[radmonkey222]

OK...

me, again... I haggled down from $22,600 to on the road price $22,114.15 plus a free cargo net.

Mazda 3 5 door HB (metallic silver) auto with Leather/Safety Package antilock brake and passenger air bag/6CD changer-Moonroof/Xenon lights....

Then they were just plain hostile... is it because i'm a girl or am I just being cheap and should just buy the damn thing!! I just don't want to get screwed. This is the first time i am buying a car by myself without my parents!

 

[lmp180psu]

What is your Tax rate in Louisiana? The invoice for "your" car is around $19,700. So unless you have a very high tax rate, the deal doesn't sounds that great. At 7% tax rate (used for calculation sake) the total price at invoice would be about $21,075. So I looks like you got the car for about $1000 over invoice - not that great. Do you qualify for graduate or owner loyality rebates?

 

[dk0280]

OK...

me, again... I haggled down from $22,600 to on the road price $22,114.15 plus a free cargo net.

Mazda 3 5 door HB (metallic silver) auto with Leather/Safety Package antilock brake and passenger air bag/6CD changer-Moonroof/Xenon lights....

Then they were just plain hostile... is it because i'm a girl or am I just being cheap and should just buy the damn thing!! I just don't want to get screwed. This is the first time i am buying a car by myself without my parents!

is there a guy friend you could go with? i hate to say it, but maybe they are taking advantage of you being a girl.. lotta ppl have been getting this car for a little above invoice, which means you should be looking out for a similar price too.. don't let them take you for a ride.

 

[radmonkey222]

louisianna tax is 9%

He did all this talk about "other additional fees" which he tacked on...such as title fee.. then something else fees which I didn't understand...

So, the grand total is $22,114. I don't qualify for graduate or loyalty rebate. I'll be financing the car at 4.9% for 48 months with a downpayment of $7,000. My friend here says it's a good rate but i think that can also be better.

The guy was really angry about the cargo net, too!!! He said, "Gee, you don't want us to make any money off of this deal, do you?" How mean is that?

Thank you so much for responding!! Now I don't feel bad for walking away from this deal. I love the car, just want to get a fair price. this is a big step for me.

 

[odie]

a sales man will try to convince you that you are taking them for everything they got... bull shit. Don't be affraid to leave if you don't feel you are being treated fairly or just.

Really, I'd rather buy no car than give business to a scum bag like that.

Move on! :?

 

[turtle]

if they're treating you badly......then simply go to another mazda dealership. I'm sure they're not the only ones around.

If u have time to wait......then just go to a few dealerships and compare the prices they're willing to give u.

in terms of pricing........i think anyone u negotiate pricing with.....they'll go hostile at a certain point....i think it's more a form of intimidation.....so dont be intimidated by them! it's ur money to spend (or not to spend)!

 

[fearturtle44]

Sounds like a broken record but here goes:

Go to edmunds.com. You will be able to build you car with options and then edmunds will tell you MSRP, invoice, and what others are paying.

Kevin

 

[neoriffic]

Walk away! I wouldn't by the car from them (regardless of price) just b/c they are being jerks. I've gotten quotes via e-mail / phone for $300-500 over invoice w/ no negotiating, so you should be able to get that easy.

 

[LeeLee]

General tips on buying a Mazda3:

1. Pay only invoice or slightly above it, that's what these cars are going for.
2. DO NOT pay any fees that are not collected by the government. And don't let the dealer tell you, find out for yourself!
3. Get the 3.9% financing from Mazda if your own sources can't beat that rate. You can always pay it off faster than 60 months.

In terms of handling salesman pressure keep it in mind that this is nothing personal. The guy accross the table is just trying to make money. He may go at it by being mean, or rude. What ever. But making friends with him is not your first concern. Your first concern is getting the Mazda3 at invoice.

So if he says anything you don't like, pretend you didn't hear it. Smile gently (even if you are about to hit him with an aluminum bat :twisted: ) and restate your position. Chances are you'll never see him again after you buy your car. There is no long term relationship here, so just don't pay him any attention if he is being obnoxious.

Strength is how you show it. My wife, all 100 pounds of her, is a tougher negotiator than I am. For example, I am doing the cooking *AND* the dishes tonight. So don't let the fact that you are a girl or that you are young hurt your confidence. You are the one with the money!!! Stand firm, press the logic of your position.

They want your money more than you want their car, I guarantee it. Because where you buy your car makes no difference to you, but your money spent somewhere else is money they are not going to see, ever.

 

[king chile]

call and find out the name of the owner.. go in on a saturday when the owner is bound to not be in and throw their name around, say he/she is a close family friend.. you'll see how quick they pucker up and offer you 500 over invoice TO START

 

[Nel]

General tips on buying a Mazda3:

1. Pay only invoice or slightly above it, that's what these cars are going for.

quote]
:shock: Don't mess with LeeLee :wink: . I'll remember what you said there when I buy in the next couple of weeks... buying a new car is something a lot of people dread, but all you have to do is take the emotions out of the process, thanks for the advice BTW...
Next to being a complete pushover the worst thing you can do when negotiating is to be confrontational and abrasive... you always have the final say anyway 8)... But it is hard though sometimes, I had a GM from a dealership call me about the S Plan, during our discussion I mentioned that I was comfortable giving the dealership a $750 margin (about $150 over invoice) and he flat out denied there was a holdback, he also insisted that his $276 admin charge was payable to Mazda Canada :evil:

 

[n1smo]

Shopping for a car should not be a hassle. The wife and I visited just about every dealer within a 100 mile radius (not hard when you live in Alabama). We did it just for fun, it is like a weekend event for us because there just isn't anywhere else to go. So we would go to the Infinity dealer one weekend and then the Mitsubishi the next.. etc.. We test drove so many cars and here they just let you take the car off the lot without the salesman sitting in the car with you. I guess the point is, you have not gone to enough dealers. You are the boss, they are the b1tches there to serve you. If you don't like their attitude, just tell them to fck off. In fact, I drove into the dealer that pissed me off the other day to rub it in :wink: The saleman asked where I ended up buying the car and he was b1tching about how his manager let me go that day. Man it is boring here in Alabama :?

P.S. go into the dealer like you own the place. Those salemen can smell weakness a mile away. Why the hell would anyone want to sell cars for a living? But that's another conversation....

 

[bongomav]

Buying a Car

Buying a new car can almost kill the joy of new car ownership. If you do your homework you can save a lot of money. FIRST, Mazda has a 2% holdback off of BASE MSRP. That means that Mazda will give the dealer that 2% when the car is sold. SECOND, visit the dealer just to shop and find the car with the options you want. Make a list of the sticker and take it home where you can research invoice prices with out any pressure. (I used KBB.COM and EDMUNDS.COM) After finding TRUE invoice you should not go more than $200 over (maybe $300). THIRD, research your finance options, know what your payments will be before you go in. If you go in blind they might try to sneak in extras. When you are ready to make the deal tell them that they have 30 minutes to close the deal and have you on your way. REMEMBER you are the boss and can get up and leave at any time. After buy about 8 new cars over the past few years this does work. Good luck!

 

[chickmod]

The price sounds a little steep to me. Seriously though, take a guy. Car dealers take too much advantage of women. Your finance rate sounds decent though.

 

[king chile]

you can get 3.9% financing if you go through mazda.. it's on mazdausa.com it's some incentive they're using right now, so i wouldn't go for the 4.9. i was a 'ghost' in the system meaning that i had absolutely no credit and i got approved for the 3.9% fnancing w/o a co-signer

 

[Murrato]

OK...

me, again... I haggled down from $22,600 to on the road price $22,114.15 plus a free cargo net.

Mazda 3 5 door HB (metallic silver) auto with Leather/Safety Package antilock brake and passenger air bag/6CD changer-Moonroof/Xenon lights....

Then they were just plain hostile... is it because i'm a girl or am I just being cheap and should just buy the damn thing!! I just don't want to get screwed. This is the first time i am buying a car by myself without my parents!

Check out here. http://mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=554&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

 

[overkast]

OK...

me, again... I haggled down from $22,600 to on the road price $22,114.15 plus a free cargo net.

Mazda 3 5 door HB (metallic silver) auto with Leather/Safety Package antilock brake and passenger air bag/6CD changer-Moonroof/Xenon lights....

Then they were just plain hostile... is it because i'm a girl or am I just being cheap and should just buy the damn thing!! I just don't want to get screwed. This is the first time i am buying a car by myself without my parents!

Hey radmonkey222,

I pretty much have the same setup as yours, but mine is a Titanium Grey. Here are the specs:

2004 Mazda3 S Hatchback
Titanium Grey Metallic
Black Leather
4-Sport Automatic
Xenon Lights
ABS/SAB/SCA
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
6-Disc In Dash CD
Moonroof
CA Emissions Control
Rear Bumper Step Plates

...and I basically paid $21,325 MSRP without tax and doc fees. According to edmunds.com, the majority of people in my region are paying $21,899 MSRP for the exact configuration. I also purchased an extended warranty (total of 6 years coverage) and GAP insurance...my total car cost with tax, license and doc fees came to about $24,425 (total amount financed).

I don't know if its just me, but I really hate dealing with the whole "buying a car" process, so getting MSRP for a vehicle seems sufficient to me. When you get into haggling with Invoice vs. MSRP, it just becomes too much of a hassle and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. So, as long as I'm paying what most people are paying (according to edmunds.com), then its kosher with me. It's not to say that if one person jumps off a bridge that I'll follow :lol: .

Good luck in your endeavors.
Spencer

 

[mnemonicj]

Re: Buying a Car

Buying a new car can almost kill the joy of new car ownership.

No way, half the fun of getting a car is seeing how much a salesperson will squirm to get a sale. Two things to know when you are buying a car to get a good price that are imperative:

1. Have patience
2. Have time

Patience will make the salesman think you are having second thoughts about purchasing the car at all if they don't meet your price. Give a reasonable, but firm price (say $500 above invoice) and wait until it is met. It might take a few weeks, but as long as you let the salesman know that you are very interested at that price, they will keep in contact if they want their money.

Patience takes time. If you don't have time (like when you are replacing a totaled car, like I did) then you can't be patient. Not having time lowers your advantage greatly. I didn't have enough time to haggle because I needed a car bad and that hurt me the most on the price I got.

 

[hydevil]

$750 over invoice?!

fellow mazda3 experts!

i'm getting a quote from my dealer of $750 over invoice for a fully loaded HB... i'm feeling its a bit high up there.. but the guy doesnt seem to be willing to bring it down by more than $100.. seems like he's confident that he can sell the car regardless!! i dont know if thats only in the Seattle area or what.. any tips in handling the situation?

anything would help!! ~~

 

[LeeLee]

When a car salesman tells me "others will pay more for this car" for a car that is not in short supply, it's a sure sign that he is either inexperienced or he is trying to use a weak excuse.

Whenever this happens, I say something to the effect of "I am going to buy this car, whether it is from you or someone else. So what I have here is a pile of money, either it goes to you or it goes to someone else. When that next person who is willing to pay more walks in, you can get his pile of money too. But why give up my pile of money?"

I was at first intrigued why dealers sold cars at close to no profit when they know others pay more for it. Then I realized the following:

1. On the buyers that pay more, dealers make profit.
2. On the buyers that pay less, dealers generate volume.

Of course, this goes out the door if the car is in short supply and dealer allocations are fixed.