Acura TSX Prices Paid and Buying Experience

lumbar · October 2003

Only my opinion, but I wouldn't even mention the Accord until I'd negotiated the lease numbers (no deposit). With a popular car, it might not matter, but I don't see anything to be gained from doing it differently. It probably wouldn't hurt to know going in approximately what the Accord should bring either.

trickydick · October 2003

Thanks Lumbar. When would you first mention the trade in? When you ask the dealer to order the car or after the car comes in? If the latter, what if the dealer asks for a deposit to order the car? It seems if I have to give a deposit to get him to order the car and then negotiate the price of the trade-in when the car comes in, I would lose my deposit if he doesn't give me what I think the Accord is worth.

TrickyDick

kyfdx · October 2003

By trading in your car, and using the value to lower the lease payments, you are essentially making a large down payment on a lease. There are numerous reasons for not doing this. Just have the dealer cut you a check for your trade, and put the money in the bank.. Then withdraw an equal amount each month to help you make the lease payment.
You likely can't negotiate your trade-in value ahead of time, as prices will change. Additionally, its doubtful any dealer will keep your deposit if a deal doesn't go through.

For more info on the downsides to making downpayments on leases, check with car_man on the Lease Questions board.

regards,
kyfdx

trickydick · October 2003

Thanks, that's excellent advice and something I had thought of. I am aware of some of the downsides of putting a lot down on a lease. For one, you lose everything if the car is stolen or totaled.

But I spoke to some people (anectodal evidence, I'm afraid) and I was told it was doubtful that an Acura dealer would give me cash for the Accord. Do you think a dealer would do that?

TrickyDick

kyfdx · October 2003

They may not buy your car, if you aren't buying from them.. But, the numbers are the same for them either way. Any money they credit you for your car on a downpayment gets paid to AHFC to buy down the cap cost on the lease. So, it makes no difference to them whether they pay it to AHFC or you.

I know its a pain, but if its really important for you to get the most trade-in possible, sell your car yourself.. You have an in demand car in a nice price area for private sales.. You'll probably see $2000 more than you can get on a trade. If you have no loan currently on your car, lease the TSX with no money down. Even if it takes you two months to sell the car, you'll be way ahead.
regards,
kyfdx

colinz · October 2003

what is the best deal on the 04 TSX now? for those of you in NJ what is Acura of Turnersville charging for the TSX?

luego · October 2003

AKU, I went to Cush Acura like you a few weeks back and dealt with the same salesman, Michael Gagan. I normally am not comfortable with car salesmen but I thought he did quite a good job. Going there, I had a pretty good knowledge about the car (TL-S) I wanted and the price I was willing to pay (thru Edmunds mostly). He understood that and he tried to work with me accordingly. The test-drive and price discussion went smoothly. He seemed to know about the car and had good answers for the questions I asked, especially about the Navi which he explained in details (unlike others in previous car deals where I was given dismissive or senseless answers). I never at once felt intimidated. I rarely comment about my dealings with salesmen but this time, it was positively different. And yes, I bought the car. I could not believe how smooth and stress-free it all was. About the car and the deal? Awesome.

hts666 · October 2003

I'm from L.A. and I was shopping for a car in late August, and basically i called a few dealers and spoke with the managers and got some offers.

For a 48 month lease, 12k miles, no down, a drive off of $700, before the Cali tax increase, i got $333/month + tax from two dealers and I got $347/month tax included from Downey Acura. They wouldn't give me the exact numbers for the calculations, but I think these are pretty good deals.

I ended up getting a an A4 with premium/sports/xenon for 28k from Rusnak, which comes out to 340/month for a lease.

bszeto · October 2003

For those of you in Toronto, Canada, what was the best price you could get? Nobody was negotiating off sticker from where I was talking to (Acura in Markham, Acura of North Toronto, and Erin Mills Acura)....

bszeto

colinz · October 2003

what is the best deal in or around nj for the acura TSX?

stickguy · October 2003

Colinz: might be too late, but last I heard, Classic (aka Turnersville) was at 1K off MSRP, but I don't believe they actually had any stock. I have not checked recently though.

Assuming they are still in short supply, don't expect much off. I think they are still at MSRP for the TL.

You can go to their Web site (turnersville auto) and find out for sure. Just request a quote.

alyosha1 · October 2003

My local dealer Pittsburgh would not come down from MSRP for TSX, grey pearl, no navi and insisted that the supply is low and there is nothing they can do about it. The money factor was an equivalent of the 5.6% APR and they wanted acq fee and security deposit and honda advertising fee. The residual value was fixed and not negotiable. The only negotiation he would engage in is as to how much for over the mileage and how much downpayment to make the monthly payments in my range. They must have thought I am dumb. So I left. The best offer from the internet I got was for 26500, which is after 2% holdback and 1.5% floorplanm, would have amounted to 11.5% profit for the dealership, I think "not".
Ended up with Audi A4 quattro for 1500$ off the MSRP with premium, cold weather, 17 inch alloy wheels and XM. Since Audi doesnt have holdback and floorplan - that is 2.8% profit they agreed to make on the deal. My other offers were within couple more hundred dollars but pretty comparable. For a lease Audi has a higher residual, lower money factor (0.00175 for 36 months) and th eonly BS fee was bank acq fee. They waived security deposit, just to make me happier. No cap reduction and I am having better deal than TSX. Good luck to eveyone else, hope Acura will learn the lesson.

kyfdx · October 2003

How much was the Audi? I think the only thing that matters in the end is the value for your money. If the Acura is $26.5K, and the Audi is $30K and I like the Acura more, I don't think I'm better off just because the Audi dealer makes less profit.

My $.02
kyfdx

stickguy · October 2003

At least with a lease, you can actually compare which one will cost you less. But, I agree that I don't care what the dealer makes, I only care that I get the car I want. A lower price is nice too, but only if you aren't getting less car.

But, hard to go wrong with either the TSX or A4, and I bet that lots of people wish they had this kind of problem.

alyosha1 · October 2003

You misunderstood - here is breakup of the deal for a 4 year lease, 10% tax in my county:
car TSX Audi A4
price $26500 $31165
MF 0.00225 0.00185
Residual% 49% 53%
ResidualValue $12985 $16829
Monthly 407.44$ $433.07

So yes, Audi is more expensive - 433-407=1248 more bucks to be precise. But,

To add that I have all schduled maintanance included, and no security deposit with Audi, no honda advertizing fee, I consider Audi a lot better deal. Audi is A4 1.8T with CVT, premium (real leather

, cold weather package (heated seats), 17inch alloy wheels, XM radio, black.
What pisses me off, I am turning back in my 1999 CL and acura wont even offer me any breaks -security deposit or bank acq fee. I also did some calculation and I paid significant amount out of pocket for maintanance, they always found something to fix and to charge - to the limit of 300$ every maintanance visit.

Ok, hows that, simple enough?

alyosha1 · October 2003

Correction, Audi A4 quattro, does not have CVT, it is Multitronic in auto version.

eco · October 2003

cars4u.com offers $1584 discount for both manual and automatic models. But they also add $150 as administration fee.

tommister2 · October 2003

Here's a bit of an email I got from a local dealer...
One thing to keep in mind, the TSX is a limited production vehicle for this year. There will only be 18,000 in production. With the 265 dealerships nationwide, that 18,000 only equates to about 3-5 cars per month and per dealer. That's not a lot considering the high demand of this car as well. Generally, it takes about 90 days for the vehicle to arrive once ordered. I can usually speed that up quite a bit by working with some of my other Acura stores and exchanging some inventory but it's not a guarantee.

backcourt · October 2003

Test drove a TSX automatic today and was pleasently surprised by the 4 cyl. The dealer in Ct. said that they were not discounting these. "They can't get enough of them."

poobin · November 2003

We test drove the TSX today and loved it. We are interested but wanted to know of any experiences, either good or bad with the local dealers. We went to Acura of Seattle and they were nice but there are other dealers in the area. Any feedback would be great.
Thanks!

alyosha1 · November 2003

Acura dealers are full ofit and you know it. The math doesnt add up - if there is shortage and 90 days waiting list, there is no way in hell they can speed it up by trading with other dealer, right? Other dealers must be out of inventory too. And if they are not, why there is shortage, catch22, part of the dealer tricks, dont believe them, they are trying to keep profits for this make high, dont fall in love with the car, they see it, they'll use it, you end up paying more than you should or the car worth.

kaiser34 · November 2003

I purchased a 2004 Acura TSX w/Navigation today from Suburban Acura in MI. Before going to the dealer I called a few Internet Sales Managers at nearby Honda dealerships to get quotes on EX-V6 Accords w/Navigation, then called one Acura dealership the same way. When I went to the dealership that I wanted to buy from (the one nearest to my house), I immediately asked if they were discounting on the TSX. They said that they were not, because of the short supply. I test drove the TSX and also an Accord from the Honda dealership next door. Then, I met with the Internet Sales Manager at the Acura dealership and told him that I really liked the TSX but had gotten great offers for Accords (I got great deals by telling each person that I was ready to buy today - if you make them compete for your "guarenteed" business, then you will be surprised how many discounts suddenly materialize). The Acura salesman, since he was a manager, immediately knocked $700 off the price, plus offered any accessories that I wanted at dealer cost (sales and parts department budgets are separate, so use that to play them against each other). I told him that I found the accessories that they charge $300 for online for about $150 at http://www.hondacuraworld.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY-&Category_Code=ATSX, and he went so far as to show me how to install the trunk tray, the wheel locks, and the mud flaps myself so that I would not even have to pay installation fees. REMEMBER: the sales staff does not care if the parts and labor people get the short end of the stick. The prices online are lower than what the sales department can buy the parts for from the Acura parts department in the next room. The service was GREAT and I wholeheartedly recommend the salesmen Jason and Tom (Tom is the internet sales managaer that I talked to).
I purchased the TSX in red with naviagation for a price of $28330, which I know is not a huge discount, but for this area is very good. I am a college student and this is my first car, and I was very pleased with the hassle-free experience. Tom offered to locate the specific color/nav combo that I wanted and it should be here within a few weeks. Just in case you are curious, Honda was offering discounts that got very close to MSRP on the 2004 Accord EX-V6 w/nav. You just have to remember to talk to the internet sales managers and not the regular sales people, and also to let them know that you are buying in the very near future (i.e. same day) and then you must call their competitors and play them against one another for your business. And don't pay even dealer cost for accessories, you can buy the same parts online, still under warrenty from what I have read, and install them yourself of have Acura install them for you. Either way you save at least a couple hundred dollars. All this takes much less time than trying to get dealer quotes over the internet or trying to haggle at the dealership.

toddstuh · November 2003

Here in New England, the Acura dealers are playing the limited availability game. I'll have to attest, every dealer that I'd visited, didnt have many if any TSX's on the lot besides the demo car which was generally a color that I had no interest such as arrest me Red.
I communicated via email to every dealer in the Boston area. I live in New Hampshire. I contacted 11 dealers in all, and only had 2 respond with something besides the ordinary sales speech blah, blah, limited availability and msrp and such.
Ok, my first choice Carbon Gray/ Ebony was nowhere to be found. One dealer , had one coming in ...late December or January. I could put a deposit on it and hope that it wouldn't arrive In the middle of a big snow storm...Great.
Believe it or not, a Carbon Quartz was right down the street from where I work at Connelly in Framingham. A guy had a deposit on it and decided on a TL instead. Also, one popped up in New Hampshire. From what I could see and hear, they were willing to put up a fight to even budge off of MSRP. Quartz interior reminded me of the plain gray interiors of most Hondas. But, Ok, they're there, I thought I'd investigate my other options.
Acura of Peabody calls back and says they'd do $1K off of MSRP, but when I inquired as to what they had for cars, one small detail, they had none ! Apparently what they're doing I learned, as many dealers are, is selling the cars to the highest bidder well before they even arrive. The basic principle of Keynsian economics, supply and demand.

Later on that day, Acura of Newport calls with the same deal, at 1K off of MSRP and actually has a Silver/Ebony,6speed , my second color choice in stock.
Bingo. I thought about it for about a minute and said YES !
So, as we were closing the deal, they tried to stick me with paying for the splash guards and wheel locks which I refused, stating no thanks, just take them off...they said ok and threw them in...Fine, that was easy.
In summary:
Out the door price 26,035. + 100. /docs and titling fee....which covered the splash guards and wheel locks I presume. I did get a 20 day temp plate which costs something...
Overall the Dealer was very pleasant, a little less sleazy than the fast talking Boston area types. And better yet, they actually had a car !
Not the best deal but , I got a grand off, without haggling which is fine and will pay for my insurance for the year. Cool. Considering For 26K, I've a very nice car that I'm very happy/ecstatic with.

docwho · December 2003

Anyone dealt much with Dallas/Fort Worth area dealers? Here in the next few months I may be getting a TSX and was curious what kind of experiences anyone has had in the area.

Thanks

jcampod · December 2003

From what I understand, DFW dealers are not budging off price. Gunn in San Antonio will give $1K off MSRP no haggles. Your best bet, however, is to try Bob Howard in Oklahoma City. I got $1700 off MSRP there and know of 2 other DFW people who have gone there recently and gotten similar deals. Yes, it is a 3 hour drive from DFW but it may be worth it. Read my posts earlier for the details of my deal.

samirrathod · December 2003

and talk to Forrest, the Internet Sales Manager at Bob Howard. If you deal directly with him, you should be able to get a better deal. I made the mistake of talking to a salesman and then the Internet sales manager. That probaly made my price go up a little as the salesman now gets commission. And he was awful! I still got 1600 off of MSRP, so I still made out OK though..thanks to jcampod.

garyr4 · December 2003

I am looking seriously at buying an Acura TSX. I am curious as to the APR everyone is being offered by the dealers.

thanks

timeshock · December 2003

-Carbon Grey with Quartz, 6 speed, Non Navigation. No TSX's in stock but they traded for a future December arrival. Car arrived at dealer last night--one week from time I bought the car. Will pick up this week--snow permitting.
-Smart Lease: 41 months @ $378 with baloon payment of $15,680 at 42nd month or return car.
-$0 down, taxes included
-$137.50 only out-of-pocket money for new plates and registration
-12,000 miles per year
-Selling price of Car: $25,890
-MSRP: $27,035
-4% APR
-Dealer: Rallye Acura, Roslyn, NY

kagedude · December 2003

I went to an Acura dealership in LIC and was looking for that same deal on the TSX.
Just a few questions:
1. Who is leasing you the car? Is it Acura or someone else?
2. Are you leaning on returning the car or paying the balloon payment? Do we really get a good deal on this program?
3. The 41mos @378, does that include taxes and down payment put into it?

The deal in the paper was $2995 down, @249 for 41 mos then 42nd payment of $15K plus. I have to pay taxes for the "whole amount" of the vehicle plus $147 registration fees.

Im not a math whiz but how would this program compare to a straight finance? The dealer said its not really a leasing program.

Thanks.

timeshock · December 2003

1. As far as I know it is Acura who is "leasing" me the car.

2. I don't know yet whether I will return or keep the car. The next 41 months will determine that. But I do believe it is a good deal.

3. Yes, taxes included. No down payment. If you put down a down payment, your monthly payment will be less, but if the car is stolen or totaled, the down payment is lost.

My monthly payment would have gone down to $318/mo. from $378/mo. if I had paid the taxes ($2266) upfront.

I also had the choice of a 47 month "lease" @ $365/mo. (also $0 down, taxes included) with a $14,328 balloon payment. I chose the shorter term because it would end during the warantee period and it was only a few bucks more. Also, it would cost me about $1700 less to buy the car (when you figure the extra 6 months of payments against the higher balloon payment of the 42 month deal) if I so chose.

This is really not a lease, that's why we have to taxes on the whole selling price of the car. What we are really doing is buying the car so that the liability falls on our shoulders for any damage done in case of accident.

To finance the car ($28,026, this includes taxes)would cost about $2500 over a 4yr. period @4.75% and the monthly payment would be about $600/mo. Only you can decide if this is better for you. You can go to CapitalOne.com to figure it out.

kagedude · December 2003

Thanks. That was great and helpful info. One thing I forgot to ask was the selling price of $25,890. I'm assuming that included freight. Did you have to haggle with the dealer or was it a set price by them for this program?

dwl_7070 · December 2003

I plan on picking up the TSX, auto, no-nav. Anyone got any good deals recently in the Southern Ca. area?

jross37 · December 2003

Sounds like you got a great deal!

Was there a trade involved in your deal? Also, did you have to haggle at all or was this what they offered you?

omi8998 · December 2003

As you all know, supplies is short, and everyone in Texas except Gunn Acura wants to charge msrp.
Based on JCampos suggestion, I contacted Bob Howard Acura in Oklahoma City. Ordered a car thru Forest and Bill Eagleson. I have been waiting to get it for about a month now.
The price I am getting is $26k for base model with trunk tray, door strips, wheel locks, and cargo net installed. JCampos said I could have gotten a better discount if it was in stock. However, they had to order mine...Silver w/ebony 5 AT. Anyway, I will be happy once I get the car. They seem like nice ppl dealing fairly.
Anyone shopping in Texas should just skip it and go to Bob Howard for the lowest price. I shopped all over TX, Gunn is the only one giving you $1k off but once you add in my accessories est $500, its not that great a disc. and a farther drive than OK if you live in Dallas!

timeshock · December 2003

No haggling.

No trade-in.

Price included "shipping" and "handling".

I don't know if this is a set price. It was the price I was first offered and I took it after thinking about it for a week and after reading all the posts here.

madatrub · December 2003

Just picked up our Acura TSX, no Navi, auto. So far, we love it.

I am in the NE US and paid $25,900. Price included rear spoiler, wheel locks, mud guards, trunk liner, and destination. Felt it was a very good deal based on what I've read and seen around my area.

gpsiir · December 2003

Notice I didn't say "good", as I don't think there are any "good" deals on this car:

TSX/auto with Navi, wheel locks, trunk tray, clear bra, tinted windows, mud guards for $29,000 OTD, car was a "dealer demo", so it has about 1000 miles on it. I'd thought I might pick it up today.... BTW, it silver meteor metallic (looks like a light metallic blue in some lights, bit of a chameleon color). Best deal I had been offered anywhere else in Colorado was $600 off of MSRP ($29035), but no extras. So, considering the rarity of the car, does this seem fair price? (only regret is no Navi manuals in the whole bleepin' state....)

madatrub · December 2003

I'd say its "ok", not the best. I'm sure if you continue to look, you can beat it by about $1,000. We also got the meteor silver, its a nice sharp color...

In the Delaware Valley (PA/DE/NJ), you can get what you describe above for about $28000 OTD, brand new, not a few thousand "unknown" miles on it.

jross37 · December 2003

$26,400 for a Carbon Grey TSX w/ out Nav. 48 mo. lease w/ zero money down for $398/mo on a lease.

The dealer is buying me out of my other car with no negative equity so that is nice. Does this sound like a fair offer?

madatrub · December 2003

Jross, depending on where you live, I've seen that price beat by about $800 for the standard model.

I don't like to lease, and you'd basically be financing a 18,000 vehicle that you'll get nothing back for at the end of the 4 yr term, plus have to worry about miles and damage.

I'd find somewhere to get $4500 to throw down, finance the rest, and own the car after 4-5 yrs

But, thats just my opinion

jross37 · December 2003

I live in Orlando, FL. Yes, I agree that buying a car is preferrable but without going into details it makes sense for us. Basically, we plan to buy the car but first have to get out of a bad lease and pay off another car. Then we will refi the TSX and go from there.

After looking I think the price we got is a little high but not unreasonable. Going to try to get them down a little and see what happens.

combustible1 · December 2003

don't let madatrub's statement of " I've seen that price beat by about $800 for the standard model." make you feel as if your not getting a decent deal. Your quote is pretty typical of what people are getting across the nation.

I've seen at least 125 accounts on the net for Nav and non-Nav TSXs purchases, and only a very small percentage of non-Nav TSXs buyers have gotten a price of about $25,700, as madatrub is suggesting you could be getting.

It was a little more common earlier in the year, but your quote is much more typical for the last few months since the great popularity of this model has been firmly established.

kagedude · December 2003

Just received a $26,191 offer for a silver TSX 6m non NAV and no accessories. Good thing is its in stock. I might as well get it. Also shooting for 3.9% financing for 5 years. I was in the market for the G35 and Audi A4 and those are the rates they offered me so hopefully Acura can match it.

I did call Rallye Acura and they were honoring the $25,890 price but they had none in stock. Too bad.

vancmt · December 2003

Interested in using one of these 'haggle free' services to buy a new TSX, anybody have any thoughts around which is the best approach? Also, curious if anybody knew what a good price would be for a Carbon Grey-Auto-No Nav in Portland,OR would be.

Also, any idea of what is coming out in '05 for the TSX

chips5545 · December 2003

Madatrub (or anyone else in the area)- what dealer did you get your car at? I am looking for one in the DE/PA/NJ area. I've got one offer for $26190 that includes destination, splash guards and wheel locks. Think that's the best I can get?

madatrub · December 2003

Chips, I was dealing with Castle dealership in Delaware, Metro dealer in Phila and Turnersville Acura in NJ.

I was offered 25,900 in DE, 25,800 in PA and 26,090 in NJ. All were auto/no navi with destination, splash guards, wheel locks and trunk tray. If you live in Delaware, I'd recommend Castle since you'll save on Sales tax. I was very pleased by them, they felt the most "genuine", if you know what I mean...Let me know if you're interested and I can give you the salespersons name

pat · December 2003

Recommendations of or referrals to specific salesfolks are not allowed -- see the "rules" at the top of the discussion for further clarification. And of course feel free to email me with any questions.

Thanks for your understanding.

kagedude · December 2003

I finally put a deposit on a silver 6m TSX non navi. Selling price was $25900 (excluding T&L). I was able to get the all season mats and wheel locks included as well. I didn't bother with the splash guards as its black and kinda cheapens the silver color. Too bad, mine is en route from Portland, OR and have a target date of next week till end of year... can't wait.

BTW, anyone know if you can tell a build date by looking at the VIN number? Thanks.

pat · December 2003

and a reply that I had to remove ...

Using this forum to invite exchanges of that information by email is not an okay thing, either. In other words, the rules are what they are and they are not there to invite folks to try to find a way around them.

Questions or comments should be directed to me or to our community manager, Sylvia - sylvia@edmunds.com or pat@edmunds.com. Please do not post any policy comments here.

Thanks.

vancmt · December 2003

Is the $25900 inluding destination charge?

Acura TSX Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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