[Ferg]

Have you guys run into this problem?

I went to the Acura dealer to drive a TSX (see the other post). I am leaning towards wanting the 6MT with navi. Of course, finding one equipped with navi is tough, and a 6MT with navi is even tougher. Knowing this, and realizing how much traffic I sit thru on my daily commute, I may have been swayed to buy the auto with navi that was sitting in the showroom if it was going to take 6 weeks to get a manual with navi.

So I'm talking to the salesman and I'm asking him how long it will take to find what I'm looking for. And he responds with some BS about how they won't even start looking until a deal has been sealed. WTF? Why would I even start the negotiation process on a car when I don't even know when I would take delivery? Or if it would take month, maybe I would change my mind about the navi or the 6MT and make it easier to take delivery sooner.

But still, they insisted that they won't even start looking until the deal is sealed. So....I left after their incredibly insulting offer on my trade (2 grand less than the Honda dealer down the street!) and started calling every Acura dealer in the state. I've already heard back from 2 of them, and 2 others are looking and will contact me on Monday.

It looks like dealer #1 just lost a sale just by being stupid. What a shame -- for them.

Am I being unreasonable, expecting to know how long it will take to get a car before I agree to the deal?

 

[Guest]

Ferg,
My dealer did not have my preferred TSX as well. While they were willing to do some searches I kind of helped them along by doing some myself.
Most Acua dealerships (at least in Florida) list their inventories on their websites. You can access all of the dealers in your area or state from acura.com.
You may want to give it a try. Good luck.

 

[larchmont]

I agree with you 101%, Ferg. I would definitely go elsewhere, if there were any other reasonable options -- and clearly there are.

(Hmmmm, reminds me of choices about Acura internet forums...... )

You seem like a pretty sharp guy, and any dealer worth his salt should have been able to discern that. And so, even if a dealer has this BS approach in his repertoire, he should know better than to use it with a sharp customer. It's bad enough just to have it in one's repertoire, but it's maybe even worse to not know when to stuff it.

 

[Ferg]

Ferg,
Most Acua dealerships (at least in Florida) list their inventories on their websites. You can access all of the dealers in your area or state from acura.com.
You may want to give it a try. Good luck.

Oh yeah.....the first thing I did as I was driving off their lot was call another dealer. He did a search and called me back in a half hour with the results.

I've thought about this more this morning, and I'm even more irritated. The closest dealer -- the one I visited -- is about 40 miles away, so it was not an insignificant little jaunt down the street. I drove all the way out there, spent time with their salesman, did the test drive thing (several times -- I drove the stick and the auto), negotiated in good faith regarding my trade, and while I'm sitting in their showroom they won't tell me when the car I want will be available.

Meanwhile, I called four other dealers. Two responded immediately, and the other two are going to call me at work on Monday. I haven't even visited them, or talked price, or shown any other interest, and they gave me the info I want.

You know, if the original dealer had just taken five minutes to do a quick locator search, and check what they had on order, things would have been very different. If they came back and said, "a six speed with navi is 6 weeks away", I would likely have bought either the six speed w/o navi, or the manual w/navi that they had on the lot.

 

[tony4311]

You did exactly what you should've. Don't setle for the a if you want the 6 sp though. Your paying a good amount of money for a car and you should get what you want otherwise you'll eventually wish you had waited for the right one. The wait sucks but its worth it.

 

[kenk25]

You did the right thing. I checked the websites beside calling my local dealer. The local did not have one in stock but wanted to see me. Found out the TSX was in stock with my 1st and 2nd color choice near my office. In fact some of the dealers list the exact vin# available. Just watch out for some sites that don't show all the inventory like my local dealer.

 

[Altersys]

This is a common tactic but he did it the wrong way.

I would not call the concept of trying to secure a deal unethical but the way he went about it was. Doing a dealer trade DOES require a deal be "sealed"... however doing a dealer stock lookup does not. That said, a lookup doesn't mean the car is necessarily available either. It just means that it *could* be available. The right thing to do in that situation if I were the dealer would have been to ask for a timeframe that you would be happy with that would allow you to wait for the 6MT. Then, I would check the lookup and if I got no hits, then done deal. If I got a hit I would say "well sir, we *may* be able to get you such-and-such but before I call that dealer and ask them for their car, we need to come to *agreeable terms*" This way, the dealership is not wasting its time, nor are they souring their reputation with competing dealerships by calling and asking for their cars and then calling again later and saying "no, sorry we really didn't have a deal." Dealers don't like to do dealer trades until they are sure they have a deal for this very reason.

In this dealerships case, I wouldnt say he was being a jerk. I'd say he was STUPID! He lost a deal that he didn't have to. That's just dumb.

 

[Ferg]

You know, you're right -- and I didn't expect that the dealer would have made the trade before a deal was agreed upon. That would be asking too much on my end. But to take 10 minutes and do a quick search was not asking too much, I don't think.

I came to work this morning, and told a friend in my office what happened, and he said he had some bad experiences after he bought his TL from the same dealership. Evidently, their customer service has gone down the tubes over the last two or so years. He had a whole sleeve of CD's taken from his car the last time he had it serviced there. Yikes!!

 

[Altersys]

Where are you located friend?

 

[hot4carz]

Bad move.

Never negotiate a trade before you've settled on a purchase price for your new car. Actually, you shouldn't even mention the word 'trade' until the ink is dry. This puts you at a disadvantage with the dealer because it gives them the upper hand.

BTW...My dealer didn't have my car of choice in stock. I wanted a CG/Quartz 6-spd. without navi. The dealer didn't even have a 6-spd. for me to test, but I closed the deal anyway.

Having done all my homework prior, and having received the dealer's invoice prices for the TSX from Consumer Reports, I had the upperhand when negotiating. I ended up closing the deal on my car of choice, and paying below MSRP - all without the dealer even having my car in stock.

Although I have to wait another 3 weeks to take delivery, I'm getting exactly what I want for the price I felt comfortable with.

 

[hondafreak4eva]

yeah i went in a few months ago and even told the guy iw as there just to check it out and that i wasn't going to buy just yet but after the test drive he was like well lets see what the availibility of what your looking for is at and he did a search specific to what i wanted right then and there and told me est times and stuff.. so the fact that this other dealer woudln't do that for you is pretty stupid on the dealers part!

 

[Ferg]

Where are you located friend?

Maryland -- I live in the northeast part, about 30 miles from the Baltimore area. The dealers I'm working with are all in the Baltimore metropolitan area.