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But thanks for info!!
I'm just beginning my research on it.
Not sure what the main differences for the '06 vs. '05 M3's except ABS is standard.
I didn't really need the leather but that brown saddle looked really nice on the sp23.
Any insights would be great thanks!
Anyway, the saddle leather doesn't look like it will be available for '06. The Grand Touring model has ABS, side curtain airbags, Xenon headlamps, tire pressure monitoring and security system which were all optional on the SP23. The one feature missing is the 7-speaker Bose sound system, but it is optional on the Grand Touring. Also, it has automatic climate control trip computer and outside temp gauge that is new for '06.
If leather isn't a must, you can save a good bit by going for the s Touring 5-door. The main features you can't get on it are the Xenon headlamps and Bose stereo. Neither are deal breakers for me, so the s Touring 4-door is the model I want.
Hope this helps you out.
Well since I never saw 1 in broad daylight, the charcoal actually looked pretty dark in the corporate website & the saddle brown looked striking vs. the charcoal...but that's just my taste!
Anyway, the saddle leather doesn't look like it will be available for '06. The Grand Touring model has ABS, side curtain airbags, Xenon headlamps, tire pressure monitoring and security system which were all optional on the SP23. The one feature missing is the 7-speaker Bose sound system, but it is optional on the Grand Touring. Also, it has automatic climate control trip computer and outside temp gauge that is new for '06.
Thanks for the data points!
If leather isn't a must, you can save a good bit by going for the s Touring 5-door. The main features you can't get on it are the Xenon headlamps and Bose stereo. Neither are deal breakers for me, so the s Touring 4-door is the model I want.
Yes, my thoughts exactly after some recent research. The Xenon just cause unwanted attnetion by law enforcement should i "accidentally" drive beond the posted limits.
The Bose Stereo while nice...but if I want to listen to every bit of detail from a Miles Davis CD, I can do it @ home. It's like watching TV in the car. I still don't get it. :confuse:
Hope this helps you out.
Yes, it crystallized a few things I had thought about so thanks again for chiming in. BTW, do you know if the '06 gets some of the aero body add-ons that was extra cost in the past?
I'm just waiting for Ford/Mazda to cave in & start offering rebates so I can pounce!
Also what color do you guys like the most? I liked the Strato Blue but others can mention their choice and pros and cons.
Thanks
The only thing I know of is the '05 Sport Package (17" wheels/tires and side sill extensions) that was optional on s 4-doors is standard on s Touring and Grand Touring models. I didn't think much about this until I saw an '05 with and one without the package. It's a must have!
I'm just waiting for Ford/Mazda to cave in & start offering rebates so I can pounce!
That would be great. I was crossing my fingers back when the Ford Family Plan first started that Mazda would be included, but they're not that foolish.
My hope is that the success of the new Honda Civic might help Mazda3 prices go down (or even encourage them to offer incentives). I'll try to hold out for a while longer.
MNAO(Mazda North American Operations) assessment is a dealer co-operative to assist with advertising costs. If an area is assessed this charge it will be listed on the factory invoice. It is a cost factor for the dealership and is part of the invoice amount.
Our Dallas/Fort Worth assessment is currently $176 on 2006 Mazda 3 models. My invoice on the same car you're looking at would be $16,037(14,961/BASE INV+340/ABS,SAB,SAC INV+560/DEST+176/DFW ASSESS=$16,037).
The price you've been quoted appears to be $289 over the invoice on that particular car, if equipped the way you listed and I reiterated. That is a good deal for yourself and a reluctantly agreeable deal for the dealer. Take advantage if the car you actually want is available. I know that Mazda 3 models, at my dealership, have an average "lot" time from off the truck to sold of 48 to 72 hours.
Keep in mind that the Mazda 3 is one of the best values when it comes to price vs product... just ask Edmunds.
I do have the pin code for the S-pricing. I just did not know if I should bother to ask that price if I was getting below invoice. I think the best would be to go to a different deal with the PIN to get the correct pricing.
Thanks for all tbe inputs. Finally I am just curious, which is the most demanded/sought color?
I got the invoice price through edmunds and searched inventory in my area thru the Mazda website. I found one at Putnam Mazda in Burlingame, CA. They gave me a no hassle price of $17367 plus T & L. Price included the 5 speed auto, floor mats and the side air bag package. It was $50 under invoice. They also threw in the wheel locks at no cost.They wouldn't go any lower on the price. I checked with a few other dealers in the area.. lowest price was 17500. We got the color she wanted, titanium.
It was easy and they didnt try to add any additional fees or costs. We looked at the civics and the corolla S.. both were nice, but I feel the mazda is a step ahead of both. I hope this helps others trying to find a mazda 3.... I am waiting to see how she like it... and may trade my 02 CRV for a 5 door 3S.
If you do trade, go for the stick. Much more fun.
Meade
06 3i Touring with auto transmission and abs/side airbag package for $16820 + tax, title, license. Dealer claims this is $1 below invoice (invoice include $150 advertising fee). Sounds like a great deal to me. Am I missing anything here?
Just the car. Go buy it and start enjoying it!
:shades:
Meade
yes, I would definately go for the 5speed if and when i trade the CRV. I owned 2 mazdas back in the 80s. I owned an 87' 323 wagon and an 86 mazda truck. Both were great, trouble free vehicles. I put over 140K on my 323 wagon.. and only sold it after the car was rear-ended in the early 90s. It still had the original clutch when I sold it!
I have owned hondas since.. but I think their build quality is slipping a bit now. I am hoping that this Mazda will be a great car for her.
Warren -
Yesterday they call me and tell me that the vehicle arrived the previous evening! One two-hour lunch later and I am driving out of there in my brand-spanking-new titanium grey GT. It had only been on the lot for 18 hours total
The car has automatic transmission (girlfriend needs to be able to drive it too) and comes with the 6-CD changer/moonroof option. I paid $400 under MSRP which came to approx $21.6k. I know I could have got a better deal but I guess that's the price you pay for getting a rarer model so soon after hitting the market. Having said that, if the car had been $25k I'd still feel I'd gotten my moneys worth...there is just so much car here.
I've only driven it for 45 miles but what can I say....beautiful car. I cannot believe how quiet the thing is! Coming from a 99 Miata though I guess anything would be quiet
I only have one way to categorize this car...it's a luxury sport-compact!
Quick question: Mazda too has a New grad rebate correct? I thought it did but somehow got confused. Please confirm.
I will keep you guys posted on how it goes and after that I can give you guys details on where you should be going to get such an awesome deal.
Thanks
You still have a pretty good deal on the table even if the grad thing doesn't work out. Apparently, the dealership you are dealing with has chosen to delve into the small amount of holdback available... which means they must really need the sale right now.
It's great to be you, now just start ZOOMIN'!!!
MIKE ZOOM ZOOM
Are the $500 Zoom Zoom coupons issued at this event? If so, do all registered attendees get one or do I have to win it somehow?
Also, has anyone attended one of these events? What is the experience like? \
Thanks! I'm very excited!
I would love the Gerber rebate. I, too was looking at the A3. Loved it, but decided that the extra $$ was more than I could manage at this point.
Thanks
No cars delivered after September 30th are eligable.
Of course, I just took delivery of a '05 Mazda3s 5-door on 10/4... with the Gerber coupon
All of this is, of course, assuming that the dealership is telling me the truth.
As another point of reference, look on ebay. Do you see any more Gerber coupons?
Mark
2) For a 3i (A/C and auto) with MSRP $16,600. What do you think is a good price?
Any offers to exchange coupons will be deleted without notice..
regards,
kyfdx
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i picked up a 2006 mazda3s under S-plan. took delivery on monday 10/03, the dealer called mazda while i was there. the woman on the other end told him that i have to mail the rebate in now, (until the 31st of october) had i taken delivery on friday the 30th they could've taken it off the top.
so i'll be mailing it this weekend when i get the paperwork together.
it seems from what i overheard that the end of october is the drop dead date. better get 'em while you can.
if anybody is in long island, wantagh mazda is pretty laid back and i had a decent experience there. although it was s-plan, so i don't know if it would've been different. they've got a small service area though... :-(
So I guess that answers the doubts.
I went to the dealer today for a test drive and I must say I definitely prefer the 3 over the new redesigned Civic. the cockpit of the 3 felt instanteously familiar and likeable, while the Civic's cockpit took a long time for me to get used to. the electric speedometer of the Civic is just too 'unique'.
Anyway.. I have contacted the internet sales managers of the local dealers in my area and I am awaiting their quote. I heard haggling is easier through the internet?
Has anyone bought a 3 through Costco? From my understanding, many dealers offer invoice for cars bought via Costco. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks a lot.
A week ago the salesman said a car could be had for "somewhere between invoice and MSRP." Apparently forgetting yesterday that he said that, he was taking a harder line, saying the 3s have been selling for sticker. He referred to the harsher of two sales managers who insists on MSRP. He went on and on about how the 3 is top-rated by Autoweek.
A couple of weeks ago I had bought an 06 Civic LX coupe from a dealer about a mile away, and I attempted to use that experience for leverage. I knew Honda dealers all over have been demanding MSRP, but that my dealer had offered $400 off an LX and $600 off an EX with relative ease.
So I told the Mazda guy they should be able to do $600 off on the Mazda, because it is more expensive than the Honda and has more profitable obtions, plus I needed an additional discount for the "demo" mileage on the Mazda, which had 600 miles on it because that MSRP sales manager had been driving it.
The salesman gave me a big spiel about how Honda has four Civic plants but Mazda 3's have only one, in Japan, so they're harder to get. I told him that may be true later, but right now the 3s are in much greater supply (he had about 25 on the lot).
The salesman met with "the manager" and came back with a ridiculous offer of $300 off sticker (50 cents per mile for the 600 miles, which he said is generous compared to some lease mileage rate of 15 cents per mile.)
I repeated all the same rationale as before and told him basically he was asking me to pay MSRP minus an inadequate discount for the mileage.
He wrote out a little thing that said "I will buy today for ______" with a place to initial. My wife, who really wanted the car, suggested $700 off to make it an even $20K, and I agreed and initialed the sheet.
So the samesman goes back to the manager, was gone for a long time, and came back with a "split the difference offer" of $500 off MSRP.
I told him that was about what he should be taking off for the mileage, and that basically he's asking for MSRP. My wife and I both said we understood that if they were really getting MSRP, then that would explain their reluctance to come down. We said we didn't want it that bad and that he could consider our offer as standing and call us in a week or two if they changed their mind.
He hurried back to the manager and finally came back agreeing to do $700.
Only later when he mentioned fees did I realize I had forgotten to say up front that I wouldn't pay a doc fee of more than $49, and then I found out the Mazda doc fee was $249. (Compared to $169 for Honda.) I told him they had basically driven up the doc fee to make up for giving us an extra $200 off, and he swore that when he bought his Mazda, even he had to pay $249. And we later saw the $249 was printed before hand on all their forms.
So, we ended up paying $20K even.
Their trade offer on my wife's 98 Maxima was insulting, but not as insulting as the Honda dealer's offer on my old car, and we had gone into it knowing we would sell it ourselves. (By the way, cars.com is an excellent way to do that.)
There you have it. It was a fairly annoying experience, but my wife got the car she wanted and is real excited about it.
As for me.... after emailing numerous dealers in the area I got an offer for 400$ above invoice and 200$ over invoice.
I visited mazdausa.com to check the inventory, and found a 05 mazda3 S w/ auto and emailed a dealer about it and he said he had it in stock, but i think he is bluffing. i had hoped that i could get around 1,000 under invoice for a leftover 05 but i think i will just get a 06 3i Touring w/ auto.
i'm going to the original dealer where i test drove and try to get them to give me a better deal because i would really prefer to buy the car at invoice.
i'm definitely glad i started dealing with internet sales managers - it's a lot easier to haggle this way.
Any how, at the end I was happy although did feel a little confused. I did everything was supposed to do, the only mistake being my fiancee did not shop for the loan before hand inspite of my insisting. oh well... I am still happy but it will great if people can give their inputs. I might still try to cancel the warranty or other things.
Oh btw... have u guys heard anything called VTR. I was told it some kind of Vehicle Tracking recovery system and it was something that all cars in the dealership had. Somehow I was not too convinced about it...
I have not looked into the extended warranty cost but you have to consider how long your fiance plans to drive the vehicle before purchasing something else. If the answer is 50k or less forget the ext. warranty.
As far as extended warranty. I was told that I can cancel it any time and that is what I plan to do. if required I could always get it after 4 years or when I reach 50K.
What I do want to know is if the Bumper to Bumper Limited warranty is different. What does the word Limited mean? The finance person was trying to tell me that it means certian things are not covered etc. Just trying to get more details.
thanks
I think extended warranties as a whole are a waste of money. They profit margin for the dealer on them is huge and that's why they push them so hard. Just my personal experience, but everyone I've ever known who has bought one has never used it. Then again, one of them had a Honda and one a Toyota. The Mazda3 has a high reliability rating from Consumer Reports, which is high praise in my book. I'd skip it if I were you.
If your financing is thru Mazda Finance, you should be able to refinance at any time. My best friend bought a Mazda6 last month, got the $1000 financing bonus cash on that model, then refinanced at a better rate before his first payment was due. There was no "waiting period" to refinance, but the salesperson told him there was. They obviously want to keep you with their finance company at a higher rate. Gotta watch out for those guys!
If the internet sales manager behaves in this way, imagine the headaches you might face with their salesmen at the dealership!
Looking at these forums, for some reason I think Southern California always has the best deal on cars. Just an unscientific observation I am making.
I'd be damned if I don't get a 06 near invoice.
Just my personal opinion, but I think deals on 3's are going to keep getting better as Honda dealers get more Civics in stock. The 3 is preferable to my tastes, but the Civic is a good car and will give it some competition (except for people with a passion for driving). I'm thinking that could work out very well for 3 shoppers as the deals will keep getting better. I guess we'll see in over the next several months.
As far as power. I thought the car had good power and I liked the driving. I am very happy with it.
To the owners, what do you guys do with the new car during the Engine Break-in Period? Is it 1000 miles? Go on long drives? Any suggestions?
Good luck it took me a week to get one reasonably
Another thought comes to mind, too. The 2.0L has 150 hp (good for that size engine), but the 2.3L has only 10 hp more. Using the calculation for hp/L of the 2.0, the 2.3 should have at least 172 hp. I wonder why it doesn't have more than the 160 hp?
Just pondering, I think the 2.3 has plenty of power. The 2.0 is actually well above average for a "base" engine in this class.