So I decided to dip my toe in the water to feel out the current environment for getting an NSX. I submitted a request through the USAA Car Buying Program, which uses TrueCar to contact all local dealerships. I immediately got generic, clearly auto-generated emails from a few of them, followed by a rash of generic, reading-a-script voice mails on my phone.
Cerritos Acura is one of the few in Southern California that has a 2019 currently on the lot, so their email was more personalized but also filled with false urgency about how I needed to get to the dealership right away because of all the demand for the car. It's got a white exterior, which I'm not at all interested in, but I also found their pricing to be hilarious as the MSRP is $176,800 but they are adding a $20,000 "market adjustment". I couldn't resist writing back to say that I was well aware of the demand (or lack thereof) for the car and that, if anything, I would expect to see a market adjustment of $20,000 in the downward direction. The guy wrote back almost immediately to say that price was just a starting point: "
Sorry, but I'm not willing to deal with a place who starts out dishonestly. I guess more power to them if they find that unicorn buyer who knows nothing and pays their silly "market adjustment", but it tells me right away that they are trying to screw me, not deal fairly and honestly.
Nissani Brothers Acura also has a 2019 currently on the lot, so their email was also more personalized but also filled with the same false urgency about how I needed to get to the dealership immediately because of all the demand for the car. In a series of email exchanges, I inquired about the spec package on their NSX because certain things would be deal-breakers to me while other things may not be ideal but I could live with if the price was right.
It took a few emails just to get these basic facts, each one punctuated by appeals like, "Can you come in today before 5:30?" I found out that their NSX does not have the SiriusXM radio option, which is one of my deal-breakers, so I told the salesman that his wasn't the car for me but that we should both keep our eyes open for enticing corporate offers, subsidies, etc. The last reply I got from him was this:
"
Cerritos Acura is one of the few in Southern California that has a 2019 currently on the lot, so their email was more personalized but also filled with false urgency about how I needed to get to the dealership right away because of all the demand for the car. It's got a white exterior, which I'm not at all interested in, but I also found their pricing to be hilarious as the MSRP is $176,800 but they are adding a $20,000 "market adjustment". I couldn't resist writing back to say that I was well aware of the demand (or lack thereof) for the car and that, if anything, I would expect to see a market adjustment of $20,000 in the downward direction. The guy wrote back almost immediately to say that price was just a starting point: "
No need to be concerned, I am just showing you what you will see on the window of the car! Of course we would be willing to deal with you!"
Sorry, but I'm not willing to deal with a place who starts out dishonestly. I guess more power to them if they find that unicorn buyer who knows nothing and pays their silly "market adjustment", but it tells me right away that they are trying to screw me, not deal fairly and honestly.
Nissani Brothers Acura also has a 2019 currently on the lot, so their email was also more personalized but also filled with the same false urgency about how I needed to get to the dealership immediately because of all the demand for the car. In a series of email exchanges, I inquired about the spec package on their NSX because certain things would be deal-breakers to me while other things may not be ideal but I could live with if the price was right.
It took a few emails just to get these basic facts, each one punctuated by appeals like, "Can you come in today before 5:30?" I found out that their NSX does not have the SiriusXM radio option, which is one of my deal-breakers, so I told the salesman that his wasn't the car for me but that we should both keep our eyes open for enticing corporate offers, subsidies, etc. The last reply I got from him was this:
"
Perhaps, I didn't explain correctly, SiriusXM is not available at all on any NSX. The factory does not offer it. These are real special vehicles that most Acura stores receive one, two or three of per year. I would encourage you to visit the vehicle in person to see what it's all about. We're happy to assist you at Nissani Bros. Acura."
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I've now written him back showing him two places that the SiriusXM option is explicitly called out on the NSX website. I'm just left shaking my head that the sales people for such a high-end car can be so uninformed, not to mention kind of pushy and a wee bit slimy.
To be honest, I expect more professional behavior from Acura dealerships period, not just when dealing with the NSX and that clientele. But I was very much turned off by the way they were doing business, and I suspect I'm not the only one. I'm an Acura loyalist so will likely make the purchase at some point, just from a different dealership. But I can imagine plenty of previously-non-Acura clients who were interested in the NSX only to have that interest destroyed by incompetent, uninformed, or just plan sleazy sales people.
[SUB][SUP]<strike>To be honest, I expect more professional behavior from Acura dealerships period, not just when dealing with the NSX and that clientele. But I was very much turned off by the way they were doing business, and I suspect I'm not the only one. I'm an Acura loyalist so will likely make the purchase at some point, just from a different dealership. But I can imagine plenty of previously-non-Acura clients who were interested in the NSX only to have that interest destroyed by incompetent, uninformed, or just plan sleazy sales people.
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