I was first in line at my dealer after seeing the original at the NY Auto Show in '89. Even thought the car came in red when it hit my dealer, I still made an offer $5k over MSRP and was told the "minimum" I had to offer over msrp was an additional $30,400. I walked away and didn't buy my NSX until 1999 since I was turned off. But I do know of an NSX that was sold by a dealer nearby in NY in 1991 for $120k so there obviously is a market and that is why dealers try this when the model just comes out.
VIN #19 is in showroom and can be yours for $225k
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I understand what you're saying about the few who will pay a premium for being first on their block etc.
The problem as I see it is the NSX at MSRP is priced right for a new launch and is not likely to command at $50K premium.
This isn't the latest offering from Maranello.
For the sake of a few dealers getting a one off premium Honda' risks creating an image of unsold cars sitting at dealerships which are starting to be discounted now as they are not selling at the MSRP plus ask.
Meantime those who put down deposits years ago are not getting deliveries.
No acknowledgement or reward for a loyal Honda/Acura customer while they watch the dealers try to auction off an NSX.
Much better to ship to dealers who plan to register the car in the owner's name, display it and not resell it.
These are real sales to dealer owner's who want the car.
Then ship to non-dealer owners who have been waiting a long time.
No more shipping to dealers for flipping while their is current unsold inventory.
If Honda doesn't do this they'll have no idea what the real NSX sales pace is.
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Agreed. And that is why a I applauded a local dealer who took a deposit 3 years ago, received #25 and delivered it almost immediately to the customer without ever showing it off in the showroom (and before I could even try to set up a meet there to see it!) The customer was the important one and even I couldn't get in to check it out and that dealer "sponsored" my honeymoon in 2014!
So, you are suggesting that Honda add a new box on the dealer order form:
- Are you going to sit on this car and try and sell it at a premium?
How are they supposed to know if a dealer is going to do that?
The dealer could just order a car for themselves, register it and then still sell it at a premium as a used car.
With the current dealer structure it is very hard for Honda to take ultimate control of things like this.
Honda could cut allocations to dealers that are found to be holding them to sell at a profit, but why would they want to piss off some of there best dealers over what will be a temporary thing.
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Honda know full well this is going on and I was told some of the dealers are looking to recoup their investment in the program faster than others
if the market adjustment game doesn't work for them, they will either have to buy the car themselves or drop the price to move it before being able to order another car. Essentially they put their next allocation at some risk by playing this game.
i expect if the dealer is not willing to go without a market adjustment, they will take delivery and transfer the car to one of their other stores or send it to an exotic car specialist to promote
if the market adjustment game doesn't work for them, they will either have to buy the car themselves or drop the price to move it before being able to order another car. Essentially they put their next allocation at some risk by playing this game.
i expect if the dealer is not willing to go without a market adjustment, they will take delivery and transfer the car to one of their other stores or send it to an exotic car specialist to promote
No, the latest offering from Maranello, the 488 is at a minimum of $300,000 and often close to $400,000 and will sell well over sticker for close to 2 years. So this Honda is still behaving quite like a Honda and not being priced crazy like a Ferrari.
While I agree about snubbing customers in favor of creating marketing hype - having them at dealerships for people to see and experience is worthwhile marketing for the car. Also my understanding that the +$50k "buy it now" price is getting you at least a 6 month lead time if not more like 9 month lead time as the factory is already back logged with pre-orders from customers. So your deep pocket Ferrari owner who wants to dump his 458 for 488, but is annoyed with the wait may stumble in to the Acura dealership while picking up his wife's car and find himself pleasantly surprised by the looks and performance of the NSX - a car that wasn't really on his radar - and will happily pay the extra $50k for a car now rather than waiting on bended knee at the Ferrari dealership
I think Honda needs to decide who their customers are.
If they view the dealer as their customer then by all means cater to making their dealer healthy and wealthy.
If they view the dealer as their sales agent and the end-user as their customer then they may have a different view.
The original NSX marketing plan was to avoid having unsold NSX's in dealer inventories hence the made to order program.
Each NSX that was to go to a dealer was to have an individual's name on it.
Of course Honda can't control what a dealer owner does with his car(s) so reselling is bound to happen.
However if that's contrary to the Honda overall plan then I'd expect they would curtail deliveries to the resellers and direct them to real sales.
For approx. 800 cars it's not hard to keep track of what's happening to NSX hard sales.
Every manufacturer needs to know what their real sales pace is.
If Honda has,say, 250 NSX dealers each with one for the dealer plus another 300 confirmed direct sales, it looks like a 550 car order file.
If however 200 of those dealer orders are for resale then the order file is only 350 cars and new factory orders will slow down until the 200 unsold cars are actually sold.
Can be a big problem if you're starting a major repositioning of the Acura brand and your halo car isn't selling as you'd hoped.
The NSX needs to be sold out with a wait list for Acura to have something to shout about.
Too much at stake for Honda to be relying on a dealer base that wants to auction off new cars regardless of that effect on a major program.
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I don't think I'm making my case well but to me, on a macro scale, I see Honda trying to change their image back to one of an innovative performance company and also reposition the Acura brand more upmarket.
I think their re-entry into Formula 1 and the new NSX are part of this overall re-imaging.
I'd expect there are more things coming down the road, perhaps a front engine rear drive Acura sedan/coupe and so on.
So for Acura a successful NSX launch and continuing sales program is a very important first step.
Yes there should be an NSX in every Acura showroom.
And in my mind it should have a sold sticker in the windshield and an Acura NSX specialist salesperson happy to help you place an order for your very own.
The dealership gets extra traffic, Acura helps their image and so on.
I'd suggest 98 % of Acura showroom traffic are not NSX buyers but they'll feel great driving their new MDX with a bit of NSX image attached.
I think Ferrari/Porsche/Audi/Lambo/Lotus etc buyers/owners are amongst the most knowledgeable car customers on the planet.
I'd think they all know about the new NSX.
Maybe there's a few impulse buyers out there that will stumble onto an NSX, pay $50 K over and drive away happy.
But to me it's more important for Acura/Honda to have NSX's at the dealer with sold stickers.
Sure maybe a highly motivated buyer could convince a dealer/owner to part with the showroom model at some negotiated price but that's big difference to going to Cars.com and seeing 10 or more available anytime.
Better for Honda to ship sold NSX's to real owners, keep a "sold" one in the showroom, and have a solid order file.
As far as I know ther have been at most two ( maybe three?) "locking" events where actual orders have been accepted at the factory.
I doubt whether that totals more than 500 cars.
How many of those are actually sold?
How many or going to reappear for resale.
Honda needs to know this.
Anyway I've ranted on far too long on this so time to let it go
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I can tell you right now that if I dropped $200k on my custom order NSX the LAST thing that would happen is that it would sit in some dealer show room with who know who pawing over the damn thing. Honestly, I wouldn't even put my current NSX in their showroom if they begged me to. To me, that is a public place and is subject to everything that happens in a public place. No thank you, I am way to OCD for that.
Seems like we just have a different view on this though and that is fine. I have had no problem telling people at cars and coffee who seem appalled at the $25-50k markup that they can pay that now or wait 9 months. Most people nod and say - ya, I can see that.
As far as brand image problems, Honda/Acura has a much bigger all around problem with that anyways. The first start is to decide if they are Honda or Acura and go from there. The second is a higher quality product line. I was talking cars with a realtor who needed a "nice" new car to look the part that realtors seem to feel they need to look. She loved her old Lexus, but it was time to go and hates the new Lexus front end. I couldn't with any sort of straight face recommend the RDX/MDX because honestly they just say budget and not luxury when compared to Audis or Mercedes. Unsold NSXs are the least of Acura's "image" problems.
Seems like we just have a different view on this though and that is fine. I have had no problem telling people at cars and coffee who seem appalled at the $25-50k markup that they can pay that now or wait 9 months. Most people nod and say - ya, I can see that.
As far as brand image problems, Honda/Acura has a much bigger all around problem with that anyways. The first start is to decide if they are Honda or Acura and go from there. The second is a higher quality product line. I was talking cars with a realtor who needed a "nice" new car to look the part that realtors seem to feel they need to look. She loved her old Lexus, but it was time to go and hates the new Lexus front end. I couldn't with any sort of straight face recommend the RDX/MDX because honestly they just say budget and not luxury when compared to Audis or Mercedes. Unsold NSXs are the least of Acura's "image" problems.
Another week and 0 word from anyone about my #22. I think my rep is sick of lying to me because he wont answer any of my emails anymore.
This is the email I sent on the 19th:
Here is the last email where he clearly was telling me BS (July 11th):
Now I don't believe he was intentionally lying to me but clearly he is trying to smooth this situation over. It would be nice to know what he is being told.
This is the email I sent on the 19th:
Here is the last email where he clearly was telling me BS (July 11th):
Now I don't believe he was intentionally lying to me but clearly he is trying to smooth this situation over. It would be nice to know what he is being told.
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I cant even get that info. They are literally hiding the status from me even though they know that I know that it exists.
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Can you get Acura of Boston to open up the package for you and see what it says on the build sheet?
At this point ,my guess would be that some VIP saw your car at the factory, pissed his pants from how hot it looks, and they diverted it to him.
The rep has not been able to even confirm my chassis number as things are fluid and build order can be changed for reasons such as taking care of a VIP.
At this point ,my guess would be that some VIP saw your car at the factory, pissed his pants from how hot it looks, and they diverted it to him.
The rep has not been able to even confirm my chassis number as things are fluid and build order can be changed for reasons such as taking care of a VIP.
The not answering emails is what has me worried. Its like they got some bad news and want to keep me on the hook by keeping me in the dark. Ill be calling them tomorrow, see if I can get the data from my build sheet.
Sounds like a total shit show.
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The car business seems to have a different mentality than sellers in other businesses.
When an owner's greed to keep the initial car personally takes over...speaks volumes to me.
Falling in love with your product is not a game plan that leads to success in any industry IMO - you purchase or make it,
then sell it and repeat as often as possible.
When an owner's greed to keep the initial car personally takes over...speaks volumes to me.
Falling in love with your product is not a game plan that leads to success in any industry IMO - you purchase or make it,
then sell it and repeat as often as possible.
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The lack of email response may be due with the Acura email routing system (being optimistic here).
I was told by one of the reps that all the emails go to a central inbox and then have to be forwarded to someone.
I was told by one of the reps that all the emails go to a central inbox and then have to be forwarded to someone.
Yep, makes you wonder why you are waiting in line.
"We respect our early adopters and to show our appreciation we are letting people that found out about the car yesterday cut to the front of the line."
This is exactly how I feel at the moment.
EDIT TO ADD:
"And if you want to know when you are getting your car......we promise that we will eventually give you a 3 month delivery window.......but we will probably forget to do even that."
In case you think that is hyperbole, that is exactly what has happened so far in my case. I called Acura for the first time and they told me directly that they would eventually call me with a 3 month delivery window. I called a second time about a week ago and they said, and I quote:
"It will be delivered very soon".
Which of these do you think is more likely:
1. Dealerships had no idea when their for sale floor models were being delivered.
2. Dealerships at the most had a 3 day window (likely less) for when they were getting their cars.
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Correct + $10K discounts from a $89,765 MSRP
Steve
You should have kept that white one!
That's very possible with JUST $150k down.
No literally in 2005 you could walk into a Acura dealer and walk away with that lease...they were practically giving unsold NSX's away.
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