I was at the local dealer checking out the RX-8. I mentioned that I love the rotary engine and I currently drive an RX-7. He said "Great, when you come to buy the 8, drive in with your 7 so that you'll qualify for Mazda's owner loyalty program. That's worth $500".

I've not seen anything on Mazda's web site about this nor have I seen anything on this forum about this so I assume that this was dealer BS. (Note: this dealer was particularly clueless about the 8. One guy tried to tell me it was a "1.9 liter, three cylinder engine") . Truly sad.

Anyways, anyone ever heard of a Mazda owner loyalty program?

 

Its twue, its twue! Not BS.

 

They do have one. I am not familiar with it because when I bought mine in Aug, the dealer would not give my a loyalty discount. Why? There were not too many 8's around and the price was high. If the dealer is offering you a discount, TAKE IT! So, what he doesn't know anything. If you know what the 8 is all about, then why do you need a dealer to give you comfort? He is only there to make the sale and that is all. It is his job to get all the money he can out of you and its your job to get it for the cheapest price possible.

 

I just poked around their website; it's hard to find the incentive info but it's there if you dig deep enough. I'll try to attach some info I found on the Mazda 3, but it should be true for all models. This info used to be more prominent on their web; maybe sales are good enough now they don't need to push incentives too much.

You can also get $500 college grad rebate if you got a degree in the last 2 years or so. I did on the '8 even when everyone said it didn't qualify. Except on the '3, you can get both rebates on a given purchase, plus the customer cash their website mentions.

 

Last comment, learned the hard way, you can choose to get the cash back in the mail, or have them immediately take it off your purchase price. I found this out after I made the wrong choice, but carefully read the Mazda rebate form they use; there should be a checkbox for your selection.

 

I see the owner loyalty for the Mazda 3, but have you found where is says it applies to other vehicles?

Jeff_pap31s, I know I don't need to rely on the dealer for information, that's what this forum is for. :D

The reason I mentioned their cluelessness is that gave me great doubts on their credibility in general. So when he mentioned the owner loyalty discount I was having a hard time believing it.

 

No, I don't see it mentioned anywhere except in a footnote to the Mazda 3. It used to be featured prominently on their website for all models, and I"ve had other dealers mention it for other models. I believe it is still available. My recommendation if you're gonna buy: Negotiate your best deal with no mention of the rebate. When you've got your best deal in writing, then toss the rebate on top of that to get $500 better than your best deal. I think it'll work.

 

At this time they only have the loyalty thing on the 3.

 

Are you sure, or surmising from what you see on the website? I've found that to not always be 100 percent accurate. For instance, they listed the cars eligible for college grad rebate and it didn't include the '8 (last July) but they honored for me anyway. As long as the dealer writes it up, it's good.

 

Currently, the only National loyalty program is on the Mazda 3. Each of the individual Regions have the ability to put rebate or dealer cash on specific models if they choose to. In the Gulf Region, the only incentives on the RX-8 are the College Grad of $500, and the Lease incentive of $1500. I don't know about the other Regions though. The individual dealership might also have a loyalty rebate to entice previous customers to buy a new car. We did this last year on 6's and Protege's before Mazda came out with their National program.

 

ARE YOU SERIOUS ?!?!?! I bought my Rx-8 and I drove a Mazda before that . . . . dang they didn't say anything about a loyalty program when I drove in , they saw my car too.

 

You may still be able to file. This is a manufacturer rebate, not dealer, so it doesn't cost the dealer anything. Even if they say it's too late, ask them to file the form just to see what happens. It can't hurt to try.

 

I printed out that college rebate sheet and I have a junior standing, which also qualifys for the rebate. What do I have to do to get that rebate...just show proof that I'm enrolled or what?

 

Submit it through the dealer where you bought your car. Keep copies of EVERYTHING and keep records of EVERYONE you talk to, when you talked, and what they said. There are about 10,000 cracks this thing can fall into, and you need to track it till the money's in your pocket.