By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
pro:
1. good looking exterior.
2. nice interior,
3. execellent handling, nimble.
4. well build, very solid.
con;
1. more road noice than I like
2. engine is loud when pushing gas paddle
3. cd player doesn't play mp3
Finally, i didn't buy the car because the price is about four hundred more than quoted, which really annoyed me. i mean, what's the good of getting a quote if that's not the actual price i need to pay for the car.
AT
RF
The real problem (sad but true) is that many customers just accept the up charge - they don't even say one word about it. Others may say - Why is the price $400 more than we agreed? When they are told - its a "we like to cheat you if you let us fee" that EVERYONE pays - they say OK go ahead and take my money.
As long as people just keep paying them - dealers will keep trying to charge them.
Just say NO to add on fees -
BTW - by add on fees I mean fees that are added on after the price is quoted - If the dealer tells you about it up front thats different -
So...if I go with the Mazda...how should I handle negotiations? How do I possibly get it down to $200-250 a month?
THANKS!
If you let the sales person at Mazda know you hate the other cars and love the Mazda then you will not get the best deal.
I would never tell someone to lie to get a better deal - but that does not mean you should tell them everything either. Do you really think the sales person tells you everything? Some may think this is = to a lie - I do not.
I don't like to negotiate to a payment amount - even if I was limited to a specific amount - I see no reason to bring that up right away. Focus on getting the lowest price on the car - then negotiate the best loan you can - with the dealer or someplace else (bank, credit union, loan shark).
Just for example - if you pay $16,000 for the car plus another $1,000 in TT&L for a total of $17,000 - a loan payment of $250 a month for 60 months at 6.5% means your down payment would be $4,223.
MSRP for this vehicle is 22050. That is the GT with Moonroof/cd/audio, auto, wheel locks and destination charge. Edmunds says invoice is 20530, and TMV is 21327.
Since this vehicle has been on their lot for at least a month for sure, probably more, what would be a reasonable offer?
You can't start getting far below TMV until the car's been on the lot for many, many months. Or, unless it has a lot of milage, and starts getting to the point where it's been test driven so much that they can't legally sell it as "New".
What other cars have you checked out? Nissan has a whole new sub-compact line coming out soon, so they're making deals on the Sentra. You might want to check them out. And you don't mention whether you're looking at a sedan or hatchback, but if it's a hatchback, you're probably not going to get to $250/month without a huge down payment, or truly excellent credit.
But, figure out what you like about the 3, and then prioritize them, and when you go on your test drives, see how they compare in the most important areas to you.
And check out the edmunds.com site for information on how to buy a car.
Test drive both. Preferably with the options you want. Look at models with more/less options just in case you find you want/don't want them. Test driving is really the only way to be sure that the car fits YOU. For example, I've read on the Edmunds boards that the Corolla seats just aren't comfortable for tall people.
I like the bobst method of car purchasing. Bobst is a long time poster here. His method consists (basically) of going into the dealership and offering an OTD price (Out the Door) inclusive of ALL fees/taxes/whatever. Any answer from the dealership other that "Yes" is considered a "No". If they don't accept, he leaves. Several times the dealership has changed tunes when Bob gets in his car to leave. As Bob puts it, the dealership hasn't really rejected your offer (no matter what they say) until they let you get in your car and leave.
If his offer is accepted he NEVER budges from the price - even for a dollar (he has a good story about that). No acceptance of any other fees or "we charge that to everybody" nonsense. OTD means OTD!
If the offer is rejected, he goes somewhere else and raises the offer $50-100. This system really only works for commonly available models/options and in an area with several dealerships.
I was all set to use this method when I bought my 3, but the dealership made an initial offer lower than what I was going to offer, so I accepted. Easy-peasy.
PF Flyer
Host
Automotive News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles
The Mazda Club Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule
Mazda3's are getting tough to find now. There are no more 2006's being produced, with the 2007's not due here until August/September. Don't be surprised if you see dealers not as willing to give heavy discounts.
New '06 Mazda 3i.. $13,620..
No fine print.... of course, I'm not buying, so no telling what the final deal would be....
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
The really low (below invoice) priced cars in the ads are almost always sold by the time you get to the dealership - if fact most of the time they have been sold a FEW DAYS before the paper is even printed.
It works like this -
Guy comes in on Tuesday to buy a new car - the trade in value of his car is $10,000 - but he has no idea what it is worth.
Invoice on the car he wants to buy is $18,000.
After a long hard fought negotiation they agree to $7,500 allowance for his trade - and a selling price of $17,500 - which is $500 UNDER invoice - isn't it?
The guy is happy - he thinks he got a great deal! Dealership is happy - they made a good profit.
But he really gave them a car worth $10,000 plus a check for $10,000 - so he paid $20K for the car. Which would be close to (maybe over) MSRP.
When the dealership wants to put an ad in the paper - they look through the sales THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY MADE - they can legally claim that they sold this car for $17,500 - so it goes in the ad. You show up bright and early Saturday morning and want the car that was advertised for $17,500 - they tell you sorry we "just" sold it!
But, it is also possible that they actually have a few base models to sell... As noted, few people want the stripped down model.. I would imagine they are hard to sell...
But, if the car meets your needs, sometimes you can get a great deal.. If you read these forums long enough, you'll see a lot of people that didn't know a good deal, once they finally had it.. and let the opportunity slip by..
You never know, unless you try it..
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
I wasn't trying to suggest that you could extrapolate the equivalent low price onto a higher-optioned model... Just that the price may likely be legitimate on that particular model.
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
I requested a quote through edmunds.com on Mazda3 i Touring with three options: a/t transmission, 6CD and sunroof package and wheel locks. They called me and quoted $16.700 and no fees on top except for DMV and tax. That is below edmunds's TMV so I decided to buy immediately. It was end of the month, they might have reached their quotas or something, I thought . At the dealership, they offered me to apply for financing through them, which I agreed (just to see if I could get better APR that my Capital One Blank check). They told me that in order to show to their bank that I really will put down $2000, I need to leave a deposit in the amount of $2000. I wrote them my personal check for the amount requested and signed the buyer’s order. So, here is their trick: Instead of writing my price $16700 on the order they wrote: “ customer requested his monthly payments to be in 300’s. Deposit refundable if cannot meet terms”. The salesman assured me that it is customary to put it this way and they would tell me my APR tomorrow and if I change my mind, they will refund the money. It took them 5 days to get to their bank and tell me their APR. The APR was good enough and again at the dealership I was ready to pick up my car. And guess what? Now the price was $17.700 and doc fee was $145. I said I was not buying at their new price and asked for my deposit back. What now? They told me that deposit will NEVER be refunded if I refuse to take the car at their new price because THEY DID MEET THE TERMS – THEY GAVE ME PAYMENTS IN 300’s!! Sales manager told me plainly that we should stick to the “letter” of our written agreement – 300’s, no matter if it is $305 or $399. And he was so generous that he brought my payments to ONLY $360 a month. An easy way to rob your neighbor for $2000! I placed a stop payment (a $30 fee for that) on my check and was lucky my bank managed to get the money back to my account.
What if it was too late? I could have lost my $2000. It could took months before I would be able to recover the money in small claims court .
I was so eager to get Mazda3 – that would be my first brand-new car ever. Now I am unsure if I even want Mazda3 anymore . Buyers beware! Never give too big deposits, never sign their papers with no car price on it.
I purchased my Mazda6 from a dealer 50 miles from my home because of a horrible experience I had at the local dealer. To me, the car was worth the extra drive. The whole process (once arriving at the dealership) took only about 1 hour on a busy Saturday.
Hopefully you can get over the anger - time seems to help melt it away.
3 is a good car, but it's not a perfect car, it has a/c issue, mileage is so so (3s auto), and not that quiet. I can definately feel the a/c difference between the Accord and 3.
Many thanks,
Steve
Are you trading in a car? What does KBB or Edmunds say it should be worth? (retail - private party - trade in value) How much is the dealer giving you? Less than trade in value - BAD - between trade in and private party - OK - over private party - GOOD.
Are you financing the car with the dealership? What interest rate are they offering you? How does this compare to what you bank or local credit union has for a rate? Obviously if they beat the rate from your other finance source thats GOOD - if they are higher _BAD -
A $15,000 loan at 5% for 48 months = $345 payment - same loan at 6.5% is $355 - thats only $10 a month - or $480 more.
Is this the "real" price? Or will the dealer add on a bunch of made up fees - like document or advertising?
Are they telling you you must also buy an extended warranty? credit life insurance or any other items?
Answer all of these and they we can tell if you have a fair deal.
Price paid (OTD) = Invoice + $100 + Title/Reg/Insp fees + $45 Dealer fee + NY Tax(8.375%).
Cash Deal, I think I can paid @ invoice if I finance through Mazda. 06 Mazda3 is cleaning up for 07 model. From what I read @ Edmund forums, 07 mazda3 will be too hot to sell at invoice. But who knows, Mazda3 is 2+ years old and the compact market is getting very intense now since all Japanese companies and VW are offering many new compact this year as well as performance 200~300 Horsepower compact cars..... :shades:
Be carful with that advise. Most car dealers across the country do not go by KBB or Edmunds. They are publishers who do not purchase cars. They just write about them.
If you are fortunate enough to get over private sale value, run with it.
That does not go for all dealerships. Ad's are designed to draw traffic. We have sold numerous cars in the Ad's I place. We place an ad in our local paper every week. If we do not sell any cars off of the ad, then we wasted money advertising. That does not make any sense, does it? It wastes salesman's time, as well as managements.
If someone comes in on an advertised price, and we no longer have the car, 80% of the time, they do not want to bump up to a higher trim level, and they walk. That has been my experience. Unless, we make them an incredible offer.
Of course, I cannot speak for all dealers. There are plenty of dealers out there that give us a bad name. So, when people come in, we are already on the defensive trying to earn trust. It is not easy, but, that's the biz.
Enjoy your 3!
Can't wait for the MS3 in September! :shades:
But at least they are independent points of reference - if the dealer is offering less than KBB / Edmunds trade in value it should send up a red flag. If they are way under - like $500 or more than there is a very good chance they are trying to pad the deal - which is just like over charging for the car. No big surprise here - most dealerships make a large % of their profit from selling the trade in vehicles. Many people negotiate like crazy on the price of the new car - but just accept the trade in value that the dealership gives them - same with the interest rate on the loan - or add on fees.
The point I was making - there is no way you can tell if you have a good deal - or a bad deal - if all you know is I paid $200 over invoice. Agree?
I am sure there must be a few dealerships that actually do have the cars that they advertise in stock ready to be sold -
I was posting about the cars that are advertised for a really low price - I bet if you actually show up at a dealership on Saturday morning (before the dealership even unlocks the door) with the Saturday newspaper in your hand and ask to see the VERY LOW PRICED car in the ad that MORE than 90% the time you will be told that it has "just been sold". How is that possible - they just unlocked the door?
I will even go one step past this - I will bet that if you drive over to the dealership on Saturday morning with the Saturday newspaper - and call them on your cell phone from across the street and ask them if they have the car that is in the newspaper in stock you will be told YES 90% + of the time, but by the time you drive across the street it will have "just been sold"!
It is sad - very sad - but it is also true - very true.
KBB and Edmunds at least give you a reference point to start, basically a ball park figure, but, not always accurate.
With all this info on the web about invoice pricing on new vehicles, unless you are totally ignorant, you can negotiate a good deal. I always tell people I will make something, afterall, I am here to make money, as long as we can agree on a happy median, we have a deal.
As for advertising, there are shady dealers out there, no doubt, I wont disagree with what you have posted about advertising, all I wanted to say was we are not all like that. There are some good guys out there!
The other option - accept what the dealership says is a fair price - for the new car - for the trade - for the interest rate - for the doc & ad fees - AGREE with them that you really do need the extended warranty - credit life insurance - under coating - paint sealant - fabric protectant - pin stripes & wheel locks and just hope that you happen to find the one honest car dealer in your state.
Not much of a choice -
Even places like Saturn or Scion that make the claim of being no haggle places to buy a car are anything but that.
How do you determine what your trade in is worth at one of these places? What about the interest rate on the loan? What about the other add ons? All negotiable - even if the price of the new car is fixed.
This sales tactic was invented to make customers think they are getting a fair deal - so you can let your guard down - because everyone gets charged the same price - its FAIR.
Want to guess what happens if you just accept the no haggle deal at one of these so call "no negotiation dealerships" - you get 1/2 the true value for your trade in & pay 11% for the loan.
You get what you negotiate - its as simple as that.
I am not saying I would buy a car at one of these places (although I almost did once because they were the only dealer in my area that would give me a discount on a Prius, and there was no loan or trad-in involved), but they do exist and people buy cars from them. Not everyone likes to negotiate, and many people hate buying cars. Maybe that is why these kinds of dealerships have their fans.
I test drived the aforementioned Mazda (no leather seats, has sunroof, has 20K on it, + 3 year extended warranty until 2010, nice condition), and after dealing with the salesman the price comes up to 19000 CAN$ taxes in.
Sounds tempting, but is it really a good price?
BTW, it's a sedan AT
The really low (below invoice) priced cars in the ads are almost always sold by the time you get to the dealership - if fact most of the time they have been sold a FEW DAYS before the paper is even printed.
It works like this -
Guy comes in on Tuesday to buy a new car - the trade in value of his car is $10,000 - but he has no idea what it is worth.
Invoice on the car he wants to buy is $18,000.
After a long hard fought negotiation they agree to $7,500 allowance for his trade - and a selling price of $17,500 - which is $500 UNDER invoice - isn't it?
The guy is happy - he thinks he got a great deal! Dealership is happy - they made a good profit.
But he really gave them a car worth $10,000 plus a check for $10,000 - so he paid $20K for the car. Which would be close to (maybe over) MSRP.
When the dealership wants to put an ad in the paper - they look through the sales THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY MADE - they can legally claim that they sold this car for $17,500 - so it goes in the ad. You show up bright and early Saturday morning and want the car that was advertised for $17,500 - they tell you sorry we "just" sold it! "
My Mom bought her 2002 Sonata at the ad price of around $14K. No funny business. And that was her walking into the dealership with the ad on a Monday afternoon, after work. So it can work...
I don't want to seem overly critical, but I'm surprised you found yourself in that situation.
Did you read it before you signed? If so, why would you have signed it? I have bought many cars and have never seen it presented like that before, without a vehicle price. Also never saw a $2K requirement. And "in the 300's"? Ridiculous. I would have ran out of there if I saw that
Within 24 hours, they'd gotten the car delivered to them...installed the tint, had the car detailed and ready for my final test drive. Since this car was re-located from another dealer, I hadn't actually driven it yet. They filled it with gas and I went for about a 30 minute test drive before coming back and handing over the check.
2006 3s Sedan
Titanium Gray
5 Speed Auto
Side Air Bags/Curtains
$18800 Taxed/Licensed and out the door
I'm another one that's probably outside the standard demographic for these cars...I'll be 48 in a couple months. In that time, I've owned in excess of 40 cars...about half of those purchased new. Everything from basic American cars to high end German machines. THIS car is hands down my favorite auto purchase in my lifetime. To get this much vehicle for well under $20k...it just feels GOOD
Both myself and my fiance' just love how this little thing drives...what a blast! And the 5 speed auto is just downright sweet!
takasumi, "Mazda5: Prices Paid & Buying Experience" #327, 10 Jun 2006 11:53 pm
positive or negative. I havent even been able to sit in one
of these cars. I live in Lafayette, IN, and the only dealership
in a 50 mile radius is Bill Andrews. I generally buy cars on
a whim, and pay cash for the cars I buy. On more than one
instance, I have driven into this dealership with the intent
of possibly buying a car -- but I get told that unless I do
some "paperwork" I cant even see the car, let alone drive it.
I get some cr*p about financing, and even when I tell them I
do not need financing, I get some lame reason.
Mazda: if you are listening, with dealers like this, no wonder
you cant move up from a third tier manufacturer, even if you
make good cars -- too bad many people just dont get to find out.
Never done the small town car shopping thing myself. Good luck...
If they treat you this bad as a prospective customer - Imagine what they will do for you after you buy the car!
After a long hard fought negotiation they agree to $7,500 allowance for his trade - and a selling price of $17,500 - which is $500 UNDER invoice - isn't it?
I know that is a hypothetical situation, but, I never see trades so low balled, or the customer not doing a bit of homework to see what their car is worth. Afterall, the customer is selling it to the dealer. I have yet to have a customer that does not at least have an idea of what they want for their car.
I know that a few here think that 99.9% of what comes out of dealers mouths is a lie. Same can be said about customers. Afterall, what good does it do the customer to tell the truth?? They lie all the time about a price they got at another dealer. My response has been "wow, that sounds like a great deal they are giving you, why are you here? I won't beat $500 below invoice" Then, I sell them the car over invoice. Seems like they lied. Happens all the time.