JoganJani

I'm a prospective buyer in the Bay area, CA for 6MT, Nav. I've been to Pleasanton dealer and was told that I'll have to wait till may be Jan-Feb. What others experience on invetory, price etc. in the same area?

elbodude

Try Sunnyvale Acura, ask for Natalie.

MARK1

check your pm

copter

I talked to Frank Dela Riva at Acura of Pleasanton today and was told they're expecting a 6MT in Dec. The bad news is they have 3 or 4 people wanting it.. Hold out the car is worth the wait...

Lore

Hey all:

First, thanks for starting this thread

I'm also a prospective buyer for a TL (5spd auto in Anthracite/Ebony + navi) and have been told by 3 dealerships that it is probably the most requested color/option combination. As such, I haven't had much luck shopping around either.

For those of you that bought in the Bay Area, please let me know where you went, who you worked with, and maybe I can talk to them to see how their inventory is looking.

Just for your reference, I've spoken to George at Stevens Creek Acura [2 coming in], Ben at Marin Acura [can't/won't go below MSRP], and John at Oakland Acura [1 coming in but is "taken"].

I've been told not to worry about putting down a deposit and instead just inform the dealers that you will purchase from the first dealer who gets the car into the lot for you.

Any suggestions?

copter

Lore check your PM's

daikon38

That one at Oakland Acura that's "taken" --> might be mine
Sorry, man. I put a deposit down on an Anthracite/Quartz w/ Navi a couple weeks ago. :p

I actually think that's a very good idea. You could utilize that to your advantage when dealing by stating that you have a deposit at another dealer...in which case the dealer you're currently talking to may offer a discount/incentive to win your business. Try it

Lore

Who have you been working with over at Oakland Acura? I've found their sales staff to be somewhat lacking in knowledge of their products, which is unfortunate. Also, what prices were you negotiating (or have you not started that yet)?

(you can PM me if you would like; I want to share some of the stuff that John told me)

Thanks!

daikon38

PM'd

Lore

Right back atcha... If anyone else has any tips to share please do!

jime

I put down a deposit for my anthracite/ebony 6MT with NAVI on Nov. 10 and it is due to be delivered on Dec. 15.

I checked all over and the best customer service I received was with Michael Andrews at Redwood City (purchased a 95 Legend coupe from him and he remembered me), Paul Winfield at Sunnyvale Acura, and Tway (sp ?) at Burlingame Acura was also very helpful.

My poorest experiences were at Acura of Stevens Creek and Acura of Pleasanton. I got the distinct feeling that Acura of Pleasanton planned on having auctions when the cars that several people wanted arrived, and that they would jerk you around if you gave them the opportunity.

If you have your mind set on a particular car interior/exterior, transmission, Navi/no Navi then you can call all the dealers in the area and find out what cars they have, and what they have scheduled. If they are not definite, then they don’t have the car and don’t have one (without a deposit on it already) on their allotment list. Every dealer can look at every other dealer’s allotment list. If you can’t live with what is on the dealer has on the lot, don’t plan on getting much off MSRP. I only got a protection package and HP 17 inch tires. My negotiation tool was that I found a car that another dealer had coming in two weeks before the dealer I chose, and asked my salesman why I should wait two weeks extra if the car was going to cost MSRP.

Good luck.

Lore

Wait, so you had put a deposit down at Dealer A, but found the same car coming earlier at Dealer B?

Or did you just put a deposit down at Dealer A, found the same car at Dealer B, went back to Dealer A and told them that you wanted more off MSRP because B's got it already?

I'm trying to decide whether I want to put down a deposit at a dealership (Stevens Creek) and then go in and negotiate like crazy for that car, or just play the waiting game until inventory takes hold, people start spending less due to Christmas, and more Anthr/Ebony + navis become available.

jime

I called all the dealers in SF Bay area (about 8) two had the car that I wanted scheduled to arrive in Dec. Dealer A had the car alloted for Dec. 1 & Dealer B was Dec. 15. I then went to Dealer B and asked why I should wait two weeks and buy from them and wait two weeks. They gave me a protection package (wheel locks, mud flaps and trunk liner), and did not charge for the HP 17 inch tires that were coming on the car.

I was impressed with the sales representatives at both locations.

I would not sign on a waiting list, but would wait until the dealer could assign my name to one that they had on their allotment.

Good luck,

Lore

Good info - thanks. If anyone has more information about dealing with the Bay Area dealerships let me know. Oh, if you guys know of any Bay Area dealerships with an Anthracite/Ebony + navi (5spd auto) in stock drop me a line!

What colors are you guys picking up?

jime

Mine is an Anthracite/Ebony 6MT & NAVI

lymster

I agree with an earlier poster about Michael Andrews of Hopkins Acura in Redwood City. He is awesome. He spent over an hour with me, test driving a TL and TSX, showing me various features, the navigation system, voice activated features, going up hills, accelerating on straight roads and a curved freeway onramp. He's been selling Acuras for 17 years and really knows his stuff.

DNA

I also purchased my 04 TL (Anthracite/Quartz/AT/Nav) from Michael Andrews at Hopkins and agree with the other positive comments about him above and in another thread. One of the posters in this forum has exchanged over 60 email messages with Michael concerning questions he had about the TL both before and after his TL purchase. Michael is knowledgeable, helpful, and low-keyed.

I can't say I got a price break from Hopkins as I basically paid full sticker. Nor can I saw I was particularly fond of their contract manager (the guy who has you sign all the papers) who was unnecessarily (mildly) rude. I probably could have found a dealer around here that would have given me a few hundred off. However, I appreciate the value of a salesman who is willing to spend a lot of time answering questions and knows what he is talking about. Also, I've dealt with Hopkins Acura for about 18 years and found their service department to be very good.

-David

Lore

I called Pleasanton the other day and they told me they can't give any price cuts whatsoever on the Navi units. How unfortunate! I'm still shopping, so if you guys know of any dealers willing to work with you on the price let me know.

So far I've contacted Pleasanton (won't lower price), Concord (won't lower price), Stevens Creek ($1000 off MSRP), and Oakland ($700 off MSRP).

No one has stock of Anthracite/ebony + navi so as far as I know they could be spewing nonsense in terms of how low they will go.

pps

I'm also in the Bay area looking for a 6 MT. Went a couple of times to test drive at Pleasanton Acura. Won't budget on MSRP. Not the best sales experience.

Looks like I'll have to purchase somewhere else.
Keep the thread alive with the prices for us all!

Lore

I am traveling to Southern Cali for work in a week; I'm going to look for a car there too... if they have one, maybe I'll just pick it up from there.

tallrussian

Try Oakland Acura

That is where I bought my SSM 2004 TL, 5AT, Navi a month ago. Ask for Virginia. She is probably the nicest car salesperson I ever met! All of my previous car buying experiences were nighmares. As for this one, Virginia made it so smooth that I drove out :p extremely happy with spare cash in my wallet!

Virginia gave me a nice discount off MSRP, plus they threw in the trunk tray, wheel lock and mud flaps, everything installed at no cost to me. The process of negotiating took a bit of time and several stages of Virginia (not me) walking around and talking to different people (and finally me talking to the general manager), but in the result I was very happy!

I was a bit cautious at first when considering going to Oakland (high crime city, etc - you know), but I was very pleasantly surprised by the convenient location of the dealership and the abundance of nice streets with very little traffic for the test drives. I didn't expect to find such a great dealership in Oakland!

As for the other dealerships that I tried:
Stevens Creek - wanted a $1000 deposit and said it would take 8 weeks to get the car. They wanted MSRP.
Pleasanton - did not require a deposit, but immediately said very strict "No" to anything lower than MSRP.
Concord - Said that they would go lower than MSRP, but they did not have the car that I wanted.

So try Oakland Acura. You may be pleasantly surprised. I was! Very nice experience and much better than what I expected!

P.S. I have no association with oakland acura whatsoever other than I bought a car from them a month ago and I am happy.

Lore

Hey --

Thanks for the update! I've actually worked with Virginia before when John (the Internet sales/Fleet manager) was unavailable, and in our short 45 minute interaction I have to agree that she was very personable.

Unfortunately, Oakland Acura doesn't have Anthracite/Ebony + NAVI 5AT car and won't have an available one until January. I can probably wait a little and leverage the additional inventory to my advantage, but I would like to get this car sooner rather than later.

Do you mind sharing how much off MSRP you got? I've gotten a quote from John but that was without having inventory on the lot...

I'm also going to push for free all-weather mats.

All the best,
Kenneth

tallrussian

Lore (Kenneth)

I just sent you a PM (private message) with my info via this site. Good luck!

copter

Lore check your PM's

Lore

I read two posts in this thread about Stevens Creek Acura.

Has anyone dealt with their Service department? Are they any good there? I just put a deposit down for an Anthracite/Ebony + Navi there, but will not hesitate to go to a different dealership if their service department is the dumps.

I'm thinking about going back to Oakland and throwing in a deposit there too, but I don't know if they're taking anything now since their next Anthracite/Ebony + Navi won't come in until Feb.

Kenneth

jime

I have been using Stevens Creek Service since 1989 (the TL that I am getting this week is my 4th Acura). They are very busy, but are contentious. Once I complained about a bad ding/dent I got while I was there. The Service Rep. Told me to remind him the next time I brought the car in. Six months later I brought the car back, but didn’t say anything about the ding. When I picked it up the ding had been repaired.

As I have said before, the only service dept I have had serious issues with is Acura of Pleasanton. They are closer to my home, and my wife wanted me to go there. I tried them once, and will never go back

DNA

According to Webster:

con·ten·tious
Pronunciation: k&n-'ten(t)-sh&s
Function: adjective
Date: 15th century
1 : likely to cause contention <a contentious argument>
2 : exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes <a man of a most contentious nature>
synonym see BELLIGERENT

I'm not trying to be a wise-a$$ (it just comes naturally), but based on what else you said, I'm guessing this isn't the word you meant to use. What word did you have in mind?

ryder1650

Probably conscientious:

Main Entry: con·sci·en·tious
Pronunciation: "kän(t)-shE-'en(t)-sh&s
Function: adjective
Date: 1611
1 : governed by or conforming to the dictates of conscience : SCRUPULOUS <a conscientious public servant>
2 : METICULOUS, CAREFUL <a conscientious listener>
synonym see UPRIGHT
- con·sci·en·tious·ly adverb
- con·sci·en·tious·ness noun

Lore

Greetings from Sunny SoCal... except today it was very overcast Anyway, I'm going to call around during my free time and see if any dealers got the car in and would be willing to deal.

jime: thanks for the note about Stevens Creek. That bit about the service department makes me feel better. Do they give loaners?

Lore

jime:

BTW -- how much are you paying for your TL, and what color combo?

jime

Just goes to show you what happens if you blindly accept spell check suggestions without reading them carefully. Thanks for the very helpful and through correction for “conscientious”. I wonder how you guys deal with the posts where the writer can’t write, type OR spell.

Stevens Creek is very good about giving loaners or setting you up with a free rental from the Enterprise rental that is right next door. The quality of the rental cars makes you really pleased to get your Acura back (my last one was a Neon).

About a year ago (actually 29 days) I put a deposit on a TL that should be arriving by next Monday. My TL is a 6MT/NAVI/HPT Anthracite/Ebony that I paid full MSRP less the $200 for the High Performance Tires (because I didn’t want them) and received a Protection Pack for free. You can get a little of MSRP if you buy something that the dealer has on the lot. But the dealerships I talked to wouldn’t deal at all on a vehicle that wasn’t coming for a month. I also talked to dealers that wouldn’t have the car I wanted for two or three months.

Lore

jime:

Who did you work with at Stevens Creek to do the MSRP - $200 deal? I worked with Peter and George.

Mine should be coming in around next week as well, but it's an automatic.

They had an Anthracite/Ebony + Navi on the lot but that one was already sold to someone who just hadn't come pick it up yet.

Kenneth

jime

Lore,

I am not purchasing my TL from Stevens Creek.

I am getting a little uncomfortable with this thread as I don't have custody of the car yet. I sent you a private message about my experience.

jime