Do you want NAVI or not? I highly recommend the NAVI if you drive around places where you're not familiar. It has been invaluable to me in more ways than I can count.
Here's what I did when I bought my 2003 TL-S last July.
First, I testdrove the car at the closest dealer to my house. Since I was sold on the car (I liked driving it a lot). Got the name of my salesperson and told him that I already had price quotes from the Internet that were very good. Asked him if he could pricematch. He guarenteed me that he would match any price of any dealer in the area... Told him that I'd be back in 2 weeks, and was very strong about saying I could not buy the car that day.
Went home, and emailed every single dealer in the area (in the DC Metro area there are 5 dealers within 30-40 miles). I told them that I already had contacted all of the other dealers in the area and that they needed to provide me with the best price possible for 1) The car in *any* color (at that point I was looking for no NAVI so all quotes were w/o NAVI), 2) OEM Spoiler, 3) Moonroof visor. I asked for all quotes separetly.
I took the best quotes for options and the best quotes for the car and put them all together. I brought them to the closest dealer and told him here was the best prices I had gotten. He immediately price matched them no questions asked. The price quoted I got last year for a non-NAVI TL-S was $29,900 plus tax and tags. The price on a 2003 TL-S should be a lot lower now that the 2004 TL is right around the corner.
In the end, I decided I wanted a different color than they had on the lot and I needed the car that day, so I bought a Nighthawk Black Pearl TL-S with Parchment interior, and NAVI. The car with OEM Spoiler, Wheel locks, and moonroof visor costed $32,000 plus tax and tags.
If your dealer isn't willing to pricematch or move on prices then SWITCH dealers or head right for the General Manager of the dealership (or goto a different dealership). My friend wanted to buy an RSX Type-S a few weeks ago and the dealer we talked to refused to lower the price down to what we were quoted on the Internet (basically invoice price), unless we bought a 4 year, 50,000 mile "full maintenance" warranty. The warranty only included oil changes and tire rotations above and beyond the standard 4 year, 50,000 mile warranty and costed something like an extra $1500 ... that was BS. So I called the dealer I had bought the TL-S from, and he matched the Internet price without any hassle.
As far as I can tell right now, there are no Corporate promotions for the TL-S. Last month there was a $1000 Factory rebate that you could have used to your advantage. If you can wait, I'm sure the rebates will come back because of the re-designed 2004 being released in September.
*** Edit : I just double checked and it looks like they have 2.9% Financing for 60 months as their current promotion. Depending on how much you're financing this could be better or worse than a $1000 Factory incentive rebate, assuming you quality for 2.9%
If you want to argue for a lower price, use the 2004 TL as your arguing point. Tell them that this is a discontinued model and that they need to get these cars off of the lot. If sales are really good at the dealership for the TL (the TL has always been a fairly good seller), the dealer may not want to bargain with you... But if you go in towards the end of the month when they need to make quotas, they may end up bargaining with you to get that extra sale in that they need for their monthly sales report.
If you have any questions about the car, feel free to ask me! I would also checkout
www.acura-tl.com and
www.acura-cl.com ... Both forums offer a world of information about the cars (the CL is the 2-door version of the TL and shares virtually all of the same mechanical parts so a lot of information can be shared between the two). A good FAQ to read about the CL (again 99% of the info is applicable to the TL too) is available here:
Acura CL FAQ
BTW- After nearly a year of ownership, I am still in love with my car (as you can probably guess from all of the pics I take of my car - See my Sig).. Glad to hear you're joining our ranks!
Also, this car is not really in "high demand". The TL has been selling slower and slower since the body itself is now 5 years old. The 2002 refresh of the TL and the introduction of the TL Type S has helped sales, but it isn't what I'd call a "hot seller". Everytime I've been to my dealer they always have at least 10-15 TL-S's sitting on the lot in various colors. This isn't anything against the car, hell I own it and love it ... But it isn't something you need to put your name on a waiting list to get.
Lore - I love Anthracite Metallic ... Almost bought my car in that color but decided on the NBP instead!
Oh and for options that don't require too much installation, try
www.hondacuraworld.com ... They have REALLY good prices (includes shipping) on almost ALL of the Acura OEM accessories. I went with the spoiler through the dealership because its a PIA to install, but for my all-season floor mats, nose mask, etc etc, I bought them online because they're easy to install even for someone with no mechanical skill what-so-ever like myself.
Dealer holdback = The percentage that the factory will "repay" the dealer for having the car on the lot (like renting space). So if Acura's dealer holdback is 2%, then they are paid 2% of the cost of the car to leave the car on the lot for XX time. If the car is sold the day it arrives on the lot, then the dealer pockets this money.
Oh yeah, NAVI cost to the dealer is $1500 extra (thats THEIR cost). I have dealer cost on some of the other options like Spoiler etc etc. The dealer should also not charge you anything for installation of your options (the install should already be figured into the price of the option). If you need to know any of the dealer cost prices let me know.
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