Getting a New Car (Mazda)

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

www.carbuyingtips.com

[lucas9000]

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... and you can't haggle with them. BS.

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no need to haggle if you're happy with the price. look at what you get on a standard tc for the price, and factor in that you won't have to go through the hassle of haggling with a guy that haggles for a living. i think the tc is an incredible value. i'm thrilled with my purchase and thought i'd give him the heads-up since the tc sounds like a good option for him to research. you don't like it? cool. go with what you like.

[2planka]

Invoice prices are published for a reason. They are not a reflection of what the dealer pays for the unit. Incentives and holdback credits that are paid directly to the dealer are not reflected in the invoice price.

CR gives the wholesale price for a stripped-down vehicle, and lists base prices for options. Start with the base price for the model, add the options you want, and that should be the starting point for negotiations.

I've used this service for my last two vehicle purchases. The main pushback I get from the dealers is the "Am I not entitled to make a profit?" line. My response is to say that I'm willing to negotiate from my number. I then restate my number and leave. I've made it out of the lot a few times, but that means they didn't want to sell me the vehicle.

The price I paid for each of these cars was within $200 of my number.

Agree on a price first, get it in writing, then talk about financing, trade in, and money down. These should lower the total even more.

[2planka]

It's your money. Do as you wish.

[shummie]

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The test drive will probably be the biggest factor in my decision.

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This is not good...

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I agree, but I mis-spoke. I should have said that the testdrive will be the "final" facor in my decision. It seems like the biggest because it is the last one left. On paper, I'm leaning towards a cheaper Protege 5, but I'm leaving open the possibility that I will get blown away by the difference of driving a newer Mazda 3 (biggest difference being the extra 30 horsepower).

I think I AM ignoring some other options in this price range. I have narrowed things down based on other cars I've driven, my experience driving a rented Mazda6, the positive reviews for the Mazda cars, but admitedly most importantly that I want a hatchback and these are the best looking ones IMO.

Thanks for your other suggestions. $12 is cheap for the Consumer Reports service; I will look into this. Calling the dealers before I go is good advice too.

RE Stature: I'm 6'2", but I've always been comfortable in other "small" cars... like my 96 Honda Civic. I guess I don't like to sprawl out so much as others. My brother who is the same size hates small cars and needs SUV size seating. I'll have to see with these.

Thanks again.

- Jason

[mmbt0ne]

Well, that's good to know. Thanks.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

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RE Stature: I'm 6'2", but I've always been comfortable in other "small" cars... like my 96 Honda Civic. I guess I don't like to sprawl out so much as others. My brother who is the same size hates small cars and needs SUV size seating. I'll have to see with these.

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I'm 6'1" and have no problem fitting in my P5. It's not a huge [censored] SUV, so of course it's not wide open spaces in there, but that's a personal preference - you'll fit in the P5.

[on_thg]

If you don't want to run right out and spend the $ on Consumer Reports, you might check out www.edmunds.com.

I spent a few hours researching prospective models, read the reviews, printed out dealer invoices and (most valuably) checked out the forums. Picked up some tips on how to get the best price, learned about what promos were available (I got 5% below invoice thanks to a manufacturer promo), got the scoop on finance offers -- amazing how much some of the dealers I talked to marked up the interest rates, those bstrds.

The actual buy was totally hassle free once I spelled out what I wanted and made it clear that I knew what was what.

Happy test driving [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[shummie]

I ran into edmunds just now in my searches. I'm into this article which is interesting:

Confessions of a Car Salesman

I'm a sucker for prose.

- Jason