ELIN

I don't think corporate Acura would be happy with Hunt Valley not following the intent of the demo.

At least they're not charging ADM. Success!

F23A4

Agreed. My dealer indicated that it had to be made available for demos OR their next Type S orders would be curtailed.

fiatlux

At least they're letting people sit in it. One of the dealerships here won't even let people open the door.

ELIN

Think from the buyer's point of view. If I've got a deposit on the showroom car, I wouldn't want people in it all day either!

fiatlux

That's the price you pay for buying a demo model.

ELIN

Come to think of it, the dealer has all the leverage. If the buyer won't allow the dealer to show the car, they can always find another buyer.
The dealership not allowing the car to be driven is already a violation of company policy so might as well show the car to increase sales.

Acura might have just killed their Type S branding among enthusiasts so withholding future Type S allocations may eventually become an empty threat.

Edward'TLS

Does Acura head office require the demo Type-S to be driven ? Or just require the demo unit inside the showroom so customers can touch and see ?

ELIN

Demo units are meant to be seen and driven. Not supposed to sell the demo unit for some time.

Shadow2056

Demos are just that. Models to be driven. I've had customers come in talking about they want a discount on the demo. No. It's the demo. You choosing the demo means you understand there are miles on it and it's been driven. Don't want miles or anyone driving it? Don't ask for the demo.

Edward'TLS

In normal days, demo units are meant to be seen and driven. There is no objection.

But desperate times call for desperate measures.

Is is a desperate time now regarding the TLX Type-S, with chip shortage, Acura deliberately limiting the Type-S production rate, no dealership inventory, buyers with deposits are waiting ?

I think it is quite desperate.

ELIN

Seems like the dealerships are agreeing with you and completely ignoring the corporate threat. We'll see how good Acura's memory is once things are back to "normal."

sonyfever

Fresh from BMW UDE event, I feel Acura could stop making those cheesy ADs, and instead host a Type-S tour when MDX Type-S hits the market. Just let people explore the capability of Type-S in an autocross environment, acceleration will become an instant non issue, handling should also be fine because of the lower speed of autocross. Besides, what does not work on TLX-S might all be forgiven on the MDX-S simply due to the latter being a SUV. To counter ADM nonsense, just let people order online and pay MSRP, win-win for everyone.

fiatlux

Were you at the Cow Palace today too?

Edward'TLS

Even though I don't agree with this dealership "no test drive for demos" arrangement, they have every reason to do so especially that they are running a business to reap maximum profits.

loki

Local dealer by me who happens to be the smallest Acura dealership in a long radius has 3 Type S sitting on the lot (one is inside the showroom). They are literally the smallest dealer around. That doesn't say anything good. That's way too many for such a "hot" car at such a small store.

jhb31

There are 7 total on the lots at the Acura dealers closest to me so pretty good selection. On the other side the Audi dealer near me doesn't have one S5 on the lot and has two listed as on the way from the factory coming soon, the next Audi dealer has 1 on the lot (all sportbacks, not a single coupe at either place). So relatively speaking it's easier where I am to source a type S. I suspect with this supply Audi is not discounting much off msrp.

loki

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It says a lot about demand. It dissipated quickly. First few hundred were taken by hardcore fans and people who fell for marketing gimmicks and now the market leveled itself. Didn't help that news is out it's slower than literally every single car it wanted to compete against.

BEAR-AvHistory

Once the "Gotta Have Its" are used up we will get a more realistic demand for the car. True of any new car introduction. Think the slow production will hurt them. They got a good surge off the Laguna Seca, "journalist demo" but now the real life head to head runs are creating an unpleasant reality from what was pure hype.

Watching the"journalists" out for a Sunday drive with the kids at Laguna Seca tripped my warning meter about the cars actual capability. If they really wanted to show the car they would nave brought in the Pros from Dover to drive.

Honda430

I think you guys are drawing the wrong conclusion. Most likely those cars are available because the dealers are trying to squeeze $5k or more AMD into the sale. That’s the situation we have here in SoCal. As another BM posted, in today’s market they should be able to sell every S they build without offering incentives.

leomio2.0

To be fair, it doesn't seem that out of place to ask for a discount on the demo. Same goes for electronics ... they're usually discounted as opposed to a brand new, "in-the-box" example. Why would I pay the same for a car with single-digit miles, with only the transport people being in and out of it, as opposed to the demo that has had numerous people with questionable hygiene in and out of it, thrashing on the car, etc. If they demanded you give them a discount, yes, they can go f- themselves, but I don't think it's obnoxious to simply inquire if the demo will be discounted.

I dunno, maybe that's why I could never be a salesman ... my sales manager would probably scream at me as to why none of my sales sell for sticker and everyone seems to negotiate free all-weather mats.

mike03a3

That may be true on the left coast, but here my dealer (supposedly the largest Acura dealer) has three on the lot (including the demo) and another in route. On launch day the GM told me he had all his 2001 allocations sold plus two more on the waitlist. A month or so later he said he had three cancelled orders and expected more because some couldn't get the color they wanted. I could have one if i wanted at MSRP. Other dealers in the area also have some on the lot. Money certainly is no obstacle, I live in the home of the two wealthiest counties in the US and the roads are filled with luxury cars.
I have noticed in recent years that there seem to be fewer Acura sedans, drowned in a sea of Lexus, Audi, BMW sedans. The Mercedes seem to be fewer sedans, but sedans in general are being overwhelmed by luxury SUVs.

someguy11

Amen. Just a floor model would be hard enough for me to buy, knowing that dozens or hundred of people sat in there, grabbed and touched stuff and poked around. I've seen parents let kids treat floor models like jungle gyms. But the fact that it's been driven - "thrashed" like you appropriately said - right off the truck without a single mile of break in - to me is worth thousands off if not a complete dealbreaker personally. If not all, at least some of these people are probably flogging these cars to or beyond their limits. I mean, I probably would if I knew I wasn't going to buy that specific car. If I were a salesguy, I would deter anyone from buying floor or demo models.

BEAR-AvHistory

Actually a fair question would have be not if there is a demo discount, but how much is the demo discount. This is not a Ferrari where people will pay anything for right now to get one off the floor.

dmski

Would never touch a demo. Even if they gave you some discount. If you apply it over your term it barely makes any difference. You are paying for a brand new car but receiving used goods.

loki

Every dealer I talked to back in May and June said they already have deposits for 5-6 Type S that come in yet all those dealers have 3-4 sitting on their lots in mid-August.

jhb31

Yeah, it seems odd that looking around there are more type S on the dealers lots than S5's and probably M340's are as scarce as well. If you did a search just on available inventory you wouldn't guess that the type S is the one dealers are asking over sticker for out of the three.

F23A4

Agreed! Definitely doesn’t seem to be a shortage of them on the lots in my area.

SGPMan

What area are you in? I am having a hard time finding a Type S in my area and I desperately want one! I'm in the DFW area.. truck country but no Type S to buy.

Nexx

our store already has four on the road and three more presold... out of the initial eleven we got allocated we only have four unspoken for. we have yet to have one hit the lot and not be sold. im pretty sure all the other DFW dealerships are in the same boat.

Edward'TLS

Some dealerships have customers waiting in line for their Type-S arrival, while other dealerships have Type-S inventories sitting in their lots.

I suspect this may be a color-choice issue. Few buyers are willing to pay for a $53K car that is not their choice of color combination.

leomio2.0

It's good to see that the rumors that dealers were only getting a handful (ie: limited) allocations was false. Looks like Acura is looking to churn out as many as possible while the market is ripe for this car. It will also help with aftermarket support if more of these are being sold and tuning companies see profitability in offering tunes and parts.

Nexx

the dealerships who arent selling are the ones who are being stubborn about the market adjustment. limited in its initial allocation and a good portion of it is due to the chip shortage. completely agree with your assessment.

leomio2.0

It's weird that you guys got 11 so far. The 6 dealerships by me, only two dealers have more than one (not counting the demo) and according to Acura's website, most of them are still technically "in transit". Especially with Long Island seemingly being an Acura hotspot (I see multiple 2G TLXs and 4G MDXs daily), I would have expected there to be more. Unless they were pre-sold even before transit? I would assume cars going to a waiting buyer wouldn't technically ever show up on a dealer's inventory?

Nexx

We havent received all 11 yet, we just got 11 allocated so we are still waiting on a few to get built.

4G-Lover

In my area (Seattle) currently there are only two TLX Type S, identical color and MSRP...one has a $5k ADM, the other.....drumroll......$11K ADM......laughing hard.....

csmeance

And wait a few months and we will see prices crater. Folks who were buying the OG 07/08 TL-S were able to get 34K + fees with MSRP of around 38K 6 months after release. When it debuted there weren't such adm fees like TLX-S but still sold near sticker. With the TLX-S being barely faster than the TLX dealers are going to be hurting with the TLX-S.

Honda430

Too many knock the car for what it isn’t and don’t give it enough credit for what it is. From a sales standpoint just think of it as a 6 cylinder TLX-2 Aspec. That alone will justify taking the upgrade to a lot of folks. Remember that the TL Type S was just a slightly more powerful six than that in the base. There was no real need to purchase a TL Type S from the engine’s standpoint. That’s not the situation we have now.

While I’m in agreement TLX Type S prices will come down to earth after the dealers stop trying to speculate on the vehicle I’m doubtful that they’ll crater.

4G-Lover

Consider that the Acura dealership asking for $11K above MSRP is literally next door to BMW, Audi and Genesis dealers......talking about being clueless....

pyrodan007

Depends what down to earth means to dealerships. If that means MSRP, it's still not enough when others are still offering discounts on low inventory volume.

Honda430

Their business plan appears to be building 10k cars annually. The price will eventually stabilize in relation to demand. Just like the competitors prices reflect the demand for their vehicles. I don’t keep track of these things, but I feel confident saying that Audi wasn’t shaving 4% off the S4 price two months after the introduction.