Florida MDXers (Don Mealey Acura?)

Florida Acura Dealers

I bought from Crown Acura in Clearwater. They have an internet site and internet sales manager. Even though I live only 25 miles away, I did the whole deal on the phone, except delivery of course.

MSRP, no forced options, delivery in 6 weeks. Provided reliable timely information as vehicle moved throught the process.

Also, I understand Rick Case Acura in Ft Lauderdale is good to work with. Much bigger dealer, may be easier to fit any special requirement you have e g. shipping.

You'll love your MDX. We do!!

NaNaLi said:

Anybody have any experience with Don Mealey Acura of Orlando?

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Let us know which dealer you go with, I'm also in Orlando and I'm waiting to get more news and feed back on the 2002 models before I decide to place the order. The next challenge will be finding the best place in Orlando, or any area on either side of the coat....

good luck

-Mango,
GO CANES!

Hey Nalnau, I got my 'X at Don Mealey. (MSRP w/ no forced options). I dealt with Jimmy ? (can't remember his last name) who is their internet sales guy althogh I live just a few miles from them. That particular dealership has been around (under different ownership I think) since at least the fall of 1989 when I was shopping for an Integra (which I ended up getting at Gainesville Acura cuz I wanted a leftover '89 instead of a newly released 2nd gen '90). The other dealer in O-Town (Fountain Acura) had about a 2 or 3 month waiting period, so I went with Don Mealey cuz they just happend to have 2 black MDXs in stock and I didn't want to wait. Supposedly the one I got had been special ordered but the person vanished when it showed up. The other one had been equipped with running boards and moon roof visor by the dealership and was sold a couple days after I got mine. I notice you live in NY, is it that hard to come by an 'X up there that you need to come all the way to Florida?

I notice you live in NY, is it hard to get an 'X there

Yes, very hard. They are all BLOOD SUCKERS up here. I just called Springfield Acura (NJ) and they quoted me $5000 over MSRP on '01. Can you believe that. Montclair Acura (doesn't add $ over MSRP) has months waiting list (June/July delivery). My brother lives there so he's helping me out. I figure I just fly down and drive it up.

Anybody have any experience with NC area dealers?

Leith Acura in NC...

NaNaLi

I have not dealt with this dealer, but have two friends who purchased from Leith Acura in NC. Although, I live in VA, when I requested a quote from Edmunds.com, this dealer called me. I talked with Donald Holland and he seemed like a nice guy. I contacted them in July and at that time they were asking MSRP, but throwing in a few accessories, such as rear splash guards and pinstripping. As far as purchasing, my friends had good experiences with Don and this dealership. Neither has returned their vehicle to this dealer for service, so I am not sure about that. The phone number for Leith is (910) 864-1449. Don's ext. is 203.

I talked with Donald Holland of Leith...

Very nice guy like you said. Told him that he was recomended by someone from this site(FYI, all dealers I spoke to knows about this site). I think I leaning towards putting a deposit through him. Here are the list of dealers I spoke to so far who had faxed me a deposit form. Please share any experience from any of them.
Thanks

1.) Leith Acura (NC)- $500 Dep. with Jan 2002 Delivery date.
2.) Jones Acura (PA) - $500 Dep. w/ Mar/Apr 2002 delivery date.
3.) Metro Acura (PA) - $1000 Dep. w/ Jan. 2002 delivery date.
4.) Don Mealy Acura (FL) - $500 Dep. with Jan 2002 delivery date.

All will charge MSRP with no forced options.

Re: I notice you live in NY, is it hard to get an 'X there

NaNaLi said:

Yes, very hard. They are all BLOOD SUCKERS up here. I just called Springfield Acura (NJ) and they quoted me $5000 over MSRP on '01. Can you believe that. Montclair Acura (doesn't add $ over MSRP) has months waiting list (June/July delivery). My brother lives there so he's helping me out. I figure I just fly down and drive it up.

Anybody have any experience with NC area dealers?

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NaNaLi -

WOW ! 5k over msrp for an '01. I think they must have suffered some sort of cranial damage....But as I've been saying for a long time now, all the metro NY area dealers are nuts.....


metmdx

Nanali,


Not sure how far south in Florida you want to go but even with all my problems I have had I feel I would still recomend Rick Case. I dont blame Rick Case for my situation as they are stuck in the middle of a different dealers poor service and corporate's thumb.

I cant however recommend Acura/American Honda Corporate Customer Service. And just make sure you have a good dealer to service your X.


TECK!

How was Hawaii?

id go with rick case which is where i bought mine from.... they;re the biggest acura dealer in the US so you'll run into less hassles there than you would at other smaller dealers... im sure a lot of those guys will not meet their promised delivery date.... rick case also does a ton of out of state sales so you'd have the comfort of knowing your dealing with someone who;s done this before...

Smail Acura

NaNaLi - Smail Acura is a straight forward dealer. MSRP with no forced options. I can't help you re shipping, however. Good luck...

NaNaLi,
I live in Manhattan and I totally agree with you about the sleezy dealers here. So I dealt with Brian Hall from Acura of Orange Park. From the moment I called to the moment my MDX was delivered to my front door was a total of two weeks. No forced options, no fuss just honest and helpfulness. I would highly suggest you call him. Mention that Rona from NY sent you. The car was delivered to my apt. and I got exactly what I wanted. His number is: (904)777-5600 and his cell number is: (904)472-7989.
A guy in my building was admiring my car and said that he was bummed because he wanted one but didn't want to wait. I gave him Brian's number and he is thrilled. He is going to get his car this week after about a two week wait. Don't give in to these guys here. You don't have to. Good luck.

you need to stay away from don mealy acura, this has got to be the worst acura dealer in the state of florida, heres my story I ordered an MDX from them, gave them 1000, the sales guy told me it would be about three months, three weeks later he called me and said he had one that a customer turned down and if I could be there in two hours I could have it I rushed home to get my wife and we got to the dealer in under two hours, when we got there he said the other folks decided to take it, I said why didnt you call me and let me know, he sai he didnt have time, when I complained to the General manager he said he would look into it, three days later I received my 1000 deposit in the mail, I went to Fountain acura where I should have gone in the first place and now I have my MDX dont buy from Don Mealy

I'm a sales representative for a south Florida Acura dealer, and we still have a few September/October build-date cars available (2001 models) and a few of November's 2002 production, which will be delivered between 11/15 - 12/15.

Many of our customer's have homes in Florida and the Northeast, and have had their cars shipped north. Since we don't charge over MSRP, and our only required accessory is a $500 protection package, many have saved enough to cover the freight.

"Since we don't charge over MSRP, and our only required accessory is a $500 protection package,..."

I'm sorry MJHorwitz, but $500 for a "protection package" smells like a major league rip-off to me. If a dealer were to charge $500 for a set of rear mud flaps, at least you would get something tangible and semi-useful for your money

Hey Botny, see if you can make it to the 3rd Annuual Big CR-V / MDX Scrub in St. Augustine this Feb, details in the link below. Sorry you got treated so crappy by Don Mealey.

The protection package includes the matching rear mud guards, wheel locks and window etching. We have allowed customers to substitute other accessories for the window etching.

As an Acura "Precision Team" award winning dealer, we go out of our way to not be involved in scams of any "league"! If you are unfamilliar with this award, ask your local dealer: if they had Customer Service scores high enough to qualify, they will know all about it.

Well, my bad then. I assumed "protection package" was the usual scotch guard / paint sealant type deal. However, $500 for rear mud flaps, wheel locks and window etching is STILL a major league rip off IMO, "Precision Team" dealer status notwithstanding. Now, if you tell me you allow customers to substitue a rear wind deflector (or any other COMPARABLY priced genuine Acura accessory) for the etching, that's another story. If you're so interested in "customer service", why force them to buy ANY accessories? (Rhetorical question).

Rochester NY Dealer

NaNaLi said:

Yes, very hard. They are all BLOOD SUCKERS up here. I just called Springfield Acura (NJ) and they quoted me $5000 over MSRP on '01. Can you believe that. Montclair Acura (doesn't add $ over MSRP) has months waiting list (June/July delivery). My brother lives there so he's helping me out. I figure I just fly down and drive it up.

Anybody have any experience with NC area dealers?

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I don't know how far you're willing to travel, but I went to a dealer in Rochester last weekend. John Holtz Acura. I was afraid they'd be arrogant and charge over MSRP, like the horror stories I've heard. The salesman, Mike Fornari, was surprisingly very pleasant, quoted MSRP, and got me slated for a December delivery. He stressed I could get the MDX "anyway I want it"--- no forced options. They look like a smaller dealership to me, but they're in the process of remodeling, so I believe Acura is "rewarding" them by providing them with an extra allotment of cars--- which is supposedly how I'm getting December delivery.

Just a suggestion!

Acura's regional management does reward dealers that have excellent Customer Satisfaction Indexes (CSI) with extra cars!

Most customers want some kind of accessory. Just look at the Signatures on this forum. We would be happy to substitute any comparably-priced Acura accessory for the window etching, and for a local buyer who was going to have us service the car, we might even waive the requirement.

We put the wheel locks and mud guards on the cars during the Pre-delivery inspection. The car looks unbalanced with only the standard, front mud guards, and after numerous thefts, we don't allow a car to sit on our lot without wheel locks. In the case of the MDX, no one has complained about paying $200 for these two essential accessories.