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I just got a copy of the plum magazine, ACOG, rebate. I tried to go to www.mazdausa.com/family, but it says that the rebate offer has expired. Are people still getting this rebate through a different means via the dealership? I'm to pick up my car tomorrow. I'd love to get another $500 off.
I was looking closely at the Honda Civic VP, Toyota Corolla CE, and the Mazda 3i for my spouse. I was researching (and dreading the showroom experiences I would have to endure) when my wife suddenly totaled her car necessitating my visit to a dealer on a Saturday to immediately buy a car so she would have transportation. I had driven the three models and liked the Mazda 3i the best, the Corolla second, and the Civic third. Amazingly, they were priced locally (2005s at the time) in that order! Mazda $15,990 OTD, Corolla $15,000 OTD, and Civic $14,500 OTD (all with auto and air as the only options requested.) At the Mazda dealer I showed him a competitor's ad and asked if he would match it. He said yes before looking at the ad. I got a 2006 titanium gray 3i with AT and AC and ABS/side airbags/curtain airbags for $15,787 OTD - including all Virginia taxes, processing fees, etc. I didn't buy anything else they were pushing -extended warranty, paint sealer, anti-theft window etching, etc. I think I got a very good deal on a Japanese-made car in a popular color/trim considering I would have paid $200 more for an 05 OTD! I noticed $1209 total discount and rebates against the MSRP of $16,445. I was desperate to buy a car THAT DAY but didn't let the salesman know, of course. My wife loves the car. I usually buy Saturns because I hate traditional dealerships. Did I do OK? Thanks! :confuse:
regards,
kyfdx
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Have you been dealing directly with Gerber to get your $500 rebate or Mazda? I know there were several $500 rebates (Gerber, ACOG and Mazda) and I just sent mine in (directly to Mazda) so I was not happy to read that you're having a hard time. Did you use the zoom zoom coupon as well (I was wondering if that may have something to do with it)? Please keep us updated as you get further info. Thanks and good luck!
Would that be a good deal ?
Should I jump on it ?
With that said, I'm often classified as a grinder. I would look at this and think there's money left on the table, roughly the $600 difference. If your ready to pull the trigger walk in and offer the advertised price...but be ready to buy. Have financing secured, etc. And go through the "please no add-ons..." dialogue.
I'm sorry you were jerked around by the dealer. My "dumb luck" must have been the fact that I had a competitor's ad in hand and the salesman said he would match a local competitior's deal even before looking at the ad. I had no coupons - I have no idea what the S-plan, Gerber (baby food?) and zoom zoom coupons are. I didn't ask for or use any of those - my only "tactic" was asking if they would match the competitior's ad. Could it also be geography? I'm in Richmond, VA. Am I allowed to give the dealer's and salesman's names in this forum?
It sounds like your car and mine are exactly the same. We bought a titanium gray 2006 3i with AT, AC, ABS, side and curtain air bags. My story doesn't involve any coupons or knowledge of S-plans, etc. Here in Richmond the mega Pearson group seems to be devouring all the locally-owned dealers which will ultimately hurt competition. I suspect what happened was that Pearson (with its volume buying) could put an ad in the paper for one car exactly like ours priced at $13,850 (incl. freight) + tax, title, dealer fee. I doubt Pearson would price all of theirs like this but it gets people in the door. My sales paperwork showed $709 discount and S-plan rebate of $500. I hope this helps. By the way, have you ever climbed Ben Nevis?
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regards,
kyfdx
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Whitten Bros. didn't have an identical car in stock but did have a titanium gray 3i en route with additional safety features such as ABS, side airbags, and curtain airbags for $15,236 incl. delivery and dealer prep. The deal sheet showed a $709 discount and a $500 S-plan rebate for a total reduction of $1209 from the MSRP of $16,445. I paid the Commonwealth of Virginia an additional $551 for tax, title and tags which brought the total to $15,787.
I didn't have any coupons or know of any rebates or discounts for the 3i. Whitten also gives 12 free oil changes and a loaner car for ALL service (incl. oil changes) for three years. If you do all recommended service at Whitten they also provide replacement tires for life. The Internet sales person at Whitten Bros. Mazda in Richmond was very easy to work with. He was patient and didn't apply pressure tactics. I recommend Whitten Bros. Mazda to the forum members.
Even though we previously discussed a price of $19100 they agreed to knock an extra $200 off because the car has 190 miles on it (which is a little strange, but it seems fine otherwise).
Also during signing of the contract they put down a price of $19400 and said it will be $18900 after the $500 zoom-zoom coupon, but when I noticed that they said it was a mistake again and corrected it to be $18900 before coupon.
I'm still a little suspicious about this deal, but the car seems perfectly fine apart from the 190 miles on the odometer. Hopefully it's all good.
Regarding the deal I got on the car, it's still a mystery to me why did they advertise this car for $2500 below MSRP to begin with ? That is WAY out of line with any reasonable discounts on Mazda3. And if it was really a mistake, why did they feel they have to honor the price even after the ad expired ? And why did the car have 190 miles on it ? And are these two facts related in some way ? I can't find anything wrong with the car, like any external or internal defects and it seems to drive just like any other new Mazda3 (I think).
20,760 ($300 over invoice) + tax $1829 + license $312,
22,9 out the door. Probably not the best of deals, (especially since user1235 blew everyone's deals out of the water ) but coming from a base model '91 Honda Civic, I'm absolutely delirious about this car :P
I sent it directly in to Mazda to the person and address specified in the email that said the dealer would not process it anymore. And yes I used a zoom-zoom coupon direcltly at the dealer but I think it has nothing to do with it. Latest, I called on the next Monday and got someone else who also confirmed that Mazda had no record of getting my paperwork. I faxed him the certified mail reciept but he just appologized and asked me to fax him all the paperwork and a copy of the original ad. I did that and he said he would put a rush on it. But honestly I don't know if they'll give me the rebate. My dealer claims Mazda never will, but I'll let you know if I get it.
Where abouts NorCal are you?
Aaargh. I want this process to be *easy.* I know, I know. Just call me Polyanna.
I now am waiting until mid December for a gray GT 5 door with auto. My dealer has to trade an MX 5 for it. I have the time but it seems like the gray GT is harder to come by. I could get just about any other color right away.
While 73 percent of new-vehicle buyers purchased their vehicle with the exact features they wanted, 11 percent said they ended up paying for features they didn’t want. Buyers who are not able to equip their new vehicle exactly the way they want shop more dealers and spend more time at the dealer ... This extra time spent lowers overall satisfaction compared to consumers who find a vehicle equipped exactly how they wanted. “Whether buyers end up sacrificing a preferred color or paying for options they didn’t necessarily want, having to settle for a vehicle that is not equipped as expected not only affects satisfaction with the vehicle itself, but also affects customer satisfaction with the overall sales experience,” said Steve Witten, executive director of automotive retail at J.D. Power ... manufacturers have to come up with more effective solutions for matching buyer expectations.”
Satisfaction also falls significantly when the amount of time spent at the dealership exceeds one hour. Customer satisfaction drops by 59 index points when comparing customers who spend one hour or less at the dealership to those who spend two or three hours. The average consumer spends approximately three hours at the dealership when purchasing their vehicle, and more than 15 percent of consumers spend four hours or more. “Dissatisfaction with the amount of time spent on the sales process is mostly attributed to the negotiation process ... Dealerships should ... cut down the number of personnel a customer must deal with ... because satisfaction with the sales experience heavily impacts the likelihood of the customer using the same dealership for vehicle maintenance service ”
http://www.jdpower.com/news/releases/pressrelease.asp?ID=2005227
P.S. What number are you calling to get these periodic updates?
I am paying S plan pricing (invoice) and using a zoom zoom coupon. My main concern is getting the vehicle before the end of the year as the coupon expires. The dealer assures me vehicle should be in on time and will do paper work ahead so that I can use the coupon. The dealer has been very good to work with.
Also I test drove a Mazda 3 before I purchased one and was supposed to get a coupon for $25(?) at Best Buy and have not received that yet either. Has anyone received their Best Buy coupon yet?
Despite this, I am really really happy with this car. I know there is another guy who went from Protege5 to the Mazda3 and raved about how much better the 3 is. I agree with him - the 3 is much more refined and still tons of fun to drive. The torque at low rpm's is real sweet.
Is the April date the expiry date?
My biggest concern are acceleration from a stop and highway passing power. One of the car mags (MT or C/D) timed an auto at 8.6 seconds to 60, which seems fairly strong.
Any input? I test drove one yesterday but didn't get to put it thru the paces as well as I'd like to.
Does anyone know if this rebate will be extended through December?
Looking at making an offer today, but will wait if it goes past 11/30.
Thanks,
Bryan
I am a first time car buyer in San Diego. I read through some of the post on this form and did some research on the Mazda3 I like to buy at well. As most ppl suggested, I emailed all of the dealers in San Diego for price quote so I can get an idea before I drive all the way there. Most of the dealer replied but do not want to give me a price although I give very specific describtion: I want a Mazda3 GT 4 dr with Auto transmission with color either red, white, silver or black with no add on. I personally think its a really big range already, I mean I am pretty much saying I am not picky at color at all. Almost all the dealer ask me to go in and talk ...the only one replied to me is El Cajon Mazda. The internet manager told me that he is selling mazda3 at $300 over invoice for all mazda3 he has. I dono if this is a trick to get me in or not...as a first time car buyer..I just finished college last year..going to a dealership is somehow a very scary thing for me..especially I am a girl who really dont know much about car @.@~ So basicly I am terried to face car dealer ...does anyone have any good experience with any mazda dealer in San Diego that I should start try to work with? Any help is appreciated.
thanks
Since the one dealer gave you $300 over as the price - start there -
E-mail them and ask for a "drive out price" - I like to say I want to know EXACTLY how much I need to write the check for to buy the car - ask them to break it down so you can see the detail - or if you are getting a bank loan - you will need to tell the bank how much to make the check out for. This sounds like a simple request - but in my experience it is something many dealerships don't want to give out - keep after them because you have every right to know what the final cost of the car is before you even set foot in the dealership.
If they tell you to not worry about it - that they will finance you (one of the most common ways they avoid giving you a drive out price) - tell them you would be give them a chance at the financing - but only if they have a better INTEREST RATE on a loan of 36, 48 60 or whatever number of months you want. You still want the complete pricing detail.
If they will not take the 2 minutes to give you a drive out price then I would not do business with them -
Once you get the pricing detail - you will be able to see if the price is REALLY $300 over - chances are they will try and add in document fees - advertising charges - or what ever. ALWAYS tell them you do not want to pay any additional fees - nothing to be afraid of - just be nice - but firm - Since you now have the detail pricing take all the fees off and then tell them - (assuming they have the car you want) if they will sell you the car for $XX,XXX you will come in to the dealership today and pick it up. All they can say is NO -
You can then shop the same price to several other dealerships - chances are good - one will sell you the car for $300 over with no added fees (except TT&L of course).
I received this letter a couple of weeks ago, at about the same time I bought my mazda3 GT manual w/moonroof/bose, but I did not open it before buying the car because it looked like junk mail (envelope says "invitation" only). Now it's too late so it looks like I missed out on possibly getting an additional $1000 off.....
I still got a very good deal but with this discount it would have been the best deal ever.... Damnit !!!!