
very good handling me and my stedfast demands. I had to custom
order cars from both, but both handled the whole thing well.
Both dealers let me drive any car at any time, no question, no ride alongs.
Neither were overbearing or unattentive.
And because of this, and all else that they did for me in the way of
research and whatnot, I gave both huge commisions.
I paid 5% over invoice for both cars, I stated the price.
Am I stupid? no. I'm generous.
this is in Knoxville, TN by the way, on Kingston Pike.

It's NOT about the brand, it's about the owner of the dealership and
the people that work there. it's an individual type of thing.

as far as I'm concerned, my local MB dealership is full of stuck up snobs
that can pack it.
I went in to buy a new C300 sport and couldn't get the time of day or
even a test drive from them.
So I went to Harper instead and bought a G35s.

JimHolloman

I haven't yet found Arizona Bay. The '09 that I saw was silver.

I got the tires balanced on my '08 yesterday. It ought to now be smoother on the road. One was out 2.5 oz. and another 2.75 oz.

Thus far, I am very pleased with the salesmen at Apple Tree Acura, but disappointed in the quick service group -- tires and oil. I had the dealer mount my Yoko tires from my '04 onto the '08 wheels. Unfortunately, the balance was way off. The oil change fellows left black oil marks on the A pillow of my '04 on three different occasions. After the third time, I bought it to the attention of the sales manager.

MMsTSX

lol, there is no Arizona Bay.
it's an inside joke.
(about Cali dropping off one day)

may I make a suggestion?
don't ever go back to Apple Tree.

take the car over to Knoxville and go to Harper, you'll
be glad you did. The service dept is beyond professional.
left oil marks? unacceptable.
unbalanced wheels? unacceptable.
three times? beyond unacceptable.

I live in Knoxville, so the jaunt to Harper is no biggie.
You're not too far away, it's worth the drive, trust me.