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Comments
Jeff Haas seems to have the friendliest environment, although the initial price quote is 3% over invoice. That's over six hundred dollars for the configuration I want.
I didn't receive a firm quote from Joe Myers, but the guy guaranteed $500 over invoice. He just gave me a ballpark figure of between $22000 and $24000. He's going to have to do better than that. I don't think I'll respond. First impressions are important.
I'm having a great time looking and soon buying this car. The Internet is great. I negotiated my girlfriend's deal on her Accord in 2001 using email. After going back and forth on the computer, we went in and the atmospher was great. We paid a little more than we had to, but the communication and information was outstanding. Since then, we have referred several people to that dealership and have received $750 in referral checks. In the end, this turned out to be the cheapest deal afterall.
Mike
You are correct. It really doesn't matter where you buy. The sales people don't really have anything to do with the service people. I bought my last car 200 miles from home, and the local dealer was more than happy to do my warranty work and service. That's where they make most of their money, anyway. They really don't care where you bought the car.
...and I have to feed myself too. I don't have an extra $500 to take care of someone else. At the same time, I don't think $500 over invoice is too much for this car; however, I'm poor and need the car as cheap as possible.
-mpiatek
Good point about the service. I totally forgot about that. I'm so excited my brain isn't fully functioning. I didn't even consider going to a different dealer for service. See...that's the great thing about having an open forum. Thanks!!
see that name on the dealership? That guy and the sales manager are the only ones who make the coin. oops, finance manager too......
Imagine you are the service manager of a dealership. You are close personal friends as well as a trusted employee of the general manager. You and your wife have dinner with her twice a month, play golf together, have been to the Carribean, go to DisneyWorld with her, her family, the F & I manager, and the parts manager once every two or three years. Disney gets a little old, but it is the prize for highest customer satisfaction in your zone, and your dealership wins more often than not. Even your kids want to go to Six Flags instead once in a while. Still, you LOVE your job.
Today, though, you are swamped. Really, really busy. Every bay but one is full. One of your mechanics called off. Again. Another is really, really sick, and you are worried about her. Four people come in all at once, and all desperate to get their new cars fixed. You have one loaner left. The rental company is out of cars. You can only get one more into your service bays. Of course you take them all in in the order they came in. And as soon as they leave the shop, the customer who bought his car from your new shop is the one who will be put next in line. If the rental is already gone, the used car guy will lend you ONE demo, and it, of course, goes to the new car customer who bought from the house.
Also, warranty work is a pain. The manufacturers nickel and dime you to death. Service work AFTER THE WARRANTY RUNS OUT is the second or third most profitable part of any dealership. (Parts and/or used cars is the most profitable, depending on the dealership, with service either second or third if the first two mentioned are 1 and 2). New car sales is often operated at a loss, with almost ALL of the money made there being made in the F&I department (finance and insurance)
The SAME customers who shop for the lowest deal price are usually the same who scream the loudest about warranty repairs and leave your shop for service somewhere cheaper after their warranty is expired.
People, I know. I have MANY friends who are GM's of dealerships. I get and READ Automotive News and a passel of other dealer and manufacturer trade papers, cover to cover, every week. I have dinner with these folks. I go to their conventions. I have business relationships with many of them.
The customer who buys from the front of the house gets the best service from the back of the house. And professionalism and politeness works both ways. As the Marines teach, Attitude dictates response.
Remember that. And whatever business you are in, how would you like it if your customers tried constantly to nickel and dime you to death? Oh, yeah. If you are in retail management, you know they do. The car business is no different, just maybe a tad worse.
Yes, there are many consumer stories of rip-off treatment, many if not most of them true. But not all customers are honest, forth-right pillars of integrity and wonderfulness either.
Mazda6? Moral of all this? You do what you want. As for me, I will buy my Mazda6 at a very good price from a dealership I respect and trust and will have it serviced there, at 10.000 miles and hopefully at 110,000 miles. If you do your own service work AND have the equipment necessary to do so, none of this applies to you as far as the service department is concerned. Otherwise (and that equipment these days costs hundreds of thousands of dollars for the typical garage), you might want to think about what I have said. It's reality. It DOES matter where you bought your car when you show up for service. Almost, but not, everywhere.
While it's not my idea of good business, it's the way business goes. I know of a couple dealers who actually refuse to perform warranty work on vehicles not purchased from them. It's wrong, but it's also their choice.
In other words if you bought your car out of town and want to have it serviced no problem, but if you bought it in town, then you may have to go to the dealer you purchased from. This is to prevent the professional dealer with excellent service from losing sales to the fly by night guy accross town, and then doing warrenty work anyhow.
Regardles - this is just a policy that the dealer can use, but does not have to. After all if you get serviced there it gives them a chance to impress you and bring you in next time for the purchase.
I reported them to Nissan corporate and got the following response:
"We sincerely regret and are concerned to learn of your unpleasant experience at *** Nissan. Please let us assure you that courtesy and prompt service is important to Nissan and its dealerships. You may be certain that every step will be taken to prevent a possible reoccurrence. Warranty service can be done at any authorized Nissan dealer in the United States or Canada during regular business hours."
Needless to say, I chose to have my service performed at a different local dealer, which has been excellent. I plan to have all my service done there in the future because they have treated me very well even though I didn't buy the car from them.
People often go elsewhere to save $100 and then complain when we can't get them in immediatly for service. On the other side of the coin we have people who have purchased 10 vehicles from us just because of our service dept.
Yes, but parts and labor (labour) are at a reduced rate. Also, labor (labour) times are predetermined by the manufacturer. Customer Pay is king anywhere.
Regardless of what the corporate policy on warranty service may be, stuff like this does happen. Just be aware of it if you plan to have your car serviced somewhere other than where you bought it.
Got a baby so my BMW 325 Ci coupe isn't practical anymore. I sprained my back getting her into the car seat yesterday.
As far as Mazda selling 70K 6's thats what I would think would be a good number for them. 80K is their target but I don't think they are going to hit it. I here Mazda is selling the 6 like crazy in other countries but than again they don't have the Accord and Camry to deal with heavily in other countries like they do here.
As far as the Camry Commercial thats a different audience than the 6 anyway.
I waver on the sport kit by color. On some, I think the base car looks better (black, grey, dark blue), on others, I think the sport kit looks better (yellow, red, laser blue).
Since the sport-kit-equipped ones are more in demand, I can see why many 6 at local dealers have the add-on pieces on their bumpers.
I have a 98 Olds Intrigue that has served me very well and still runs perfectly, but at 100K, it's now time to start looking for a replacement. Though I don't need a car yet, 2 weeks ago I was close to buying a loaded Olds Alero, simply because I could have received $5250 in rebates. I did the test drive, and came back with my car cleared out & title in hand, ready to buy. I had a very bad experience at the dealer, who made an insulting trade-in offer and seemed to think that my rebates meant that he didn't have to do much with the sticker price (with a car - and company - that is being phased out, no less)
But I digress...
So, after the Olds debacle, my wife and I agreed that I would wait until next year, put together some more down payment $$, get another year from the Intrigue and then get something a little nicer.
Which brings me to the 6.
I have been liking the Altima SE for a while, and I suppose that is still a possibility, though getting more remote everyday. (I guess the only way it happens is if the demand and pricing gets out of hand for the 6)
I stopped by the dealership on Saturday just to sit in one and get the literature, and last nite I drove a loaded Lapis Blue 6s Sport. Simply amazing. The car feels like it's a 30K+ car, from the high quality leather on the wheel & shifter to the amazingly cool cockpit to the smooth power to the "I'm NOT a family car" styling. And the rear seat fold down release should be required on every car sold that has split folding seats (but then the Mazda wouldn't be quite so unique, would it?)
The car I drove was the only 6s they had, although they had about 12 6i's. Although we didn't talk numbers, it sounded like there wouldn't be much wiggle room off the sticker, at least not yet.
Which I think is a good thing, for me, since I'll be waiting a while before I buy.
I still have yet to see a single one on the road, as others here have said (I'm in northwest NJ)
But come January, there'll be at least one guy riding aorund in one up here.
I'll be lurking mostly, but be paying close attention here, seeing how the rollout unfolds, and all the issues.
To all the 6 owners: Congrats. I'm jealous
Ordered the Mazda6s 5 speed AT with sports/comfort package, bose, moonroof, in steel grey metallic.
One more week!
The dealership was very friendly (ask for Jeff Fabian).
But I'm a hound dog about this sort of stuff and I kept checking Mazdausa.com for this car. I found it 6 hours away. And when I called my local dealer to tell him about it, he basically said: "Well, you call them and deal with them directly, I can't do anything about getting that car."
Hello???
whatever. I guess once again we find that "you are your own best advocate" sigh..
Ordered the Mazda6s 5 speed AT with sports/comfort package, bose, moonroof, in steel grey metallic.
One more week!
The dealership was very friendly (ask for Jeff Fabian).
I ordered it about it about six weeks ago. They said the first week in March.
Driving over to pick up my car on Friday! Gray 6S, auto, lip spoiler, and (ordered but not coming till March) MP3 player. Woo hoo!