Picking out my ILX tomorrow. Dealer negotiations mostly complete... May be able to get floor mats or something thrown in. Which accessories can u normally get built into you offer pice? Also, are there any must have accessories or avoidance lee accessories?

Going for crimson garnet

 

Thinking all season package, trunk spoiler, and splash guards

 

I'd bargain in the splash guards, trunk tray, all season floor mats, for sure. Also some touch up paint! but do it before you do the deal! PS Assuming you did not buy the Hybrid, I don't like the spoiler they offer as an add on to the standard ILX. Some of us have added the hybrid spoiler which is trimmed in chrome and much smaller, more in balance with the cars size. Good luck and report back how you did.

 

I bargained mats, trunk tray, splash guards, and tinting...congrats on the purchase. Crimson is a nice color choice!

 

Depends on how much you got yours for... I was suppose to pay 38k but ended up paying 34k in cash... Couldn't get any accessories as a result.

 

That's a good point. I got my car for so little that I couldn't get any bargaining done.

 

I'm sure a couple of mats and some plastic splash guards will not put a hole in any dealership's pockets! Drive a hard bargain. No salesman will lose out on a sale over these minor accessories. Try to get the LED door sills while your at it!

Heck you might even quote Mr. Mendel Acura VP himself about the potential new ILX reboot to gain some negotiating power if you're buying the 2.0L!

 

Actually, I take what I said back, my car came equipped with splash guards and wheel locks and I got the same price for that as I did from another dealer on a car without those options.

 

No offense, but this is the second time you brought up paying for your car with cash... I'm not sure how it works in Canada but the old thinking of getting a better deal with cash is not true anymore in the States.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122454035573451787.html

"Dealers may be willing to give low prices to customers who are getting loans through their in-house finance companies. This is because they can offer finance terms that increase the dealer's profit by a wider margin than would be possible by simply raising the transaction price. Indeed, numbers from Power Information Network show that the transaction price is lower with financed purchases. Often buyers pay more attention to the transaction price than how much they will pay during the life of a loan. This presents an opportunity for profit that is lost when customers pay cash."

OK you have money, we get it, move on...

 

I will say this.. since online retailers can give you 25-35% discounts on the accessories there is absolutely no reason that, while selling you the car, the dealer shouldn't give you 25% off with the product installed. That's the MINIMUM I'd ask for. They wanna sell the car with add-ons. It looks good on the sells/finance guy when there are included accessories/packages.. Due to increased profits and they're ranked on these types of things.. which inherit bonuses.

Beat the dealer 'til they give you what you want. I didn't go for accessorries but ended up getting my car way under MSRP.. this tells me they will work with you.

 

Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it.

I ended up holding off on the deal for now, since I got wind of the 2.4 automatic rumor. Ultimately, I am excited at the possibility of a bigger engine, since this is the only thing that really held me back when I first heard about the release. As a financial services professional, I've put a lot of research and thought into this transaction.


I definitely think the ILX is marketed towards a demographic that fits me quite nicely. I definitely agree with what was said about getting a better deal with financing.

I think my best chances of landing a deal would be putting a subsantial down payment down and financing the remainder. Ideally, I would love to negotiate the car to dealer invoice and get some accessories thrown in, but maybe that's asking too much.

How about we transition this thread into a negotiations thread? What techniques did you use to get your deal? What kind of deals did you get? Would you be willing to spend an extra 2 hours at the dealership to negotiate an extra $1000 off?

On a side note, the white does color looks ballin' too.

 

Dealers have different ways of making money when they sell you a new car.

1. Trade Value
2. Vehicle Price
3. Financing

I recommend that you go to see what kind of financing offers are available at your bank, or credit union. Secure a pre-approval rate and financing amount.

Work out the financial figures for your payment on your own, based on the interest rate, payment down, and amount financed.

Use the website http://truecar.com to get actual sales prices for cars in your area.

Determine everything that you want exactly, and do not budge based on dealer inventory availability. The beauty of the TrueCar site is that dealers will provide you with their "best offers" off the bat.

Tell the dealer that you're not interested in wasting time, and would like car ABC with features XYZ for $XX,XXX. Say that you would like to buy a car from them, are ready to buy immediately, and that if they can't work within the spectrum you provided, you'll just travel to another dealer in the area who will. (IE: I bought my car in Columbia, SC and told them I would go to Charlotte, NC (90 miles) to buy the car at the TrueCar guaranteed quote rate).

After they have confirmed that they will sell you car ABC with features XYZ for $XX,XXX then go talk to the finance folks at the dealer. See what kind of rate they offer, if the rate is ridiculous or if they jerk you around, pull out your preapproval letter and tell them you've secured your own financing. Then provide your down payment.

Do not accept less than the KBB value for a trade if you have one.

Do not negotiate the financing of the vehicle with the salesman. IE: He will try to ask what you are looking to pay per month, etc. They will work with numbers and jerk your interest rate and trade-in value around to fit within that monthly payment.

At anytime you feel like they are jerking you around, tell them you feel that way and will walk out on the deal and go to another dealership if they don't play fair.

Remember, they have to sell cars, you don't have to buy one.

That's my advice.

 

Very good advice DD. At this point, I have enough saved up to make a substantial down payment, and perhaps by the time the 2.4 automatic comes out, make the entire payment in cash. I feel like this puts a lot of power in my hands, as I'm not desperate for a new car, rather I want the car.

I currently drive a 1998 Honda Accord EX with 125,000 miles, KBB value approximately $3,750. Overall in good shape, a few cigarette burns, but I'm willing to discount that in the trade in value. I have a client willing to buy the car off of me for $4,500 when I am ready to sell, so I may not even trade the vehicle in.

As I have never personally negotiated something like a car, I'm a little apprehensive on the process. Ideally, I would like to secure the car at dealer invoice with an accessory or two thrown into the deal (mats, tire flaps, trunk tray, etc.).

I think my best bet would be to offer $10-$15k down and finance the remainder. Dealer's profit margin would be limited to the holdback and any hidden manufacturer rebates.

Are dealerships typically willing to negotiate this low?

Thanks again all, this forum is very helpful and way more responsive than I anticipated.

 

You will most likely be able to get the car for invoice with some accessories thrown in. I have read that buyers are "crazy" to buy a car above invoice. For all of my advice, I'm probably not the best negotiator. I followed the process described above for the ILX 2.0 with Tech which invoices at $30,738 for $31,000 with no added accessories.

I would also recommend looking at your financing options regardless of the amount of cash that you have on hand. I had the money on hand to buy the car outright myself; but you should always consider the interest rate that you will get on the loan, and the opportunity cost of coming off of your savings to buy a depreciating asset like a car.

IE: If you qualify for a super low promotional APR like 0.9% even if you could buy a $30,000 car outright, you would come out better putting your $30,000 into an interest bearing medium and have your payments drafted directly from that account, which would be left with a surplus at the end of the loan.

But who am I preaching to? You're the financial services professional!

 

I bargained for trunk tray, all season mats, front and rear splash guards. Got them thrown in for free after negotiating to invoice price.