SFzip

Just got back from an Acura dealer in the San Francisco Bay Area.

They have 6 automatics coming in October, and one with navi. The navi car will be Gray/Camel. These cars will be released on October 22nd--absolutely NO earlier.

Now here's the deal. They don't know what the MSRP is yet, but whatever it will be, there's a 4K dealer markup.

Before I dropped by Acura, I was at a BMW dealer checking out the 2004 530i. Sweet car! $44.5K base w/no markup.

I know the '04 TL is a pretty hot car, but I don't think it's worth the extra premium. What price are you folks willing to pay for an October release?

Sparky

MSRP and no more. I'll bet your Acura dealer changes his tune pretty soon. Autospies says the demand for the new 5-series is pretty high, and you say the SF BMW dealer is not charging a premium over MSRP.

SFzip

Just got off the phone with the BMW dealer I was at earlier. There IS a 2K markup on the 2004 530i, even thought the sticker doesn't say so.

lsbuffs

What a joke...there are many dealers that have a policy of not charging over MSRP. (Beaudry Acura in Tucson is one that I've bought from). If your local dealer won't let go for MSRP, call around and find one that will and enjoy a short road trip back home in your new car.
This isn't the first time I've heard of outrageous premiums from Bay Area-dealerships. I recall the same when the MDX was new.

Ken1997TL

I worked at a Honda dealership in southern Oregon, we the sales reps, were told to sell the S2000 for 38K and no less, it was ridiculous, but it happened a lot too. I once squeaked by selling one for 34K, drove my sales manager nuts. Remember this car sold for 32K about 2 years ago. Why so high? Dealerships in Cali were selling it for 40K or more.

neuronbob

I'm willing to pay MSRP and no more. If there's a markup, I'm walking and waiting until everyones' ardor cools down.

EmuMessenger

I am willing to pay MSRP -$500, no more. When the '99 TL came out, I bought mine with navi for MSRP -$750.

RM44341

Patience patience. There is too much competiion in this market segment to pay a premium for a car. Let the initial hype die down before committing. Only a low production rate or hand made exotic can maintain high premiums. Dealer markups make money only for the dealer, not Acura. If this turns out to be a hot car, then Acura will meet the demand and prices will stabilize.

Remember that for everyone who thinks that the TL is a great value for a performance sedan there is someone else who will conclude that the V6 Accord can give you almost the same car for much less money.

nking23

I wish I would pay some dealer markup. Thats just down right crazy.

oracion

4K is crazy. You'd be better off getting a BMW.

UnkieMotorhead

I've spoken with two SFArea dealers in the last few days. One said "MSRP", the other didn't say. One said "you get to choose from what shows up"...the other said "tell us what you want and we'll set it up to get it for you"....for whatever that all means. They both said "manual trans later this year."

nking23

When I put my deposit down they said MSRP. Can they try and put that 4K markup into that. How does that all work.

kad153

Personally. I think it is all a lot of reverse phsycology. They say the car will be sold for a price over msrp, and then when it comes out and they sell it for msrp, everyone is happy they are getting it for so cheap, and nobody thinks about the fact that msrp is thousands over invoice, which is typically still a bunch over dealer cost, which you would be able to get the car for if you waited a few months.

Happy people will tend to haggle less, complain less, and honda gets what they want.

just my 2 cents...

vandy786

This is all some big Bull$hit. When I got my 2002 TLS in May 2001 (Type S launched in March 2001), I faced a lot of arrogant and stubborn dealers. To get yourself a deal, you must be willing to drive, sometimes 300 miles or more. I scoured over prices for a month and in the end made a 7 hour drive and bought my TLS non-navi for $30,000 out the door. That price was almost $2000 lower than my next best deal. I am in the market again for a car and I am quite confident that I will be driving a 2004 TL in January 2004 if I buy a car at all. And I am also confident that I will not pay anything more than $1000 below MSRP, if not better like $500 - $1000 over invoice. Pit dealers against each other if you have to. Also, remember that a distant dealer may give you a better price to obtain your business because you are an unexpected customer (coming from an area served by another Acura dealership).

davew

Yes, I had a Bay Area dealer try to gauge me on an MDX -- I told them I was going to Modesto or Fresno-- a few weeks later, they called me to inform me that they had my MDX at MSRP...They they tried to mark up and force accessories...again I walked, and again they flinched...don't let these greedy dealers call the shots!

Maxim

Prices are going to stabilize. With that dumb dealer trying to sell for 4K over MSRP. Some people will buy, sure. You are better off just waiting for a few months till prices stabilize to MSRP. They did the same thing with the MDX. Deals can now be had on the admittedly limited quantity TSX. Soon as supply catches up with demand, they'll stop charging more than MSRP. I, for one, am waiting until I can negotiate up from the invoice.

fast-tl

Any guesses as to when the initial frenzy will die down? I plan to trade my '00 TL-P Navi for an '04 TL Navi for my birthday in February, but not if prices are still at MSRP or below. I plan to lease this time, so I'm not sure how prices are affected.

first99TL

Dealers vary widely in price and tactics. 3 different dealers that I have been to in the Bay Area do business as follows:

Dealer 1 - Sells the car at MSRP, but as soon as a car comes in the door, they load it up with every available option (wood trim, steering wheel, fender flares, undercoating, sealants, wheels, extended warranty, etc.) The result is a car that will cost you 8K over MSRP and you get a lot of options whether you want them or not.

Dealer 2 - Posts an additional dealer markup right on the window. You start negotiating at their inflated price. They only get so many cars, so if you want one, you'll pay.

Dealer 3 - Never adds additional markup or adds unwanted options. They sell every car that they can get at or under MSRP. They maintain low overhead, and take care of their customers. You might have to wait a while to get the car, but you will be happy you did.

My money will go to dealer #3

acura_driver

The SF Bay Area has several Acura dealers, some better, and some worse. Call around and find one that is reasonable. And if you are serious about the 04TL, putting down a deposit now to lock in MSRP is probably a good thing. All indications are that the 04TL will be a hit, so it will likely be in short supply for a while.

-r

Maxim

Let's see....The TSX came out in the spring, but the dealers would not budge from MSRP. Now there are a sprinkling here and there that are allowing you to bargain. So, I'd say within the next 4-6 months if you can afford to wait that long. If Acura is shooting for BMW price-wise, then good luck. Like Oracion suggests, better wait for the Bimmer. Those buyers know that the Acura is a better car than the 5-series, but they still buy the Bimmer anyways. So if the TL is too high, then they most probably lose some repeat buyers. I don't know if that is good or bad.

Sundance CL-S

In the fall of 1999 I was this close>< to buying an S2000. At that time they were averaging about $5000 over MSRP. I was willing, at first, to pay the additional cost since I appreciated the value and I was extremely excited about the car. However, at my wife’s request, I slept on it for a weekend and decided how foolish it would be for me to pay more than MSRP. I thought about all the cars in the $38K-$43K price range and compared the S2000 to them. I also thought about insurance replacement. I could drive it of the lot and immediately total it. What would Nationwide give me?

So I waited and later purchased a 2001 CL-S. Nothing against the S2000, but I made the right choice. Now you can find new S2000’s at every dealer in my area and pay MSRP (or less) with no additional accessories. You can also find first year S2000’s on ebay for less than $20K.

The point I’m trying to make is that as long as people are willing to pay more dealers will take their money. If you don’t have to purchase a car now, just wait a couple of months until the initial rush ends and you’ll get the deal you want. Sure you won’t be the first in town to have one but you’ll have more money in your pocket. However, if you think the TL is a good value at $2k over MSRP and you’re willing to pay it, then go ahead.

Oh, there is a waiting list in Memphis for one but Acura of Memphis will not charge more than MSRP.

Fencesitter

On the "Temple of VTEC" site there is a growing network of Acura Dealers who have all agreed to sell the TL at MSRP. Check out http://www.vtec.net/dealers/campaign...aign_id=136639

However, also on the site there is some type of a "credible" preview of the MSRP (w/o navi) at $33.6K including destination charge. I was hoping it would be less. Here's that link: http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=150768

EmuMessenger

Glad people are going to sell at MSRP, but I will not pay MSRP and expect some type of discount on day one or within the first two months.

nking23

If you expect to pay less than MSRP day one then I think you're gonna be in for a real surprise.

EmuMessenger

Perhaps, but I bought my 99 TL-Navi at MSRP - $750, so my expectations are similar.

SFzip

Yes...Dealer #3 has my money.

Went to an Acura dealer 40 miles south of San Francisco and placed a deposit on a black/black, auto, navi at MSRP. I can take delivery at the end of October.

End-of-October is their 2nd allocation of '04 TLs; the 1st allocation is spoken for (all but one) and will be available as early as next week! So regarding the October 22nd--1st delivery date--I had originally posted, it's no longer true. This dealer has a white/parchment, auto, navi available for sale next week!

davew

Ditto -- as I indicated w/my MDX experience -- #3 gets my money.

vandy786

I don't think so. If you are LUCKY AND CAN NEGOTIATE WELL, you will probably pay significantly less than MSRP. As I said earlier, I got my TLS for a bit above invoice (right off the truck) in May 2001 and the TLS was launched in March 2001. If you pay MSRP or above, you've been had.

EmuMessenger

Some of us will pay MSRP and I believe those of us with more patience will pay less.

Airdog

I agree. I will not pay MSRP either.
If you can wait a few months, you will be able to find dealers who will sell them for less than MSRP. I know of one in the North East that said $1000 under MSRP come spring.

NJTypeS

Anyone who pays over MSRP is just plain foolish. The price will definately come down. The only way i could ever justify paying over MSRP would be for a rare high end car you can't get anywhere else. The new TL is nice but not worth more than MSRP

prelude

Illegal to markup in Canada.

Raheel

if you were smart and put a deposit down, than you pay msrp

Sundance CL-S

I spoke to my dealer today (9-29-03). They have some '04 TL's arriving this week. He said nothing about when they will begin selling them. But he did say they have 15 allocated for October but only 4 deposits. It looks as though I won't have to wait 4 months like I did on my wife's MDX.

SFzip

Since you didn't place a deposit, you might be able to negotiate down from MSRP. Let us know the outcome of your purchase.

EmuMessenger

Only four deposits means you should be able to get a discount from the start.

Which model are you planning to get?

neuronbob

I'm amazed that a dealer would admit such a thing. That's virtually an invitation to deal down from MSRP! You must have worked for the dealership in the past, or have a hooked up buddy...

1SICKLEX

That is nuts. Especially with average re-sale value at best. And enough with the better than 5 series crap.

Raheel

I think you just posting that, lowered the MSRP and re-sale value for the car

Oswald Vater

When I bought my 2k TL in April of that year, I found the best price by sending e-mails to every dealer within a 50 mile radius. I bought from the dealer who gave me the best price and I will do the same thing this time. My current lease expires in July '04.You will always find someone who is willing to make a little money instead of none. It will be great to hear how all TL buyers make out with their purchase experiences. Hopefully when I'm ready the hoopla will have died down and TLs can be had for a song.