2013 and Earlier - Mazda3 Prices Paid and Buying Experience

slate1

Local dealership had to get it from another dealer - said it should be here tomorrow. Really excited about the car. I got the Velocity Red Grand Touring with the Bose/Moonroof package and the Navigation package - paid $21,417 + tax, tag, title.

slate1

bad news - went by the dealership this evening to show my wife the color. Sales guy said the dealership they were getting the car from is working a deal on it... my BS meter perked up a bit... they've been great to deal with, but looks like it may be a week or so before I know if they can find a Velocity Red one for me. If not - I'll try to get them to find me a Titanium.

widow1

z7Bill, I actually have changed tire brands - even maintaining sizing and got considerable mpg gains. Case in point a Subaru WRX. Took the O.E. Bridgestone Potenza RE 92s off and replaced with ultra- high performance Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. My decision had nothing to do with fuel efficiency, but I got a 3-4 mpg gain and was flabbergasted. On my Mazda 3i I put on high performance Yokohama Avid 205/55 16s and watched the gas needle drop quickly. I returned them on a 30 day trial offer and replaced them with high performance B.F. Goodrich Traction TAs and got 3 mpg better than the Avids. I hear ya on the wheel size and tire width info. I was wondering if the height of the tire plays a factor if I move from a 205/55 16 to a 195/65 15 ?

widow1

z7bill, I failed to add that the switch on the Mazda 3i was not only by brand - from Yokohama to B.F. Goodrich - but in size as well. Went from a 205/55 16 to a 195/65 15.

mrblonde49

Or get the winning blue. I've never had more compliments on a car color. I love it

Or what about Copper Red? I like that even better than the velo red, which is very nice itself

slate1

I've not seen the Winning Blue and it looks like a light-blue in the book and the Copper Red looks orange. Wish I could see them in person. There's another dealership about 20 miles from me and I may ride up there today to see the other colors.

I figure I'll give them a week or two to try and find the Velocity Red and if that doesn't pan out I'll start looking at alternate color choices.

Does the Winning Blue have the metal flake in it like the Velocity Red does? I really like that!

audia8q

Hang in there....dealers are at the mercy of the other dealer on a dealer swap. The dealer giving up the car never wants to do it and almost always puts it on very low priority. But your dealer obviously wants to get you a car so I'm sure they are trying their best.

slate1

Yep - you're right. They called me this afternoon and told me the one they were getting for me sold at the other dealership. However - they've got one that's on water right now from Japan exactly as I wanted it. I put a deposit down and they've told me it should be here around the 15th. I'll get it "fresh out of the wrapper" and it's only a week and a half.

The local dealership (Carolina Mazda, Rock Hill, SC) has been great to deal with. Quite frankly it's been the best car-buying experience I've ever had. We had a deal set in less than 15 minutes and they gave me more for my trade than I was looking to get. I hope the car turns out to be as enjoyable as the buying experience has been.

go2ucla

Hello everyone,

I just picked up a 2006 Mazda3 Hatchback 5 Door, A/T. MSRP $18,880. No other options added. I paid $18,000 before taxes, fees, etc. Clean sale. Besides tax and license, I was only charged doc. fees. of $45.

Do you think I got a good deal? Dealer showed me an invoice price of $17,897. Edmunds.com shows $17,677. Did I miss something? Was this a good price for So.Cal? Any chances that I could have gotten the car under invoice? I did not shop around that much, but I feel that I got a decent deal since I got a good trade in figure for my 2000 Protege. The Internet Sales Manager stated the M3 is still hot. I appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.

P.S. He did mention he'll send me a booklet w/coupons and for the 1st year, every other oil change will be on the house.

jazzman1

$19,439 includes tags and fees. I used Wayne Mazda in Wayne, NJ. They quoted me an invoice price of 18,921 (higher than Edmunds) for Mazdas touring 5-door with 6CD/sunroof and automatic. When I went to close the deal there was an additional Vin etching fee of $159 (they apparently put it on all of the vehicles) and a doc. fee of $199. I got them to give me the vin etching for free and I paid the high doc. fee, but I got what I felt was a better deal than any of the NY dealers offered me. Beware of high doc. fees and conveyance fees. The dealers have so many things they use to add money on to the vehicle. NY dealers seems to be better about fees, but the price might still be higher. Always ask about every fee when negotiating because that should be figured into the price you agree on.

sandman46

What size can I go to safely from a 205/55/16 to?

The Sandman :confuse:

kyfdx

Since this is a pricing discussion... you might try:

Mazda3 Sedan

Tires, tires, tires

regards,
kyfdx
Host-Prices Paid Forums

rosenatti

As a rookie new car buyer, I'd love some advice. I've been looking for a titanium gray, automatic transmission GT mazda3 hatchback. I only want the base model, which I've discovered is pretty hard to find. One dealer has one on the lot for $20,100 plus tax/licensing. Does that seem like a fair price? Another dealer has offered to order one from the factory for me, but we haven't discussed pricing yet. Opinions?

ostiaantic

I think you got a pretty good deal. It's about $400 less than what I'm hearing from CT and NY dealers for the same car. The invoice discrepancy is due to advertising fees in the dealer invoice,or so I'm told. This is about $200-$250.
Several CT dealers have been quoting fixed $239 paperwork fees, but no VIN etching nonsense.

mrblonde49

I've not seen the Winning Blue and it looks like a light-blue in the book and the Copper Red looks orange. Wish I could see them in person. There's another dealership about 20 miles from me and I may ride up there today to see the other colors.

I figure I'll give them a week or two to try and find the Velocity Red and if that doesn't pan out I'll start looking at alternate color choices.

Does the Winning Blue have the metal flake in it like the Velocity Red does? I really like that! "

Yes, it has the flake in it. Here's a good picture:
http://www.forum-auto.com/uploads/200509/hibou.67_1126687462_copie_de_avt_423469- _4_full.jpg

And here's the copper red (also metallic):
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/namaste1/Dropped1.jpg

As you can see, it gets lighter in direct sunlight, but I like the color a lot

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/2139000-2139999/2139203_3_full- .jpg

You can never tell what these colors are like from the samples at the dealership or on the net - you need to see it on the car, in a real setting

slate1

WOW! Yes, both of those colors look great, especially the blue. The dealership supposedly has a Velocity Red on the way and it's supposed to be here next week. If something falls through on it I believe I'll make the Winning Blue my next choice. Thanks for the pix!

rustes

(Sorry about Long Post)
2005 Sedan Winning Blue Interior Black
4 speed auto sport 810
cargo net 32
leather seats 507
auto dim mirror 240
rear spoiler 280
wheel locks 32
sport package 421
Miami-Fort Lauderdale Assesment 146.00

Invoice price is $19,253 (SPlan)
MRSP is 20,685
Selling them from 3000 off MRSP. Here's the details
$20,685 MRSP of Car w/options
-3020.89 discounts
----------------
17664.11

+698.89 dealer fee called Delivery charge/documentation fee
+87.43
Taxable Total is : 18,456.93
6% + $50; 1157.41
19,614.34
+225 tag,title fee
19839 OTD
Things I think I can get them to knock off are:
700 dollar Delivery Charge/Documentation (unneccessary Dealer profit)
Auto Dim Mirror $240!! Take it out.
19839
- 940
------
$18,899 I'll start my negoations there.

Internet guy over phone told me if I come in he would give me Splan price for 2006 and 1,000 under s-plan for 2005 cars. So, I drove 20 miles, 19839 OTD is what the internet guy told me when I arrived. I didn't agrue about his price cause it seems like a great deal! But, seeing that he is adding a load of fees, and I didn't attempt to lower the price, when I go in tomorrow to purchase the car, I think I can drive away with a better deal than 19,839. He has 3 winning blues with same options from 2005. He also has about 18 2005 mazda 3 instock. So, with 2007 around the corner dealership has got be motivated to sell.

Wish me luck, any advice, input would be appriciated.

crikey

One of the bigger differences between the 2005 and 2006 model is the automatic tranny. The 2005 had 4-speed while the 2006 now has a 5-speed. Since I would be stuck with an auto tranny because of my better half, I would likely not consider a 2005 if the difference in price between a 2005 and 2006 is not much.

I'm stating this because you can use this to your advantage, if you're not particular about the 4-speed/5-speed thing. Just state that you're having 2nd thoughts about the 2005 model because you just realized that it has a 4-speed auto tranny and because the 2006 prices have not come down yet, you'll wait a while. They might make the deal better for you just to move that 2005 model. You have to be prepared to walk, though, in order for it to work. They'll likely call you back afterwards if they really want to sell it.

beach70s

Am buying 3 GT and apecs on Edmunds and Mazda USA show both sedan and 5dr as 57.7 tall and 5.7 ground clearance, yet when seeing them in person, 5dr seemed much shorter and lower grd clearance? Anyone notice difference or think 5dr didn't have enough clearance?

z71bill

Its MARCH of 2006 - why would any quality dealership still have 2005's on their lot. Haven't the 2006's been out since September of 2005?

Unless you get a LARGE discount - well below invoice - I would not get the 2005 model. Every new car drops as soon as you drive it off the lot - buying last years model you will get a DOUBLE whammy.

Just for fun - look inside the drivers side door - right on the frame - there is a sticker that says the month and year the car was manufactured. I would guess Mazda stopped making 2005's in July (August maybe) of 2005. So your NEW car is most likely 8-9 or more months old.

mrblonde49

Its MARCH of 2006 - why would any quality dealership still have 2005's on their lot. Haven't the 2006's been out since September of 2005?

Unless you get a LARGE discount - well below invoice - I would not get the 2005 model. Every new car drops as soon as you drive it off the lot - buying last years model you will get a DOUBLE whammy.

Just for fun - look inside the drivers side door - right on the frame - there is a sticker that says the month and year the car was manufactured. I would guess Mazda stopped making 2005's in July (August maybe) of 2005. So your NEW car is most likely 8-9 or more months old. "

Especially for a hot selling car. I'd be very curious as to why they were still there...

allfiredup

Good luck with the Winning Blue. I searched about 300 miles in every direction from my location to find a 3 s 5-door in Winning Blue. I found a few in Winning Blue, but couldn't find a single one with manual transmission (and most of them had sunroof, CD changer and leather which I didn't want). I finally had to settle on the Titanium Gray, which I really like, but still would have loved the Winning Blue.

I try to console my self with the fact that mine has the red/black interior instead of the blue/black.

allfiredup

As late as 12/05, most of the dealers I contacted (20+ of them) all had at least a few '05 models left. A lot of them were oddballs. One in particular that I considered was a 4-door s with every options except sunroof (including Xenon/TPMS, CD changer, sunroof, leather) and would have taken it except it was an automatic. I wasn't crazy about the color either, Strato Blue. The majority of them were i models with so many options they cost more than regular s models.

slate1

I stopped by the dealership yesterday and they assure me that my car will be here next week. I've got my fingers crossed.

It's supposedly off the ship now and the sales manager said he was working with the district distributor on getting it here as quickly as possible.

I'll post once I've got it - sure hope nothing falls through... this waiting is HELL!!!

beach70s

Congratulations. If you really like the cloth seats-unless there's been a change not listed @Mazda, Edmunds, etc. all GTs have leather seats standard.

slate1

Right - the GT has leather... I actaully thought the leather was quite nice for a car at this price point.

ostiaantic

Latest internet price quote from NY dealer is 19,995.00 on a car with sticker 20,700. and Edmunds invoice 19,250.Invoice is 19,500 acccording to dealer, due to advertising fee added to their invoice. There are no additional fees, just tax and tags. Edmunds TMV is $20,000.00 on this car.
This $500 over invoice appears to be the going rate in NY-CT area. Each dealer that quoted me a price was always right at the Edmunds TMV or about $500 over invoice.
Anyone know if there will be any more $500 coupons on the horizon?

nscrbug

I've been out pricing an 06 Mazda3 s Touring with the following options:

moonroof/6CD Changer
compass autodim mirror
rear wing spoiler

MSRP w/options is $20,565...what would be a good price to purchase?

ewentx26

I bought mine on 02/28/06 for $19,100; $400 below invoice. The only additional options are moonroof and Bose system. It has almost everything my 03 Accord Coupe V6 had and more. I like everything about the car so far, except I can't open the truck from the key fob.

amatt10

I am looking into buying the 3i as well and I just read your post. What is the S plan that you talked about? Thanks

sandman46

Can the key fobs now open the trunk? Our '05 S doesn't have this feature...wish it did.
Silly Mazda...all of the big 3 Japenese brands have it, even my econobox Sentra!

The Sandman :confuse:

mrblonde49

Can the key fobs now open the trunk? Our '05 S doesn't have this feature...wish it did.
Silly Mazda...all of the big 3 Japenese brands have it, even my econobox Sentra! <<

Nope, it's my biggest complaint.

However, if we made a list of what the 3 offers vs what the Sentra offers, in total, it would turn into a rout about 2 lines down.

sandman46

The best thing the Sentra had going for us at the time was the price. I paid OTD $13.8 almost 3 years ago, with a $1500. rebate. Not a car everyone wants, but it's met our needs nicely, a daily driver for me to go to work with and the kids to use when they're home from school. I wanted something somewhat cheap and the rebate won us over. My 3 requirements were slushbox, a/c & a decent stereo/cd player. Done deal.
Since the wife wanted a smaller car than her previous generation Altima, she chose the 3s. It has the get up and go she's after and we got a very fair deal. After all her gripes about the high headrests, she's decided she likes it afterall and plans to keep it. That means I get the next car, probaly in '08 or '09.

The Sandman

drumm9

MSRP 18,873 (3-S Man-Leath-Spoiler) They are offering me 6,500  trade in for my Protege.
I have an E-Loan check for 12,000.

Sales man says he will need another $1,775 for taxes and tags to seal the deal.  I DON'T want to pay more than 12,000..! 

You guys think I can keep pushing for that 12,000 or do you guys honestly think that I have no choice but give in and pay extra $1,775?
Thank you in advance

kyfdx

I think maybe the difference is somewhere between those two figures... If I am reading your post correctly, you are already giving them $18,500.. that is only a $373 discount from MSRP.. So, they probably won't come down $1775 more, but there might still be another $1000 in there....

regards,
kyfdx

drumm9

Thank you kyfdx.... I am going to try to negotiate up on the trade in value of my Protégé and see if I can get a little out of them.

From what I have read - from Grand Tourer owners- I can definitely do better.

Something good is that, in reality, I don&#146;t really need a car, I just want to have one. My Protégé runs great.

herzeleidus

I just bought a 2006 Mazda3 5 Speed Hatch Touring for $19550 OTD. I got an extended warranty thrown into the mix, and low financing, so it seems like its a good deal.

mazdaboy2

Paid $15,950 (plus taxes & tags) for 3i Touring 5-speed sedan with no other options. That's right on the Edmunds TMV price, so I hope I did OK. The only "extra" they threw in was 2 yrs free oil changes. The experience was fairly pleasant, except that at checkwriting time, the clerk tried to add the $299 "processing fee" to the agreed-upon price, whereas the agreement included that fee. Simple lack of communication, or checking to see if I'm still paying attention ? Hard to say.
Also, I just noticed (8 days later) that all 4 tires are seriously underinflated (22-25 vs. 32 recommended). How could pre-delivery inspection miss that ?

madvey333

3i Touring Pittsbugh, PA
With my options I Paid invoice which was somewhere around 17,100.
My trade in was a junker worth nothing (like $250) got $1000 for it.
Intrest is killing me tho at 7.99%
Took a car off their lot hopin to get a better price.
Whatever price they give anyone, they can always go lower, is what i learned during my experience.

Love the car, only have 1500 miles on it right now. First MPG reading i took was 27.5. We'll see if that changes much.
For those wondering where the Velocity red models are i got one in my drive way. Hopfuly I'll still love the car in 3 years. Happy with my purchase for now tho.

carfanatic007

I currently have a 2003 Nissan Altima SE. It is a very quick car, but it has a poorly made interior and seats. I have test driven the Mazda 3 S Hatchback and really like it, although it is alot slower than my current car. I have been quoted a price of $17,600 for the Mazda 3S 5 door with Auto dim mirror/Compass and 5 Spd A/T. No other options. What do you think of this deal? I have an appointment this Wednesday (3-22-06) so please hurry with responses.

sandman46

How much are they charging for the mirror/compass combo...and is the slushbox still $900.? I'd try to get the mirror price down a bit. Look under a Mazda parts site to see how much they charge for the mirror and negotiate some.
The invoice on our '5 3s was $17,035 with the $40. wheel locks, which seem useless to us but they were already there. These cars should be going for invoice or very close to that.

The Sandman

(Can you wait till the end of the month?)

paul3406

Hi. Just wondering if there have been any rebates or dealer incentives released for the 2006 Mazda 3 5-door. I know that right now my area, they have leasing specials, but I'm not interested in that. Also for people that have already purchased, did you purchase during an incentive period or was your price just right without it? Thanks for feedback.

joetr

Just took delivery on a black 4-door sGT with automatic, Bose CD/sunroof, spoiler, remote start/security system and all weather mats. Price was $22,400 before tax. Remote start was $400 and the spoiler was $330. Was that a decent price?

joetr

No rebates on the 3 although I hear there's one on the 6.

wavrider

Just another data point here, but I recently (2 weeks ago) got the 2006 GT 5 door, Titanium, Auto Trans, Bose/CD/Sunroof for $300 below "dealer" invoice which was about $150 below KBB invoice for this vehicle ==> $20350 before tax & license.

Location is Orange County, CA.
wavrider

slate1

That seems pretty close to sticker if that's US $... not sure what the remote start runs but everything else spec's out at $22,445. Where are you located?

I paid $21,400 for a Velocity Red 4-door GT, MT with Bose/Sunroof and Navigation; sticker was $22,810 and I'm in South Carolina. Still waiting on delivery of the car (it's in port now - just waiting on delivery...)

joetr

Hope you're loving your can, I know I am. I'm located in Michigan.
On the pricing, I meant to say that $22,400 was with tax and plates. The sticker was $22,770 w/o tax & Plates, S-Plan price was $21,415. $170 "doc" fee

sandstorm4

Opportunity to buy 2004 Mazda3 Hatchback with 19,400 miles or 2002 RAV4 with 36,070, either for about $16,000. We love the drivability & sportiness of the Mazda but are concerned with the reliablity compared to the RAV4. We're expecting to run whichever we buy for at least the next 5 years with the lowest maintenance costs possible. Can anyone set our minds at ease about the Mazda?

slate1

That sounds like a good deal joetr - hard to beat the S-Plan price if you qualify. Tax here in SC is not a percentage but is restricted to $300, which is great.

$21,418 was my price on an '06 Velocity Red GT w/ Bose & Moonroof pkg. and Navigation plus tax and tag. Carolina Mazda in Rock Hill, SC (about 10 miles south of Charlotte, NC) - best car buying experience I've ever had. They did a dealer trade to get the color / options I wanted and I had no suprises along the way other than how easy it was.

I took delivery of the car last Tuesday and I love it - already put 500 miles on it.

Some early observations:

THE GOOD-
- Bose soundsystem is much better than I was expecting after reading some comments here. My only explanation for some not liking it is that they are "young-uns" looking for bloated boomy bass. I listen to jazz and classic hard rock (everything from Coltrane and Miles to Sabbath and Montrose...) and it sounds great to me.

- The navigation system is fantastic. Again, after reading some comments here I was expecting almost no functionality once the vehicle was in motion - but it only locks out functions which require use of the onscreen keyboard. A good safety feature if you ask me...

- The car just flat out drives better than anything I've owned and is simply amazing for the money.

THE BAD -
- The carpet just plain sucks... there's no other way to state it. The included mats aren't any better either - they slide all over the damned place... I'm trying to figure out a way to keep them in place.

- Carpeted dead-pedal is a huge oversight too, they could have thrown a $2 hunk of plastic there and it would have been better.

- No trunk pop button on the key fob is incomprehensible as well

I love the car and look forward to driving it every day though - just great fun.

slate1

Maybe Consumer Reports can set your mind at ease about the Mazda3... I had the same concerns and it did mine.

The April '06 issue ranks the reliability and owner satisfaction as follows:

Mazda3 -
Reliability: "Very Good" (4/5)
Owner Satisfaction: "Excellent" (5/5)

RAV4 -
Reliability: "Excellent" (5/5)
Owner Satisfaction: "Very Good" (4/5)

That being said - I was purchasing a new '06. The '04 was the first model year of the Mazda3 and I'm always a bit leery about first model years... it's the year they get all the "kinks" figured out.

Below is a "snapshot" of the Mazda3 report from MSN-Auto

Consumer Reports - Mazda3