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I happened to be at a party over the weekend, and a guy drove up in a shiny EG MDX. Of course, I had to talk to him. Turns out he is an exec for Acura, and I took the opportunity to pick his brain.
First, he mentioned that they rarely offer white in the first year of vehicle production. He implied that it would be available in the coming year. So for those of you who are waiting this is good news.
Second, he was well aware of this site. That is good to hear, for in the interest of quality improvement, I think this forum is the most compelling resource available for knowledgeable, passionate MDX owner/operators, as well as Acura itself. Acuramdx.org should collect a consulting fee from Acura for all of the valuable input on the vehicle!
Acura is also aware of the dealer issues that are well chronicled on this forum. Seems that the dealers are fairly autonomous in they way they do business, and Honda/Acura is limited in the restrictions they can impose on individual dealerships. So premiums over MSRP and the way the dealerships treat MDX customers (ie order takers rather than sales people) are serious issues for the execs at Acura, but issues that are seemingly difficult to change from a corporate level. This is little solace for those of us who have had bad experiences with Acura sales people, however.
Ed
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Great work Phillyflier -
Did you get any information on when the 2002's would be out and if there are any changes? It is great to know that Acura is aware of this sight. Like you, I believe there is a wealth of information here for all - dealers, Acura and us - the customers. Thanks for passing along your findings! |
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Actually, there ARE ways that they could and can legally change the way that dealers do business but it appears that they don't care to do so. Lexus has proved that dealers CAN be reigned in as far as issues of customer respect, selling over MSRP, and the like are concerned. Far and away, the best experiences I have ever had at any dealerships (sales, service, customer service, etc.) have always been from Lexus dealerships. Considering that American Honda WAS the company that had its executives indicted for allotment fixing, this may be too much to ask for, however... Perhaps with more time that mindset will change and we'll see some positive changes in these areas. I love the MDX - but I simply loath the dealers and their practices.
quote:
Originally posted by phillyflyer
I happened to be at a party over the weekend, and a guy drove up in a shiny EG MDX. Of course, I had to talk to him. Turns out he is an exec for Acura, and I took the opportunity to pick his brain.
Acura is also aware of the dealer issues that are well chronicled on this forum. Seems that the dealers are fairly autonomous in they way they do business, and Honda/Acura is limited in the restrictions they can impose on individual dealerships.
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Mogur:
Well put. I couldn't agree more.
I specifically discussed charging over MSRP with this Acura exec. He stated that when you dictate (from corporate) a dealer cannot charge more than vehicle MSRP there are some price fixing implications.
Thinking about that comment, I guess all Saturns are "price-fixed". They are sold for one no-haggle price set by the manufacturer. !!!???!!!
For those with eyes on a larger engine, it was mentioned that Acura is seriously considering a larger engine in a model year to be determined.
Ed |
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kml:
I did not discuss when the 2002s would be out, but I was told by the dealer that I was working with that they would be out in September.
Can anyone support that comment?
Ed |
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The easy way to deal with that problem is as Lexus has done: The dealer can charge whatever price they like but if they charge over MSRP, their allotment is cut. That is perfectly legal and has been tested in court. That is why the VERY hot and VERY limited supply Lexus SC430 is going at sticker.
(I drooled over one at my Lexus dealer and he confirmed that they would sell me one at sticker, but also that I'd have to wait a minimum of a year to get one. They are also required to have one for demos, by the way.) Acura could do the same if they really wanted to...
Tom
[QUOTE]Originally posted by phillyflyer
[B]Mogur:
Well put. I couldn't agree more.
I specifically discussed charging over MSRP with this Acura exec. He stated that when you dictate (from corporate) a dealer cannot charge more than vehicle MSRP there are some price fixing implications. |
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I guess I'll have to wait until 2006 or so to get white. Or maybe by then there will be something else. Who knows. I wish they had white in the first year. It only can be pearl white or bright white, not some off white color. I like my black too thought. But white is so much more forgiving.
Lmeans |
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quote:
Originally posted by phillyflyer
Mogur:
I guess all Saturns are "price-fixed". They are sold for one no-haggle price set by the manufacturer. !!!???!!!
Ed
I worked for Saturn for a couple of years, I liked the way they did business. The price is the price!! The factory cannot make the dealer sell for MSRP because it would be "price fixing". The told us to stay away from making that statement or any verbage that states that Saturn says we have to sell for MSRP. However, they strongly urge the dealers to sell for MSRP, to the point they may not get an allotment the next month if they don't. So you can read into that what you want. Saturn makes about $900.00 to $2600.00 depending on which model you choose. I think it would be great if Acura did the same thing. Based on the cost of a Saturn compared to an MDX that would be a little over $3000.00 per vehicle. Is that really what you want dealers to do? Some of you would go bonkers, if that were the case. Eventually supply will catch up with demand and there will be better deals. I agree as a whole we need to do a better job in sales and service, I know my dealership is making the effort but we still screw up from time to time. |
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| from my dealer on the color issue and timing of 2002 model: I placed my order for a 2002 MDX w/touring package last Friday and at that time he was very confident that there will be white added to the color palette along with a red pearl shade(i am hoping for firepepper red). I am waiting to make my color choice after the 2002 colors are announced and I have a chance to look at the swatches. As for the timing of the 2002 model changeover. He said that the plant typically has a 2 week shutdown in September where they make all of the necessary changes and/or revisions and they start producing the next year model. Sounds plausible but who knows. I do know that I am looking at Oct./Nov. production dates for mine so he has assured me that mine will be a 2002. For what it is worth he also stated that he feels that the Onstar system will be added in the 2002, not something I am interested in subscribing to but just thought I would throw that out. Thanks for sharing your news from the acura exec. with us. Now my only stress issue is whether to add the Navi. option to mine before the July 30th deadline for making changes to my order. Oh well... |
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