I've been looking into buying a TL for a while and now that I've figure out the exact configuration that I want, what I learned after two weeks of research is that only one dealership has it. I might be able to make a good deal with them but the car has sat on their lot for about 3 months and has somehwere around 110 miles on it. Do you guys think this is too much and that I should wait to have one ordered? I trying to debate whether getting a better deal than elsewhere justifies getting a car that doesn't feel exactly new.

 

Nope, it's MORE than worth it... Any other one line questions?

 

As long as its not a 6MT, I imagine it would be fine. Personally, I would order exactly what I want and wait if I was at all uncomfortable with the 110 miles... but that's just me, I hate buying anything *used*.

 

Only problem is the low VIN might mean more problems.

 

redterminator, my TL had about 300 miles on it when I bought it. The dealer told me about 150 were from test drives and 150 were put on by the GM. I'm sure it was driven hard on the test drives but here were my reasons for buying it...

1. Sold to me as new
2. You could tell it had been driven but overall it was fine. I keep my cars clean but I have two kids and I'm a realist that the car is not going to be perfect forever.
3. It was the exact color combo/options I wanted
4. Saved ~$1500 compared to the next best deal I could find
5. I only tend to keep cars for as long as the warranty period so I'm not worried in the unlikely event some problem crops up due to improper break-in. Also, what the car was subjected to was probably no worse then my 60 mile roundtrip commute through rush hour/stop & go traffic.

I've put ~1500 miles on the car since I bought it and so far not one problem. Good luck with your decision.

 

Well as a matter of fact it is a 6MT. What bothers me is not that it is "used" but the fact that it was driven during test drives (and we all know what people do to cars during test drives) when the car was supposed to be broken in. The price difference itself would be $600 if any at all, I'll try to get my local dealership to match the other dealeship's price. So what it basically comes down to is wait time.

I asked the dealer about the earlier build problem and he told that cars on the lot are the first ones to get services for any recalls/problems. FYI the vin ends with 26xxx.

Oh and the other thing I forgot to mention was that if I get it ordered, it is very likely that I'll get by end of June through dealer trade; there's a batch of this exact car being made first week of June.

 

To save $600 is significant on a car that was driven 100 miles. Put it this was, would you like to earn $600 just for taking your car out for an hour and a half ride ?

Realistically, how much damage could have been done is a few test drives. Test drives are not on a race track, usually include highway driving, include the salesman, and in 110 miles it was likely only 3 or 4 test drives.

By the way, what do people do on test drives that is so bad ?

 

I would keep dealing with the guy. That car has been there for a couple of months I bet the dealer wants if off the lot. Ask him for another $400 off to do the deal. $1000 is alot of money. Just tell him if he doesn't deal then you will order one from another dealer.

 

I think there is a lot of myth with break-in period....no facts or reality.

I have driving mine extremely hard since it had 6 miles on it....break-in NONE.

I have done proper maintenance on the car which I truly think is 1000 times more important than break-in these days.

My car(99 TL)now has 112,000 miles on it, no a single problem, except the transistor of the heater/blower just broke.....I'm pretty sure is not releted to break-in in anyway.

Good luck.

BTW my TL was sitting in the lot for over 6 months. Got a good deal....if I remember it was a 2-3 hundred over invoice.

 

The only thing I would have against purchasing a 6MT that it has been used as a Demo vehicle. Manuals have the flaw that probably half the people who test drove the vehicle, couldn't actually drive manual worth s***. Makes for some hard abuse on the clutch/transmission. I realize that 110 miles is not a lot of usage, but that is still probably 15 or so test drives where people have been hard on the vehicle (Especially in a manual) and probably includes the GM as well.

I personally would wait the 3/4 weeks to get a car that has not been demoed (I picked up mine with only 2-3 miles on it). Although, I do have to agree with roadman and djmgolf2000... if you can save a good $1000, then it would definitally be worth considering... that is a pretty good saving.

When it comes down to it, base on what you have stated, ask three questions and then act on that. Do you feel like waiting a month to get the car? Do you really mind that it has already been put through its paces by a few other people during dealer demos/by GM? How much do you want to save $600-1000?

 

I truly beat the shit out of the demo unitl the salesman cannot take anymore. I take sharp turns at full speed, accelerate furiously, brake aggressively, and dump the clutch a few times. You don't want to buy a demo after I've driven it, and I'm sure there are plenty others out there like me or worse. I think the car can withstand the beating without a problem, but how would you like to bring your car in for an issue after you buy it and wonder if it was me that actually broke the thing in the first place. I wouldn't want to feel that way and I'm sure nobody else does.

 

Sorry to hear that, did you ever learn to treat other peoples things like you wish them to treat yours ? You are joking right ?

 

I decided that the wait for a custom ordered vehicle (with a dealer trade) isn't that bad considering that if I get the vehicle that's already on the lot at a dealership in Florida, I would still have to wait at least a week for it to be delivered. I think I'm going to go to my local dealer (emalinig the salesmen is just worthless) and try to negotiate with them, if they really don't budge on their price then I'll go for the car with 110 miles.

On another note, I would really prefer to deal directly with the manager at my local dealer (they don't have an internet manager and their salesmen won't even respond to my latest email) so what is your guys' experience with dealing directly with the manager? Is it something possible or will I have to deal with the stupid salesmen?

 

Well your in a good position because you have 2nd option for a car. Here is what I did. My local dealer wouldn't budge on price and I tried for the past couple of weeks so I started dealing with some dealers within a 150 mile radius of my house. I ended up finding one about 2 hour drive away that gave me a great price on the TL and $2000 more on my trade. I called the local dealer and told him that I was driving to this other dealer to buy a TL and that I wanted to give them one last chance to earn my business and if they would match this other dealer I would buy it from them. They came really really close to other dealer so I stayed with the local dealer to save me a 2 hour drive back and forth. Good luck.

 

Screw the $600 and get the brand new car.

 

I tried the same thing, but the local dealer still didn't budge. You got lucky.

 

Speaking of myths, check out this site. Not sure if I believe the guy or not, I mean, anyone can set up a web site these days, *L*
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
As far as breaking in my TL, I plan on taking it easy, but won't hesitate to wail on it a few times.

 

I agree. Isn't this the whole point of the test drive, to see how the stinken car will handle when you purchase it. That it why I think all Acura dealers should have a set of demo vehicles used only for test driving, unless someone does not mind buying a vehicle with a few 100 miles on it. The demo car I drove at my dealer had 3k miles on it, *L*.

 

Well it turns out the dealer was wrong and there are actually 400 miles on this car. The manager told me that it might've been used as a service loaner but the salesman believes that it was only used for test drives. This makes it even harder for me to be ok with buying this vehicle now but I'm curious what you guys think. Am I being too paranoid?

 

How much is peace of mind worth to you? 100 bucks, 500 bucks, 1,000 bucks? Only you can answer that question. I got mine delivered, the way I wanted it, at the price I wanted to pay, with 2 miles on the odometer. It was good enough for me.

 

Me, I would just get a new car. This is obviously of some concern to you, so think of the extra money as buying peace of mind. Maybe peace of mind isn't that important, or easily negated by reversing the equation:

"Hey, I'll pay you $600 right now if you buy that used car over there that others have driven."

If that still doesn't sound attractive, I think you might be happier and sleep easier just forking over the extra for a new car.

 

HAH! You beat me to it.

 

No jokes. And yes, I treat other people's property with the same respect I expect in return. Let's be real, we're talking about a demo car, not a car I borrowed from my neighbor. To me, that is why the car is there to test drive. I'm not buying a violin here, I'm buying a sports sedan for $35,000.

 

I do agree with you guys, it just sucks having your hopes up and finding out you can't get the vehicle you want. I even decided that I could go with the automatic, the dealer said he could get it through a dealer trade, then when I spoke to them today, they tell me that the car was sold at the other dealer. It's almost like they slowly pigeon-holed me into purchasing the car they have on the lot.

They also encourage me to look at other colors but every other one I see is just not the same. But I guess I'll have to deal with the fact that there'll be no promotional financing for me and will look for the car that makes me happy (although I hate yielding money on a deal).

I know some people have said they bought cars at $500 over invoice. What dealers did you guys deal with? I'm looking for navi/6mt