2013 and earlier-Acura TL Prices Paid and Buying Experience

ihaberman

With all the help on these boards, I finally put a deposit down on an '04 TL (Anthracite/Ebony/NAV) a few weeks back. Delivery is expected any day on the following terms:

Car: $34,000
Accessories: Winter mats, mud guards, trunk tray, wheel locks INCLUDED (no charge)
Processing & Handling: $52.57
Tax (8.25%): 2,809
License Fee: $143
Total: $37,004

I'm very excited and would be happy to share information about the dealer/salesperson upon request. A very positive experience completed mostly over the Internet...then went in to meet the guy and ask the service dept questions about tires, seat memory, and other topics mentioned throughout these boards.

orange_peel

ihaberman:

Who was dealer/salesperson in Chicago? I'm ready to jump in - your deal sounds reasonable.

pat

Heh, interesting member name - hope you don't have that problem with the vehicle you purchase.

gbriank

was it an auto or 6speed? As for delivery, I bet yours was made in the same batch as mine. Build cycle date 1/9 and was delivered to my dealer yesterday. You should be receiving yours soon (might be longer due to longer waits at the rail heads in Chicago). Not much rail traffic here in Dallas.

Well, congrats! Maybe i'll see ya while visiting the family up there!

bodble2

ie. in the last month or so? Just wondering if the selling prices are coming down or not. I just dropped by my dealer to check on the incoming allocation, and the salesperson said even for a cash deal/no trade, they are only discounting $500 - 600 for auto/Nav, and maybe a couple of hundred more if it's no Nav.

Any recent buyer who can verify or dispute this?

BTW, they are letting me take a demo overnight next week.

Also, BTW, they said Acura is now offering $4K rebate on remaining CL, CL-S, auto or 6-speed!!!

panther11

In the Chicago area, what price have you been quoted or paid for a TL with / and without Navi?

Need a point to work from or toward.

Thanks

danny1878

I bought it at $31k non nav/ auto including destination charge but that was in jan 05 '04. My advice is try a dealer with more stock available and find an area which has more dealership, the competition might help abit for consumer. With navigation dealing may be a little bit harder since usualy there are fewer car with nav.

ryanl1

Who is your preferred dealer in Lotusland?What's your experience with the other dealers? I've bought my last 2 cars through brokers as I find it less antagonistic ... or usually with a new model car there will be little incentive for the dealer to move much on the price especially so early in the year.
Would like to here how your test drive went.Do you know if the dealer has an option to upgrade the oem tires?

bodble2

My preferred dealer is Burrard Acura. I bought my CL-S from them, and a few Hondas from Vancouver Honda which is under the same ownership. I figure there is an advantage as a return customer so I'm going to give them all the chance in the world to do a deal before I will go elsewhere. So far they've been pretty straight up with me. And they claim that overnight test drives are only extended to return customers.

I bought my CL-S also about 4 months after intro date and even then I got about $2200 discount. So when they said the typical discount for the TL/Nav is only about $500, I was mildly surprised.

ihaberman

OrangePeel, GBrianK, and Panther11:

My TL was an '04, Auto, w/NAV, anthracite/ebony.

My $34K price (including the accessories) was signed off on by Acura of Libertyville. Salesperson was Steve Hoffman. Very positive experience thus far. Please know however...one of the reasons I got the price I did was b/c I bought two at the same time. A friend of mine wanted the same exact car so we used each other as leverage. Called MANY dealerships in the area. This one was the best price AND best experience. Delivery of the first is expected any day...the second during the first week of Feb. Tell the salesperson I sent you...he'll remember the one who bought 2 cars from him

lubdhak

Any one has any experience with buying a '04 TL w Nav in Boston area?

I am trying to find out what percent of the MSRP would be appropriate!!

Thanks

ryanl1

I bought my first car from Burrard Acura 15 years ago.What I remember most was they were the only dealer who let me take the Integra for a test drive without the salesman coming along...so I took it to UBC.I got about 10-12% off list back then.The service dept. was just ok.Do you think the service dept. is better now i.e. any shuttle or loaner cars?I haven't been to any other Acura dealers.
How long ago did you buy your CL-S?It's important because I think Honda/Toyota dealers won't budge much if they know the car is in demand.My wife bought a 2002 CRV through the broker after it was out for 4 months,about $900 off (basically no freight/pdi).We wanted to give Richmond Honda a chance where she bought her 98 civic but they offered only $150 to 200 off.Same story at Regency and Pacific Honda dealers.
This is why I think Honda secretly wants to copy Toyota with their fixed pricing.

bodble2

I would rate the service department at Burrard Acura as very good, right from the receptionist to the service advisors and to the mechanics. Loaners are a little more tricky. You have to book loaners well in advance and make sure you're not late, or else they'd give it to someone else. But otherwise, they've got a guy standing by to shuttle you to your office in an Odyssey. The few problems that I have had with the CL they've fixed, so no complaints there.

I bought my CL in August, 2000, about 5 months after it came out. I think I paid $37,750, so I'm a little surprised the discount on the higher volume TL looks like will be less. I don't like Richmond Honda, or Carter Honda for sales, but no complaints about the service department of either -- both good to very good.

If you buy another Honda, go to Vancouver Honda and ask for Lily Lam and tell her Raymond sent you. She will be straight-up with you. She won't jerk you around with the price. But you are right that nowadays there are not a whole lot of negotiation room with Hondas unless there is a factory rebate. I think for the Canadian market, Honda has had to keep MSRP in check (what they called value-pricing), but result is smaller discounts. I guess it all comes out in the wash. If the Canadian $ stays high, then maybe this may change, but who know?

nyshappy

heyy anyone here have any experiences in dealing with Rallye Acura here in Long Island, NY ?
Curious to see what they are looking to get for the TL with Nav...
thanks

ryanl1

I've never gone to Vancouver Honda.When we told the salesman at Richmond Honda he wasn't even close to our price he said "are you buying it from Vancouver Honda?You have to be careful with them because they say they have a car in stock but then screw you later" Even as we got up to walk away he kept saying "I really,really want to help you" I felt I wasted my time there,but I also felt sorry for him because he seemed like he was trained at Future Shop or something.
Thanks for the advice about Vancouver Honda.We take our servicing to Regency Honda and no complaints so far except when there was a recall on the ignition they charged us $50 because we had an after market audible alarm installed (Don't manufacturers think it's important to have an audible alarm for the doors/windows/trunk/hood etc?)They have a shuttle and try to wash the car.
Let me know how the test drive goes.I guess your not worried about the oem tires since we only have snow for 1 to 2 weeks a year?

almora

blechbah:

looks like David McDavid is not under pressure now to discount the car too much. I bought mine(2004 TL non-nav, black/ebony) for $2700 off MSRP from then in December end. The buying experience was excellent.

jp3000

I have read most of these posts here and I feel like this stuff is make-believe, he he. No, I don't doubt the deals that people are getting on this car but for the life of me, I am finding it close to impossible to even get the car let alone anything off MSRP. I have checked the Acura dealers in four states (MN,IA,WI,CO) and no one has any TL's with auto/Nav in stock (as expected). But in addition, only one could even get me one before March. Then, they have all but laughed at me when we discussed pricing. No, I'm not an idiot first-time buyer who is unaware of the game either. Invariably, I am getting the response that they are selling auto/nav's at MSRP and will continue to regardless if I buy one or not. They aren't ever being rude about it but I realize that its all about supply & demand at this time. I've never bought a car yet where I haven't paid something at least close to invoice cost but that looks like it'll change. I may just go ahead and buy one at MSRP (as crazy as that sounds). And to justify it to myself, I'll keep reciting the dealer's rhetoric to myself, "Its a tremendous value even at MSRP!"

dulnev

Well, it's not just dealer rhetoric, it's a factual statement. Even if I couldn't get anything off MSRP, I'd still buy the car. You're located in the middle of the country where Acura dealerships are far in between and allocations of cars are skimpy.

People are getting up to $1,500 off MSRP in areas where there is a lot of Acura dealerships, and where some of the highest volume dealerships are located. I can get to over 30 dealerships, if I'm willing to drive 250 miles, which is what I did to get my deal.

I bought from #2 highest volume dealership in the country. At the time I bought my car (Dec 12), they had 3 NAVI cars on the lot in addition to my car. I know for a fact that the availability at that dealership is worse now, but I believe they're still offering the cars at the same price.

kyfdx

For what its worth, I've never been able to get a good deal on a car that wasn't on the dealer's lot, or that he could at least trade for and have in the next day. I just convince myself that I don't need a car that they don't have sitting there. I think I pay a lot less for my cars than others do on average. (Don't we all). Why do they make less on me? Because they are making a lot more on others that have to have a specific car. That doesn't make for a very strong bargaining position. It's debateable if navigation is worth $2000 more, but I'm pretty sure its not worth $3500-4000 more. But, if you HAVE to have it, well..there you go.

regards,
kyfdx

n2muzic

Looking to buy in So Cal. Willing to go to either San Diego or LA. Has anyone gotten any good deals on a TL w/Nav? Are people having to put a deposit and wait? Have been to one dealer in Temecula and they act like they're doing me a favor just talking to me. Any recommendations? Also what is insurance running everyone for this car?

Thanks!!!

sirdarby

A buddy of mine got a great deal at Pye (may not be correct spelling)
Acura in Knoxville, TN. Said he paid $31K with Nav. I said, W/Nav. White and tan int.

He also said there is a high performance version with a slightly different grill and beefed up engine, coming out in a few months.

Anybody know bout this?

boneyardjelly

sirdarby, the car you've heard of is called the A-SPEC. It premiered at the LA Auto Show last month and was reviewed by Ed Hellwig of Edmunds. The article number is 100915 and includes lots of photos. Maybe the HOST can post a link to the article. My local dealer (Sacramento) said that their shop is doing some of the A-SPEC modifications (which will carry the original warranty with the rest of the car) but it's expensive.

n2muzic, I am also looking for a good deal in California. I'm in NorCal and nobody wants to deal up front, but they all claim they'll beat any deal you show them. It's just hard to get someone to commit to a price in writing. I got a quote from Tustin Acura via email but it's on a non-Nav. If you find a good seller in SoCal who's willing to negotiate by email, please let me know. Good Luck.

dulnev

"Said he paid $31K with Nav."

That's impossible as that would be a $1,000 UNDER INVOICE!

uno5744

I just got an email quote from Bob Howard Acura in OK City for 34,100. It was for a Silver with Quartz interior, 6 spd manual/NAV TL with no fees. That should be a point to start with for anyhbody looking.....

aciampi

I looked at two dealers in Massachusetts, one on route 9 in Framingham, and the other on route 12 in Auburn. At both places I spoke with the business manager figuring it is best to speek with the top guys. I would not recomend Framingham, he wouldn't give me anything off MSRP and said that "we can work something out on accesories." And still he wouldn't quote me anything with the accesories I wanted. And then he wouldn't give me a quote on what I wanted to trade. He wanted me to put a $1000 deposit to order what I wanted and then when it came in we would negotiate a price. In Auburn I was offered $700 of MSRP and accesories for cost.
But if it isn't to far for you I would like to recomend a dealer in Nashua NH. I got $1200 off MSRP and accesories for cost and they quoted me on everything the day I went down and even located one with Nav for me which the other two dealers said couldn't be done.

bodble2

Between me and my brother we've bought about 4 cars from Vancouver Honda since '97 and we've never encountered the tactics that Richmond Honda warned you about. But I too found Richmond Honda has the "Future Shop sleaze mentality" in their sales department.

BTW, what you mean by "audible alarm"? Isn't the factory alarm audible? Have you had any problems with your aftermarket alarm, because I've been told by several Honda service managers that aftermarket alarms on the newer Hondas can easily mess up the car's wiring, electronics, ECU, etc. Basically they warned me not to add aftermarket electronics to the car. And I'm thinking there may be some truth to that because I had a nasty experience with a Prelude SH that I added a siren to (but that's a long story for another day!)

carguy58

It just sounds like the TL w/Navigation they are charging at or near MSRP. I think Honda underestimated demand for TL's w/navigation. If you want one without NAV you can probably get one for 1500 dollars off of MSRP(It sounds like from what I am reading on these boards anyway.)

I know what Acura does and its the same thing is happening with the TSX and MDX(there is just alot of demand for them.)

I live in NJ so I have heard about somebody on this board dealing with Montclair Acura(DULNEV I think it was)and getting a pretty good deal. I think in the Tri-Star States(NY, NJ and Conn)its easier to deal with the likes of Acura or even BMW dealerships than say it is in a state like Texas.

There was NAV offered in the 99-03 TL's but it wasn't for this sort of demand I don't think that the 04 TL's are getting with the NAV. Maybe its just early and the TL w/Navigation supply will catch up with demand and you can get at least 1,000 dollars off MSRP.

jp3000

You are lucky to have so much access to multiple dealers. 30 dealers is nuts! If I took a 250 mile radius around me, I would have access to only 5 Acura dealers, no joke. And three of those are here in Minneapolis. Again, hearing the deals some people are getting on Nav cars feels like a totally different world than mine. kyfdx has a good point about the Nav system, "It's debateable if navigation is worth $2000 more, but I'm pretty sure its not worth $3500-4000 more." That's what the real world difference is to buyers in areas like mine that have zero leverage in negotiations. Its kinda sick to think I'm probably going to bite the bullet and still buy the Nav.

carguy58 is right, Honday definitely underestimated the demand for this option, let alone the demand for the car itself. I have read estimates between 10-25% of TL's are getting produced with Nav. That should be upped significantly.

orange_peel

I got my TL on Friday at Acura of Libertyville. Hassle free experience - I would recommend this dealership to others.

Red/Camel with Navi, All season mats, trunk tray, wood knob. $34,000. Complete with tax (6.5%), title, license approximately $36,400. The car was in their stock since 12/24.

I was quoted $34,500 at Woodfield Acura over the phone but never tried to get a better price there.

ihaberman

Orange Peel - did you work with Steve Hoffmann per my message post? That's the same price I negotiated last month, but instead of the wood knob, I got mud guards.

Acura of Libertyville seems to be the only dealer in the Chicagoland area doing any negotiating...and offering a positive experience.

dulnev

"It's debateable if navigation is worth $2000 more, but I'm pretty sure its not worth $3500-4000 more."

I want you to give my prospective on this issue. Firt os all, whether something is "worth it" or not is ENTIRELY a matter of personal preference.

Second, the difference in prices is not as dramatic. You can ALWAYS get $500 off MSRP on any Acura. In places where NAVI cars are not discounted much, the non-NAVI ones are not discounted that well either. You will find a real-world difference in discounts of about $1,000, making the price difference about $3,000.

Personally, I would still buy the NAVI car, even if the price difference were $4,000. It may seem strange to someone who hasn't experienced the Acura navigation system, but I consider the NAVI and non-NAVI cars to be ENTIRELY different models.

I use the NAVI on an almost daily basis and I can no longer imagine having a car without one. Some examples: I was driving around with my son yesterday and, on a whim, we decided to go bowling. I typed in "bowling" into the NAVI and pulled up a list of the nearest alleys; five minutes later we were bowling.

Today I went to Best Buy to buy a DVD player. As I was pulling into the store parking lot it occured to me that I should probably check the price of that player at Circuit City. I typed in "circuit city" and pulled up the list of the stores and their phone numbers. I called one and they did have a lower price (albeit by only $13). I got Best Buy to do a price match.

billyperks

I am with you on that- only thing- I am waiting maybe for the 2006 model.

Right now I am enjoying a non nav tls.

kyfdx

It is a matter of interpretation and personal preference. I THINK that the MAJORITY of purchasers would think that $3K (or more) would be too much of a premium for NAV. If you consider NAV equipped cars to be an entirely different model, then that wouldn't apply to you. Again, I THINK you are in the MINORITY.

I do agree that certain options make a car completely different.. i.e.: convertible, larger engine, etc.. I just don't think that most people would put NAV in that category.

YMMV
regards,
kyfdx

achadha

You must not be living in an area you are not familiar with if you are using navigation to find a Circuit City or a bowling alley. In that case nav works for you. I have lived in the same area for over 20 years so navigation for me was not worth the extra 2k. I got 2k off msrp for a non nav purchasing the nav would have cost me an extra 3k

dulnev

"You must not be living in an area you are not familiar with if you are using navigation to find a Circuit City or a bowling alley."

Actually, we've lived in this area for 4 years and know it reasonably well. In the case of Circuit City, I know where it is, but the NAVI gave me the phone number that I needed.

In the case of bowling alley - that's an example of an establishment that I never had a need to look for before. I never bowled in my life before and had no idea where bowling alleys in our areas were. This one was tucked into an industrial park where I would've never gone normally.

danny1878

I do feel alittle bit regret of not having a nav one, but non nav or with nav depends on your need. As long as the car is fun to drive, nice to look at, I am still happy. TL is a great car with or without navigation.

clpurnell

You don't live in Houston do you?

igiban

I have an ES with Nav and am looking at an TL w/o since I got one already. It seems that TL buyers are more 'excited' about the Nav than those ES ones. Wonder why. Actually for ES it's easier to justify because you have to get Nav to get the super nice ML audio, tho more ES buyers pass up Nav anyway.

Most people don't need to use Nav on daily basis and I don't either. We use that mainly on weekends when the whole family go to some new places. With Nav it gives you conveniences and peace of mind, esp. when the family are on board. Plus, kids love that stuff! That said, I don't think it's a must have. It's somewhere between practical and luxurious. The TL with or w/o it is just that, no more or less, except like ES, the console looks a bit better with it.

danny1878

But if you still able to buy a nav one, I'd suggest you to go for it and of course with a 2k difference or less even better. Right now since the supply is scarce, it is not the right moment to buy with more than $2k difference. Go to a dealer with lots of TL with nav might help or by the virtue of patience.

bodble2

I look at the car as a whole rather than how much more I'm paying for a non-Nav. Since I think the TL is still a good buy with Nav, I'm going to go for it. It's just that the non-nav is a even bigger bargain. And I usually buy the top-of-the-line of whatever I'm buying. I like that more than to stretch and buy an entry version of a more expensive line ie. a basic BMW 320i or 325i, or a no-option MB C240.

bodble2

Did you see the smiley face at the end? That was a JOKE, for cryin out loud. Lighten up!

nyshappy

okay all this talk about bad coverage combined with lack of compatible cell phones on Bluetooth is making me really nervous.
Can someone in the metro NY area who is driving a new TL, let me know what kind of coverage they are getting?
Is it worse than your previous car?
what carrier are you using?
what cell phone are you using?

it seems a shame to have to install a gooseneck in a car that promotes this whole idea of bluetooth hands free cell phone system....and I REFUSE to get one of those McDonald wire/earpiece crap pieces...

pleaseeeeee someone respond!
thanks!

kph

I agree that the nav/non-nav is a personal preference. Four years ago I was firmly in the "why would you pay $2k for that" camp. We were on a waiting list for a 2000 Odyssey back then and after a 5 month wait, was scr*wed by the local Honda dealer. We backed away from their offer of a way overloaded accessory-mobile, and started to hunt for another. A summer trip to Yellowstone beckoned us to get a van so the kids wouldn't kill each other due to lack of room (my Integra/GS-R wasn't going to cut it for 5000+ miles of driving).

We found one out a couple more months, but it came with Navi - so the choice was to buy that at an extra $2K, or rent a van for 2 weeks/5K miles at close to $1K. We bought the navi.

For the past four years we have loved that system. Can't think what we would do without one. Yes, most of the time we are driving to places we know. But the trip out west, another trip to Washington DC, and other out-state travel has been wonderful. My wife is spatially challenged, and uses it regularly when she runs errands with the kids (they have the address of some friend they know from school - type it in, and voila - you are there). Even on return home from various places, we love the detailed miles remaining, to see progress, see intermediate points, and generally have situation awareness. As members of AAA, we haven't gotten a "Triptik" for a trip since we got that vehicle.

Have interacted with other system - particularly the non-graphic Audi system in a friend's A6 -- I am big fan of the situation awareness of the moving map display.

So, with the TL purchase, navi wasn't a question for us. This is the car we will drive back and forth to visit the kids when they are in college. The integration with the audio system is slick. The voice recognition is cool.

Had I been willing to go non-navi, I could have gotten one off the lot. Instead, I decided to go with the exact colors I wanted, and am waiting two months for them to order it. End of March, please come soon....

igiban

I am not sure two sedans both with Nav. in one household is not an overkill. $2k is not a big problem as you are ready to dough out $30K anyway, but TL would be more of my personal (and then) family car and ES is our official family sedan so I guess I'll pass by the Nav on TL, even tho I heard good things about Acura's Nav. If I were to add another Nav to the gararge it'd be for a bigger car like SUV or van, which is used for longer trips. Last van we got we passed up Nav and I kind of regret it.

igiban

What's really in an TL's PP? Is that typically 'thrown/negotiated in' for whatever price reported on this thread? I was at a dealer see the all season black mats on the floor, and while they certainly will protect the carpets, they do not look that good on an luxury car. Are mug guards, door edge moldings, and trunk tray all part of PP?

mdhauke

The protection package is simply just wheel locks, mud flaps, and trunk tray. Nothing else and the PP is thrown in with almost every deal. I think this is because when the car is shipped those things are included with each car any ways.

ryanl1

I wasn't happy without a siren and window/hood sensors.Usually the aftermarket alarm installer will use their own wires so I don't know if it will screw up the ecu since most alarms will have an ecu. I just don't understand why most alarms just come with ecu and not sirens to deter somebody from smash and grabs or opening doors.

jmaxe

I am getting 48 mo/12K miles lease quotes in the Austin,TX area with money factors of .00325. Given that Honda is offering .00125 on all Accords until 3/1 and that Car_Man (host of Lease town hall) says the Acura rate should be in the .0021 range, this appears high. Anyone have better luck in Central TX ?

jp3000

I'll apologize in advance but this topic of whether the Nav is worth it or not is getting so old so quickly. The people who don't get the Nav sit there and work to convince everyone how its not worth it (in order to justify their own decision). The people who do get the Nav work to convince everyone how it is worth the extra cost. The indirect attitudes being conveyed (in not so many words)are like "Geez, your stupid if you pay $2k for that worthless Nav" or the other side, "Geez, your stupid & cheap if you don't get the Nav." Who frickin' cares. If you have the means to get it and want it, then get it. If you personally don't want to pay the extra $ for it, then don't. But just chill out and stop trying to justify how YOUR particular decision is the ideal decision that should apply to everyone. Its a value question that everyone needs to decide for themselves.

orange_peel

I agree - end the discussion of relative worth of the two options.