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Comments
Stick with the manual. I almost bought one with an auto, but after a test drive just wasn't happy. I like racing through the gears. Zoom, Zoom, Zoom.
They think that if they can get you into the dealership - even if it is with a complete lie - they at least have some small chance of selling you a car. They treat it as a game - and the sad part is a % of people that get tricked into coming back because of a low price do end up buying a car for a higher price then they were given over the phone.
All I can say is - you did the right thing.
I wouldn't take the Mazda 3 off your list,just that dealer. You might try contacting other Mazda dealers in the area by e-mail or fax and see if you can negotiate a price on a specific car without physically going down to the dealer.
The Mazda website has a search function that allows you to search a radius from a given ZIP code. After you find the car you want, e-mail the dealer that has it and try to negotiate. It has worked for many people on this forum.
Which I did bring up--and they said that if I wanted to pay cash, they'd have to write up two contracts--one as if I were financing the car and one for a cash sale. Then, when I came in with the cash, they'd rip up the second contract. But I'd still need to apply for financing.
Honestly, this dealer gave me the runaround so many times and in so many different ways that I would rather drive a 1987 Yugo than deal with them. I've only scratched the surface of what they did, but these were the two most egregious offenses.
And I still don't have the car I want. I went on vacation in January and when I came back, Mazda3s were in short supply all over the state. I've been waiting a month to see if more would come in, and the situation isn't getting any better. I'm looking for an s, with automatic, side airbags and moonroof/CD changer. In any color but black. I might have to settle for a Grand Touring, which wasn't in my budget plans. Not that their availability is much better, although there seem to be TWO of them in my state, rather than ONE.
Corey
Many people here got their cars for close to invoice or below invoice
One NY dealer has the car on the lot. They quote $700.00 over Edmunds invoice. Add tax and tags only. This is pretty similar to the Edmunds TMV price.
The second one, in CT this time, can "get it"again for, again, 700.00 over Edmunds invoice and close to Edmunds TMV.
One common issue is that all the dealers who have sent quotes appear to have an invoice price higher by $200.00-$250.00 over Edmunds invoice. All point to an advertising fee. This makes the price about $500.00 over invoice.
Both of these prices jive with one I received back in December from another CT dealer. It looks like Mazda in NY/CT are all about the same price, just about the TMV.
Has anyone here done better than this in the NY/CT area? Maybe I jut need to bite the bullet at this point.
You are literally haggling over a few dollars on a minimally marked-up car with a high content value. :confuse:
The profit margin (Invoice to MSRP) on a 2006 Mazda 3i Touring Sedan with an automatic, here in Dallas/Fort worth after advertising assessment, is $929.
If I sold those at invoice all day long... I would only gain my hold-back of $320. Then I pay my Sales Consultant a minimum commission of $100, Accounting takes $70 for detail, fuel, and inspection, and our store "pac" takes $200 for operating costs. Suddenly... I lost $50 "REAL MONEY" and have to explain, to my GM, why a car selling as well as the Mazda 3 lost money. :sick:
Every deal has the potential to be extremely different from the previous... trade, payoff, credit, down, term, lender, even dealership actions and processes. Anything around invoice is a great deal yet the car has a minimal mark-up to offer high value from the get-go.
ZOOM ZOOM
And I've been looking since December also. Unfortunately, things like work, the holidays and an already-booked vacation got in the way.
Every day I wake up and wish I had just bought the car before leaving on vacation. Even though I didn't quite have the financing worked out then and was too frazzled to get into the right mindset.
One dealer tells me it will tale 16-18 weeks to order a the 3s I want, while getting one from another dealer "it may have 100-300 miles on the odometer."
They may be selling fast, but no new inventory at all in three months and 18 week wait for a car is not good news.
If the two dealers I pass frequently had gotten any new 3s 5 doors, I would have seen them. I don't believe they get deliveries every 2 weeks, at least not in my area.
Considering I live in a heavily populated area of the country, I expected it would have been much easier to get the car I want, especially so early in the model year.
As far as the prices. $700.00 over invoice appears to be the best anyone will do. I guess if the car I want was close by and had 15 miles on the odometer,I'd just go for it at this point.
Zoom Zoom!!!!
The Sandman
Had them check the tranny and the a/c also, and both were fine. All in all, our dealership has been great, and it's less than 2 miles from our house. Very convienent.
The Sandman
I was in a dealership many years ago and ask the sales guy - how much is this truck? - he asks me the standard - How much do you want your payment to be? (I say - paying cash)& again ask - What is the price of this truck? Do you have a trade in? (I say - no trade) - again how much is this truck? He says - we can give you a good deal and we will beat any other dealers price - bla bla bla. So I ask AGAIN - HOW MUCH FOR THIS TRUCK?
The sales guy looks at me and says - its our policy to NOT give customers pricing information until they have filled out our questionaire (basicly a credit application)- then we can sit down and talk about our pricing and bla bla bla.
So I pull my check book out of my pocket and hold it up - and say - So if I wanted to write you a check (right NOW) for this truck you could not tell me the selling price. He said NO - I can not give you that information. So I walked out - not really mad - but just confused - I ended up buying the exact same truck later that day at another dealership. I can't be sure - but my guess was he did not think I was a serious buyer - so he did not want to waste any time on me.
Now when I am faced with a dumb salesperson I like to ask WHY do you want me to do that? When I get the "its our policy or we do this for all customers" - I ask WHY would you have a policy that makes it impossible to sell me a car? If you give the numbers - and I like them - I will buy the car TODAY. If you don't give me the numbers then I will go buy the car someplace else.
If there is a good bit of cash to be made why not make it yourself? Why leave all that money on the table? Based on your statements you seem sure it will fly off the shelf so why give the dealer all that extra $$$?
They obviously made some $ somewhere as they agreed to the deal.
The Sandman
Lets say you can sell your car in a private sale for $16,000 - or take $14,500 as a trade in allowance.
Many will say that a $1,500 gain - I do not.
First of all in many states you pay sales tax on the DIFFERENCE between the price of the new car and your trade in value. So (in Texas anyway) thats 6.25% of $14,500 or $906 more in sales tax. To put an ad in the paper is about $40 - its good for 2 weeks - so lets just say the sales tax and ad fee combined is about $950.
So now the net gain is $550 - still not bad - but how many phone calls will you get - 2 or 1,000? I am not sure which would be worse!
Then if your lucky you get to have a few complete strangers come to your home (or meet you in the Kroger parking lot) so they can drive the snot out of your car.
They then offer you $13,500!
If your lucky you get your asking price - or maybe you get shot and left in a ditch someplace.
Still think the $550 savings was worth it?
But I won't though. I'm sooo done with them. I wasn't even in the market for a 3 anyway. I was just giving him 'the chance' he asked me for. And he blew it. Salesmen....they must think we're stupid.
ZOOM ZOOM
They get them to agree to accept thousands of dollars less for their trade in - they get them to buy things like $600 paint protection packages - $2,000 extended warranties & agree to 18% interest rates (even if they have good credit) - they also talk them into paying $500+ document (or other made up) fees.
I have always thought that many customers agree to this stuff because they are afraid to either say NO - or because they don't want to look like they don't know what they are doing - so when the sales person says - this is a standard fee we charge all customers they just say - OK.
There is no such thing - it is just another name for paying more money. Does the bank (yours or the dealership) treat the money paid for fees any differently then the money paid for the car?
Look on the window sticker you will see a line called DELIVERY, PROCESSING AND HANDLING - this is the charge for transportation (most of the time people call it the destination charge) - but it is also for vehicle prep including the paperwork.
The salesperson may try and say this is a fee Mazda charges the dealership and has nothing to do with the transaction between the dealership and the customer - pure lie - the agreement between the dealership and Mazda includes the dealership doing normal vehicle prep - which includes basic things like installing floor mats - removing the protective covers - checking the tire PSI - bla bla bla - dealerships like to add this fee in because most customers - even the ones that don't like it - still pay it.
It would be the same as charging you twice for the seats or the steering wheel.
Wow! Selling within 5 months and 2K miles! Depreciation costs can be staggering (20% to 25% for initial year on compacts). Consumer Reports rated the Mazda3 manual in its top compacts for fuel economy so it's a bit surprising that you mention "fuel sipping VW Jetta TDI" as the reason to move from Mazda. The new Jetta is a very handsome vehicle. Happy trails with the Jetta!
Thanks,
kyfdx
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I was quoted an OTD price of $18750 for a stock, Mazda3 S Touring 5-Door, 5-spd, no additional options in the whitewater pearl color in the Hampton Roads area.
Thoughts on the price? From what I can tell reading this board it may be a pretty good deal.
Anyone else from this part of Virginia get anything near this?
Thanks.
Tom
Normally I only go up 1-2 "sizes" - if I can use that general term. Like going from a 265 70 16 to a 275 70 16 (a little wider & taller) or from a 245 75 16 to a 285 75 16.
I have not seen much change in MPG - even before taking into account that my odometer is off - which in my case means I am actually going more miles than what the odometer says. Once I take that into consideration the difference is so small +/- it could just be the normal variation from tank to tank.
I do know that some people experience a change in MPG just switching from one brand of tire to another - even with the same size - so I guess anything is possible.
I assume you do know that the wheel size has nothing to do with how wide (or the diameter) a tire is?
I live in Dallas Texas.
Thanks