2013 and earlier-Acura TL Prices Paid and Buying Experience

frqwntbyr

I got 4.64% for 72 months on an MDX a month ago (Acura used Onyx; I'm not sure if Honda offers same). Another post said they got 4% x 72 at their credit union. Anything better than 4.64 would be a good deal.

fredvh

Why did you sell your 2003 TL-S? Is a new 2003 TL a good buy now? I understand that there are a few new ones left. I would be interested in a non-nav, non Type S? Any opinions?

dulnev

Yes, if you can find a new non-type-S 2003 TL, it will be an awesome deal, but it's really not any better (and in some respects worse) than 2004 Accord.

The 2004 TL is a whole new ball game!

jogm

I don't believe there are any left? Leased one (non-s, non nav) in October for $320/mo w/ $2,000 out of pocket for 36 months. Capitalized Cost was $25,600, including rear spoiler, a $900 option. A good deal and the car is as good of a value as you'll ever find (IMO).

...but I agree, after driving the '04, it is on another level. I have only 1,000 miles on my '03 and I'm already looking to get into an '04.

dulnev

Yep, exactly the mistake I made! When I was buying my 2003 TL-S in January of 2003, I already knew that 2004 TL was going to be great. But I also knew that it was going to be at least $3,000 -$4,000 more than the 03 TL-S. I thought that was too much price difference. Boy, was I wrong; I just never expected Acura to produce a "TL" that was not at all like any previous TL, more like what the RL should be. I just couldn't resist it. I waited just long enough to get an Ok discount (roughly $1,500 off MSRP on NAVI version).

geobert03

The insights and experiences posted in these discussion groups has been informative, so for what its worth I’ll share my own purchase story. My first recent posting reported that I wasn’t getting any dealer responses through the Edmunds “Get Dealer Quotes” process. I’m not sure why. Subsequently I sent separate Emails to several dealers in our greater metro area specifying the 2004 non-nav-auto TL/color combination that I wanted to buy. The first responses from just a two or three of the dealers said they would be in touch in the future and/or to call them to discuss a purchase. But after a couple of days I got a specific reasonably attractive bid from a dealer and then other dealers started to call. Within hours (really, with little prompting from me), the offered price had dropped to just $445 (including dealer processing fee) over invoice and standard shipping charge (or $2695 under MSRP + dealer fee). The result was a satisfactory buy and delivery, although I’m afraid a couple of dealers were irritated because I accepted their offer only to have to inform them a few minutes later that another dealer had just volunteered a better offer. Who knows what a hard-nosed bargainer could have accomplished. This outcome is probably attributable not to me, but to the time of the month/year, the fact that our TL is an auto-non nav, and that there are a number of dealers in the greater metro area. But it does point up the way information from resources such as Edmunds, plus contacts through the Internet, can inform a successful shopping effort that doesn’t involve traveling from dealer to dealer. By the way – no surprise - we really like our TL.

dulnev

You, sir, did exceptionally well! This is the best price on non-NAVI that I have heard of yet. Great job and congratulations!

achadha

location?

narnia

I just bought an '04 TL automatic w/Navi in Anthracite Metallic/Ebony. The car is awesome! I loved the way it handled, and the interior is just beautiful. The features are endless, and I can't imagine what a car costing more would have to offer that the TL doesn't already come with.

I think I got a very good deal on it, $33,075 + destination. I bought it at Paragon Acura in Long Island City and it was a very pleasant transaction. I had gotten a price quote from them on the internet first. I got a decent trade-in on my Accord, and the nice part of doing both transactions there is that I can save on some sales tax by deducting my trade-in price from the sale price. The salesman was very low-key and didn't try to push anything on me. He had a thorough knowledge of the car and went over all the features.

I have to wait a month for delivery and this is going to be a very long wait. I want to drive it NOW!!!

geobert03

Washington, DC metro area. Dealer purchased from: Radley

achadha

good I am looking for a 6speed tl with navigation which might be hard to find in the DC area. i found one at the radley web site but it has been there for over 2 weeks not sure how often they update the inventory online. with an msrp of 35,150 i was hoping to get a deal of 34k out the door taxes tags and all. The color combinations are terrible. I wanted either the blue or white and neither comes with the ebony interior so i might have to go for anthracite or black exteriors

dulnev

Don't hold your breath! Why do you think I bought my NAVI TL in New Jersey? It's sure not for the enjoyable drive or clean air. I've talked to and put deposits with two DC area dealers: Radley and Pohanka. The best I could get out of them, even with the threat of going to NJ, was a measly $500 off on NAVI TL!

The deal that geobert03 got on his non-NAVI car was great, but it is in no way indicative of how well you can do on NAVI version with Radley. Every dealer in DC area seems to be flooded with non-navi TLs and are trying to get rid of them, because the demand for navigation is so high, and because it's the end of the year.

achadha

how much did you pay for your navigation tl in nj? i got emails saying the TL is hot and their is a wait list to get them from 1 week to 6 weeks. I looked at the website they have about 52 at pohanka and 32 at radley. Pohanka had 12 navigation ones...I really don't need the navigation but it is a cool toy to have i think. they offered me 1k off msrp for a non navigation one through their internet sales rep...NAV OR NOT?

tracsman

Here's the deal, I ordered a 2004 TL (Auto-Navi) from Bellevue Acura in Washington state. They asked for a non-refundable $1000 deposit to order the car for me. I did, they ordered. Now the car is here. I went in today to finalize on options and final price. At the ordering time, I agreed to pay MSRP ($35,195). I went in wanting a little over $2000 in options and another $700 in options added for no cost (ie a break on the overall price). Salesman said, "look these are hot cars, we don't need to discount anything". So I moved on to my trade in, if I could get enough, I figure what the heck. I figure it's worth about $2500 (Edmunds TMV) if I sold it myself, but would be happy if Acura gave me $1500 ($1800 from Kelly trade in value) for it. They tallied up their figure, told me "the car is only worth $25, but we'll give you $750 for it." I got all offended and walked out, saying I'd contact them in the morning. The trade is a 95 Ford Probe GT with 92k miles and some damage to the rear quarter panel, some dents there. Ugly but doesn't affect the car performance, so they would need to replace the quarter panel but otherwise the car is in good shape (great engine . Plus I'm pretty sure Acura isn't going to do a damn thing to my trade except pass it off to a wholesaler.

Given the they have my $1000 non-refundable deposit (If the car is so hot, why do they need a $1000 deposit?), I'm at a lose what to do. Do I just eat the "offer" they're selling or is there anything I can use for leverage or at least get something from the dealer?

I am trying to push this deal to the end of the month to see if there is any leverage on my side into threatening to push the deal into the next Month/Year.

Any advice out there?

saugatak

dude, you never put down a deposit on a car until ALL of the details have been finalized. Otherwise you're giving the car salesman a hammer to nail you with.

Also, when putting money down, never sign their form contract. You have to specify that if certain things don't happen or prices are changed, you have the right to cancel your order and get your deposit back.

I think you should get your car and sell your car on your own and learn from this experience.

dulnev

Are you SURE the deposit is non-refundable? In other words, did you SIGN a contract that states that it's non-refundable? Cause if you didn't, it's fully refundable. All the deposits I ever made did not involve ANY paperwork other than the credit card signature slips. These deposits are fully refundable.

As far as your trade, it's worth nothing. If the KBB trade in is $1,800 and there is a damage requiring panel replacement, the car is worth ZERO!

dulnev

You gotta go back and read the last 5-6 pages in this thread, it will be a worthy reading. You should NOT accept less than $2,000 off MSRP on non-NAVI TLs at DC area dealerships.

On NAVI, you either accept $500-600 off at DC dealership, or you go to NJ for $1,500-$2,000 off. I got $1,500 off and so did all the people that I refered there, but the first person who posted about Montclaire Acura got $2,000 off (it was probably a one-time deal). Good luck.

carguy58

Its not nessacarily with 0. I got 500 dollars for my trade back in 1998 with a damaged car(the front end was mangled.) The book said the car was worth 2700 dollars. The dealer probably if the car was probably in good shape would have probably given me 1500-1700 dollars for it.

dulnev

You misread what I wrote. I was not making a generic statement, but a very specific one. Here's the breakdown:

1. KBB trade-in value is $1,800. What this means is that you're likely to get around $1,200-1,500 from the dealer.

2. There is a damage to the car that requires replacement of the rear quarter panel. Such repairs cost $1,000-$3,000 depending on the car. Dealer would have to make this repair; unlike in a private transaction, reputable dealer will never try to sell a car with significant visible damage.

Hence the value of that PARTICULAR trade-in is big zero.

carguy58

I understand now. Basically the reapair of the damage of the 95 Probe will offset the Trade-In Value. I understand you weren't making a generic statement but I was making the point I got value out of my damaged car. Not very much but I got something for it.

marquis2

As dulnev says, if you didn't sign anything that said the deposit was non-refundable, then you have every right to ask for it back. Althogh, I suspect as soon as you start making these noises as asking for the deposit back because they are reneiging on the original deal, that they'll back off and sell you the car. But do you want to be doing business with these guys to begin with after being treated like that?

raher

I purchased a new TL with NAV at Acura of Seattle on 12/12 (Bellevue, where Tracsman has his problem is a suburb of Seattle). I paid full MSRP. They may be discounting TL's with NAV in other areas of the country but not in Washington state. I went to the other three Acura dealers in the greater Seattle area ( including
Bellevue ) and the same story applied everywhere...if you want a new TL with NAV, you order as there are very few if any on the lots and most coming in have been pre ordered. Bellevue quoted me a one month wait with a $1000 deposit for the color I wanted. Seattle Acura had one coming in two days so I bought there. I purchased my previous 2000 TL from Bellevue and had a hassle with the used car guy also. I traded an immaculate Legend and he wanted to low ball me. This time I was trading an immaculate 2000 TL with NAV which I bought from them and they still wanted to low ball me. I told them to take a hike and went to Seattle Acura. The 2000 TL I traded is on their lot as an ACURA Certified Used Car and they didn't have to touch it. Unfortunately it is a case of supply and demand here. If you want a new TL with NAV now, you will have to pay MSRP.
Now about getting your deposit back. Unless the Uniform Commercial Code has been changed, the consumer has 72 hours to back out of any retail agreement with no stipulations. It doesn't matter what you signed. Threaten them with legal action and see what happens. They could not have "ordered" your car as they get an allocation from Acura and the car is coming whether you "order" it or not. The salesman has a list of the cars and basically puts your name down against the car that is already on order. Their $1000 deposit only "guarantees" that they won't sell it out from under you.
Your used car is the problem in this deal and since it is obvious that it was a condition of the agreement to purchase then you never had a deal since you never agreed to the trade value.
Don't fool around with these morons anymore. Get your money back and go elsewhere. I am guessing you will have a problem trading a damaged vehicle on a TL with NAV as they are in demand due to the short supply. That's economics 101 and the dealer has leverage right now. Three or for months from now the story will change.
I love the car by the way.

dfwdriver

Please comment whether this is a reasonable deal for 04 TL, 36 months lease, 15k miles, auto, non-navi rate 57% residual, $2000 down and inception, $500 monthly payment. Thanks in advance.

mobofe

First off, you should definitely visit the Lease forum where the host Car_man will get you the right leasing numbers for a truly informed decision.
To avoid repeating everything the lease forum will teach you, lez just say that, in addition to the residual value, you'll need 2 other pieces of info (capitalized cost (the price you would have paid if you bought the car, as well as the money factor (the interest you'll be paying the bank to lease the car). Since you didn't provide either, I will assume this:

1. $31,100 capitalized value. (the price I bought my car - about $850 over invoice which is not that spectacular these days.)
2. moneyfactor of .00215 (should have be honda finance's rate in Nov.) (which translates to about a 5.16% interest rate - nothing smashing at all either).

Given these assumptions (and not taking into account your downpayment which should lower the monthly payments further), you should be paying no more than about $425/month on a non Nav TL. of course, if there's sales tax in your state, multiply this amount 1.xx to get the more accurate figure (e.g. 8% tax on $425 is about $34).

A $500 monthly payment (excluding tax), means that the dealer is basically charging you MSRP for the vehicle (which imho, is one big screwjob when the non navs can be had for a few hundred bucks above invoice - unless you live in the cornfields or hawaii, that is).

The bottomline is, you should negotiate the price, then subsequently start talking about hte lease terms.

d

p.s. that $2000 'downpayment' may include Tax/title/licence, $550 acquisition fee (standard honda lease fee), security deposit equal to 1st month (i.e. $500) + a few miscellaneous stuff, leaving you less than a grand that actually reduces your capitalized cost

geobert03

I concur with Mobofe. You should conclude an acquisition based first on the actual sales price of the car before you get gulled into the lease monthly cost. The car you plan to buy should sell for no more than $31,000 (including the delivery cost), if you have done careful shopping. I got mine last week for less (see earlier posting). In addition, consider that the $2,000 down and inception should be broken into two parts - the "points" that you pay for lease origination and the vehicicle's capital cost reduction. Assuming $1,000 for each, you can divide the $1K cap reduction by 36 to get approximately $28 a month more that you really are paying (even putting aside the effect of present value considerations). My lease involved no cap reduction and a 2 percent origination fee (rolled into the monthly lease), with the bottom line a $461 payment for 36 months versus your prospective $528 or, really, $556 when you also factor in the separately paid origination fee.

pat

dfwdriver - try asking in this discussion if you need further input: Lease Questions - Ask Here

Good luck.

s852

If the car is super-hot, why do they need an non-refundable deposit? The deposit is supposed to be to guarantee that the car is not sold to someone else when it arrives on the lot before you get a chance to buy it first.
If you don't go through with the purchase, they should be able to refund the deposit and have other buyers ready to take your place immediately.
It would be different if they were "special ordering" a bizarre combination of options and colors that would be difficult to sell to anyone else and were taking a risk that they would get stuck with the vehicle.

almora

I negotiated a deal for 2004 TL non-nav for $30,555 (including destination charges and documentation fee) in Dallas, TX. No accessories included. This puts it at $255 over invoice. Did I do ok?

saugatak

you kicked *!@# butt. did you get a 6MT or 5AT?

dfwdriver

Could you tell me the dfw dealer you have negotiated the price? Thanks.

mrtech

Almora - That is a good deal. I got mine for $30,900 (including dest) but it included the protection package which is about $375.

tlshoppersocal

Just bought a 04 TL anthracite, non navi, ebony, high performance tires at Keyes Acura in Van Nuys, CA. Paid $31,615 including destination, without wheel locks, splash guards. Got deal by emailing all the dealerships with in a 60 miles radius. Worked with David Mills. The car is awsome! Good luck. Feel free to email with ?s.

almora

5AT.

almora

David McDavid Acura.

achadha

got it for 31,395 plus taxes tags etc...so about 2k off the base price...They were selling tl's like hotcakes i was there for 4 hours and they had sold 7 off the lot...i guess end of the year...thanks very happy with the purchase great drive

jamesw7

I lived in North Carolina and test drove the TL yesterday and like it. I used to own two Accords and now own a MDX, RAV4 and 323i. Both dealers in the area have plenty of inventory in the lots, automatic or manual. You can pick the color you want. I want to test drive other cars before I go back to negotiate the TL (with Nav.) and suspect I can knock down $2K or so. Any suggestions?

kennyg5

Does anyone know whether the Nav in the TL is exactly the same (size, spec and other features) as the Nav in the RL, MDX or Accord?

grri03

JamesW7 and others - I found this discussion helpful so will pass on my information. First the deal I just made:

TL Auto-Non-Navi: 31,255
Destination: 545
Wing Spoiler, Window Tint, and Wheel locks: 600
Trade ('96 Pontiac Sunfire, 85K miles): 2175
Sales Tax: 2448
License Fee: 564
Doc Fee: 249
Tire fee: 5
Out the door: $33,491

What I did: Checked inventories at my 3 local dealers on the web. Went to the closest from home and told them to look at this discussion for the type of deal I wanted. He looked up the site, went through some and made an offer. Took about 2 hours to grind down a ways and then walked out. Drove to the other two dealers and showed them the offer. First said they couldn't match or beat it, the second did. Went back and forth with the final two dealerships by phone until one said they couldn't go any lower. I really don't think it helped to buy on 12/31 as best I could tell (contrary to what I thought going into all of this) so you should be able to do similar or better. Good luck! Great car!

marquis2

Just got mine today:

Anthracite/Ebony/AT/NAV (incl trunk tray and floor mats): $33995
Underbody spoiler(s), deck lid, body side moldings, moon roof visor: $2167
Trade: (94 Grand Cherokee) $2250
Doc Fee: $20

Also bought the extended warranty (7yr/100k mi). They orginally asked soemthing like $1700 for it, but I showed them an online price of $1125 from curry acura and they matched it.

This forum was invaluable in helping me negotiate what I thought was an excellent deal on a awesome car. Thanks everyone!

Gotta go back to reading the manuals now and drooling over the car.... :-)

mattlana

I just got home from picking up my new SSM/Ebony/Auto/Navi TL (VIN#199xx) and I have this big grin on my face. The car had 5 miles on it at delivery and was sitting there all shiney and waiting for me. The ride was quiet, smooth and rattle free. I played the demo DVD-A disc and the sound system is simply incredible. I am going out to purchase a few more DVD-A discs later. I am a very happy camper!

I purchased at Bridgewater Acura (Bridgewater, NJ) and it was the easiest and most hassle free automobile purchase I have ever done. Everyone there was extremely courteous and professional and I never felt any kind of pressure. On the day I purchased (Nov. 29), there was a non-navi model on the lot that I could have gotten for $1630 off MSRP. I decided to treat myself to the navigation even though it would have to be ordered. In spite of the the navi's being in such demand, I still got $1250 off MSRP with wheel locks, trunk tray, splash guards, and first oil change thrown in. If anyone wants more dealer info, just email me as I am not sure if I can post more info here. Darn, I still have this grin!

Today was a nice way to end a year. I want to wish everybody a very Happy New Year and please let's all party safely!

dulnev

"I played the demo DVD-A disc and the sound system is simply incredible. I am going out to purchase a few more DVD-A discs later."

The choices are extremelly limited and prices are high. Out of about 30-40 DVD-A or DTS disks at the local BestBuy, I really wanted just one. It was Eagles live Hell Freezes Over, but it was $22. I passed. I don't pay more than $8 for any CD.

buyb4endof03

Just purchased a 2004 TL from Alhambra, CA:

Silver ext/Ebony int
Auto-Non-Navi (include floor mat/wheel lock/trunk tray AND destination): 30,950
Doc Fee: 45
Sales Tax: 2402
License Fee: 247
Tire fee: 5
Out the door: $33,650

What I did: Find a list of all dealers in Southern California and arrange in increasing distance from home. Start calling dealer from nearest to farthest and get quotes. Start with cardirect.com price and start having dealers beat it. Make sure at least one dealer faxes their offer in hard copy to your home. Then grab that and start visiting the 3 or 4 dealers with the lowest offers on phone, and see if anyone is willing to beat the others' prices. Eventually I found a price that no one is wiling to beat, and bought from that dealer. Started with calling 10 dealers and visited only two dealers. I've done enough research online that by the time I get to the dealer I only needed to make sure that I like the ext/int colors.

jamesw7

grri03..Wing Spoiler, Window Tint, and Wheel locks: 600

What is the Wing Spoiler? Is this the spoiler located above the truck? At any rate, thanks for your info and others and guess you are a happy camper now. Happy New Year.

evanh1

Thanks to many for the useful comments. It seems that in New Jersey, one can get a TL with Navi for about $1500 off MSRP. That would be great by me. Here in California, there are NO TLs with NAV on lots. You have to put a (refundable) deposit down, wait at least 2 months and take whatever color they may have or not. They are saying to me that MSRP is the price. I will fly to New Jersey if I can pick one up - visit family on the way back! Any further assistance/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

dulnev

1. You're wrong about California prices. On the other TL board (can't name it here because of Edmunds rules)people in South California routinely report getting $1,000 - $2,000 off MSRP on NAVI cars. You just have to try harder and expand your search area. Call dealers with specific offer instead of asking them how much they want.

2. The actual waiting times for a SPECIFIC color are not as long as you might've been lead to believe. Because cars come in and people who have deposits down sometimes refuse to pay, cars come up for immediate or short-term availability all the time. That's because many people have refundable deposits with more than one dealership.

3. Even if the best you can do in CA is $500 off MSRP (you can get that from ANY dealer) and the best you can do in NJ is $2,000 off MSRP, it's probably not worth your while to come to NJ. Driving the car accross the US will cost you roughly a $1,000 in depreciation. Your airline ticket is going to be at least $300 and you're going to loose about a week of time doing this. It's as much hassle as European Delivery programs of Volvo and BMW, but you save many thousands on those.

carshopper3220

Has anyone gotten a decent deal on a '04 TL non-navi in Florida?

mdhauke

Where in NC are the dealers that your talking about. I will be looking to purchase a 04TL next month when I get back to the states and will be looking in the Fayetteville / Raleigh Durham area. Is that where you are talking about?

marquis2

Non-NAV TLs have been getting decent discounts (1500-2000 off MSRP) for a while now. I don't think it's region dependent.

The longer you wait, the better the deals will get, but also the supply will be diminished, making the color combo you want possibly harder to find. But since non-nav TLs predominate what is being built, that probably won't be an issue for you.

Just picked up my nav tl yesterday....loving it!

Good luck.

achadha

why did you purchase the nav tl? are you really going to use it? or just a new toy just wondering why so many folks are getting navigation voice commands are cool how long before you get bored. thanks

purnams

Since there is quite a bit of difference on prices depending on location, may I suggest a simple template to get the basic info

Date bought:
Location/Area:
Dealer Name:
Price (before any taxes):
Options:
Color Combo:
Notes:

??