ToddL

Man, someone must have really done you wrong to have such an attitude – it only takes a moment to be polite. Anyway – maybe you got so caught up expressing your opinions of American culture while berating members of this forum, that you failed to realize some key points.

• No one is telling or forcing you to give out your SS#
• Unless your brother is interested in this deal, then he doesn’t have to give his SS# either.
• When someone says that this thread is not for rants – it doesn’t mean that you can’t post your options. It means that this is not the thread for derogatory or inflammatory remarks. If you are unsure how this is done, then look at Lore’s post in this tread.
• Finally, this thread is for serious buyers. We went to several dealers and said we would give them a certain number of buyers if they gave us a reasonable price. This one gave us the most reasonable price and now they want to make sure we keep up with our part of the bargain. All dealers require some type of commitment to secure a deal regardless if it is one person or ten. Some dealers take $1000.00 deposits– this one requires people to pre-qualify.

Again – this deal isn’t for everyone. I have contacts for 10 different dealers in Southern California and have seen a wide range of bids. This one happens to offer the best cost. If you brother is in Southern California and doesn’t want to get in on this deal, have him PM me and I will give him their contact information.

Lore

Very well said - while I am extremely skeptical of giving out my SSN willy-nilly, if I were serious about purchasing a car I would simply obtain my own financing, prove to the dealer that I've been qualified by another lender, and take the car when it comes. While I understand the dealership's reasons for putting you on a VIP list (for example, in case you decide to pass this time around but want to buy in another 2 months), Todd is right - no one is forcing you to give out your number.

When I bought my 04 TL the dealership made me fill out their loan application even though I had already been qualified through my credit union. They were willing to lose the sale if I did not give them my SSN because they needed it for backup financing reasons in case for some reason my credit union decided not to give them the check for $37,097. So I'm not against giving out my SSN - I was only willing to give it out at the end when I was ready to sign the dotted line.

In any case, I just bought a house (!!!) and am waiting for the construction to finish so I'm cautious about who I give my SSN out to. But to those of you who are jumping in on this deal, this "group buy" is an excellent idea and will save some of you bundles of money!

Good luck to all.

sparksteam

I had myself added to the Cerritos waiting list yesterday. I talked to Valarie. I also had to complete the on-line pre-qual. Valarie said she was going to call me yesterday, but as of today, not a peep.

New2004AcuraTLman

In my opinion, any dealership that asks for a SS# from a customer to "pre qualify" to buy a car that you either pay cash for, or finance through your own bank is shady in my opinion and I would not trust them. Therte is NO REASON why in the world they need a SS# That's like me going into best buy for a sale and then getting to the register and them saying " oh i'm sorry sir, you can only get the sale price if and only if you provide your SS# even though you have cash or are using your credit card" BS in my opinion and I am a very well educated and smart consumer to know when things sound fishy, they probably are. You just watch when after you give them your SS # and they run a credit check for NO reason and the deal falls apart because the dealership changes their mind about the sale or they do not get enoguh people to qualify or somehow the sales person gets " mysteriously fired" for giving such a low price...you will all be screwed and that will NOT happen to me..but everyone is free to do what they wish and get taken advantage of... That's all. Good luck everyone and don't say i didn;t warn you.

Oh and in case you want to know why I feel this way..it's because I was a victim of Identity theft. Until you know what i is like, you have no idea.

PG2G

I don't see how me filling out an online form is any different from going in there and giving them the information on a piece of paper. I don't really want to give them my SS#, but I understand why they want it. The ONLY negative to this is having an inquiry on your record, that is it. It's literally no different from giving your SS# to your credit union, bank, university, or to a dealer in hand. It sucks that that happened to you, but come on man... this isn't really necessary.

LC280

I just placed my order today with Valerie. Thank you Todd for all your work.

pcinoc

Same situation here - what color combo are you buying?

sparksteam

Black/black, 6MT, with NAV. How about you? Any opinions about the colors?

Hey Todd, thanks for working the deal!

New2004AcuraTLman

If you LIKE credit inquiries on your credit report for no reason.,.then by all means go ahead and give it to them...but know that it LOWERS your FICO score which is just about the most important thing in your life. Obviously you did not read all my posts. Anyway, don;t listen to me if you don;t want to but if everyone develops the attitude that only " 1" inquiry will not hurt you, then think again because it will be that " 1 too many" inquiry when it comes to whether you can get a certain loan or interest rate and WILL cost you in your life for whatever financial and economical thing you do and will haunt you for YEARS. They keep that on there for 7 years..count them 7.. Hey, why don;t you go open a home depot, gap, structure, macys, and amoco gas card and send me some things with that discount you get. Oh and I bet your credit limit will be $ 500 because of it too. Mine is 35K and I hav that on 3 cards because of my opinion on the matter. Whatever

PG2G

Umm.. that's great? I know it lowers my FICO score, but not enough to do much major damage. Besides, I'm going to have to apply at my credit union anyway. Multiple auto/home credit inqueries made within a 14 or 30 day period (I forget which one) count as one, so it's even less of an issue.

ToddL

It is 14 days. You can read up on Myths of your credit score on CNN...

http://money.cnn.com/2004/05/18/real...g/creditmyths/

Anyway - back at the ranch....

I spoke to Velerie and Randal today and they are backed up... They will try to get to everyone who pre-ordered today, but it might not be until tomorrow. I am going to talk to both later tonight so if you want to PM your name I will get an update from them and message you back...

Thanks everyone...
TL

charleybrown

benkei, I know you subsequently said you decided to give Cerritos your SS#, but my question is when you originally told Kelly that you would give it to them when you went in to sign the paperwork.....did you mean when you picked up the new car as Lore said (post #41) that he would do at THE END when he signed the dotted end?? I think Lore was smart in handling it that way.

I spoke to Valerie a couple of hours ago and tried to sign up. I said I was not planning to use their financing and did not want to give them my SS#. She said I had to do so, but would check with her mgr and call me back. She did and she said they had to have it. I really don't want to give out my SS# unnecessarily, so I backed off. I'm now wondering if it would be acceptable to them to do what Lore did. Besides the fico score, I'm even more concerned about id theft.

BTW, it seems Cerritos has about 5-6 5AT/NAVIs and 3-4 5AT/non-NAVIs (all 2005s) in stock. Hopefully, that might indicate that the demand has slowed (in SoCal at least). Oh, Valerie also said that they were the largest Acura dealer in the West(?). I thought Keyes was. No big deal but I thought a higher volume dealer would be able to handle the Power Buy better.

Lore

It's funny that the dealer wants your SSN now, before your car's even there. I would not give them my SSN until I was signing the papers and getting processed through the credit union. I think the dealership was afraid that after I got approved via CUDL (the credit union direct approval system) that somewhere down the line they wouldn't get a check for $37,097, so they wanted my SSN and a completed application to make sure that in case the CU rejected it later they could still put me into the normal Honda financing.

I wrote "For Backup Financing Purposes Only" all over the dealer's Honda credit application... they did run a credit report on me, but at that point I was okay with it since I was taking the car and it was definitely a permissible purpose. However, just because you've expressed interest in the TL via the Power Buy doesn't mean you're going to necessary go through with the deal, especially if you have to wait a while for your color combo - so I'm not sure why they need your info now. They can surely sell your car to the next person that walks in the door if you decide not to buy it, so that's not what they're afraid of.

pcinoc

Wow!!! 3 Credit Cards with limit of $35K!! Let's give the man a medal shall we!
Why do you need 3 CC? I only have one and I don't need to brag about the limit on my card and I do try to keep my private info private....unlike others who can't help it but to share additional information.

ToddL

charleybrown,

I understand what you are saying and your concerns. I like how Lore handled this situation with his dealer, but I am not sure if it was the same circumstances. The situation here is Cerritos requires anyone who wants to be placed on a Priority Backorder list to fill out loan documents. I believe their reasoning is that they want to make sure that before they hold a car for a particular individual, that they are a qualified individual. Since that is the process they had in place, they decided that would be the format they used to track qualified buyers for this deal. Agree or disagree that is the process…

I would suggest two options –

Go into the dealership to see if they have your model in stock. If they do – mention that you are part of the Power Buy group and drive away in your new 2005 Acura TL. Though you will still probably have to supply your SS# for the same reason Lore did in his situation. Unfortunately if it is a more popular model – you are going to be hard pressed finding it without ordering it or getting on a backorder list.

The second option is PM me and I will give you some of the other contacts at other dealerships that I worked with… Though you might not get the price you want – there are other dealerships that take a deposit instead of the loan application to order a car.

Thanks
TL

pcinoc

Now that this thread is completely derailed, wouldn't it be nice to talk about the actual subject and open another thread for SSN paranoia. I'm interested to find out how this deal is progressing. ToddL, what is the actual count right now?

Again, Thanks for setting it up for all of us to share our SSN (wink wink) and get one of the best deal on TL in Socal - It's the best deal I know of for the area!

New2004AcuraTLman

any dealer that wants my personal info before even considering a sale to me or even better yet having the car available = a big fat LOSER of a dealership and I would report their sales practices. They are extorting you the information to order a car WTF?? BULL! is what is is. Don't say i didn't warn all of you when you wonder how you have sprint, nextel, att and verizon wireless bills coming to your house for service you never signed up for! Then you will be sorry and YOU will be the one cleaning up the mess. a SS# is SACRED information. Do you know what someone can do with it! Ruin your entire life.

ToddL

Good News/ Sort of...

I just spoke to Valerie and she said that someone who pre-qualified is going down to pick up the car tonight... Unfortunately it is not me...

She said that we have 8 confirmed registrations - but she said she had commitments from two other buyers but havent received their paperwork yet. If you are one of those two people - please get them to her ASAP because she is staying late to receive them (she is normally off at 5:00P)

I did post her email wrong its: vshubin@browningautogroup.com
so that may be the problem.

We still need 5 more registrations total to hit our commitment. If the two who confirmed earlier send them documentation - then we are down to three. The did someone a favor by releasing the car to them tonight, so lets keep our part of the bargin...

benkei

Yes, when i first spoke with Kelly I told her I will provide my SS# when it comes time to pick up the car like Lore. However, like I mentioned in a previous post, she called me back and asked for me to be prequalified on their website, which requires SS#. I agreed to this and placed my order with them.

I agree with all the previous posts that this is unnecessary, it creates an additonal inquiry on your credit report and you run the risk of ID theft. Again the bottom line is if you are not comfortable about providing your SS#, don't buy the car through this Cerritos Power Buy and negoitate a separate deal at a different dealer.

The reality is this is Cerritos procedure and the only reason why i'm doing this is because I believe that this is a good Southern California rated price. Yes, i'm concerned with id theft and I'll take my chances with that. As for Fico score, one inquiry, will not effect my ability to continue with my activities as a real estate investor.

About Cerritos's inventory, according to Kelly, all of their 2005 TL inventory for October has already been sold and that is why we are pre-ordering for the new shipment.

Please keep in mind that "LORE" and "New2004AcuraTLman" are not buyers of the 2005 Acura TL in southern california, but only providing their opinions and looking out for our best interest. thanks, but please don't refer us as "dumb", call the dealers whatever you want but lets be nice to fellow TL owners/future owners.

ToddL

I wanted to update some of the details for new people. I had Valerie's email wrong and Randal is really not a first line contact. Please use either Kelly or Valerie

2005 Acura TL Power Buy Details (Updated 10/14/04)

Cerritos Acura

• Navigation Model - $1,500.00 over Invoice ($33,873.05 + Tax + Title + Doc Fees)

• Non-Navigation Model - $1,300.00 over Invoice ($31,282.00 + Tax + Title + Doc Fees)
(Please confirm with the dealer first – I only received this after I set up the original deal)

• Optional Protection Package - $340.00 (Mud Flaps, Wheel Locks, Truck Tray, Prep and Installation)

Mention “Todd LoSasso 2005 TL Power Buy”
Phone: 800-825-0848 / 562-402-5281
Contact: Valerie Scubin X168 vshubin@browningautogroup.com
Kelly Willis: X169 kwillis@browningautogroup.com

Commitment Must have 13 buyers to pre-qualify to get the said deal
Current # 8 buyers pre-qualified (5 more to go)


The Process:

You will have to pre-qualify by filling out paperwork either online or in person. This requires your Name, Number, Address, Drivers License #, and SS #. (Regardless of how you finance this car, this is a requirement so if you have issue with providing this documentation, this deal is not for you. Some dealers require cash a deposit to order and secure cars, this dealership requires you to pre-qualify).

http://www.cerritosacura.com/en_US/F...ePreQualForm_1

Make sure you add the following information in the message text:

“Todd LoSasso 2005 TL Powerbuy”
Attn: Kelly/ Valerie
Description of car (IE: SSM/ Quartz/ 5AT-Nav/ Protection Package).


Other details…
• After you pre-qualify you will be placed on a Priority Backorder List (First come first serve). When the car you requested comes in stock – you will be called and you will have an opportunity to wait to a later date.
• We must have a minimum of 13 buyers to pre-qualify to receive this rate, otherwise the discount will have to be renegotiated.
• Additional options will be available at the dealer costs and can be added at the time of purchase.
• For more information please contact Kelly or Valerie at Cerritos Acura. You can also PM message me.

Thanks
TL

pcinoc

This deal is OFF THE HOOK!

A friend of mine has a contact at an Acura Dealer and his BEST rate today was $600 below MSRP. He called me to give me the good news and I had a hard time not to start laughing.

ToddL negotiated a great deal. Let's face it, the dealer is still making a ton of $$$ at this price, but not as much as they could as seen by the tight market in our area. Still a good deal for us, and a good deal for the dealer. That's the way I like it...

Thanks again for your time Todd. I'll contact Kelly tomorrow to get my position in the VIP list.

Lore

Hey now! No one called you dumb Not me, anyway!

Good luck with the purchase, everyone! I'm sure Cerritos Acura is on the up and up, but never a bad idea to know what you're up against.

hootowl56

I just placed my order on line today for a non-nav SSM/Quartz. Will contact Valerie later this morning. Thank you Todd for all your work.

PG2G

I just emailed Valerie a minute ago, navi WDP/Quartz/6MT. Will do the pre qualify when she responds. I guess i'll PM you when I'm finished. Thanks Todd!

ToddL

Today is Valerie's day off - though she said she might come in... If you dont hear back from her - contact Kelly....

ToddL

She is in today - taking our orders... She sounds cute also...

jasonwrites

I also emailed Kelly with my interest and will do the pre-qual when I hear back from her. Todd, I will keep you posted.

All hail Todd!

Evil Genius

Hey people,
I'm the person ToddL was talking about who went to pick up my 2005 TL last night!!! That car is beautiful!! Anyways, Randall called me yesterday and told me that my color combo had came in and the person in front of me cancelled...so I get the car. I bought a 2005 5AT Navi with protection package and it's the price that ToddL negotiated, no problem there. Randall was a great person to work with and everything went as smoothly as it can be. So don't worry guys, Cerritos Acura is not backing off the deal and they are doing what they are suppose to do to satisfy their customers. I'm just glad everything worked out as ToddL outlined it...thanks Todd again for setting this deal up.

PG2G

Congrats, can't wait! Now I just need to save up as much as I can for a down payment. Damn credit union wants 10% hehe

BILINA

Is Montclair Acura in NJ a reputable dealership to purchase new automobile? Anybody has any vibes.
Thank you

ToddL

Bilina,

You might want to put that in it's own thread. Most of these viewers are Southern California...

pcinoc

Congrats! I'm 4th on the list and will most likely take delivery of my 05 TL Navi next week.

Glad to hear everything went smoothly! Like I said before, good deal for us, good deal for Cerritos! Everyone is happy!

sparksteam

Interestingly enough, I got an email from Valerie today asking me if I was still interested in purchasing from them. I was still waiting for her to call me to tell me pre-qualified! At any rate, I called her just in case there was any confusion, and she said "no!" we're all on the same page.

I asked her what my position was, and she said I was 1st because nobody else wanted blk/blk, 6MT. Do you guys know something I don't? She also said that one was coming in in about 3 weeks (mid-November). But she qualified that by saying that's the worst case and there's a good chance that it may arrive earlier. At that point I will have 48 hours to buy it!

I also asked her about the status of the Power Buy. She said that she had about 8 pre-qualify and that Kelly also had a handful. When I asked her if Cerritos would back out of the deal if we didn't get the 13, she said "don't worry" because they just closed a "Power Buy" deal yesterday. I guess that was you "Evil Genius". Thanks for indirectly securing the deal for us.

I also asked about accessories, and she confirmed that accessories wer going to be available at dealer cost. This is still right, right Valerie? I know she reads this thread.

So that's where I stand. Thanks again Todd for working the deal, and thanks Valerie for taking care of us.

PG2G

Do you guys get any sort of feedback after you fill out the prequalify form? Or did you just wait a few days and contact them?

pcinoc

Waited a few days and contacted them to find out my position based on my selection

ToddL

I know they are pretty swamped. I called Kelly today to confirm when I could expect delivery. Looks like it is around 10/24.

Give them a call tonight or tomorrow. They should be able to give you a priority number and when you could expect delivery. Kelly today said their delivery schedule has been pretty accurate, off only one or two days.

TL

ToddL

Well everyone - we met our commitment. Yesterday was pretty stressful because I wanted to make sure Evil Genius received his car, which was the reason for my plea to get everyone pre-qualified on Wednesday. Cerritos was really cool about it - they just wanted to make sure we were close to 10 before they started to release cars... Thanks to everyone for pre-qualifying.

For those who have not received a call back for their deal - please follow up with a call. Both Kelly and Valerie will be working tomorrow and I know they are swamped between this deal and their normal internet business. If I have time - I might stop by to introduce myself tomorrow or Sunday.

FYI – this deal is not going to last forever. Right now Cerritos has committed to continue this until we reach 25 buyers and/or until the end of the month. At that time they will re-evaluate if they are going to continue the program or if they are going to pass. I will continue to mediate and update people regularly. Please continue to post your pre-quals.

What's next: Acura TL Moleskin Power-Tint? Any suggestions?

Thanks Everyone
TL

PG2G

Hehe, Tint sounds good to me. It was actually one of the first things I was planning to do to my car. Followed by a clear bra.

Evil Genius

Hey Todd,
I'm interested in tint too...
This is great...everyone working together for a win-win situation

sparksteam

FYI - For those of you who may have received an "Are you still interested..." email from Cerritos after submitting the pre-qual, here's a message from Valerie.

"..., I spoke to you earlier and I wanted to clarify that the previous email asking "Are you are still interested?" is an "automated email" and has nothing to do with the LoSasso deal. You can advise everyone if something is wrong (as in not qualifying by Pre-Qual) I will contact you ASAP within a day of submitting. If I do not receive within a day, I will call and find out what is going on. If you could please pass this on, I have not been able to check my personal email, along with being able to post to the "board"."