Ok... Here's the deal... I'm ready to order a new 2005 TL. I'm talking with Ed Voyles Acura in Atlanta.

I just got off the phone with the salesman (Mike Ascaro). I was told the 2004s were MSRP'd at $35,220. I'm guessing that puts the 05's at $35,500 roughly. Some mention was made of my putting down a $500 deposit (I don't have a problem with this) and of faxing a "buyers agreement" to me that I could sign and send back.

I have serious anxiety over buying a car unseen and paying MSRP for it. Do I have any leverage in the current market on price? I know tax in Fulton County is (ow) 7%. About how much will tags and title be? How much of a chance do I have of getting them to throw in trunk tray, mats, door visors?

Is it worth my time to take my trade in to Carmax and get a quote from them?

Seeking guidance from those of you in-the-know on how to proceed here without getting fed to the wolves. Any advice / comments / info are welcome. Thanks in advance for the feedback.

 

i don't know what the market is in atlanta, but i wouldn't go anywhere near that deal in chicago.

 

"Seeking guidance from those of you in-the-know on how to proceed here without getting fed to the wolves. Any advice / comments / info are welcome. Thanks in advance for the feedback..."

The first thing to do is take a deep breath and relax! Smile! You're going to buy a beautiful new car!

Okay, now for a few negotiation fundamentals. 1. Desire. 2. Information. 3. Leverage.

#1 is your desire for this car. If you're still not sure, then set aside some quality time to read some of the salient threads on this website...The Acura TL is a beautiful car with a few minor foibles that are being worked on constantly by the manufacturer. Acura service is generally good to excellent, although somewhat pricey. But you wouldn't be in the market for a car like this if you couldn't afford it.

#2 Information - know where all the dealers are in your area. Visit them without necessarily talking to a sales rep. Walk around their lots and look at all the TL's you can find. Learn everything you can from this and other websites. The TL has the highest overall rating received by any car from Consumer Reports. Read that report. Get a feeling for the exterior and interior colors you prefer. To help you get started here are two important pieces of information gleaned from this site:

a - 2005 prices (official from the Acura website):
2005 TL 5-Speed Automatic Starts at $32,900
2005 TL 5-Speed Automatic with Navigation System Starts at $34,900
2005 TL 6-Speed Manual Starts at $32,900
2005 TL 6-Speed Manual with Navigation System Starts at $34,900
2005 TL 6-Speed Manual with High-Performance Summer Tires Starts at $33,100
2005 TL 6-Speed Manual with High-Performance Summer Tires and Navigation System Starts at $35,100
05 MSRP is only $250 more than 04. Destination Charge is $25 up.

b - best deal on an 05 I've found so far:
"Recieved a quote from the Internet Manager from Island Acura in Wantagh for $33795 including destination. prep, etc. for a 2005 w/ Navi. The only addtional cost would be tax, title, and plates."

#3 - Leverage. There are two sources of leverage available to you, the buyer. First is the market - if Honda isn't making enough money, or if the economy in general is a little depressed in terms of new car sales, then Acura dealers are given more leeway to move cars off the lot. I know that you can get VERY good deals on 04 TL's right now, because they have to make way for the 05's which are coming in 2 - 3 weeks. The second source is competition. You simply play one dealer off against the other.

Summary: know your car facts, know the market, and know your dealers. Take your time, enjoy the experience, and don't be rushed into anything. If you do put money down, you can write "subject to agreement on price" right on the paper. That way you are not obliged to buy from them, but can reserve a car that's on their inbound board if it has the right specs for you. This is what I have done. Then I went back to my salesman with the $33795 price I found (which happens to be in my area) and told him that I would buy if they match it.

Good luck and keep breathing in and out!

Luke

 

The number one thing to remember about making a deposit on a car is to pay with a credit card. That way if the deal goes south you can alwasy deny the claim on your credit card and get your money back.

You should be able to get a really good deal on the 04's right now, maybe lower than invoice. Back in July I was able to negotiate a deal for my best friend for a 04 NBP/Parchment/Automatic/with Navi for $33500 plus tax, tags, and fees. This was at Bradshaw Acura in Greenville SC. Not sure how far you are willing to go for a deal.

 

deposite is fully refundable, when the car comes, and you don't like it, you can get 500 back. it just make sure you are the first buyer the dealer deal with when the car comes.

 

Thanks for the great posts. I'm pretty much set on the TL. I've been looking at them (no, I'm not kidding) for about five years. I have the patience of a glacier when it comes to these matters... I'll wait for the 06 models if I have to. I've studied the 04 fairly closely and have test driven one.

The website price of $34,900 + destination fee comes out to the $35,500 I'm estimating.

My first choice is Anthricite w/ ebony (probably steamy in the Southeast in summer but I'm hoping the A/C and sunroof can handle it. Second - WAY second choice is Silver/Ebony. No 04s to be found in the Southeast in these colors with 6MT/Navi that haven't already been sold. I'm pretty much convinced that I'm going to have to order an 05, especially if I am going to get the color combo I want.

Deposit on a credit card sounds good to me - a very sensible tip. I interrogated the salesman on the deposit and, according to him (voice, not in writing), there is no situation where I can lose my deposit. Even if I believed that I'd still want the advantage of a credit card company as an advocate.

 

jrmoore:
Thanks for posting this thread, all the answers you've got have been great (thanks leo221, SilverSleeper, Luke and meathead).
I am heavily considering to get an '05 AM-Quartz/Auto/wiht NAVI, and I also would be shopping in the Atlanta area. So whatever information you can share about your experience with the local dealer would be appriciated!

AA

 

I just bought an '04 TL, non-navi, from Ed Voyles. Obviously there's a big difference in negotiations between the '04 and the '05, but they had to truck mine in from out-of-state (they paid for that), and still gave me roughly $2,100 off MSRP. They also included splashguards, a trunk tray, and the "protection package".

They charge $398 (painful) for "accounting" fees, but you may be able to get it waived. I didn't feel like bothering. They also charge $42 for tag/title.

IMO, negotiating for a car at another dealer, and negotiating for a car that hasn't been produced yet isn't too different. In the former case, the dealer isn't trying to get rid of extra inventory, so they're solely motivated by the sale/financing/etc. Same thing for an '05.

 

Another minor Tip. If they have to order your car from the factory, or your going to buy a car they have en route and it wont be sitting on the dealer's lot for more than a day or two, you can try to negotiate a lower price citing the dealer holdback. The dealer expects that car to sit on their lot for a certain amount of time and that costs them money. Taking delivery right after arrival means the car spends no more than a day or two on their lot and costs them almost nothing.

 

I bought mine at Ed Voyles and know a bunch of others who bought at other dealers in Atlanta. About $1200-$1800 off of MSRP is the norm in Atlanta, you should be able to find it pretty easy. I gave a $500 deposit for mine too, but it was completely refundeable for any reason. If you are willing to drive 2-4 hours, there have been some threads about people getting them at invoice.

I don't remember exactly how much tags and title were, but I think approx. $100 or less for both.

Also, they wouldn't give me squat for my trade in either. Since I had to order my color combo, i sold it myself in the paper and did much better than either Carmax or any dealer offered. I lucked out also, sold it in 3 days. I would try CarMax, but if they didn't give you what you wanted, try selling it yourself.

 

I would wail until the end of October or if you aren't itching too badly from the "NEW CAR JONES", wait until the end of November. Historically slow periods for car sales. When you get to November people are thinking about the holidays and gift giving. Cars that don't stay in inventory into the next month saves the dealer some money as well. I would definately go to Car Max and get a firm offer from them which is good for 72 hours or 100 miles. Never hurts to at least know what your current car should bring as a trade-in. I am not a fan of selling cars myself. Lots of bad stuff can happen. I also would never buy a car from an individual seller unless I knew them personally.

 

Have you tried dealing with Nalley? They offered me a deal at $2,500 off MSRP back in July when I was looking. I ended up purchasing closer to home in Nashville though.

 

I bought my 04 TL from Ed Voyles a year ago, and have had very good service from them .....
They definitely care about / support their customers after a sale!
On average, I think they're much more willing to deal on non-navi cars.

Good luck negotiating your deal!

 

Thanks all for the information. I think I'm going to head to a dealer this afternoon and draw my sword...

Planning on starting negotiating for an 05 6MT/Navi at $34,000 even. Blahblahblah listen to stories of how the dealer's kids are starving blahblahblah work up to $34,500 and finish the deal with telling them they have to give me mats, trunk tray, wing spoiler at that $34,500 or I walk.

Sound like a plan?

 

Good luck ... Let us know how it goes!!

 

You should be able to get 34K even, though your leverage would have been much better yesterday than today (end of the month and all that). If they don't agree to 34k, walk out of the dealer, get in your car, and call other acura dealers, telling them that you're in the parking lot of one dealer and the best they could offer you was (whatever price they offered), and that you'll come over immediately if they can beat the price.

 

I paid less than you and I'm in SoCal. $34700 on an 05 6MT navi.

 

Call all the dealers in ATL there are 4 of them...

If you want to email me I'll give you my experience...
RR

 

?? Did this get dropped in the wrong thread?

I haven't bought yet, and I'm setting a cap of $200 less that the price you mention (including destinaion, not including T/Tx/TL. Still -- this price is helpful to know.

 

Given what I paid and what others I know have paid in Altanta, I would think you should be able to come pretty close to $33K before fees and taxes.

You said you wanted mats included-the TL comes with mats so don't negotiate for them (unless you meant the all-season mats). Also, Ed Voyles includes the trunk tray and mudguards at no charge. Furthermore, they offered me all of the accessories-trunk lip-at their cost.

 

take a look at south/cental florida acura dealerships, we've had terrible weather as of late and the dealerships a willing to work with potential buyers especially with 04 model year. Broward county sales tax is 6%. Stay away from that deal ,you have many other options.

 

For what it's worth, I placed a $500 deposit (check) on a TL with Voyles in August. When they couldn't get the car as quickly as they originally thought, I went to another dealer. Michael at Voyles gave the check back to me immediately, with no quibbles, no arguing, no hassle - even though I had signed the purchase agreement.
I think they're more interested in their reputation than they are in ripping off customers. (I've taken my car there for service for over 10 years.)

 

got my 04 tl/navi/at/ anth/ebony back in april of this year from ed voyles. The sales person i dealed with was very helpful and curtious....They started out by ordering one for me and then a week later found one of of state that they got for me...couldnt ask for better service... if anyone needs help here in Atlanta I'll be more than glad to help out

 

jrmoore, I'm not having much luck with the Atlanta dealers. I've gotten MSRP at Ed Voyles for an '05 w/Navi, and $500 off MSRP at Nalley and Carland. Where are you putting your deposit down and what kind of deal did you get? Thanks for any help you can offer...

 

I bought mine at Carland in Atlanta and they were quoting me 32,5 for Non Navi and 35,5 for Navi. They did not want to budge on the price and that was when I had a Lincoln LS ready to buy, they still would not deal, well they came off $400. I ended up getting a used 04 with 8k onit for 29k. Not sure if I got a good deal or not. I was pissed of by something the Lincoln Dealership did and said scew it I am buying a car today. ANyway after looking at everything better, dont buy in Atlanta, they are much more wwilling to deal away from here. Good luck and do your homework before you buy.

 

thanks, gabrielles. I tried looking at Acura Macon and Athens, and both of them are quoting the same as in-town dealers. Should I start looking at Chattanooga or Birmingham now (both 2 hours from Atlanta)?

 

By all means look around, I have seen a lot of prices on the site lower than what is quated here in Atlanta, although I have to tell you, I have had absolutely great experiances with carland. They fixed two wheels after I found some curb rash on them a week after I bought the car, also put in the good floor mats. The sales people have been great as well.

 

I bought my TL before the car was released and paid list, but the experience at AC was great. They also fixed a couple of delivery problems, without question. In addition they gave me a free oil change on my first visit. They have done alright by me.

 

This is my first experience with a new car and as well as things have gone with Carland. I hope my next visit will be just as good. Last visit I got a TL loaner and it was nice just to see how much you can get out of the TL without actually thrashing your own. Of course I bought a dealer "demo" which means mine was thrashed... Oh Well if it can handle being loaned out it can handle me Anyway, I do think if it cost me a few hunder extra dollars, I would return to Carland for my next purchase. What do you think the 08TL will look like??