LOL.... one last look here before retiring for the night has put a big smile on my face! HUMMER?? Can I use my GM Mastercard credits for this?? LOL... Did I say it wasn't 2 doors? I don't think so. It is 2 doors and is red with a light tan/beige interior. Had to get red again because of that wet-look ZAINO shine! Black would have been nice, but I don't want to be cleaning it every 5 minutes.
Only 2 or 3 more days and the mystery will be solved.
fastdriver
PS I am seeing more 300M's lately around here, but not as many as some of you claim to see everyday. I see several a week, but not everyday. Must be all those big discounts.
I bought my garnet M with agate interior last July. Temp. hits 90's here in the summer. I didn't have any problems with it being too hot. I think the A/C works great. Any car is going to get hot if it's sitting out in the sun. I was once in El Paso and got into a Delorean that had been sitting in the sun for hours; no roll-down windows (just small popouts) and it took a long time for the A/C to come on. I thought I was going to die!
Drove through the desert last summer in August in a 99 slate/agate 300 (not exactly desert colors).
Went through Utah, Nevada, Death Valley, Arizona, New Mexico. Hottest was about 125 on the overhead temp gauge (coldest was 35) and I the AC did its work to keep me comfortable.
The seats were definitely a tad warm when kept in the sun for a few minutes, but no more than I am accostomed to.
The engine temp gauge actually never got past mid-point, even in the extreme heat.
Living in L.A. gets pretty hot, and regular trips out to Palm Desert in mid-summer (where the hottest the overhead temp read was 121) A/C kept me cool and comfy. The 300M A/C is one of the finest AC systems I've had in an auto.
You gotta know fastdriver. He had an Infiniti J30, then a Buick Riviera, then a 300M. He likes cars with a certain style. He likes quality, after having had numerous problems with his 300M. Acura has great perceived quality. He liked his Riviera's style, ride, and power. CL Type S fits this pattern.
You know, Edmunds' review on the Echo is pretty amusing. I read it today with regard to another article mentioning the Echo (in a poor light at that)...
DC has a module designed for the 300M with factory installed security systems. It's called the ES II IT- {Interior Theft Sensor}. It covers glass, shock, towing and tampering, but no starter kill. $130.00.
I have been very happy with mine. The dealer installed it at no charge while my 300 was in for some body work that my insurance wouldn't have had to pay for if it had been installed then instead of being in the box in the trunk.
LOL.... Does it have dual exhausts?? It would be a good winter car.
easyrider300m-
Surely you jest! I most likely could have gotten a fantastic deal on a 2001 M with all the incentives and me being a repeat buyer, BUT...................once was enough for me! Sorry you didn't win the contest.
ruski-
Sorry, no GP GTP this time around.
To all-
I have to say that with some of your guesses, I would like you to read my palm! LOL.....
fastdriver
PS Should have an answer today as to when I get the car. I'll post from work as soon as I know. This was more fun then I thought it would be. Poor Christine sits in the garage all Zainoed up and slightly dirty from yesterday's snow. She'll be picture perfect even though she's going back to her maker soon. Say a prayer for whoever gets her next! ;-))
I also have the silver exterior, with the agate interior. I also have tinted windows. I live in South FL. Where it's above 80 75% of the time, & the sun is VERY bright. I feel no difference in heat buildup. I had 2 other cars down here, 1 red with a tan interior, 1 tan with a tan interior. The 300M gets just as hot inside as the other cars I have had. Other cars I have road in at work etc are the same too. The 300M does have this solor control glass that is supposed to cut down heat & the sun rays.
Again I live in south FL. My AC was off for a total of a month. Other then that it's always on. Been over a year. The AC works very well. I'm happy with it.
Upon talking to another DEI dealer, I have found out the module the Key would need to be in, has a bypass for the factory system. Meaning even if someone tried to start the car, it still would not work. The alarm has to be disarmed for the car to start. I also have talked to the dealer. It will not void the warranty, & if any little electricial bugs come up, the installer will take the system out, trouble shoot, & if they can not be resolved, will give me a refund. This is for the life of the car. Like I said this shop is a very good high end one that stands by there work.
For the people who do have aftermarket alarms installed, how does it efect the memory of the seats mirrors, etc?? I gues they would not be link to the remote.
The input from so many of you helped my husband and me make up our mind. Like rklass, it's going to be silver and taupe. The remark about dark slate showing the dust reminded us that our little dog often goes with us...even minpins with their short fur can throw some dander around. We're also getting the side air bags. Can't be too careful when you travel on I-95 quite often!
Grilled our salesman on getting the 1k national rebate plus the 2k northeast. He said no, only one. Did anybody else get different info? Our order's in but we'd sure raise cane if we missed out on an extra k. I guess we shouldn't complain. We also get the employee discount thanks to my brother. Total is about 5k off sticker.
fastdriver, thanks for the ongoing mystery thriller. It'll keep us looking in during the long 4 to 6 week wait until we receive our M (I'm sure that your experiences with your mystery car when it arrives will make for a good read, too!).
Rebates are usually additive. If a region doesn't think the national is enough to spur sales they may put an additional incentive on a car. However, $5k off MSRP is a great deal. It's about $3k under invoice, which means the dealer is only making his holdback (about $1,000) on the car. I'm puzzled though...my local dealer said the rebates wouldn't apply if I ordered the car (because it would arrive after the rebate period was over). I guess they were feeding me a hunk of it, huh?
2K Inferno Red. Have had the car since 5/00 and the A/C was great here in Memphis. Car was always comfortable with A/C set on 70 auto. Only time seats got hot from sitting was when I left the sun roof roof glass uncovered. Enjoy your new ride. Memphis300m
Had to put it on the front corner, nut many places to put it since my windows are all tinted and the side ones roll down. I may try to tint my car (on the logo) light cypress green to match the car. Thanks
I have done quite a bit to my 99 300M, to sound proof it better. Your 01 has most if not all the deadening I have added to mine. The front wheel well area is a major source on my 99 that I have found. I have not seen the actual improvements on the 01's but have test driven a few to compare the sound levels.
The 300M A/C is very effective. My only problem is that the car will get too cold and the automatic temperature control will not respond and bring it back to my 72 degree setting. Of course my 5* says it performs within acceptable limits...
I also have a 98 Intrepid ES with what I thought was the identical A/C system and it works perfectly!
I feel that my 300M unit is malfunctioning...I'm going to have a Dodge 0* look at it!
I just had a radical idea of maybe what fastdriver bought... Anyone thought of a prowler? What if? I think the only option on those things are the rear trailers.......... Or maybe something crazy like Ford SVT somthing....... Could be.... on a distant planet somewhere.
Drivem, Your dealer is correct you can only qualify for 1 rebate.
Another way to find a good deal, for any potential buyers, is look on the dash. In my state Virginia a car must be inspected once it arrives at the dealership. Dealerships receive an amount of money after they sell a car from the factory called a "Hold back". This money is the interest on the loan that the dealership paid for the car for 3 months. It's around 3%. The factory in essence is paying for that car to be on the lot for 3 months. After 3 months the dealerships begins having to pay the interest on the loan. If you are not picky about exterior colors you can use this to your advantage by finding the 300m on the lot that is over the 3 month period or about to pass 3 months. With the economy slowing dealers are less likely on waiting for a big offer on that 300m. If you explain that you are giving them a 3% profit and can explain how you came up with your offer clearly all they can say is yes or no. When I bought my car, which had 1 week left before it had been on the lot for 3 months, I made sure to explain to the salesmen why his dealership should sell the car to me on that day for my 3% over cost price. It took less than 90 minutes from the time I walked in to the time I left the dealership with my new car. I was able to get mine for $5410 under MSRP.
Our tastes are simple. We ordered just the standard M with the optional side bags I mentioned and the full sized spare. We know the moon roof is popular. No dealer in our area has one in stock w/o it, but they just aren't something we want this time around. Actually our dealer is probably making very good $ on our order. Both the incentive and the employee discount come from Chrysler, not them. And they say that no deals beyond employee discount and rebate can be made or they can lose their license. Sounds like nonsense, doesn't it? Anyhow, what you said about your dealer telling you that you couldn't factory order using a rebate worries me a little, because we had heard the same thing somewhere. We were assured that ordering before the discount expired guaranteed the price. We were required to put only $100. down. Not exactly a big deal binder for them if what he wrote up is not according to the rules...
You would need to carry both remotes, make sure you unlock with the aftermarket one first because your aftermarket alarm may not disarm when the OEM remote disarms the OEM alarm. I think this is how mine is set up. I don't use the OEM remote or seat memory (for two people), so I've never experimented with this. Maybe the seat won't adjust after the car is unlocked and the OEM alarm is unarmed, which would cause a problem with two alarms. My aftermarket alarm simulates locking/unlocking the driver's door from the outside with a key to control the OEM alarm.
That's fine I do not have the memory linked to the fob anyway just asking. What about the glide drivers seat. Will that still function when I put the key in the ignition, & then take it out again. Can I still use the memory buttons on the seat itself. Thanks
I am sure its the Acura CL as that has 2 doors, comes in red, and has only one available option--the nav system which I am sure fastdriver purchased. My brother has the TL and he loves it. very dependable but smaller than the M--
I believe I was the first to mention fastdrivers Acura CL. My dad has one. He bought it just after I bought my M (seems he got the itch from me, he turned in a '91 Acura Legend with 120,000 miles which I was sure I'd have to bury him in) It's a great LITTLE car (there's virtually no backseat room) but it does have the nav system which is just outrageous...how jealous am I??) Nice looking cars, although you can't tell if it's a CL or TL coming at you. Whatever it is fastdriver, use it in good health!
hold on a min. there are no winners yet!!! Fastdriver has not told us about his new car. If it is a CL then you will be the winner, but if it's a CL type S w/navigation, san marino red with parchment interior then i win :~) actually if rklass had read fastdriver's first post more carefully he would have been the first to say CL, but he said TL not CL and you said CL but not CL type S. the jurys still out, he could be throwing us a curve ball, never know...
I'm having a great time here with my new mystery car! Is this why we rose to the #1 spot? LOL... This is the most fun I've had here in ages. I can't believe some of the guesses. That red Viper is something, but YELLOW wheels?? I like the Lamborghini, but out of my price range! The Hummer is nice in red, but what in the world would I EVER do with that thing??
It's official- I will drive Christine to RI tomorrow and pick up the new car at 6 PM! It's going to look a little silly driving it back to CT with all that white plastic on it, but it has to be that way so that I don't get any paint chips on it before I get the Zaino on! Now it's supposed to rain through the weekend. Just my luck. The cold I could deal with and still do the Zaino, but rainy and damp in the 50's, won't do. It won't dry. The digital camera is ready, my CD's are ready and my checkbook is ready. Christine will stay at this new dealer until the Chrysler place down the street sets up an appointment with the inspector to check her out. I called the inspection company, but they told me that they could not look at her until next week. They said CT was a busy place. I said- what about RI. They said- just as busy! I told them that I was getting a new car on Wed. I think they could have made an exception since everything happened so quickly. I understand the inspection takes minutes! Once they see that Zaino shine, what more could they look for? ;-))
When I called the insurance company today, I told them to keep the insurance on Christine until Chrysler signs off on it because with my luck, it'll catch on fire or something while it's waiting for them to come and inspect it. I'm NOT taking ANY chances!
As soon as the plate goes on the car, some pics will be taken. If I don't get home too late, I'll post them somewhere. Haven't done that in a long time. BTW, the new car will have Lojack on it too! That was a last minute decision today while talking to the dealer. It was only $2.00 more a month! Insurance company will give me a $15.00 credit for having it. BIG DEAL! Even that I had to fight for! They originally told me that there was NO discount for Lojack in CT- the insurance capital of the world! After I got a little loud and told him how ridiculous that was, he put me on hold to supposedly check it out. When he came back on the phone he told me he had made a mistake and that there was a 15% discount off of the comprehensive coverage. He was the 2nd one at AIG(American International Group) that I had spoken to in 10 minutes. The first lady said that Lojack must be NEW!!!!!!! HOW do some poeple get their jobs when they have NO clue what they are talking about? Then again, with my "5-STAR" experiences, how could I even ASK such a dumb question.
That's it for now. The only prize I have for the winner(s) are those Motor Trend Car of the Year stickers!! How about an air freshener> ;-))
Tomorrow the mystery is solved! WHO will the survivors/winners be?
My 2000 is exactly the same color scheme. I just saw a 2001 just like it, although it still has the classic M look I didn't like the chrome trim around the windows I prefer the black. From what I understand the chrome trim is standard on the 01's The steel blue is a great color. It's not a pain to keep clean like black, and still looks tough!
I finally got around to testing my 2000 M for PHP. Since I got it as a demo without the Sticker I didn't know for sure. I had to take the dealers word for it. I had measured the front discs at the 11.7 PHP type, but still needed to verify the removal of the 118MPH limiter. I guess it was more of a challenge than an actual test. 130MPH!!!
Comments
Does it come in inferno red!
LOL.... one last look here before retiring for the night has put a big smile on my face! HUMMER?? Can I use my GM Mastercard credits for this?? LOL... Did I say it wasn't 2 doors? I don't think so. It is 2 doors and is red with a light tan/beige interior. Had to get red again because of that wet-look ZAINO shine! Black would have been nice, but I don't want to be cleaning it every 5 minutes.
Only 2 or 3 more days and the mystery will be solved.
fastdriver
PS I am seeing more 300M's lately around here, but not as many as some of you claim to see everyday. I see several a week, but not everyday. Must be all those big discounts.
Went through Utah, Nevada, Death Valley, Arizona, New Mexico. Hottest was about 125 on the overhead temp gauge (coldest was 35) and I the AC did its work to keep me comfortable.
The seats were definitely a tad warm when kept in the sun for a few minutes, but no more than I am accostomed to.
The engine temp gauge actually never got past mid-point, even in the extreme heat.
-m
'Cons: Cartoonish styling, dopey gauge placement, lousy handling, deceptively low base pricing.'
and the tagline... 'Ssssh! Hear that Echo? That's empty Toyota showrooms.'
I just found it quite amusing
-m
Race
I have been very happy with mine. The dealer installed it at no charge while my 300 was in for some body work that my insurance wouldn't have had to pay for if it had been installed then instead of being in the box in the trunk.
Good old parking lots.
LOL.... Does it have dual exhausts?? It would be a good winter car.
easyrider300m-
Surely you jest! I most likely could have gotten a fantastic deal on a 2001 M with all the incentives and me being a repeat buyer, BUT...................once was enough for me! Sorry you didn't win the contest.
ruski-
Sorry, no GP GTP this time around.
To all-
I have to say that with some of your guesses, I would like you to read my palm! LOL.....
fastdriver
PS Should have an answer today as to when I get the car. I'll post from work as soon as I know. This was more fun then I thought it would be. Poor Christine sits in the garage all Zainoed up and slightly dirty from yesterday's snow. She'll be picture perfect even though she's going back to her maker soon. Say a prayer for whoever gets her next! ;-))
Lynn
NOPE! ;-))
fastdriver
Grilled our salesman on getting the 1k national rebate plus the 2k northeast. He said no, only one. Did anybody else get different info? Our order's in but we'd sure raise cane if we missed out on an extra k. I guess we shouldn't complain. We also get the employee discount thanks to my brother. Total is about 5k off sticker.
fastdriver, thanks for the ongoing mystery thriller. It'll keep us looking in during the long 4 to 6 week wait until we receive our M (I'm sure that your experiences with your mystery car when it arrives will make for a good read, too!).
How did you get your car equipped?
Enjoy your new ride.
Memphis300m
Thanks
I also have a 98 Intrepid ES with what I thought was the identical A/C system and it works perfectly!
I feel that my 300M unit is malfunctioning...I'm going to have a Dodge 0* look at it!
Could be.... on a distant planet somewhere.
Another way to find a good deal, for any potential buyers, is look on the dash. In my state Virginia a car must be inspected once it arrives at the dealership. Dealerships receive an amount of money after they sell a car from the factory called a "Hold back". This money is the interest on the loan that the dealership paid for the car for 3 months. It's around 3%. The factory in essence is paying for that car to be on the lot for 3 months. After 3 months the dealerships begins having to pay the interest on the loan. If you are not picky about exterior colors you can use this to your advantage by finding the 300m on the lot that is over the 3 month period or about to pass 3 months. With the economy slowing dealers are less likely on waiting for a big offer on that 300m. If you explain that you are giving them a 3% profit and can explain how you came up with your offer clearly all they can say is yes or no. When I bought my car, which had 1 week left before it had been on the lot for 3 months, I made sure to explain to the salesmen why his dealership should sell the car to me on that day for my 3% over cost price. It took less than 90 minutes from the time I walked in to the time I left the dealership with my new car. I was able to get mine for $5410 under MSRP.
Thanks
all that for only $70k--options, we dont need no stinkin options when you can do 0-60 in 4.6 seconds!
Fastdriver: enjoy your new Acura CL!
today i saw a ford explorer jump into the trunk of a infinity G20, literally, the drivers side tire was up in the trunk...not a pretty site.
Race
P.S. What do I win?
Race
It's official- I will drive Christine to RI tomorrow and pick up the new car at 6 PM! It's going to look a little silly driving it back to CT with all that white plastic on it, but it has to be that way so that I don't get any paint chips on it before I get the Zaino on! Now it's supposed to rain through the weekend. Just my luck. The cold I could deal with and still do the Zaino, but rainy and damp in the 50's, won't do. It won't dry. The digital camera is ready, my CD's are ready and my checkbook is ready. Christine will stay at this new dealer until the Chrysler place down the street sets up an appointment with the inspector to check her out. I called the inspection company, but they told me that they could not look at her until next week. They said CT was a busy place. I said- what about RI. They said- just as busy! I told them that I was getting a new car on Wed. I think they could have made an exception since everything happened so quickly. I understand the inspection takes minutes! Once they see that Zaino shine, what more could they look for? ;-))
When I called the insurance company today, I told them to keep the insurance on Christine until Chrysler signs off on it because with my luck, it'll catch on fire or something while it's waiting for them to come and inspect it. I'm NOT taking ANY chances!
As soon as the plate goes on the car, some pics will be taken. If I don't get home too late, I'll post them somewhere. Haven't done that in a long time. BTW, the new car will have Lojack on it too! That was a last minute decision today while talking to the dealer. It was only $2.00 more a month! Insurance company will give me a $15.00 credit for having it. BIG DEAL! Even that I had to fight for! They originally told me that there was NO discount for Lojack in CT- the insurance capital of the world! After I got a little loud and told him how ridiculous that was, he put me on hold to supposedly check it out. When he came back on the phone he told me he had made a mistake and that there was a 15% discount off of the comprehensive coverage. He was the 2nd one at AIG(American International Group) that I had spoken to in 10 minutes. The first lady said that Lojack must be NEW!!!!!!! HOW do some poeple get their jobs when they have NO clue what they are talking about? Then again, with my "5-STAR" experiences, how could I even ASK such a dumb question.
That's it for now. The only prize I have for the winner(s) are those Motor Trend Car of the Year stickers!! How about an air freshener> ;-))
Tomorrow the mystery is solved! WHO will the survivors/winners be?
fastdriver
http://a332.g.akamai.net/7/332/936/0001/www.edmunds.com/pictures/81903.jpg
Acura SUV
01 300M, Blue/Taupe
I just saw a 2001 just like it, although it still has the classic M look I didn't like the chrome trim around the windows I prefer the black. From what I understand the chrome trim is standard on the 01's
The steel blue is a great color. It's not a pain to keep clean like black, and still looks tough!
Since I got it as a demo without the Sticker I didn't know for sure. I had to take the dealers word for it. I had measured the front discs at the 11.7 PHP type, but still needed to verify the removal of the 118MPH limiter.
I guess it was more of a challenge than an actual test.
130MPH!!!
A little scary, but fun!
B