al1515

I am on the verge of buying a new '08 TL-S (WDP). However, the dealer is out of state (no more new '08 TL-S WDP available in-state).

Wondering if anyone thinks this is not a good idea (since I am unable to see or test-drive the actual car before I buy).

I had the dealer fax me the window sticker. They also e-mailed me pics of the actual vehicle. I looked up the VIN on Carfax, and it looks to be a brand-new car. The dealer said there's about 55 miles on it. They have given me what I think is a good offer (32985 [which includes a high doc fee] + TTL). 0.9% APR. There is also the price to ship the car to me on a carrier (quote estimates vary from ~ $400-800).

I recently found out that they also have a $3500 manufacturer-to-dealer incentive. Should I negotiate further with them, perhaps down another $400 or so, to help cover the cost of shipping? Another out-of-state dealer is running a 0% APR deal on their remaining '08 Acuras (including a couple TL-Ss, although in a different color); this could be used as a bargaining chip.

The dealer that has the vehicle I want still has 7 base '08 TLs remaining, in addition to the 1 '08 TL-S.

gumilla

I would not hesitate to buy it out of state. It looks like a good deal. With so few TL-S's left I would just go for it. I just bought a new 08 tl-s a few months ago and LOVE it! If I were in your situation I would travel to the dealer and enjoy driving my car back home

good luck!

timb24

iTrader: (1)

^+1

ATLTypeS

^+2

If it is brand new, what do you have to lose!

Oswald Vater

While I have never done this before, I don't see anything wrong with it. I believe on this large of a purchase you have 3 days to change your mind if you want. Keep in mind that you will also have to pay sales tax to your state once you register the car. If it is the car you want at the price you want to pay, go for it!

Bearcat94

+3

Get 'em where and while you can. No harm in add'l negotiation; they didn't offer the $3500 rebate? Drive it home - you can fly there for $400 - $800.





You sure about that? *Sales* Tax? I thought sales tax was paid to the State where the purchase is *made*, not where the purchase is *used*.


Use/property Tax, yes. Sales tax, I'm not so sure.

mn2trance

I had bought my '05 out of state and don't regret it at all. Flying up there was cheaper than shipping it. And since mine's a manual, it was the best break-in process.

If you do decide to get it and drive it down, make sure they leave the protective film on or your bumper and hood will get chipped due to the weak paint.

al1515

Talked to local DMV. He is right. I would pay sales tax in the state where I live and get the car registered, NOT in the state where the dealer is located. Thanks for your input.

OneWickedTypeS

Bought my car out of state. No problems as of yet...

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

that price he gave you was with the 3500 dealer cash included already....that is how much i paid for my type s last year with the same dealer cash....

if you are looking for a brand new type s, you had better not wait....

nfnsquared

So how does that work? Will the dealer register the car in your state before you leave the lot?

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

nope, that will be the buyers responsibility, and you will be expected to pay the sales tax in whole at that time....

cotmfk

Ditto! So few left, go for it fast!

LoveMyTL-S

There was another member in here that recently bought an 08 TL-S out of state and drove it back home. It was a great experience for him. I'd go for it. Good luck with your deal and welcome to AZ

ChicagoBurbs

I'd go fir it too....
One little piece of advice...DO NOT use the Cruise Control on your way home if you drive it back. You absolutely need to vary the speed for break-in (at least for the first 500 miles). So while you'll enjoy the ride, you may get tired of varying your speed on the highway. If it were me, I'd do that, but it's up to you. I look at shipping as another opportunity for someone else to screw something up or scratch the car. And since you're buying it with some miles on it already and it's from out of state, you'll have a very hard time getting any paint/scratch/dent issues resolved with the dealership you're buying from once the car is in the hands of the shipper. If you pick it up yourself, you can carefully inspect the car, and get a consession of some kind for any repairs or touchups if they're needed before you sign on the dotted line. If they ship it, no matter what they will not own up to any damage the car has on it when it arrives.
Either way, have fun and enjoy the car if you decide to get it.

cab13367

First off congratulations on your impending purchase. I just bought a 2007 Type-S from out of state. I flew out there and drove it home (700+ miles).

I looked up the 2008 Type-S on edmunds.com and the invoice on it is $35,877. Deduct the $3,500 incentive from that and you're at $32,377. That is what the dealer paid Acura for the car so he is making $608 on it. I was told once that $500 is the minimum fair profit a dealer should make on a new car and this late in the year, that should be expected. So you might be able to get him down another hundred.

There should be no issues with shipping the car. I take it that you do not want to fly there and drive it home. Maybe it's all the way across the country or you don't want to put the miles on it. One thing you should consider then is literally fly out in the morning, inspect, test drive, and buy the car and complete the paperwork, then fly home the same day. I'm sure the dealer would be happy to send someone to pick you up and take you back to the airport.

You are spending $33k on a new car - what's a few hundred more and one day of your time to make sure that you know what you are getting?

Hope that helps. And oh yeah, you pay sales tax based on your current address, not where you bought the car. Which is good for me since OR does not have sales tax.

Al

al1515

As far as how much the dealer is making on the car . . . I found some interesting info on www.newcarinsider.com. There are at least 5 factors that drive down the dealer's actual cost of the car: dealer holdback, factory-to-dealer cash, carry-over allowance, advertising charge, and floor plan kickbacks. Therefore, perhaps the dealer would be making more than $608? That's why I figured I could bargain them down a little more (~ $400) to help with shipping.

You are right. To fly there and drive the car back, it might be a little too much time commitment for me (~ 450 miles), given that we just had a new addition to the family, and I might be accused of family abandonment if I were gone for even just one day.

I did consider your suggestion of flying out to inspect it and take care of paperwork. In this case, I would be gone for a morning and afternoon, which might be more acceptable to others in the house - I would need to check with my bosses!

Thanks so much to you (cab13367) and all you other guys who pitched in your 2 cents to help me with this complicated decision.

al1515

ChicagoBurbs,

I would think the shipping carrier would be motivated to find any little imperfection in the car before loading it onto the truck. Otherwise, when it gets unloaded where I live, and I find these flaws, I'll be blaming the carrier for it. When the carrier notes these flaws (before the car is delivered), I can talk to the dealer about it and get whatever concessions at that time. (man, this could get a little complicated)

Sal's Type S

iTrader: (1)

Jump on it Man. I got my TL S WDP 3 months ago for 33900. so your offer is good.
P.S. drove 48 miles to a dealer that had what i was looking for.