[aviatorkpoc]

I am planing on buying my very first "new" car this month and i have decided to get the 2010 mazda3 hatch.
Does anyone have any tips/tricks/suggestions on that to do at the dealer to get the lowest price?

 

[Magudaman]

Don't negotiate the price at the dealer. Look up on Mazda's website to figure out who has the car you want, in what color, tranny, etc and write emails to each of those dealers in your area. Their internet department has some serious price pushing abilities and you will not need to haggle at all once you get there. In the email just say you are email put the vin number you are interested in, that you are emailing multiple dealers and what is the best price they will give you. I ended up getting my Mazda 3 5 door/hatch sport no accessory packages that was Window Sticker at 20,455 down to 17555 plus 2 years of parts and maint. Good luck!

 

[khooke]

Since it's a new car if you don't like one dealer's price you can go to the next dealer and get the same car for whatever their offer is. The dealers know this. Get quotes over the phone or email from all the nearest dealers and then take them with you when you go to your chosen dealer to make your purchase. Tell them you have quotes from x, y and z and tell them the prices. Best they can do is match or offer less. If you don't like their offer, go to the next dealer until you've got a deal you like.

Also, look up what the dealer's invoice price is for the car. This is what they paid for it. You won't be able to get them much below this price unless they're getting sales incentives from the manufacturer, but you should be able to get somewhere inbetween invoice and the window sticker price.

Costco have a new car buyer service where they'll show you all the manufacturer offers and deals the dealer gets on the specific car that you're looking at. Costs $15 I think. This will show you the absolute lowest price the dealer will be willing to sell for taking into account all the incentives they get from the manufacturer. Use this as your starting haggle price.

 

[konun47]

carbuyingtips.com and edmunds.com both excellent sites for auto research also msn autos... etc.

 

[lpescato]

always learn the invoice price, and try AND GET IT FOR LESS THAN THAT. sorry caps. anyway, find out exactly what u want and what options, then start emailing dealers. i got mine lowered considerably by getting quotes and telling other dealers i got quoted less. in other words, lie, dont be afraid to as its what most dealers do for a living.

 

[Silastic Armorfiend]

Magudaman hit it on the head; Their internet department has some serious price pushing abilities and you will not need to haggle at all once you get there.

I got my MZ3 GT 6 speed for 18,999. I think it came to 21,120 out the door. I "thought" invoice was 20K on this car. If I would've walked into the dealership and started negotiations, I would have never gotten close to 18,999.

#1: Request an online quote from 3 local dealers. I have spoken to 2 others who, between them, have bought 5 vehicles by getting online quotes. Once they had an online quote, they were not able to go a penny lower, no matter what tactic they used.

#2: NEVER discuss "what do you want your payments to be?" Guess what? If you say $350/month, the price of the car will make the payments come out to $355/month, and they'll drop their price to $350/month.

#3: Two things: Tell them think you are bringing cash. DO NOT tell them you own a Mazda. Why? If they think you are going to finance at 0%, or they KNOW you have a Mazda, they bump the price of the car up $500, and then magically give you your $500 for getting 0% financing, and $500 off for being a mazda loyal owner (Effectively stealing your rebate...).

#4: Don't be afraid to walk out, or tell them their price is too high.

#5: THE LINE: "Look, I am going to buy a car TODAY. I could buy it here, or I could go somewhere else. If you want to make this sale, ______"

 

[ty2dayok]

[quote author=Silastic Armorfiend link=topic=172767.msg3739926#msg3739926 date=1280108989]
Magudaman hit it on the head; Their internet department has some serious price pushing abilities and you will not need to haggle at all once you get there.

I got my MZ3 GT 6 speed for 18,999. I think it came to 21,120 out the door. I "thought" invoice was 20K on this car. If I would've walked into the dealership and started negotiations, I would have never gotten close to 18,999.

#1: Request an online quote from 3 local dealers. I have spoken to 2 others who, between them, have bought 5 vehicles by getting online quotes. Once they had an online quote, they were not able to go a penny lower, no matter what tactic they used.

#2: NEVER discuss "what do you want your payments to be?" Guess what? If you say $350/month, the price of the car will make the payments come out to $355/month, and they'll drop their price to $350/month.

#3: Two things: Tell them think you are bringing cash. DO NOT tell them you own a Mazda. Why? If they think you are going to finance at 0%, or they KNOW you have a Mazda, they bump the price of the car up $500, and then magically give you your $500 for getting 0% financing, and $500 off for being a mazda loyal owner (Effectively stealing your rebate...).

#4: Don't be afraid to walk out, or tell them their price is too high.

#5: THE LINE: "Look, I am going to buy a car TODAY. I could buy it here, or I could go somewhere else. If you want to make this sale, ______"
[/quote]
Thats perfect, but the main thing is to have them think your not truly attached to the car and if you dont agree on the price dont be afraid to walk away and if your luck they will chase you out the door, if not go to the next dealer and try again

 

[filthaypinoy206]

threaten TO LEAVE!!! WORKED FOR ME this is their money walking out the door.. some dealerships are thinking of how they are gonna put food on the table...

 

[blueyedwonder]

[quote author=aviatorkpoc link=topic=172767.msg3659175#msg3659175 date=1273865381]
I am planing on buying my very first "new" car this month and i have decided to get the 2010 mazda3 hatch.
Does anyone have any tips/tricks/suggestions on that to do at the dealer to get the lowest price?
[/quote]

I managed to knock over $2,500 off the MSRP when I bought my 2010 Mazda3 I Touring last month due to doing research on TRUECAR.COM and Ebay. They both offered great options and negotiation power to myself so I was VERY prepared when i went into the dealership to actually purchase the car

 

[FOOF3R]

[quote author=Filthaypinoy206 link=topic=172767.msg3795678#msg3795678 date=1284426328]
threaten TO LEAVE!!! WORKED FOR ME this is their money walking out the door.. some dealerships are thinking of how they are gonna put food on the table...
[/quote]

This.

Also if you have a trade in, tell them that another dealer said they would give you more than they're offering you.

 

[blueyedwonder]

[quote author=Filthaypinoy206 link=topic=172767.msg3795678#msg3795678 date=1284426328]
threaten TO LEAVE!!! WORKED FOR ME this is their money walking out the door.. some dealerships are thinking of how they are gonna put food on the table...
[/quote]

Believe it or not, being willing to walk out the door is a POWERFUL tool! I walked out on my negotiations (just to go get lunch, unknown to them) and because they saw me leaving, they threw in free window tinting and it is the darkest legal tint in great condition, no cheap stuff!

 

[snowdins]

I walked off the lot when they had 2 offers on the table for me. I then didnt answer the phone when he called the next couple days. I then called other mazda dealerships and got lower prices with extras. So I told the original dealer about this and he came down in price. I was able to cut 30 bucks off a month doing this on a new 2011.

 

[lpescato]

i kicked ass. i got a 2010 itouring w/sirius, mud guards, cargo mat, all weather floor mats and chrome fuel door with 9.whatever CA tax and everything else included for 19.6. Thats with 0 percent, and i got more on my trade than i expected. all i did was start emailing dealers and i kind of embellished their offers when presenting to the dealer i bought from. some guys said flat out no, and some guys couldnt go too much lower, but this one did, so i got an awesome deal. just know that no matter what the dealer tells you, they are NOT losing money on the deal, if they were they wouldnt sell it to you.

 

[moxfyre]

[quote author=aviatorkpoc link=topic=172767.msg3659175#msg3659175 date=1273865381]
I am planing on buying my very first "new" car this month and i have decided to get the 2010 mazda3 hatch.
Does anyone have any tips/tricks/suggestions on that to do at the dealer to get the lowest price?
[/quote]

I just did this a few days ago, got my 2010 Mazda3 Sport hatch with 6M transmission for $18,141 (+ tags, title, no tax in Oregon ) compared to $20,685 MSRP, with $5,000 done and a 60 month interest-free loan (0% APR).

Others have offered good suggestions. I recommend Car Buying Tips 7-chapter guide. A bit long, but very good advice and excellent spreadsheets they offer. Basically, here's the advice I really took to heart:

• Do your research: figure out what the dealer paid for the car (I used TrueCar and Edmonds to find out holdback, dealer incentives, etc.), and then offer slightly above that (use the Buyer Offer Spreadsheet). The site recommends offering them 5% profit on what they paid, but I offered only about 2.5% and was accepted.
• Make your offer, and be prepared to explain how you arrived at it and that you think it's a fair price, but DO NOT BUDGE on it.
• Don't let the salesman combine talk of price and financing. If they start telling you how they'll only do such a low price with high-interest financing (they get a kickback), it's BS. My salesman actually told me he'd *beat* my offer, and then came back in a couple minutes to tell me it was only with high-interest financing. If this happens, tell them you want to agree on a price /before/ you discuss financing.
• Emphasize that you're willing to walk away from the deal, and why. I had found out that another nearby dealer still had THREE of the exact same model on their lot, this late in the year, and that it was a buyer's market. I also was willing to buy the Honda Fit Sport or Hyundai Elantra Touring, which were on the lot at dealerships in town, and emphasized that to the salesman.
• Don't let them add any fees which you didn't account for in your offer. Not one.
• Once you shake on a price, make sure you double-check the numbers when you get into the finance manager's office. I knew I wanted to pay $18,141 with $5,000 down and get Mazda's 0% financing offer. I brought a loan calculator along on my smartphone, and used it to double-check the numbers after I figured out what the total would be with tags+title.
• Ask to double-check lights and paint before signing. (I did.)

An amusing/sketchy anecdote from my experience. I wanted the floor mats ($80), and my salesman offered them to me for $50 in under-the-table cash. I took it. I thought he might be side-dealing, but I think the dealership may be in on it and just fudging their taxes, and they just do it this way to make you think you're getting a special deal. Anyone ever experienced that?

Also, props to Magudaman for getting yours down to $17,555. Very impressive, especially if that was with cash or 0% loan! By my calculations, that's below the $17,811 that the dealer would've actually paid for the car, assuming the same manufacturer-delaer incentives that I found.

 

[moxfyre]

[quote author=Silastic Armorfiend link=topic=172767.msg3739926#msg3739926 date=1280108989]
Magudaman hit it on the head; Their internet department has some serious price pushing abilities and you will not need to haggle at all once you get there.[/quote]
Not a bad idea. I found the best deal within 50 miles at TrueCar.com, and then took it to a more conveniently-located dealership. I told them I was not in a hurry to buy, and would just drive down the road to the other dealer, and wanted them to match it.

Of course they told me how the other dealership would never honor that deal, and how they were a much better dealership and yadda yadda yadda, but you turn it around and say, "THIS is the deal that *I* want."

[QUOTE author=Silastic Armorfiend link=topic=172767.msg3739926#msg3739926 date=1280108989]#3: Two things: Tell them think you are bringing cash. DO NOT tell them you own a Mazda. Why? If they think you are going to finance at 0%, or they KNOW you have a Mazda, they bump the price of the car up $500, and then magically give you your $500 for getting 0% financing, and $500 off for being a mazda loyal owner (Effectively stealing your rebate...).[/quote]
Don't give them *any* information ahead of time that would help them, but do your own preparation. I just called the salesman I'd spoken to previously, and said "I'd like to come in and discuss the Mazda3 I test-drove yesterday." He tried to chat on the phone, but I just said, "How about 20 minutes from now?" and got down there.

I think it is okay to go in explaining that you want the 0% and rebate, as long as that is part of the offer you have come up with, and you stick to it on all points. I went in and said "I want to pay $18,141 + tags/title", having already taken the $500 rebate and 0% financing into account. They could not eat my rebate because I knew about it.

You almost certainly should NOT tell them you want to pay cash, since they get kickbacks on loans so they'll jack up the price if they know it's cash. Agree on a price first, then offer cash when you make it into the finance office. If they hassle you, be prepared to walk out again.

[quote author=Silastic Armorfiend link=topic=172767.msg3739926#msg3739926 date=1280108989]#4: Don't be afraid to walk out, or tell them their price is too high.[/quote]
Don't talk about THEIR price ever, at all. Don't talk about their price when you test drive (avoid questions if asked), don't talk about their price when you come in to buy. Come in with YOUR price, and don't discuss any other.

[quote author=Silastic Armorfiend link=topic=172767.msg3739926#msg3739926 date=1280108989]#5: THE LINE: "Look, I am going to buy a car TODAY. I could buy it here, or I could go somewhere else. If you want to make this sale, ______"
[/quote]Exactly.

 

[tcramer]

I'm just curious why you put any cash down when you got 0% financing? Was it required to put that much down to get the financing?


[quote author=moxfyre link=topic=172767.msg3821415#msg3821415 date=1286498816]
[quote author=aviatorkpoc link=topic=172767.msg3659175#msg3659175 date=1273865381]
I am planing on buying my very first "new" car this month and i have decided to get the 2010 mazda3 hatch.
Does anyone have any tips/tricks/suggestions on that to do at the dealer to get the lowest price?
[/quote]

I just did this a few days ago, got my 2010 Mazda3 Sport hatch with 6M transmission for $18,141 (+ tags, title, no tax in Oregon ) compared to $20,685 MSRP, with $5,000 done and a 60 month interest-free loan (0% APR).

Others have offered good suggestions. I recommend Car Buying Tips 7-chapter guide. A bit long, but very good advice and excellent spreadsheets they offer. Basically, here's the advice I really took to heart:

• Do your research: figure out what the dealer paid for the car (I used TrueCar and Edmonds to find out holdback, dealer incentives, etc.), and then offer slightly above that (use the Buyer Offer Spreadsheet). The site recommends offering them 5% profit on what they paid, but I offered only about 2.5% and was accepted.
• Make your offer, and be prepared to explain how you arrived at it and that you think it's a fair price, but DO NOT BUDGE on it.
• Don't let the salesman combine talk of price and financing. If they start telling you how they'll only do such a low price with high-interest financing (they get a kickback), it's BS. My salesman actually told me he'd *beat* my offer, and then came back in a couple minutes to tell me it was only with high-interest financing. If this happens, tell them you want to agree on a price /before/ you discuss financing.
• Emphasize that you're willing to walk away from the deal, and why. I had found out that another nearby dealer still had THREE of the exact same model on their lot, this late in the year, and that it was a buyer's market. I also was willing to buy the Honda Fit Sport or Hyundai Elantra Touring, which were on the lot at dealerships in town, and emphasized that to the salesman.
• Don't let them add any fees which you didn't account for in your offer. Not one.
• Once you shake on a price, make sure you double-check the numbers when you get into the finance manager's office. I knew I wanted to pay $18,141 with $5,000 down and get Mazda's 0% financing offer. I brought a loan calculator along on my smartphone, and used it to double-check the numbers after I figured out what the total would be with tags+title.
• Ask to double-check lights and paint before signing. (I did.)

An amusing/sketchy anecdote from my experience. I wanted the floor mats ($80), and my salesman offered them to me for $50 in under-the-table cash. I took it. I thought he might be side-dealing, but I think the dealership may be in on it and just fudging their taxes, and they just do it this way to make you think you're getting a special deal. Anyone ever experienced that?

Also, props to Magudaman for getting yours down to $17,555. Very impressive, especially if that was with cash or 0% loan! By my calculations, that's below the $17,811 that the dealer would've actually paid for the car, assuming the same manufacturer-delaer incentives that I found.
[/quote]

 

[moxfyre]

[quote author=tcramer link=topic=172767.msg3821594#msg3821594 date=1286509941]I'm just curious why you put any cash down when you got 0% financing? Was it required to put that much down to get the financing?[/quote]I think 20% down is probably the unstated minimum for getting approved for most of these low/zero interest loan offers. So I guess I could've paid about $3,700, but honestly I had cash to spare, and wanted to make sure I wouldn't have any hassles. Anyone get away with less down?

 

[GrifN]

When doing these online quotes, should this be for a car on the lot? I'm about to buy a 2011 Mazda 3s Sport Man HB, cash, for $19,550 OTD and the dealer is having to do a dealer trade to get it to his lot. I'm getting a couple more quotes online, just to make sure I'm not getting ripped off (or at least to make sure that everyone is ripping me off the same amount).

Also, these online/email quotes, do I actually email the dealer, or go to their website and do the "Request a Quote" deal?

 

[Babushka]

when i went for mine i discussed the pricing and once they told me a good price..than i told them alright knock of $xxxx, because im trading this in also and here's tyhe value....idk if this is "smart" but it worked for me

 

[moxfyre]

[quote author=GrifN link=topic=172767.msg3831089#msg3831089 date=1287409933]
When doing these online quotes, should this be for a car on the lot? I'm about to buy a 2011 Mazda 3s Sport Man HB, cash, for $19,550 OTD and the dealer is having to do a dealer trade to get it to his lot. I'm getting a couple more quotes online, just to make sure I'm not getting ripped off (or at least to make sure that everyone is ripping me off the same amount).[/quote]
You have a lot more negotiating leverage if you buy a car off the lot. As you can see, a bunch of us have been getting 2010 Mazda 3s Sport Man HB for just over $18k. In my case, I knew there were 5 on the lot at two local dealerships, and that they'd certainly be anxious to get rid of them this late in the year.

Also, these online/email quotes, do I actually email the dealer, or go to their website and do the "Request a Quote" deal?

Don't go through the dealer sites. Use something like TrueCar.com or Edmunds which will give you online quotes from multiple dealers. Also, I would recommend NOT using your real name, phone number, or your regular email address. Do not give the dealers any information about how eager you are to buy, how soon, or what kind of financing you may want. Basically, you want to give yourself as much information as possible, and the dealers as little as possible.

Do your research beforehand, walk in with an offer, make it, stand firm, show your research and competing offers if it makes you feel more comfortable, and drive out with the car you want.