I've just moved to Seattle, and am looking to buy my first car. Thanks to the help of everyone on this forum, I'm fairly well convinced it'll be an 8.

I'm preparing for going to dealerships, and wanted to find:

• Foremost, what price should I be expecting?
• What particular charges should I be especially suspicious of? What ones should I expect / are legitimate?
• What negotiating tactics do you recommend for this car?
• What dealerships and salespeople come recommended?

Quotes
So far the best quote I have found is from University Mazda (the only other I've tried is Pinnacle):

2005 Titanium Grand touring (leather, heated seats, bose, moonroof, xenon) 6 speed with black/black interior. The list price is 31,685, invoice is 29,060, and I can sell the car for 27,560 after Mazda Credit rebate.

According to KBB, this seems on target. Any comments for what I should be looking for? I would be satisfied with any trim level, but would prefer the sport, and only the touring or grand touring if I can get a good deal on it.

Dealerships
Here's the dealerships I know of:

• university mazda
• lee johnson
• pinnacle Mazda
• doug's lynwood mazda
• russ mire (tacoma)
• milam mazda
• Fugate Mazda in Enumclaw
• sound mazda

 

Welcome to the forum, Mark. You're making a great choice in the 8!

As far as Seattle area dealers, search the threads in the NW forum. In particular, check out https://www.rx8club.com/nw-rx-8-forum-33/dealerships-seattle-wa-area-61803/ for some opinions on dealers. Of the dealers you listed, University Mazda seems to have the best reputation among forum members here.

Remember to use the inventory search on Mazda's website to see which dealers have which options and trim levels. Only you know how much you value the features in the various trim levels. The Touring and Grand Touring don't have any additional performance features over the Sport, it primarily luxury so you have to decide if the sunroof/Bose radio (Touring) or the leather seats (GT) are worth the cost.

As far as negotiating tactics, I would recommend deciding the specific options/trim level you want. Then use the Internet to get as many quotes as possible. Look at dealer inventory, if they have a lot of 8's they may be willing to cut a deal to move them. You have the most leverage at the end of the month when a dealer might be trying to make a sales quota. Do the negotiating in the comfort of your home via email where you're in control and can maintain a cool rational perspective. And line up financing beforehand. If the dealer can beat your rate then you win. And always negotiate a sales price, not payments and treat any trade-in as a separate transaction. Most of these tips can be found by searching the web for car buying tips and strategies.

Good luck in your search. Hopefully you'll find the perfect car at a good price and will be joining our ownership cult.

 

Make sure to shop around, 2005 models are still rather abundant and the 2006s are coming something during the next couple of months. That means dealerships will be motivated to sell the '05 models quickly. Down here in Portland I've seen brand new ones with the GT package for less than $25,000. I bought mine last month for $23,499 as a matter of fact (after rebate)....GT package, spoiler, and 6-disc cd changer all included.

So don't be afraid to negotiate hard, if the salesman doesn't tell you a price that's right just walk out. He or she is going to do their darndest to make a sale, especially when it's clearing out inventory for the new year. I think you can knock that price down to at least in the 25 or 26 thousand range (after rebate).

Pick up the weekend edition of The Oregonian as well....if you can find an 8 for a thousand or two less here, it might be worth the 4 hour drive (plus you save on sales tax)! I know I would. Good luck!

 

^^^You'll only save the sales tax if you register it in Oregon. If you bring it to Washington as soon as you register it here, you'll pay the equivalent of the sales tax.

 

Doh, well that sucks. Still, might be worth the drive to save a thousand or two ^_^