I took the plunge tonight and bought a new TL. Here are some quick thoughts on my choice along with the pricing I paid.

I did extensive research (thanks forum members!) for 3 months before making a purchase decision. I looked at:

-G35: Not bad. Peppy power but light on interior class.
-Volvo S60: Didn't thrill me IMHO. Nice exterior styling though.
-BMW 32x: Fun to drive but serious quality concerns after warranty runs out.
-VW Passat: Just wanted to see the new gen model. Dealer and quality concerns.
-Mercedes C230 (or higher): Also did not thrill me. Nice on inside but plain exterior.
-Lexus ES330: Kind of plain for the money... big money.
-Jaguar (any one): Was the wife's choice. She kills me.

I also talked to my insurance company, the service department at 2 Acura dealers, and I hung out at one dealer for an afternoon just watching the action. It's amazing what you can learn by simply watching.

Why the TL? For the needs of our family, quite simply it fit the bill perfectly. It has the right balance of power and zip (not too much though to get me in trouble), styling (excellent exterior lines), interior quality, features for the money, and Honda reliability/dealer network/quality. I also love the packaging of options.

I've read lots of other posts over which car is better than the other. My view is that it's a personal choice and we are all different with varied needs. There is no perfect car... just like there is no perfect ice cream flavor. Some like chocolate, some like vanilla. For us... the TL is the hands down winner.


Details on the car (since I am a newbie I don't know yet all of the acronyms that everyone uses):

-06 Acura TL, auto, navi, protection pkg (mudflaps, wheel locks, trunk tray).
-Anthracite/Ebony.
-For good measure, I also negotiated in a tube of touch-up paint, an Acura hat, and an Acura shirt.


Now the good stuff... the price. As everyone knows, today was the "end" of the Acura financing. All of the dealers here in northern California were wheeling/dealing to make their numbers. My car was:

Car price as equipped above: $32,700
Adding dealer fees, TTL, CA sales tax, etc..., OTD price was 35,5xx.
No trade in/other games.
4.9% financing.


All in all, I am very happy with the purchase experience. The dealership that I went to was excellent. And thanks to all of you to help me be a very informed buyer. I now feel like part of the Acurazine family...


Steve

 

Sweeeet!! Man! I should have negotiated for those too!!


Congrats and welcome!!

 

personal taste, it's a really good car.....
welcome join our team..........

 

Congrats, and you bring up a very good point for anyone buying a new car.....go buy it at the end of the month and you'll always find salespeople, sales managers, and dealers willing to make you a great deal to make their numbers due to it being the end of the month.

 

Nice job. Good research, good deal. Textbook car buy. And, you bought an awesome car. I've had mine for 7 months w/no problems (knock on wood). Be sure to get a Bluetooth phone. That feature is incredible!

 

Welcome aboard. Did you get it locally or out of the area? If locally - was it the southside dealership or the one on the other end? Just curious.

 

Great Job! I should have thought about the touch up paint, hat and t-shirt. Smooth Brother, smooth!

 

Sounds like you made a well thought out and informed purchase!

Welcome and enjoy!

 

Congrats!!! Nice color combo, too!

I thought my dealer was nice by throwing in a stainless steel Acura coffee mug (which does fit perfectly in the cup holder) - but, you have me beat with the hat and t-shirt (which would have gotten more use out of since my Starbucks jumbo thermos has priority - LOL).

Again - congrats and enjoy your new ride!

 

Having had a Jaguar in the past, I do like them a lot.
They are somewhat like German cars, good paint and leather, maybe electrical problems over time.

The X type is too small for a family car, the 3.0 with a manual trans is fun for one.

The S type is very nice, but they dropped the manual trans in 2004 I think, best with the 3.0 and the manual, the car needs more sound proofing.

The XJ8 is VERY nice, and very expensive, sucks gas, but a used one, say 2 or 3 years old would be a great buy, they drop in value a lot, keep the same style for a long time, and can be a great car for someone who orders parts on line and does their own work.

We like our TL, if I was to look for a new car today, I would likely get a TL, unless I found a used S type manual in the colors I would want (rare).

I would write off all the German cars, to many problems on all brands...
The volvo's are expensive for what you get, and are not rated as very reliable.
We do like the S80, but they have weird engines, and no turbos for us.

The wife would lean twards a ford 500 of all things, with the low power crappy duratech V6...200hp, noisy and harsh....hardly a fun car to drive...

Brett

 

Nice buy...A month ago, I got navi, same colors, and mats, etc for about 100 bucks more than you + TTL.

I didnt get anything free though...I may have to call up there and inquire.

 

Thanks to everyone for their feedback. I bought the car at Niello in Sacramento. Great people to work with. See Mike Birkett. He's one of those rare sales guys that enjoys cars and people, and leaves all the high-pressure nonsense to others.

Some other tips for everyone:

+ Do your homework! Know as much as you can about the car especially the financial side. I got educated on invoice, dealer holdback, trunk money, etc...

+ Yes buy a car at the end of the month or end of the calendar quarter. That is the best time to buy. Just be ready to move fast and know what you want.

+ Spend some time in the parts department. Look at the goodies they sell, accessories available, etc... Those trinkets mean a lot to passionate car owners but they cost retail+ if you buy them outright after the purchase.

+ Visit the dealership during the weekdays when the car detailers are working. Wander over to them and shoot the wind. They love talking to people too and will share all kinds of tips etc...

+ Do all of your negotiation over the Internet. It's the only way to engage multiple dealerships on your schedule, not theirs.

+ Negotiate for everything at one time. If there's something that you want, don't buy it from the Finance manager. They are great people, but those products are highly overpriced. Negotiate up front for wax/interior protection, extended warranty, lo-jack, etc...

+ Have a short list of small-potatoes items that you keep in your hip pocket. At the very end of the negotiation, ask that they throw them in to seal the deal. FOr example, shirts/paint/etc.. from the parts department. Another one I did was a few free oil changes, etc...


+ In the end, if you are happy with your deal then that's good enough. Don't get into the game of comparing what you got with what everyone else. Sure I got a good price but I know that there are others that got a better price. The stress of worrying over a few hundred bucks on a 35k+ purchase doesn't make sense. Be happy and enjoy it. If you did your homework, you are better than 98% of the rest of America.


So there you go!

Enjoy,
Steve