Acura Dealership in Texas

6803 Views 47 Replies 22 Participants Last post by MDXLuvr, Feb 21, 2002

snugmdx

Discussion Starter · May 8, 2001

I would like to hear about your experience (good & bad) with your Acura dealership in Texas. I live in North Texas, we have 4 Acura dealerships (David McDavid, Goodson, Vandergriff, MacChurchill) So far the best one has been Goodson in Irving, especially the loan car program while your Acura is in service.

1. Goodson (loan car program... they give '01 Integra to zip around while you car is in service) $$
2. Vandergriff (little too far from where I live) $
3. David McDavid (Don't offer loan car, unless you insist) $$$
*. MacChurchill (Can't rank. Never been there)

Service cost
$ - below average
$$ - average
$$$ - more other dealers.

1 - 20 of 48 Posts

msu79gt82

· #2 · May 9, 2001

John Eagle Acura

I would rate John Eagle Acura (Houston) #1 by a long shot. Nothing but a wonderful experience in all ways. Do a search on John Eagle for all of my previous posts regarding them. See also the dealer ratings accessed from the home page. Following is a quick summary:

1) Paid MSRP w/ no forced add-ons.
2) Free factory recommended maintenance for 2 years (24K miles).
3) Free (warranted) Vehicle Protection Plan.
4) Free Wheel Locks, Cargo Cover & Net, and Roof Channel covers (we removed the roof rack).
5) Great prices on after market window tint & pin-stripes.
6) Discounted prices on all after market purchases (but see Tim first).
7) Use of loaner car; we've had a CL twice.

John Eagle was very easy to work with. We had no trouble getting test drives whenever we wanted, including one extended test drive. Not once did the sales rep go along on a test drive. My wife (and whole family on the extended drive) and I had full access to the car during test drive w/o the pressure of a rep along. Once we got on the waiting list they were fair and honest. The first time there was a cancelation they called to see if we wanted to move up on the list; we did not, it wasn't what we wanted.

Again do a search on John Eagle for more info. Or try:
http://www.houstonacura.com

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MaryDX

· #3 · May 20, 2001

I bought my 'demo' MDX from Mac Churchill Acura. They were very pleasant to deal with. I did most of my transactions over the phone and got my own financing elsewhere.
It was a very straightforward deal.

They sell MDX's at MSRP with no forced add-ons.

If you know what you want...they appear to be folks who will work with you.

I live out of state...so I will not be going to them for service. But, my guess is they seem to care about customer loyalty and will make sure they earn it.

My salesman was Jim Short and he has been with the company a long while. He had several awards on his wall and had a pleasant personality.

KyleZone

· #4 · May 24, 2001

If you are planning to trade in your current vehicle, stay away from McDavid in Austin!!!!!!

My MDX arrived last night (after just 2 months). They won't budge from a low-ball wholesale offer that is well below Kelley and NADA dealer trade-in values. I have until noon tomorrow to decide how bad I want this car -- or they'll offer it to the next Black/Touring order on their list.

snugmdx

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 24, 2001

Kyle,
if I were you, I will check with CarMax. I've purchased my MDX from McDavid in Plano, even my sales guy told me to check with CarMax. We were going to trade in 98 Honda Civic for it. Anyhow, we took it over to CarMax and got about $12,000.00 for it. I still don't think I got a good deal but better than McDavid.. :-(
Good luck.

KyleZone

· #6 · May 27, 2001

Snug,

Thanks for the suggestion. I called CarMax in San Antonio and learned that their company policy won't allow them to give a range over the phone (and I can't blame them for that).

So then I called Gunn Acura in San Antonio. Gunn offered $1500 MORE for my trade-in, sight unseen. To make a long story short, I'm walking away from McDavid's "take it or leave it" attitude and yesterday I switched to Gunn. Oh, I didn't mention it, but McDavid didn't change my color preference after I called it in and then corrected the salesman when he called me with the born-on date. My Gunn-ordered MDX will have a Memorial Day born-on date (holiday not observed in Canada). Although they don't throw in anything (as I've read that Eagle in Houston does), my salesman (Sam) will drive 2+ hours to my home to deliver my new Mahogany MDX and drive off in my current vehicle. Basically, I didn't need the anxiety and stress that I had dealing with McDavid. I had requested a mid-June delivery so that I could return from vacation and then sell my car. Instead it arrived too early for me to sell on my own and they would not budge from their wholesale trade-in offer. They tried to pressure me by saying that MOST dealers are demanding $2k over MSRP. I corrected him with the knowledge I have gained from reading ACURAMDX.ORG. They also wanted to match my best financing rate (5.95%) -- after I did all the footwork and spent $40 to join a Credit Union! Finally, their accessory costs amount to highway robbery.

Bottom line,...it appears that the demand for the MDX is a little lighter in San Antonio than in Austin, where the waiting list is much longer and they prefer to sell to those that don't read ACURAMDX.ORG. - so they can rip them off via high-priced accessories and protection packages.

I'm once again an excited MDX owner-to-be!

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mikenguyen33

· #7 · May 29, 2001

Acura Southwest in Houston

This dealership is the worst in Houston (owned by Sterling McCall family).

I was jerked around by the sales rep, Jack L., when my MDX would comes in. Everytime I called in to check on status of vehicle, he would give me another date. A promise of 6-8 weeks turned out to be 10 weeks.

When time comes for accessories, surpise, suprise, tack on to the ones I wanted was a "Decor" package (wheels locks, cargo net& cover,mud flaps), the ones that John Eagle is giving out for FREE, these guys want to charge $589 for it AND they want me to pay a Dealer Prep charge ("DPA") for a whopping $385. They told me to take it or leave it. After haggling with the sales "manager" for 45 minutes, I still comes out $350 short.

The final insult literally came when I came in to pick up the MDX. When I indicated to the rep that the whole buying experience could be better, he just blew up and went on this outburst in a very loud manner how he doesn't give a damn how I feel, what I do, etc .. and promptly left my car with a loud slam of the door.

Unbelievable !! The moment I took delivery, this guy two-faced me right there and then. I am sure not all their reps are like this, but if they allowed this guy to work there, what does it says about Acura Southwest as a dealership ?

Like KyleZone indicated, I regretted not finding this forum before I went out and look for a dealership.

Despite what transpired, the MDX is a joy is drive and own. For those waiting, you will love it ...

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msu79gt82

· #8 · May 29, 2001

Ditto CarMax

We had a good experience selling our Expedition to CarMax in April. We did get a good deal there! Got $2000 more than anyone's trade-in offers.

canson

· #9 · May 29, 2001

We had an absolutely great experience with Gunn Acura in San Antonio. Our salesperson was John Hadley.

We got jerked around by Acura SW and finally walked away after too much misinformation. Mike, make sure you call and write to Acura telling them of your experience and displeasure with Acura SW. Copy the general manager of Acura SW on your correspondence. Mention people by name. It's time that these jokers are accountable for their actions.

We had a pretty bad time at David McDavid too. I hope their service department is decent.

FatBoyMDX

· #10 · Jun 6, 2001

snugmdx said:
Kyle,
if I were you, I will check with CarMax. I've purchased my MDX from McDavid in Plano, even my sales guy told me to check with CarMax. We were going to trade in 98 Honda Civic for it. Anyhow, we took it over to CarMax and got about $12,000.00 for it. I still don't think I got a good deal but better than McDavid.. :-(
Good luck.

Snug - 12,000 for a 98 civic? I'm looking to trade in the same thing - what were the specs on the car?
What was KBB or edmunds on it?

snugmdx

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jun 6, 2001

CIVIC 4DR DX (ABOUT 36K MILES). Purchased - March/98 & Sold it - March/2001
4 cycl. 4 speed auto. Very Clean. AM/FM, Curuise.
We didn't drive it whole a lot, just in town driving.

JacqueandRob

· #12 · Jun 21, 2001

Gunn Acura

I'll add to the positives for Gunn Acura of San Antonio. Paid MSRP, only waited three days (there were two ahead of me for a silver/touring/no nav, one was out of town for an extended period, the other missed his deadline & called as I was signing the paperwork!), no forced accessories. They even threw in some of the all weather floormats because I had to wait at the dealership a long time when I picked the X up. Seems that the Integra buyer ahead of me decided to test the dealer's no haggle policy with the only finance person on duty! Admittedly, I did have to prod them about the mats. ;-) I worked with two salesmen, one on the test drive and another for the transaction, since the test drive guy was off that day. Sam Doria was the one who handled the transaction. The other guy was a thin, bald African-American, whose name I don't recall. I'd recommend either.

Gunn does have a MDX wait list - in the 3 hours I spent hanging around waiting on the other guy to give up haggling, I wondered a few places I wasn't supposed to, one of which was the Sales Conference room, where the MDX list was being kept on a whiteboard. They go by option level and color. I'm now considering replacing my other car with a TL Type S, based on this experience.

Rob

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KyleZone

· #13 · Jun 23, 2001

Rob,

Sam Doria was my salesman, also. After he drove my new MDX 2-hours from San Antonio to Round Rock (near Austin) just hours after it arrived at their showroom, I told him I'd post a very positive review in this website. I haven't done that yet, but would encourage you to do as I plan. Central Texans need to know that they do have an option beyond the "take it or leave it because we have 15 in line for that color" David McDavid dealership!

The people at Gunn are just downright nice folks. Their sales manager (Vince or Vance) allowed me to look over his shoulder at his computer monitor to see what the expected wait would be for various color combinations.

Sparkie

· #14 · Jul 18, 2001

Good experience at MacChurchill in FTW

I started off looking at Goodson Acura - test drove an MDX there but was put off by the long wait and said no thanks. They were however very accomodating for the test drive. I found out that most of the Acura owners at work had bought at MacChurchill so when I decided to go MDX after all I went there. So far good folks to deal with. MSRP, no forced accessories, no pressure to buy any. I pick up my MDX on Friday 7/20. Jack Pace (sales mgr) or any of their sales people were very helpfull keeping me updated on delivery.

octavian

· #15 · Aug 6, 2001

Goodson Acura

It's never over 'till its over and my MDX isn't due in until 8/27 - 8/29 but so far Ed Camp and Charles Thompson at Goodson Acura have been straight shooters.....and that says a lot down here in Texas.

I will make another post to detail my AFTER sales experience, but except for one big surprise (that got corrected....hope hope!) Goodson is a fine dealership.

Sparkie

· #16 · Aug 7, 2001

Octavian; I hope your experience at Goodson is a happy one. The dealer ratings give Goodson one of the lowest in Texas. I was turned off by their hard sell on an MDX in a color I did not want, and that was loaded with rediculous overprice accessories. They had the flares listed for $990, the wood trim interior for $900, etc.
A visit to MacChurchill in Fort Worth was worth the trip. Jack Pace spent almost an hour with me setting up my order, talking cars. Straight info while waiting for my MDX, they even informed me of the build date and expected ship date. If your deal with Goodson goes south try MacChurchill.
Cheers,
Sparkie

cardingtr

· #17 · Aug 7, 2001

canson said:
We had an absolutely great experience with Gunn Acura in San Antonio. Our salesperson was John Hadley.

We got jerked around by Acura SW and finally walked away after too much misinformation. Mike, make sure you call and write to Acura telling them of your experience and displeasure with Acura SW. Copy the general manager of Acura SW on your correspondence. Mention people by name. It's time that these jokers are accountable for their actions.

We had a pretty bad time at David McDavid too. I hope their service department is decent.

Thanks canson. I am waiting for David McDavid to give up their "driver's car" and I commited myself to it since I don't want to wait-price MSRP. Now I am having second thoughts after reading through the tread about David McDavid because I'm afraid they will low ball our 2001 Odyssey EX Nav as trade in. I actually have a nice conversation with John Hadley(Gunn) last week and I am calling him back. I am now willing to wait.

This group helped me a lot..

canson

· #18 · Aug 8, 2001

Cardingtr,

I've heard that Auto-Nation in San Antonio is a decent place to sell your existing car, particularly if you are going to be buying in San Antonio.

However, I would seriously consider selling your minivan yourself. I couldn't believe how many calls I was getting using various free listing services (yahoo, etc.) I sold mine in 2 weeks for substantially higher than I could have gotten from a dealership. Sure, it was a little more inconvenient, but really was not that bad.

If you go with Gunn Acura, tell John that Chad Anson wrote him a glowing review. Who knows, maybe he'll throw in a freebie.

cardingtr

· #19 · Aug 8, 2001

Yep I told him today about this site and he even told me a guy from New Jersey (are you here?) flew in to buy from him after being referred from this group in Austin.
I will surely give him a call tomorrow again..
I already listed the Odyssey in Austin American Statesman and should be listing it on free classified online too if nothing comes out good from local listing..

JerrysMDX

· #20 · Aug 9, 2001

Re: Acura Southwest in Houston

mikenguyen33 said:
This dealership is the worst in Houston (owned by Sterling McCall family).

I was jerked around by the sales rep, Jack L., when my MDX would comes in. Everytime I called in to check on status of vehicle, he would give me another date. A promise of 6-8 weeks turned out to be 10 weeks.

When time comes for accessories, surpise, suprise, tack on to the ones I wanted was a "Decor" package (wheels locks, cargo net& cover,mud flaps), the ones that John Eagle is giving out for FREE, these guys want to charge $589 for it AND they want me to pay a Dealer Prep charge ("DPA") for a whopping $385. They told me to take it or leave it. After haggling with the sales "manager" for 45 minutes, I still comes out $350 short.

The final insult literally came when I came in to pick up the MDX. When I indicated to the rep that the whole buying experience could be better, he just blew up and went on this outburst in a very loud manner how he doesn't give a damn how I feel, what I do, etc .. and promptly left my car with a loud slam of the door.

Unbelievable !! The moment I took delivery, this guy two-faced me right there and then. I am sure not all their reps are like this, but if they allowed this guy to work there, what does it says about Acura Southwest as a dealership ?

Like KyleZone indicated, I regretted not finding this forum before I went out and look for a dealership.

Despite what transpired, the MDX is a joy is drive and own. For those waiting, you will love it ...

Thanks for the post. I was think of using them. I'd better think twice now. Did you send the message to the dealership (I would).

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