NJRonbo

May be buying my first TL in a few days.

My biggest fear is talking to dealers. I'm not
good at it, but I know if I walk in, test drive and
walk out to come back another day, I may get the
price I want.

Let me know if this is reasonable....

The Acura LT is base priced at $35K

With all the extras I put on it I brought it
up to $38,100 (includes destination charges).

Can I talk them back down to $35K?

To get even more ballsy, I figure I'll have
an additional $2500 in taxes bringing the car
to about $40K.

Still think I can talk them down to $35K? That
would be the MAGIC number.

I mean, how much generally can you talk these
guys down?

Also....

The blue book says my trade in is worth $8-9K.
Can I talk them up to $10K if the car includes an
expensive custom XM/Sirius stereo system with
bass kicker subwoofer?

Your thoughts are appreciated.

mg7726

contact DCH Montclair Acura internet sales. they're sponsored vendor on this board. see what you get.

BG74

Don't talk them down...make them talk you UP, from a number below invoice...go to carsdirect.com and find out what exactly it is. This is how I did it and I ended up paying $32555 (invoice) for my 6spd/navi.

bo0sting2mch

I just paid 32600 with no options.....yesterday(took me about an 1 1/2 hr to get my price) hahaha ....NBP/Ebony/6sp/nav

try sending in internet quotes....or just PM me and ill let u know about the details

ExLexusGuy

I did all my negotiating over the phone and Internet. Simply call the Internet Sales Manager and offer him a price. I did and they accepted my offer. I setup an appointment, walked in, they already had my paperwork done, signed and was on my way in about an hour. The Finance guy did try to upsell me some stuff, but "tried" is the key word here.

ndabunka

From the bottom up... The dealer will NEVER give you what your trade is truely worth. If you pull up trade-in value on Kelly Blue Book online you can figure that is the BEST you can do. Don't even bother putting anything other than "good" or "Fair" as the condition because they won't. PS - Your "Kick-Ass" sound system actually detracts from the value of the car to the dealership so you'll need to reduce your expectations there as well. Best bet is to sell the car yourself or take it to carmax for a "REAL" trade-in value.

If you "built up" your car to $38K then you had to have added things like A-Spec body kits and such. If this is the case, then you probably want to "start over" with the dealer. Start with the base car (i.e. Black-ebony, Navi, 6SP) work them to the lowest price. Using invoice "sometimes" helps but the best ammunition is the "street price". You get the street price from talking to others on the internet about what they paid. Use these figures to better understand cost. From this thread alone you can see that the base car itself can be had for $32,600. If you want white or Black (two most marketable colors) you may have to pay more. If you want body kits, get the dealer to agree to add them for "Cost". The A-Spec body kit can be had on ebay (and Acura dealer websites) for under $800. That includes the front, side and rear valances but no rear spoiler or wing. Add that to your base price puts you just under your $35K mark so "Yes, it is possible. Your trade will probably be only $7K (rememeber that they need to make two or three grand off your car when THEY sell it to the next guy. That means that this car will cost you about $28K. On the other hand, you "COULD" buy a used 2004 TL similar to mine (Black/Black/NAVI/Auto with 22K miles) for around $28K on the open market and then add the A-spec kit and be well under $30K for everything. Sell your car yourself for $9K and your total cost are around $21K. Hope this helps.

equity

Don't expect a dealer to offer you more than $6,000 for trade in if the KBB says it is worth $8,000 trade in.

ck37

here is my take on dealing with sales people.
Do your homework. Research, research, research.
know exactly what you want. As a dealer will not show you all his cards neither should you. Like others have said, start low. Be prepared to walk out at any time. don't be a dick but be confident.
Your trade in might not be a car they can move quick. If you know you can get more privately sell it that way. Sure it's more hassle, but a couple of thousand more is worth it.
When it comes to the extras some dealers are generous and will throw them in, others will charge you retail and above if they can. Call them on it. If they want your business they will budge.
Interest rates just went up so that will affect dealers selling cars. last month was big for the industry as a whole due to GM's employee discount promotion. Use that. Chrysler is starting that this week as well. Use these tools as bargaining power. let them know you are shopping for other vehicles, and that you aren't set on the TL. If they know where your heart is, they will take advantage of that.
No emotion when talking numbers. it's all business.
Last but not least, be prepared to shop around. Like others have said, get quotes from the internet. i have done that in the past with good success.
all dealerships have more inventory than thy want right now. especially Acura.
Also know your credit score. That can be a big factor in any purchase or lease. Sometimes dealers will use that against you.

Good luck.

wonder

Also remember Acura has a 3% holdback on all their cars. That gives you another $1000 or so for negotiation.

TBone2004

It is so refreshing to read the correct way to buy a car. So many people get robbed at these places - it makes me smile to know that not everyone in the world is so easily played - way to go Acurazine Members!!

Like everyone else said - know exactly what you want BEFORE you get there. I went to a dealer month or so before I was ready to buy and did my homework - test drive, options etc. Cause if you do that the day when you are planning to buy, you are falling into their trap - cause you'll get all excited smelling that new car, driving that new car, they will play on that. I actually like to go when I am in a bad mood - keeps the dealings real, not all happy emotional.
Never, ever go down - always go up from a number YOU decide prior to going to dealer (within reason - you ain't getting the car for 25K )
Always know what invoice is before you get there - ignore sticker - its not real. Fight for what your trade is worth. If KBB says it is worth 8k, they will probably offer you 3k, so you tell them you must have 5k. AND you (before you get there) have different number scenarios written down for your viewing only. Invoice minus 5K trade in, plus any options etc. Then have another scenario, $500 Over invoice, minus 5k .... etc. So you are not scrambling to do funky math. Work from Invoice - DO NOT DO ANY NUMBERS OR NEGOTIATIONS FROM STICKER!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like to bring my checkbook (for show) and pull it out and say "I am buying a new Acura today - I'd like it to be from your dealership - if we can agree on a reasonable price - otherwise I will go elsewhere, I am in no rush to buy - lets make it happen here, now." This way you get THEM salivating. This has always worked very well for me. Like others have said - you gotta be willing to walk away - it hurts to do, but you will always find a better deal.
Go with someone else too - wife, friend, partner, whatever - good to have a couple eyes and ears to run the numbers they will be throwing at you.
Good luck - enjoy.

Brettg

I would like to point out that some times are better than others to buy
a new car.
Now is NOT a good time if you want a particular color combo, as stock
(around here anyway) is VERY limited.

Just try to find a red with parchment manual trans without navi, impossable
around here.

No problem if you want black on black or silver with black in the auto
trans, plenty of them around, and you can drive a hard bargan on those.

We got poor trade in money, could have sold both cars ourselves and done
a lot better, but that is a pain, especialy since my wife did not have the title
to her car.
We also needed to get rid of her car quickly as we did not want to keep
making payments for the car and insurance on it ($800.00 a month)
without her having a job.

Best to do the research, make a fair offer for a car, and tell them to give
you a call when they want to make the deal, but you will be looking around
while they think about it.
At the end of the month, they will likely call you when they need another
sale to make quota.

The only good way to buy a car is to NOT involve any trade in at all.
That is where you really loose....

Brett

chill_dog

Holdback is only available if the car has been on the lot for less than 3 months...it's basically the interest the dealer pays on the loan they used to buy the car from the manufacturer...Honda, and most manufacturers, will give the dealer the holdback percentage on any car sold within 3 months...if a dealer sells a car after it's been on the lot for 1 month, he paid 1 month of interest, but gets 3 month's worth from Honda, hence the ability to deal and get part of this money. This is why if you order a car, you ask for 100% of the holdback to be taken off the price...the car does not sit on the lot, so that 3% is pure profit, of which you should be able to get a piece of.

wonder

I know what holdback is - it covers the overhead costs of keeping a car on the lot. The point is if you can stand to wait for a new car coming in to the dealer versus taking one off the lot you can negotiate the whole 3%. I'm always patient enough to save another $1000 or so. For Acura holdback is 3% of MSRP, not invoice. Other car manufacturers have other similar schemes. I also find if you talk about holdback you might gain some credibility with the salesperson.

mickey3c

be ready to walk away from the deal... the worst thing is the dealer knowing you are on the hook.. . All they have to do is reel you in...


Here are some things to think of...

The 06s are on their way which means they should be offering better discounts than in march.

If there are some issues with the car that you hear on this forum bring them up when talking to the dealer. I asked about the driveline vibration and if they fixed the seat issue. I also mentioned the engine configuration was changed resulting in less lower end torque. At the very least they know you are an educated buyer. Even mention some more favorable features another car has over the model you are looking at even if you wouldn't buy the other model.

Be careful about all the extras... make the deal on the basic car (since it is pretty much loaded up as it is). Check the financing since that can save you a lot. The end price is what matters the most.

parkkuen

call the police!!!! if you do indeed spend 35k for a base TL cuz you just got robbed.... take a look at what most other people are paying in your area.. your final price should come pretty close to those prices...

UPSCWRU

My dealer guy *started* the negotiations at about $34,500, I think, even knowing he didn't have the exact car I wanted in stock and would have to trade for it. The price he used was based on the capitalization value of the lease sale they have going. I walked in thinking $1000 above invoice was fair, and only paid $200 more than that. Final deal was $33,700.

midas69

As others have said, be prepared to walk away. But be on the lookout for the 'KEYS' trick. When you give them the keys for your car so they can evaluate the trade-in, they don't like ot give them back to you right away. Do not even start talking to them about ANYTHING until you get the keys back. Doing this will move the control back to you and away from the dealer.

UPSCWRU

I thought it was a little weird he kept coming back to payments and trade-in, although I'd started the conversation by telling him I had my financing lined up through the credit union (4%!) and I'd be selling my car on my own. He kept saying he could run the payments for me... I think it really made him uncomfortable that the only thing on the table was the car price itself. He's used to having several sources of profit to be negotiating, I guess.

ExLexusGuy

Yes, a co-worker bought a car (used PT Cruiser POS) and they negotiated her with monthly payments and trade in price. Apparently, he never mentioned once the total cost of the car. They got the monthly payments and the trade value to where she wanted and signed the papers... without looking to see how many months she was signing up for! Bottom line, she's on the hook for 84 months at 7% for a used PT Cruiser. But, on the bright side, her monthly payments were right!

sweatinmyac

did anyone here lease? if so, did you talk price of the car with the dealer or what you were looking to pay monthly?

ck37

Yes. These posts are mainly about leases. ALWAYS try to get the best price on the car regardless of buying or leasing. The lower the price on the car, usually the better monthly.
There have been some good threads on this topic in the past few days. Just scroll through the posts and run a search with the word "lease". most of your questions will be answered.

Best of luck.

sweatinmyac

thx for the help

Legend2TL

I did the same techique, much less stress using email and phone for dealing on prices.

midas69

You have to be more careful when negotiating a lease. In particular, you have to do your research beforehand. Whether leasing or purchasing, you have to negotiate the vehicle price and, if you have one, the trade-in. But when it comes to financing, most people know they can get auto loans from many places and they have a pretty good idea of what a decent interest rate it.

That's not the case with leasing. Not only do you have the interest rate, called the money factor in leasing, you also have to worry about residual value. It does you no good to negotiate a super price and then let them beat you up on residual or money factor.

When it comes to a lease the old adage about 'never negotiate monthly payments' is not exactly the right thing to do. Do your homework and go to a place like leasecompare.com to get a pretty solid idea of what lease rates are available. That's basically what I initially did. I knew 'about' what I thought would be a fair price on the car. I punched those numbers into their website and got lease quotes for different terms (# of months) and different milages.

I then decided what I really wanted to do. I wanted 36 months and 15,000 miles per year. I then went into the dealer and negotiated the price of the car. I go them down to about $270 more than I thought was a good price. I then had them go and run the lease numbers. They came back with an outrageous amount. I then told them what my lease quotes were and simply said, "This is the number you need to hit. I don't care how you do it. You can play with the money factor, you can play with the residual or you can play with the price. I don't care, that's up to you."

And they went back in their little room for 15 minutes and came close. Close enough that it wasn't worth my time to use a 3rd party for the lease. But even though I had originally negotiated a pretty good price, I was going to get screwed if I didn't have the proper lease info also available to me.