s touring 5 door hatch w/ automatic, moonroof + 6 cd + rear bumper plate + cargo net + automatic dimming mirror (these last 3 things came with it and did not nec want) copper red mica
invoice at $19,007-$500 z-z coupon = $18,507 + TTL
what do you think? it's in the color i really want and has been a bit difficult to find.
I've been thinking about buying a Mazda3 for several months now, but I had an accident two days ago and now I'm forced to go ahead and take the plunge. The good news is that I have a Zoom Zoom $500 coupon.
I really want the "s Touring" 4-door with 5-speed manual, mainly for the 17-inch wheels. Unfortunately, there are very few of them anywhere near me and none in a color I like. I'm thinking about settling for a regular "s" 4-door 5-speed with the standard 16-inch wheels. At least it is Titanium Gray, which is one of my two color choices (the other is Winning Blue).
I'm having a heck of a time with the two dealers I've emailed getting a good price. I finally got one of them down to $16,800 which is Edmunds TMV. I haven't sprung the Zoom Zoom Coupon on him yet.
The $16,800 includes destination charge and any other "fees" they come up with. If they try any of that, I'm walking out.
Is there anything else I could do to get a good deal? Anyone else dealt with any dealers in the Atlanta area?
I also emailed every dealer within a 150 mile radius last night to get a quote, so maybe something could result from that, too.
If you really want the "S Touring", I wouldn't settle.. I'd expand my search area... or, find a dealer you like, and think you can bargain with.. and ask him to find you one...
No, I haven't mentioned the wreck to the salesperson. I also have mentioned to him that I'm still considering a Honda Civic, too. Nevermind that a 5-speed Civic in a color I want is impossible to find.
The TMV price does seem a little higher than many of the deals I've seen in this forum. The invoice of this particular car is $16,452, so I think I should be able to get it for close to that or a little under.
Unfortunately, out of 228 Mazda3s in the Atlanta area, only two of them are s Touring 5-speed manual sedans. That gives you an idea how apparently uncommon they are.
I've searched thru Mazda using the cities of Birmingham, Nashville, Charlotte and Jacksonville. Still no luck finding an s Touring manual in Winning Blue or Titanium Gray. Ugh!
My fear in asking a dealer to locate me one is that I won't get as good of a deal. I've been careful up to this point not to act too interested.
Car buying should be more fun than this. :confuse:
Well.. I agree... it always seems that you get a better deal negotiating for a car that is in stock...
But.. you have to live with a car for 2-3 years... Getting that last $200-$300 dollars would be a lot less important to me, than getting the car that I really want... And, if you find that Dealer A won't deal much on a car that he has to locate, then move on to Dealer B.. I've found that the on-line inventory for Mazda is not very accurate, anyway..
Mentioning to the dealer you are also looking at a Civic doesn't put much pricing pressure on them. Now, OTOH, mentioning you are also looking at, say, an Elantra, around $13.5k with moonroof, might be worth a try.
True, the Civic doesn't put any pricing pressure on them. I wasn't actually thinking about it that way. I just mentioned the Civic to let them know that getting the Mazda wasn't life or death.
Anyway, I think my endless hours of scouring the internet may be paying off. I have found a Titanium Gray Mazda3 s Touring 4-door in South Carolina, about three hours from me. I'm hoping to hear back from them first thing in the morning. If it's a fair deal, I'll go get it.
Has anyone here used the Zoom Zoom Coupon? I haven't mentioned it in any of my negotiations so far because I figured they'd just try to earn it back some other way. The same way they'll give you another $1000 for your trade then try to sneak it in the price of the new car. My plan is not to pull it out until I'm ready to sign on the dotted line, then expect $500 off the bottom line.
Truly you are an ace negotiator. As another person said, another 200-300 doesn't exactly kill me, and I was getting tired of playing the game, so I took the car at invoice, minus 500 z-z coupon. This was approximately $1000 les than Edmunds' TMV. Out the door I was $19700, including TT&L. MSRP would've been $20,275. I'm very very happy with the car. Thanks for the advice. I learned a lot from this forum and Edmunds.
I've been talking via email for the last two days to several dealers in Tennessee and South Carolina trying to find the vehicle I want. The 3 s Touring 4-door is still proving very hard to find in a 5-speed manual. I toyed with the idea of giving in and settling for an automatic, but I'd really hate myself for it. I test drove one just to be sure and it just isn't for me.
A dealer in Knoxville (about three hours away) has given me an OTD price of $16,500 for an '06 5-door. I haven't mentioned my Zoom Zoom coupon yet, which will bring it down to $16,000. Of course, this doesn't include Georgia sales tax or title fees since it is out of state. I'll have to pay those when I register the car.
I like the looks of the 4-door slightly better, but the versatility of the 5-door appeals to me also. Almost every review I've read has mentioned the 4-door's small trunk and small opening. Makes the 5-door seem even better. The other appeal of the 5-door is that the 17-inch wheels and side sill extensions are standard. For me, those two things are a must have on the 3.
Anyway, I'm seriously considering it. If I do it, I'll have to wait until next weekend to drive up and get it. The price does seem great, though. Maybe too good to pass up!
Invoice - $14,975 Options -$1,150 Boston Assessment - $200 (RI customer don't pay this...why am I) Destination Charge - $500
Total Invoice - $16,865
Extended warranty - $995 (I anticipate putting 35,000 miles on in the first year alone)
Total Price paid (without 5% Massachusetts sales tax) - $18,017
The dealer also tossed in a $300 car alarm that they installed. I had a different dealer (was the salesman speaking, not the sales manager) in the Boston area try to sell me the same vehicle for $15,000 but telling me that I had to come in that afternoon otherwise the car would be sold. When I told him I would pass on the offer as I was about to close on the deal elsewhere...he said, "If you pay anything more than $15,000 you are paying too much".
Sales person TALK is cheap - some will say anything to get you to come into the dealership -
I bet that - if you did go there the $15,000 car would have JUST been sold -
Like I posted before - any deal is possible - but $1,685 under invoice on a 2006 model that is still selling pretty well - just does not add up.
I have paid under dealer cost (invoice - holdback) before -on a Toyota even - it was a December 22,1990 a Saturday- Houston had just been hit by a "major" ice storm - something that happens once every 10-15 years. I had just moved to Houston from Minnesota - where this much ice on the roads was no big deal.
When I walked into the dealership I ask - are you open? There was no one around - I was the only customer - Best deal I ever made. For several reasons
1. Bad weather = no customers 2. It was a 1990 model - it was late December of 1990 3. The dealership was being sold as of January 1, 1991 - I did not find this out until I went in for my first oil change & the dealership had changed its name.
Plus - I had just moved across the counrty and bought a new house - which ment a washer & dryer, Frig, bed room suite and all the other stuff you must get when you move into a new house - so I felt more than a little short on cash - and it was going to take a very special deal to get me to buy.
So anything is possible - but most of the time (on cars like the Mazda3 anyway) anywhere around invoice =/- a few hundred - is a fair deal - unless of course you have some special circumstances.
Having trouble getting the price I want. There are no 5 door manual GT in the tristate area, and dealer wants a bonus for getting the car from other dealership. Anyone know how often do dealers get new cars? I still hope to find one before new year.
Only thing in stock is automatics and I really want a manual.
Generally 1 or 2 shipments per month for Mazda3 in your region....I looked on the locater and there are 3h/b GT's around with a manual trans but not alot. What color and did you want Bose/roof? navigation?
I'm about to buy either a MZ3 or MZ6 before the end of the month, but was wondering how I go about getting one of these coupons. Does anyone have any suggestions or insight for me??....Thanks in advance.
In addition to my question before this, would I just be able to buy one of those coupons off someone on ebay??...is there a tracking number assigned to a particular person on each coupon, or are they easily transferable without causing problems at the dealership??...Thanks again!
The coupons are transferrable and there aren't any tracking numbers. I'm using one that I got at a Zoom Zoom Event on my purchase of a Mazda3.
If you do purchase a coupon online, keep that information to yourself. Technically, the coupon isn't supposed to be sold and that could void it. Just a friendly piece of advice.
Also, don't mention the coupon until as late as possible in the negotiations. I get a feeling if you tell them up front, they're going to build all or most of the $500 back into the price. The good news, at least for the dealer, is that Mazda reimburses them for these. The dealer is not losing any money by giving you the $500 off. They actually made a little off mine because I ended up spending half my coupon on accessories I otherwise wouldn't have bought.
Good luck! Are you leaning more toward a MZ3 or MZ6? I'm getting my Titanium Gray 3 s Touring 5-door this week! My best friend bought a 6 s 4-door about two months ago and it's a great car, too.
Thanks for the advice....I'm torn b/w the 3s Grant touring, the 6i sport, and the 6s sport.....i know the 6s isn't necessarily comparable to the other two being that it's a V6, but I'm not sure if I want to spend the extra upfront and on gas for a V6 when my fiance will mostly be driving it and wouldn't really utilize the V6 anyway!.....I'm completely up in the air though....any advice would be great.
One more thing....How does the base audio system in the MZ3 compare to the Bose system only available in the MZ3 Grand Touring?...that's one of my biggest sticking points for wanting to go with the Grand Touring.
I'm not sure how well they're dealing on '06 MZ6 models, but the dealers around here (Atlanta) still have several '05s. Perhaps that'd be an option for you if you could find one you like. My best friend bought his two months ago, it is the 6 s 4-door, black/black leather, Bose/Moonroof, 6-speed automatic and a few accessories and he drove out for $22,300 (sticker of $27,500).
The MZ3 Grand Touring is perfect as long as it is roomy enough for you. You also get a lot of equipment on the Grand Touring for not that much money. Personally, I like the interior of the 3 much better than the 6, but that's purely subjective.
I just went to CarsDirect and priced them. The '06 MZ6 i Sport 4-door, '05 MZ6 s Sport 4-door and '06 MZ3 s GT 5-door are all within $120 of each other. They range from $19,002-$19,121 base price. The '05 MZ6 i Sport is a real steal if you can find one starting at $17,373.
Not sayin your logic is faulty. But by playing the end of the month & inventory game @the dealer. You can get it. My car was exactly $1k under MSRP OTD AND they had to get it from another dealer in another state!
The ~1k< MSRP is a approximation. I would say you are doing very well within the $500-1k range below MSRP. Most of it goes to taxes anyways.
Thanks for the info....believe it or not, the dealer by me (pensacola, FL area) made an offer on an '06 MZ6s well below MSRP. The MSRP was $26,820.00 and they knocked it right down to $24,566.00 before the $3000.00 cash back in incentives. However, I just moved from PA not too long ago, and I know I wouldn't get such a good and hassle-free deal there....I guess it just depends on the market.
So, knowing that, it's making my decision very difficult. I'm not sure what they would offer me for a MZ3 yet, but the deal on the MZ6s was pretty freakin good! Are there reliability issues with either car that would shift me away from either of them??
I wanted to get Silver/Titanium 5door hatch GT Manual w/Bose upgrade. Using Mazda.com I did 150 mile radius search on my zipcode(07410) for manual and no matches came up. Let me know if you find something.
Its not normal to pay less than the dealers cost (invoice - holdback) on a popular car UNLESS there is something going on that gives the dealership an extra reason to sell.
My Toyota purchase was an example of this.
Its not just a matter of using some trick or scam to beat the dealership down and get them to agree to a deal that is below their cost. If they have no cash in the bank and a lot full of cars - and a payroll due - then you could get a lower price. Problem is - you don't know all this - and chances are the sales people don't even know if the dealership is short on cash - until their paycheck bounces.
I guess that is why I think you should try and get the best deal you can get - assume they need your money more than you need their car. But in reality 99% of the new Mazda3's sold over the next 6 months will be at or above invoice.
Also other factors can have a big impact on the deal.
If someone buys the car for $500 under invoice -
But gets $2,500 less for their trade in (than it is worth) - or agrees to a 14% interest rate - or buys the extended warranty for $2,500 - (saw a lady on the news last week complaining about paying $2,500 for a warranty - and they still will not fix her car)
Its hard to compare a deal unless you know all the details.
There are two on long island, one in connecticut and one near boston.....They either just arrived or will be arriving anyday. I suspect some may be sold but one should be available.
I wanted to get Silver/Titanium 5door hatch GT Manual w/Bose upgrade. Using Mazda.com I did 150 mile radius search on my zipcode(07410) for manual and no matches came up. Let me know if you find something.
I was only looking for a 3 s Touring 5-door Manual (more common than GT) in Titanium Gray and there were none within 150 miles of Atlanta, either. I just started picking cities several hours away and got lucky with Knoxville, TN. They had exactly what I wanted and gave me a great deal. I'm driving three hours on Thursday to get it.
I'm looking at the 3 i but I want power locks and power windows. Does anyone know if you can add this as an optional add-on or do you have to move up to the 3 i touring? If you can add it would it be worth it to do so or just easier to start looking at the i touring instead?
For an extra $2,100, you get A/C, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, 16" alloy wheels, cruise control and keyless entry. Add A/C to the base 3 i and the price difference is only $1,300 or so. Go for the Touring if you want any of the above items.
The only individual options on the base model are A/C, ABS/side airbags, "appearance packages", 6CD Changer and Sirius radio. You can't get power windows or locks. That's the purpose of the Touring model- to package all the power/comfort items together.
It's worth the extra cash. You'll especially appreciate it at trade-in time.
I still havent made to the point to worry about extend warranty....because the car dealer told me about that they will get from another dealership turn out to be "sold" already. So I am back to point one to locate car again. The interent manager from the dealer called me and said there is shipment of a new car just lke i wanted will come in and ask me to go in asap...supposely before someone else took it. Its for a Mazda3 GT 4dr auto. I previously post the price dealer quote for me:
Selling Price $19,500 documentation 45 state tax 1514.74 state tire fee 8.75 TT&L 186 zoom-zoom coupon -500 (upon presentation) "out the door price" $20,754.49 I studied it again and dont understand what exactly is in this documentation fee...and why it is taxable? :confuse:
I download carbuyingtips website's offer spreadsheet and they somehow calculate differently....any use that one before? It seems like they add and subtracts everything before tax it.
Anyway, I think this price is ok...I dono if there is any factory to dealer incentives right now, so its a good price in a way.
I tried to appy for E-loan but get rejected..ppl work there told me I have little credit history and working history is too short as well. I guess I will be taking loan from dealer in this case. Anyone has good strategy to negociate APR on loan? Seems like they can rip me off more on this step since I wont be going there with any pre-approved loands.
I would - at the very least - go to the bank where you have your checking account and have them give you an interest rate. Going in to the dealership with no options is never a good idea. I would also ask the bank what your credit score is - before they will give you an interest rate they should know your score - but they may not give it to you. You can go to this site
You can get a free copy of your credit history - from each of the 3 major rating companies - it sounds like you don't have a very long history - but you will be surprised by the amount of data that they will have. You can also purchase the credit score from the rating agency - not sure I would do that - but that is your choice - the credit score will be used to determine your interest rate. The higher the number the lower your interest rate will be.
One trick that many dealerships use - real under handed scam - is they have you fill out the loan application - then go off for 45 minutes or so to check your credit - (it really only takes 5 minutes to pull the credit score) - when they do finally return they have your application - and in red they write a number - 545 maybe - they say you don't have a very good score - but they will work real hard to GET YOU FINANCED. They make it sound like they will be doing something extra - JUST FOR YOU - HELPING YOU OUT - then they make you sit there for an hour or so while they go off and eat lunch or tell jokes - you see they knew what interest rate they could give you as soon as they ran the credit report - the reason they make you wait - play these games is simple - they want you to pay them more.
When they do come back they will say - it was hard to do - because you have such a low credit score - but we can get you a rate of - $#@#%$%!
They may also say - we can get you financed - but the finance company will only do the loan if you also buy the extended warranty - they care about you so much that they don't want you to be stuck with a high repair bill - or maybe they will say that they want the warranty to cover the whole term of the loan (5 years? - the normal warranty is only 4) - they will be happy to just include that in on the loan!
Think about it - if you have weak credit - and the loan company wants to loan you MORE money - then something smells bad. That is just not the way loan companies think.
You are correct. Under invoice deals only happen when the dealer has some unusual financial incentive to sell the car. The buyer will never know which dealers are in this situation and which are not. That is why it is important to contact as many dealers as possible to ask for price quotes. I faxed 15 Mazda dealers letting them know the car that I wanted. I was hoping to catch at least one dealer that needed to sell a car quickly.
This approach works very well. Just call up all of your local Mazda dealers and ask the operator for the name and fax number of the Sales Manager. Then fax that person a request for a price quote, including all of the details of the car that you are looking for. Then just sit back and wait for the phone calls. I took the top three offers and started playing them off of one another. When I felt that I wasn't going to get any further I went to the lowest bidding dealership to sign the papers.
I walked out with a car for $500 under invoice. I paid cash and had no trade-in, so they made no money on be through those methods. I didn't use any coupons or rebates either. I spent a total of about 2 hours on this purchase, including sending the faxes and signing the papers at the dealership.
The moral of the story is this: cars are a commodity, and you should get as many dealers as possible to compete to sell you one. I recommend the faxing approach to anyone who wants to spend as little time and effort as possible shopping for a car but wants an excellent deal.
I orginally wrote about a dealer finding a M3GT/manual outside of my market...and a local dealer offering to retrieve one with a non-refundable deposit attached.
Jeff Haas Mazda/Houston left me hanging a little too long. So...I found the car, in question, and went to that dealer (2-hours away. No Big Deal) and dealt with them, directly. Atzenhoffer Mazda/Victoria sold me the car for $1000 less than Haas offered.
It was Built Like This: Titanium M3GT/Manual/Sunroof/Bose/aluminum fuel door/spoiler/wheel locks $20,245 + TTL OTD.
You might also want to try RoadLoans.com. It is affiliated with either E-Loan or Lending Tree. They specialize in Bad/Slow/No credit situations and quoted me a decent, but not great, rate. The dealer did better for me, but it was good knowing I had another option if need be.
Your own bank is also a great idea. Definitely check with them, too. Be careful about letting too many people check your credit, though.
Have you tried locating the car using MazdaUSA website? It will let you search inventory up to 150 miles from your location. That's how I found mine three hours away.
Thanks for the help...again !! I actually know my credit history and score very well right now because I just enroll a credit monitoring service and therefore get a credit report that come with it...its a 3-in1 report from all three major credit rating company. My score is somewhere in the middle 600s. Any idea what interest rate I should be expecting with that score?
So since the dealer really know what they can get for me right the way after pull my credit report, should I just let them know that I know how it works and I know my credit very well already to make them move faster? or...i hope that can get them move faster and get to the point quick instead of hang out and have coffee :confuse:
I did check with my bank, the first place i thought of checking..but they dont offer auto loan
Its hard to say what will work the best. So much depends on the dealership & even the individual sales person. Maybe you will get lucky and find an honest one. I did not say a nice one - because most will be nice if they know you really want to buy a new car.
Once you know the dealership has the car you want - and have the price nailed down - you could ask them if they would like to finance the car (100% chance they will say YES to this) Ask them to "run your loan request" to find out what kind of a rate you can get SO YOU CAN COMPARE it to the rate you plan to get from your bank (never heard of a bank that will not do a new car loan) or a Credit Union -that at least lets them know you will be looking at all the different options - and that you are not locked into having them locate the financing.
It would be great if you could just do this over the phone - all they really need is your name - address & SS number.
I am always nice / professional about the way I talk with salespeople - they are just doing their job - which is to get you to pay the most $ for the car - plus add on as many things to the sale as possible. If you feel things are taking too long - and that is normally because they are changing (or trying to) the terms of the sale - then you can always just say - sorry - this is not what I agreed to - tell them what you have agreed to - if they will accept that you will buy the car otehrwise you will leave the dealership.
I have no idea what interest rate you should be charged - its been almost 20 years since I worked in the finance business.
Actually, my bank doesn't offer auto loans either. It's Washington Mutual. They offer home loans, but not auto loans. I actually tried there first, too.
An amendment to my earlier comment- RoadLoans.com is actually related to Lending Tree, not E-Loan.
As far as getting a decent salesman, try to deal with the internet salesperson/manager at the dealership. Usually, they're going to give you a decent price and not too much BS. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule and be sure you have your numbers together from Edmunds TMV, CarsDirect, etc. to check their quotes against. Don't be afraid to email/talk to several dealers. Going a little out of the way might save you a lot of money.
You may not have a lot of credit, but your credit score sounds close to the national average. Someone out there will finance you, but the rate may be no better than 12-13%. If they quote you 18-19%, RUN! Don't fall for that. The first dealer I went to to get my Mazda3 tried that bull on me. They were quoting me a payment of $423/month at 19% and I ended up getting $303/month at 11.99%.
socalgirl, my advice to get a good rate is to check out a credit union or your bank. If your bank can't loan you the money, or the rate is too high, I would try a local credit union. Most credit unions offer a flat rate which means it's not really based on your score, so if you qualify you get that rate. And most of them are pretty flexible so you have a good chance to qualify for a auto loan at a local credit union.
Otherwise, you can ask the dealer what kind of rate they can find for you (either thru Mazda Credit or a local bank), but for that you have to actually fill out the credit application there. And also remember that usually gets a kickback from the bank for referring the loan, so these rates will not be the best. So one advantage of securing financing independently is that you know the rate before you buy the car and don't have to worry about the dealer ripping you off with the financing.
My dealer offered me a 6.99% loan (thru the mechanics bank) but a local credit union (provident) offered 5.5%. So I still believe you can find something similar by calling credit unions (or looking up their websites).
btw, another option is to try AAA, they offer low rates for members (kind of like credit unions).
I need to fax, or submit a copy of the Gerber discount to mazda for the 500 dollars rebate, but i no longer have it. Does anyone have the certificate so i can fax or send it. If you can e-mail it to me that would be great. If you can send it, it would be great too. I appreciate any help. 2006 mazda5 -500 zoom-zoom live s-plan pricing -500 gerber rebate (hopefully)
A reporter from a large national newspaper would like to speak to consumers who just recently purchased a new vehicle in the past six months. If you have a story to share, please respond to ctalati@edmunds.com with your daytime contact info., city/state of residence, and the make/model(s) that you bought no later than December 22, 2005.
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Is anyone SERIOUSLY planning to buy a new Mazda before 12/31/05? I'm asking because I have a spare $500 off Zoom Zoom Coupon that expires on 12/31. It's valid on any new 2005 or 2006 Mazda.
Click on my profile and email me if you're interested. I only have one and I just want to give it away for free. I don't want it to expire and be wasted if someone can benefit from it.
Hi Folks: The Mazda 3 with the options and color I want is located in CT, and I live in NY. Does anyone know how the registration and plates issue can be handled? How about sales tax? How can I register the car in NY from a CT dealer? I hesitate to ask the dealer until I do some research on this.
Just want to thank all of you who replied and answered my questions before on this form, those advise have been very helpful during my first ever car purchase. To give you an update, I have purchased my Mazda3 GT 4dr AT last Sat with the same out of door price the internet manager quote me for $20,754.49 , the interest rate I get from dealer is not so great 8.99%. I will definitely work on get it re-financed soon...still waiting for confirmation about my loan since dealer said Sat bank was not open. I hope the rate they quote me is the final rate. So far the dealer has been easy to work with and not playing tricks on me. I spend 5 hours sat to buy this car...hehe..yeah..i checked for everything and read line by line to try to avoid any tricks I have been told to watch out for....the dealer was patient and didnt rush me. So far I am happy with my car
Sounds like you got it done - and you should not have any problems.
One final trick I have seen - they "sell" you the car - help with financing - you drive off happy - then a few days later they come back and say the (in your case 9%) loan fell through - but they can get you a loan at 12% - it puts you in a real bind - because they try and squeeze you - make you feel like you have no choice but to take the higher interest rate loan.
Did they give you a copy of your sales contract that is SIGNED by a person (sales manager) - in other words not just the dealership's name typed in the space where they should sign?
The paperwork should include all the details - price, taxes, down payment, interest rate - and it should be signed by a sales manager. If you have this you are 99.9999 OK -
If they just gave you a sales agreement with the dealerships name typed in (or stamped in) the place where you signed - it is possible you could still not own the vehicle. I would get this "fixed" ASAP.
Hi Folks Dealer is willing to sell me a 2006 Mazda 3s touring 5 door auto, moon roof/CD package for 1% over invoice, plus $200 advertising fee they say is added to their invoice by Mazda, plus $239.00 conveyance fee as well as tax and DMV fees. I'm in the northeast. So far the internet dealers here have been hesitant to talk numbers via e-mail. Does this sound reasonable for this part of the US? Thanks to all in advance. I've been reading the board for some time and I have learned quite a bit. I'm almost enjoying buying a car this time.
Comments
s touring 5 door hatch w/ automatic, moonroof + 6 cd
+ rear bumper plate + cargo net + automatic dimming mirror (these last 3 things came with it and did not nec want)
copper red mica
invoice at $19,007-$500 z-z coupon = $18,507 + TTL
what do you think? it's in the color i really want and has been a bit difficult to find.
this is in MD.
thanks!!
I've been thinking about buying a Mazda3 for several months now, but I had an accident two days ago and now I'm forced to go ahead and take the plunge. The good news is that I have a Zoom Zoom $500 coupon.
I really want the "s Touring" 4-door with 5-speed manual, mainly for the 17-inch wheels. Unfortunately, there are very few of them anywhere near me and none in a color I like. I'm thinking about settling for a regular "s" 4-door 5-speed with the standard 16-inch wheels. At least it is Titanium Gray, which is one of my two color choices (the other is Winning Blue).
I'm having a heck of a time with the two dealers I've emailed getting a good price. I finally got one of them down to $16,800 which is Edmunds TMV. I haven't sprung the Zoom Zoom Coupon on him yet.
The $16,800 includes destination charge and any other "fees" they come up with. If they try any of that, I'm walking out.
Is there anything else I could do to get a good deal? Anyone else dealt with any dealers in the Atlanta area?
I also emailed every dealer within a 150 mile radius last night to get a quote, so maybe something could result from that, too.
regards,
kyfdx
Edmunds Price Checker
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Not trying to be critical - but did you let the sales person know you wrecked your car and MUST replace it?
That could explain why - 1) Your dealer is not working harder to find the car you want and 2) Not giving you a better deal.
The TMV price does seem a little higher than many of the deals I've seen in this forum. The invoice of this particular car is $16,452, so I think I should be able to get it for close to that or a little under.
I've searched thru Mazda using the cities of Birmingham, Nashville, Charlotte and Jacksonville. Still no luck finding an s Touring manual in Winning Blue or Titanium Gray. Ugh!
My fear in asking a dealer to locate me one is that I won't get as good of a deal. I've been careful up to this point not to act too interested.
Car buying should be more fun than this. :confuse:
But.. you have to live with a car for 2-3 years... Getting that last $200-$300 dollars would be a lot less important to me, than getting the car that I really want... And, if you find that Dealer A won't deal much on a car that he has to locate, then move on to Dealer B.. I've found that the on-line inventory for Mazda is not very accurate, anyway..
Good luck with it..
kyfdx
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YES, I did say total OTD !!
Good luck.
Mine's was similar equpped to yours except it was a 5sp manual. OTD=18,200=$1k less than MSRP in NoVa.
Anyway, I think my endless hours of scouring the internet may be paying off. I have found a Titanium Gray Mazda3 s Touring 4-door in South Carolina, about three hours from me. I'm hoping to hear back from them first thing in the morning. If it's a fair deal, I'll go get it.
Has anyone here used the Zoom Zoom Coupon? I haven't mentioned it in any of my negotiations so far because I figured they'd just try to earn it back some other way. The same way they'll give you another $1000 for your trade then try to sneak it in the price of the new car. My plan is not to pull it out until I'm ready to sign on the dotted line, then expect $500 off the bottom line.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed...
So look at a Mazda3 S Sedan
MSRP = $16,880
deduct $1,000 to get $15,880 OTD price target
Invoice on this car is $15,805
Holdback is 2% of base MSRP or $337.6
Dealer cost is Invoice - holdback or $15,467.4
Tax where I live is 6.25% license & title add at least $150
So to pay $1,000 less then MSRP OTD - would mean the sales price would be
(15,880 - $150) / 1.0625 = $14,804.7
So that means I am buying the car for $662.70 LESS THAN the dealers cost -
Can't say this is not possible (anything is possible) but it it not a normal every day deal.
A dealer in Knoxville (about three hours away) has given me an OTD price of $16,500 for an '06 5-door. I haven't mentioned my Zoom Zoom coupon yet, which will bring it down to $16,000. Of course, this doesn't include Georgia sales tax or title fees since it is out of state. I'll have to pay those when I register the car.
I like the looks of the 4-door slightly better, but the versatility of the 5-door appeals to me also. Almost every review I've read has mentioned the 4-door's small trunk and small opening. Makes the 5-door seem even better. The other appeal of the 5-door is that the 17-inch wheels and side sill extensions are standard. For me, those two things are a must have on the 3.
Anyway, I'm seriously considering it. If I do it, I'll have to wait until next weekend to drive up and get it. The price does seem great, though. Maybe too good to pass up!
2006 Mazda3i with auto and ABS, in Nordic Green.
Invoice - $14,975
Options -$1,150
Boston Assessment - $200 (RI customer don't pay this...why am I)
Destination Charge - $500
Total Invoice - $16,865
Extended warranty - $995 (I anticipate putting 35,000 miles on in the first year alone)
Total Price paid (without 5% Massachusetts sales tax) - $18,017
The dealer also tossed in a $300 car alarm that they installed. I had a different dealer (was the salesman speaking, not the sales manager) in the Boston area try to sell me the same vehicle for $15,000 but telling me that I had to come in that afternoon otherwise the car would be sold. When I told him I would pass on the offer as I was about to close on the deal elsewhere...he said, "If you pay anything more than $15,000 you are paying too much".
I bet that - if you did go there the $15,000 car would have JUST been sold -
Like I posted before - any deal is possible - but $1,685 under invoice on a 2006 model that is still selling pretty well - just does not add up.
I have paid under dealer cost (invoice - holdback) before -on a Toyota even - it was a December 22,1990 a Saturday- Houston had just been hit by a "major" ice storm - something that happens once every 10-15 years. I had just moved to Houston from Minnesota - where this much ice on the roads was no big deal.
When I walked into the dealership I ask - are you open? There was no one around - I was the only customer - Best deal I ever made. For several reasons
1. Bad weather = no customers
2. It was a 1990 model - it was late December of 1990
3. The dealership was being sold as of January 1, 1991 - I did not find this out until I went in for my first oil change & the dealership had changed its name.
Plus - I had just moved across the counrty and bought a new house - which ment a washer & dryer, Frig, bed room suite and all the other stuff you must get when you move into a new house - so I felt more than a little short on cash - and it was going to take a very special deal to get me to buy.
So anything is possible - but most of the time (on cars like the Mazda3 anyway) anywhere around invoice =/- a few hundred - is a fair deal - unless of course you have some special circumstances.
There are no 5 door manual GT in the tristate area, and dealer wants a bonus for getting the car from other dealership. Anyone know how often do dealers get new cars? I still hope to find one before new year.
Only thing in stock is automatics and I really want a manual.
If you do purchase a coupon online, keep that information to yourself. Technically, the coupon isn't supposed to be sold and that could void it. Just a friendly piece of advice.
Also, don't mention the coupon until as late as possible in the negotiations. I get a feeling if you tell them up front, they're going to build all or most of the $500 back into the price. The good news, at least for the dealer, is that Mazda reimburses them for these. The dealer is not losing any money by giving you the $500 off. They actually made a little off mine because I ended up spending half my coupon on accessories I otherwise wouldn't have bought.
Good luck! Are you leaning more toward a MZ3 or MZ6? I'm getting my Titanium Gray 3 s Touring 5-door this week! My best friend bought a 6 s 4-door about two months ago and it's a great car, too.
The MZ3 Grand Touring is perfect as long as it is roomy enough for you. You also get a lot of equipment on the Grand Touring for not that much money. Personally, I like the interior of the 3 much better than the 6, but that's purely subjective.
I just went to CarsDirect and priced them. The '06 MZ6 i Sport 4-door, '05 MZ6 s Sport 4-door and '06 MZ3 s GT 5-door are all within $120 of each other. They range from $19,002-$19,121 base price. The '05 MZ6 i Sport is a real steal if you can find one starting at $17,373.
Good luck. Hopefully this helps a little.
But by playing the end of the month & inventory game @the dealer. You can get it.
My car was exactly $1k under MSRP OTD AND they had to get it from another dealer in another state!
The ~1k< MSRP is a approximation. I would say you are doing very well within the $500-1k range below MSRP. Most of it goes to taxes anyways.
So, knowing that, it's making my decision very difficult. I'm not sure what they would offer me for a MZ3 yet, but the deal on the MZ6s was pretty freakin good! Are there reliability issues with either car that would shift me away from either of them??
Using Mazda.com I did 150 mile radius search on my zipcode(07410) for manual and no matches came up. Let me know if you find something.
My Toyota purchase was an example of this.
Its not just a matter of using some trick or scam to beat the dealership down and get them to agree to a deal that is below their cost. If they have no cash in the bank and a lot full of cars - and a payroll due - then you could get a lower price. Problem is - you don't know all this - and chances are the sales people don't even know if the dealership is short on cash - until their paycheck bounces.
I guess that is why I think you should try and get the best deal you can get - assume they need your money more than you need their car. But in reality 99% of the new Mazda3's sold over the next 6 months will be at or above invoice.
Also other factors can have a big impact on the deal.
If someone buys the car for $500 under invoice -
But gets $2,500 less for their trade in (than it is worth) - or agrees to a 14% interest rate - or buys the extended warranty for $2,500 - (saw a lady on the news last week complaining about paying $2,500 for a warranty - and they still will not fix her car)
Its hard to compare a deal unless you know all the details.
Using Mazda.com I did 150 mile radius search on my zipcode(07410) for manual and no matches came up. Let me know if you find something.
I was only looking for a 3 s Touring 5-door Manual (more common than GT) in Titanium Gray and there were none within 150 miles of Atlanta, either. I just started picking cities several hours away and got lucky with Knoxville, TN. They had exactly what I wanted and gave me a great deal. I'm driving three hours on Thursday to get it.
The only individual options on the base model are A/C, ABS/side airbags, "appearance packages", 6CD Changer and Sirius radio. You can't get power windows or locks. That's the purpose of the Touring model- to package all the power/comfort items together.
It's worth the extra cash. You'll especially appreciate it at trade-in time.
Selling Price $19,500
documentation 45
state tax 1514.74
state tire fee 8.75
TT&L 186
zoom-zoom coupon -500
(upon presentation)
"out the door price" $20,754.49
I studied it again and dont understand what exactly is in this documentation fee...and why it is taxable? :confuse:
I download carbuyingtips website's offer spreadsheet and they somehow calculate differently....any use that one before? It seems like they add and subtracts everything before tax it.
Anyway, I think this price is ok...I dono if there is any factory to dealer incentives right now, so its a good price in a way.
I tried to appy for E-loan but get rejected..ppl work there told me I have little credit history and working history is too short as well. I guess I will be taking loan from dealer in this case. Anyone has good strategy to negociate APR on loan? Seems like they can rip me off more on this step since I wont be going there with any pre-approved loands.
https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
You can get a free copy of your credit history - from each of the 3 major rating companies - it sounds like you don't have a very long history - but you will be surprised by the amount of data that they will have. You can also purchase the credit score from the rating agency - not sure I would do that - but that is your choice - the credit score will be used to determine your interest rate. The higher the number the lower your interest rate will be.
One trick that many dealerships use - real under handed scam - is they have you fill out the loan application - then go off for 45 minutes or so to check your credit - (it really only takes 5 minutes to pull the credit score) - when they do finally return they have your application - and in red they write a number - 545 maybe - they say you don't have a very good score - but they will work real hard to GET YOU FINANCED. They make it sound like they will be doing something extra - JUST FOR YOU - HELPING YOU OUT - then they make you sit there for an hour or so while they go off and eat lunch or tell jokes - you see they knew what interest rate they could give you as soon as they ran the credit report - the reason they make you wait - play these games is simple - they want you to pay them more.
When they do come back they will say - it was hard to do - because you have such a low credit score - but we can get you a rate of - $#@#%$%!
They may also say - we can get you financed - but the finance company will only do the loan if you also buy the extended warranty - they care about you so much that they don't want you to be stuck with a high repair bill - or maybe they will say that they want the warranty to cover the whole term of the loan (5 years? - the normal warranty is only 4) - they will be happy to just include that in on the loan!
Think about it - if you have weak credit - and the loan company wants to loan you MORE money - then something smells bad. That is just not the way loan companies think.
BTW - I would pass on the extended warranty -
This approach works very well. Just call up all of your local Mazda dealers and ask the operator for the name and fax number of the Sales Manager. Then fax that person a request for a price quote, including all of the details of the car that you are looking for. Then just sit back and wait for the phone calls. I took the top three offers and started playing them off of one another. When I felt that I wasn't going to get any further I went to the lowest bidding dealership to sign the papers.
I walked out with a car for $500 under invoice. I paid cash and had no trade-in, so they made no money on be through those methods. I didn't use any coupons or rebates either. I spent a total of about 2 hours on this purchase, including sending the faxes and signing the papers at the dealership.
The moral of the story is this: cars are a commodity, and you should get as many dealers as possible to compete to sell you one. I recommend the faxing approach to anyone who wants to spend as little time and effort as possible shopping for a car but wants an excellent deal.
I orginally wrote about a dealer finding a M3GT/manual outside of my market...and a local dealer offering to retrieve one with a non-refundable deposit attached.
Jeff Haas Mazda/Houston left me hanging a little too long. So...I found the car, in question, and went to that dealer (2-hours away. No Big Deal) and dealt with them, directly. Atzenhoffer Mazda/Victoria sold me the car for $1000 less than Haas offered.
It was Built Like This:
Titanium M3GT/Manual/Sunroof/Bose/aluminum fuel door/spoiler/wheel locks
$20,245 + TTL OTD.
Very easy to deal with. Car's Great.
Your own bank is also a great idea. Definitely check with them, too. Be careful about letting too many people check your credit, though.
Have you tried locating the car using MazdaUSA website? It will let you search inventory up to 150 miles from your location. That's how I found mine three hours away.
Good luck to you!
I actually know my credit history and score very well right now because I just enroll a credit monitoring service and therefore get a credit report that come with it...its a 3-in1 report from all three major credit rating company. My score is somewhere in the middle 600s. Any idea what interest rate I should be expecting with that score?
So since the dealer really know what they can get for me right the way after pull my credit report, should I just let them know that I know how it works and I know my credit very well already to make them move faster? or...i hope that can get them move faster and get to the point quick instead of hang out and have coffee :confuse:
I did check with my bank, the first place i thought of checking..but they dont offer auto loan
Once you know the dealership has the car you want - and have the price nailed down - you could ask them if they would like to finance the car (100% chance they will say YES to this) Ask them to "run your loan request" to find out what kind of a rate you can get SO YOU CAN COMPARE it to the rate you plan to get from your bank (never heard of a bank that will not do a new car loan) or a Credit Union -that at least lets them know you will be looking at all the different options - and that you are not locked into having them locate the financing.
It would be great if you could just do this over the phone - all they really need is your name - address & SS number.
I am always nice / professional about the way I talk with salespeople - they are just doing their job - which is to get you to pay the most $ for the car - plus add on as many things to the sale as possible. If you feel things are taking too long - and that is normally because they are changing (or trying to) the terms of the sale - then you can always just say - sorry - this is not what I agreed to - tell them what you have agreed to - if they will accept that you will buy the car otehrwise you will leave the dealership.
I have no idea what interest rate you should be charged - its been almost 20 years since I worked in the finance business.
An amendment to my earlier comment- RoadLoans.com is actually related to Lending Tree, not E-Loan.
As far as getting a decent salesman, try to deal with the internet salesperson/manager at the dealership. Usually, they're going to give you a decent price and not too much BS. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule and be sure you have your numbers together from Edmunds TMV, CarsDirect, etc. to check their quotes against. Don't be afraid to email/talk to several dealers. Going a little out of the way might save you a lot of money.
You may not have a lot of credit, but your credit score sounds close to the national average. Someone out there will finance you, but the rate may be no better than 12-13%. If they quote you 18-19%, RUN! Don't fall for that. The first dealer I went to to get my Mazda3 tried that bull on me. They were quoting me a payment of $423/month at 19% and I ended up getting $303/month at 11.99%.
Again, good luck!
Otherwise, you can ask the dealer what kind of rate they can find for you (either thru Mazda Credit or a local bank), but for that you have to actually fill out the credit application there. And also remember that usually gets a kickback from the bank for referring the loan, so these rates will not be the best. So one advantage of securing financing independently is that you know the rate before you buy the car and don't have to worry about the dealer ripping you off with the financing.
My dealer offered me a 6.99% loan (thru the mechanics bank) but a local credit union (provident) offered 5.5%. So I still believe you can find something similar by calling credit unions (or looking up their websites).
btw, another option is to try AAA, they offer low rates for members (kind of like credit unions).
2006 mazda5
-500 zoom-zoom live
s-plan pricing
-500 gerber rebate (hopefully)
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Is anyone SERIOUSLY planning to buy a new Mazda before 12/31/05? I'm asking because I have a spare $500 off Zoom Zoom Coupon that expires on 12/31. It's valid on any new 2005 or 2006 Mazda.
Click on my profile and email me if you're interested. I only have one and I just want to give it away for free. I don't want it to expire and be wasted if someone can benefit from it.
Let me know if you're interested.
The Mazda 3 with the options and color I want is located in CT, and I live in NY. Does anyone know how the registration and plates issue can be handled? How about sales tax?
How can I register the car in NY from a CT dealer?
I hesitate to ask the dealer until I do some research on this.
Thanks,
Ron
One final trick I have seen - they "sell" you the car - help with financing - you drive off happy - then a few days later they come back and say the (in your case 9%) loan fell through - but they can get you a loan at 12% - it puts you in a real bind - because they try and squeeze you - make you feel like you have no choice but to take the higher interest rate loan.
Did they give you a copy of your sales contract that is SIGNED by a person (sales manager) - in other words not just the dealership's name typed in the space where they should sign?
The paperwork should include all the details - price, taxes, down payment, interest rate - and it should be signed by a sales manager. If you have this you are 99.9999 OK -
If they just gave you a sales agreement with the dealerships name typed in (or stamped in) the place where you signed - it is possible you could still not own the vehicle. I would get this "fixed" ASAP.
Dealer is willing to sell me a 2006 Mazda 3s touring 5 door auto, moon roof/CD package for 1% over invoice, plus $200 advertising fee they say is added to their invoice by Mazda, plus $239.00 conveyance fee as well as tax and DMV fees. I'm in the northeast. So far the internet dealers here have been hesitant to talk numbers via e-mail.
Does this sound reasonable for this part of the US?
Thanks to all in advance. I've been reading the board for some time and I have learned quite a bit. I'm almost enjoying buying a car this time.