[npaladin2000]

KBB doesn't know what it's talking about. Up here in the Northeast the things are going like hotcakes with diamonds in them; my dealer can't keep them on the lot. They go as fast as they come in, if not faster. There's a dealer in Danbury who's got a bunch of them, but they're holding out for MSRP (and getting it sometimes).

MSRP is still unreasonable, but expect to have to pay about $500 over invoice, give or take. That seems to be the going rate. You might do a little better, you might do a little worse.

BTW, Moonroof/6-CD adds about $800 to the price.

Is PA a "green" state like NY? You may have to pay an extra couple hundred for Cali Emissions if it is (or the car you're looking at may just have them, but PLEASE save that for those of us who aren' allowed to buy one without it! )

As for your price, I paid $17,780 for a hatch with abs and auto. Moonroof probably adds another 500 - 600. I think you should try and get a price that is lower than invoice. See www.carbuyingtips.com to figure out what a good deal is and how to get it.

According to www.kbb.com there is adequate supply to meet demand, and aggressive pricign should be available in most areas.

 

[npaladin2000]

How do you know this? If this is based on some inside knowledge, its interesting to know. However, if this is what a dealer told you, I would be skeptical. Also, availability in your area might differ greatly from dealers that are in the Tri-state area. If what you said is true, why not just travel an hour or two and save $500 - $1000 ?

I did travel an hour...there's 2 Mazda dealers 1 hour away from me; they're the closest. And I didn't get it from a dealer, though I OBSERVED my dealer not being able to keep the things in stock.

And it's not based on inside knowledge...it's based on observing and learning what people paid on this and a couple of other message boards. I also learned that the wait time for a custom-ordered Mazda3 is 6 months right now, because they're having trouble keeping up with the demand for the car.

Admittedly, I live in a so-called "green" state which tilts things a bit, since someone who lives in a "green" state is only allowed to buy a car ith the California emissions package, and Mazda only builds a limited number of those. But still, the cars sell REAL easily.

The fact is, this is a brand new model, it's popular, and it's only being built in one factory. Expecting to get below invoice is unreasonable; dealers know someone else will roll up and pay more.