So I was all excited to get my new 8 on Sat. I get to the dealer and it's parked right up front. Just the right car with all the options. So I start talking price with the guy and basically he's refusing to come off sticker for it and wants to give me next to nothing for my trade. I have an 01 Audi A4 that is in perfect condition. The sales guy was pretty rude the entire time. I have another dealer that I was doing business with but they pretty much refused to look for the car with the options I want. I want a Titanium with the red and black interior. They just keep telling me they will swap out the interior with another car on the lot. So when I tell them the car is less than 40 minutes away they act surprised. Then tell me it's almost inpossible to get that car off that dealer for a trade so I can buy it from them. When I bought my Audi I did it over the phone and picked up the car the next day. I am not enjoying my buying experience so far. I don't like the fact that they are prety much forcng me to take what they have on the lot and have things swapped, when the real car is sitting at some other jerks lot. What should I do. I want to get the the car no later than this Sat.

There is no such thing in case of the RX-8 as forcing anyone... the car is not rare by any means. You can always find another dealer and car.

I would go to the dealer that is 40 minutes away and buy it.

I did go to a dealer 40 minutes away to buy one

If you really are serious about getting the car on Saturday, tell them you'll buy if they meet your conditions. If you are not ready to buy (bad credit, second thoughts, don't know what you want, etc), expect to be shredded to bits by the salesperson. Conditions: no interior swap, the options you want, maximum you are willing to pay based upon your research, minimum for the trade, and ask if they can do better. If they won't, tell them you are off to the other dealer to talk to them. Go to the other dealer and tell them your conditions. If they won't meet them, try elsewhere or maybe your conditions aren't reasonable ($10,000 off MSRP)

Did you try to talk to the sales manager? They are so much more knowledgable and helpful especially if you want to sign papers that day.

try MSN Autos, it will poll all the dealers in your area and at least half of them will return with an email price quote that is right at the dealer-invoice cost. No haggling whatsoever.

...then you walk in and show them your trade.

A must read if you're getting your feet wet when looking at purchasing a car.

http://www.carbuyingtips.com/carintro.html

Read all of it. You'll appreciate the experience more and come away much more knowledgable.

Don't compromise on your car and options. You *will* hate yourself for doing it. No interior trades, search the mazda inventory online and like the other post mentioned; never mention the trade until you have price established. Get the kelly blue book and related quotes for your car so you know how much it's worth.

In short, you need to have all the cards and all the power to really come out ahead when purchasing. Read the info on that link, when you get to the bottom, visit the chapters and come away with a plan.

[snip] What should I do. I want to get the the car no later than this Sat. Your impatience might be part of your problem. NEVER let on or give the impression to a dealership that you're anxious to buy. Always walk away when you're unhappy with their offer. ALWAYS act like you're NOT in a rush to get the car. Soon, they'll be chasing you to your car as you walk off their lot. Keep walking away until they make you an offer you can't refuse.

1.3L

Buy it from the dealer 40 minutes away.

No incentive for dealers to swap cars.

i also recomend buying a car ( ie starting the deal/haggling ) about 30 mins before the dealership closes. When i bought my civic new. I had them 3 hours after close. kept changing my mnd had the manager storm off pissed at me after the F&I guy gave me a spiel about why the interest rate was high I whipped out my eloan, people first and a few other "blank checks" and the F&I guy caved beat the interest rates and I was really a happy camper.. plus next day that I picked up the car ( was still on trialer in plastic that night ) they tried to get me to resign because they forgot to charge me for some things. I told em to piss off and give me my car.. Drove out 15mins later :) Although I have yet to get my "free tires for life"

I had a pretty bad experience looking at RX-8s this weekend at Lester Raines in South Charleston, WV this weekend. The employees pretty much ignored me and my girlfriend there. About 10 minutes after looking at this one particular 8 some dude came out with a clipboard writing down numbers from the Mazda 6s they had. Another dude comes walking towards him, asks if I've been helped, and says somebody will be along shortly as he walks off towards the dude with the clipboard. Another 10 minutes later a family in a beat up to hell Dodge pickup comes to look at 8s, and 3 sales reps are on them like white on rice. Screw that. Walked into the dealership and told the first person I saw about it.

Driving to a dealer 2 hours away to give them my cash.

Never heard of that happening before. Usually the salespeople are greeting you as you're getting out of your car.

I look at cars all the time and if I'm by myself or with a friend, I'll usually have to go find someone if I actually want some help. It makes casually looking at cars nice, but when I actually wanted to test drive some cars when I was looking at my 8, it was a serious pain (and it taught me to never shop at any Orlando area car dealers except for the Lexus dealer at Semoran & University...can't speak for the Mazda dealer since I never went there). Seems like most dealers just don't like to take younger buyers seriously.

Unless you have bad credit, in a bad situation with your current car, etc. don't ever mention your trade-in up front. Get the absolute best price you can get in writing then come back with the trade. Why do you think the first question the salesperson asks is are you trading anything.

IMHO, never force the deal, wait until you find a deal that meets your needs. Don't rush, that gives the dealerships the upper hand. Only go to the dealer to talk price when you are ready to buy, and if you don't like his price walk away.

Personally I don't go for swapping things between cars to "build" the car you want, particularly since there are plenty of RX-8s out there. Add-on accessories are not the issue but if it is something that is put in at the factory, I only trust the factory to do it right. If the dealer doesn't have it, and can't get it, check some place else. Don't go swapping interior components or adding a sunroof. Go to MazdaUSA.com and get a list of all the dealers in your state. Call around and see if anyone has what you want.

You are paying a lot of money so unless you want something really oddball (a Shinka with a cloth interior) I would wait until I found it.

Also (last opinion), leave the trade-in out of the picture. Get you best deal on the RX-8 assuming you are not doing a trade-in. If you need the full value then sell the A4 yourself, otherwise go to Carmax or sell it to the dealer if (after agreeing on a price for the RX-8) he offers you trade-in close to what the Internet average trade-in appears to be.

Nope, no bad credit here. I own 4 vehicles at the moment and just wanted to trade the Audi out. I'm not buying from that dealer that is 40 minutes away. They may have the car but they have no idea how to treat customers in any way. The guy was just a dick plain and simple. Irwin mazda needs lessons in customer service. To Adrian, If you had the car on your lot or could get one just letr me know. I am serious to buy and want to get the car asap.

Ok...new here but just bought an 04 RX-8 on Friday. Had a very positive Dealer experience. To make a long story short, my wife and I went to test drive an 05 MSM. After driving that, we sat in the 8. Decided to take it for a ride and were sold. After much discussion receiving information on an 05 Shinka and the last remaining 04 (Touring/Appearance/Rotary Accent packages), we told the salesguy we would think about it and come back. Next, the Sales Mgr. came over and said, hey, let me help you decide, why don't you take the 04 home tonight and bring it back sometime tomorrow...........hard to pass that up. Needless to say, the 04 now sits in our garage (every night) as once it was here, our decision was made! Great Customer service and one smart Sales Mgr.!

Just got a call from my regular dealer. He told me that Irwin Mazda refuses to do a dealer trade for the one I want. So I guess for the time being I am left with no car. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I really don't want a car that has had it's interior swapped into it. I know after time I am going to hear little creaks and rattles. I am almost tempted to go buy another Audi becuase of all this. I wanted a change but it doesn't seem in the cards for me.

Your impatience might be part of your problem. NEVER let on or give the impression to a dealership that you're anxious to buy. Always walk away when you're unhappy with their offer. ALWAYS act like you're NOT in a rush to get the car. Soon, they'll be chasing you to your car as you walk off their lot. Keep walking away until they make you an offer you can't refuse.

1.3L

That's exactly the way I got a great deal on my car. I've always rushed into purchases in the past, but this time I knew exactly what I wanted, and I didn't let them pressure me into anything. I was calm, and was genuinely ready to leave at any moment if an incredible deal did not present itself. When I asked for 30k including taxes/title/feels on my 04 GT (about 34k with taxes, etc), I didn't think they'd say 'Yes", but I was ready to leave if they didn't. They worked it out.

-arattle

I'm not trying to be impatient, but I am tired of BS from these guys and a run around. I have been trying to get the car for almost a month now without any luck. I won't be around after this sat. so I just wanted to get the car sooner than later.

There are lotsa cars available and lotsa better dealers to deal with. My suggestion, find the car you want on-line, never call the dealer or go to the dealer to "shop". ALWAYS be prepared to walk out.

I just got a 2005 RX-8 in Friday (I live in Northern Ohio) and this is what I did that ensured I'd have a postive experience:

The Monday before I called 16 dealers in my state and got the name and fax number of the New Car Sales Managers.

On Tuesday I took my boilerplate fax of what type of RX-8 I was looking for, with what options, what I'm flexible with and customized it (i.e. put the name and number and dealership name of the sales manager) on each one so that I had 16 faxes. The fax also said I was contacting multiple dealers asking for bids and I would go with the dealer with the lowest bid.

On Wednesday morning, I faxed the 16 faxes off to each dealer. Within two hours I had already received a few responses. By the end of the day, I had received a total of 8 bids back, of which 4 were serious and were good.

On Thursday, if they hadn't already followed up with me, I started with the high bidders and told them what the best offer I had was. They needed some time and would call me back. By Thursday evening I finally found the dealer with the best bid and I told the other ones that I was probably going with another dealer. I also called the salesman I test drove with (who was purposefully left off the fax attack) and got him to bid. His was pathetic, but I didn't care, because I already had four others that were duking it out.

I had the lowest dealer fax me all the documents for me to review and we worked it out so that I could pick up the car on Friday. It was going to be an easy Friday because I already had read all the documents, and they were correct.

My experience was excellent and the only time I had to step into the dealership was when I went to pick my car up.

FYI, I ended up leasing a 2005 RX-8, Grand Touring, Silver with no other options. There was a $1000 factory-to-dealer incentive (which I found out about only because I dealt with so many dealers it was bound to come out), the $500 gerber rebate, and $1000 conquest(?) incentive which was a rebate I got from Mazda because I actually lease a Honda and they tried to get me to switch (it worked!). The numbers were: $390/month, $1535 drive-off, 36 months, 15K/year.

...boilerplate fax...
Sounds like "FAX Attack" from Fighting Chance. True? I used that and it was very effective and less stressful.

I simply can not find a car that has the options I want anywhere near me. I just wanted the titanium, with the red & black interior. Appearance anbd a few other things. Just can't seem to locate one.

I simply can not find a car that has the options I want anywhere near me. .
Ok, I used the fax attack method mentioned previously. And while I did find cars at great deals, like you, I couldnt find the car exactly as I wanted it. Here's what I did.

Called Mazda HQ in California and asked them to locate the car I wanted that was "on the boat". They found one in ten minutes EXACTLY as I wanted to be delivered to a dealer near me but I'd have to wait a couple months. They gave me the number to the dealer, I called them directly and asked them about the car MAZDA told me about. They confirmed the delivery date. I told them I wanted it, put a down payment on it and waited. When it came in, they called me, I went down, paid for it and drove away. The End.

Just got a call from my regular dealer. He told me that Irwin Mazda refuses to do a dealer trade for the one I want. So I guess for the time being I am left with no car. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I really don't want a car that has had it's interior swapped into it. I know after time I am going to hear little creaks and rattles.

I know I already pointed this out in another thread so maybe I should just shut up, but if you really want this car....

Swapping the interior color really isn't a "squeaks and rattles" kind of thing. It's not the whole "interior". It is not like tearing the dash apart. The front seats unbolt; the rears just pop out. The color panels aren't a big deal. The steering wheel might be sensitive due to the airbag, but as long as they can get it in without going "poof", shouldn't be an issue. I'd say if this can get you the car in your timeframe, go for it. Just make a thorough inspection part of the deal.

Sounds like you've had a run of bad salesmen.

Stop being impatient. I don't know why you need the car by Saturday. Not asking you to explain, I'm sure there's a good reason. But when you're spending $25k+, better to take your time and get everything exactly as you want it.

I'd advise you to go to the dealership that has the car you want, even if you had a bad experience there before. If you get a dumbass salesman, go over his head. If he tells you the manager's too busy, then ask for a different salesman. Better yet, just walk over and pick one yourself.

The dealerships here in Vegas are overrun with aggressive young bucks. They'll pounce on you before you park your car. To Hell with that. I park near the service area, then walk around front. There's always four or five salesmen milling around. I usually grab the oldest looking.

(No insult meant to the young guys. Some of them do know their stuff, but in my experience, the older guys are more willing to accomodate a customer who refuses to follow the script. I am in charge and I'm not going to waste time fighting for control with some punk who learned how to sell a car watching Suckers.)

Be blunt. Not rude, but direct and to the point. "I'm a serious buyer. I was in here last week and one of your guys jerked me around. There's only one car on the lot I'm interested in. I'll buy it today if you treat me right."

That sucks. I bought mine from Irwin and they were actually pretty decent to me. I guess my suggestion would be to keep checking other dealers and see if one can get that trade. I know Schwartz mazda (Shrewsbury) is close, and may have a relationship with Irwin already. Maybe they can get the trade - just make sure they give the salesman at Irwin a different name (than yours) if they ask who it's for. ;)

Or, as mentioned before, go to MSN autos or someplace like that and look for a similar 8. The most important options are the factory-installed options (NAV, GT, etc.) Pick up dealer-installed options yourself if you have to, and have them put on later. Find a place- any place - willing to make the deal with you and take a 1-2 hour drive. You'll have time to break it in, and get familar with the car, and will save yourself time and aggravation.

Anyway, good luck. BTW, Who are you dealing with at Irwin?

As stated, I would prefer to buy the car before I leave for business. Sat is really my only day. I'm still not a fan of the intrioir swap. I especially don't like the fact that the attitude of the dealers is to take what they have or you get nothing. Which is pretty much how I feel I have been given. My Audi cost me more than this car and I had no issues getting it.

Adam is the jerky sales guy at Irwin.

I don't see how they can swap the interior of a car when the VIN number and sticker on the door jam tells all about the car, I would think like someone said in another thread that Mazda would have 2 cars out there then that don't have the right specs

You know, I never considered that. Thanks