Dalcius

'ello again, this is my second post of this type, I greatly appreciate the input!

What's the popular opinion on the following offer?

New 2004 Mazda RX-8
Nordic Green
Manual 6 speed
GT Package
Appearance package, Rotary Accent Package, Spoiler, 6 disc CD, Nav

Last 5 digits of VIN: 257XX
Invoice date: 11-XX-03

Invoice: $32,1XX
Bare offer: $31,1XX
Tax: $19XX.XX
License: $70.80
Title: $33
Inspection: $21.75
Documentary Fee: $50
Dealer's Inventory Tax: $71.XX

Grand total: $333XX.XX

The dealer seemed up front and to the point. I was specific about updates (he says they're all applied, but I didn't ask specifics [yet]), says it's never been in the shop, brand new, never had any engine problems/etc.

The dealer said that inventory was selling decently well and didn't think that Mazda would be giving rebates (to customer) on the 04s. When asked he said that he's getting about $1000 in dealer cash, so he's not losing money.

All in all, I'm saving about $950 off of invoice, he's getting $1000 plus doc fee and inventory tax, plus what I assume is a fluff charge -- [CITY NAME] ASSESSMENT for $232 -- which is listed on the invoice.

Given the way RX-8s are selling, the fact that this car has been on the lot since Nov of last year, and it's a Green model (don't sell as well), do you think this is a great deal? I'm not confident that I can totally afford that price so I'm going to offer $32 walk-out. How do you folks think this rates? Any specific questions you would ask?

Thanks again for all the input! This website makes the buying experience a much more confident one.

Dalcius

I spoke with the dealer this morning and got them to budge to $33,200 walk-out but they wouldn't deal any more. The salesman said he thought dealer cash was at $1500, which would make their break-even point $32,555. For a green one that's been on the lot since Janurary, I was hoping for just a little more flexibility.

snizzle

are you kidding me? you are asking if almost a grand under invoice is a good deal.... that's an exceptional deal, i got about 250 under on mine at the end of July

could you wait until the end of the month to deal on this thing? you could easily get a better deal if they are trying to meet sales goals

if you can't afford that one, get one without so many options to make the payments easier on yourself

Dalcius

Thanks for the feedback, I hope I didn't sound insane asking if that was a good deal. I'm just curious how hard dealers are trying to push these cars out of their lots.

I just got off the phone with my local dealer. I'm doing even better on one they're attempting to trade for (it's still in port), though it has less equipment.

Car: 2004 RX-8
Color: Green, Black leather
Trim: GT
Options: Appearance, Rotary Accent, Spoiler
Accessories: Aluminum Door Sill Trim Plates (Kick plates)
Last 5 of VIN: 40590
Build date: 6/04?
Ship date: 8/25/04
Miles: 18 + whatever it takes to drive it from port to dealership

They threw in the kick plates for free.

MSRP: $32664
Invoice: $30081 + whatever they paid for the kick plates

Out the door price: $30900 (Roughly something like $28950 without TTL)
Not including the loss they're taking on the kick plates, the grand invoice difference
roughly $1115 under invoice

I imagine they paid somewhere between $80-$180 on the kick plates (can't find what they're worth, accessories.mazdausa.com seems to be hung) as they're about 200 euros in the UK. All in all, I'm betting I got near $1235 under invoice. Assuming they don't throw any surprises and the car looks fine, I'm signing this week.

My reaction: :D

Dalcius

I hope I'm not jumping the gun. To be frank, I'm anxious to get the process over with; I've been looking around for over a month, have been talking to dealers this past week, and I've been on the phone since 9:30 this morning. From the deals I'm getting from my local dealership (this is the second deal we've agreed to a price on), I have a feeling that they're really pushing to make quotas. I came to bottom price on the $950 below deal and I came what I imagine is near bottom (-$500 under invoice) at a dealership in Houston.

Do you figure on rebates or getting more than $300 more out of the deal in a few weeks?

By the way, the dealer in Houston (spoke with the General Sales Manager) said that they're getting $1000 dealer cash. The manager on the $950 below deal said around $1000 and his salesman said he thought it was $1500. You folks take that for what it's worth.

Cheers

snizzle

i would jump on this deal if i was you, to get a car like this for anything under invoice should be considered a great deal.... usually dealers aren't ready to discount the flagship so much, not the case w/the RX-8

the fact that it's a 2004 really helps your situation as well, they are trying to clear the 04's off the lot... if it were me, i'd go w/the 2nd car

i got an extra 750 under if you count the rebates (500 college grad + 250 Rev-it-up), you won't be able to get the rev-it-up anymore and i can't comment on the college grad.... other than that, you probably won't see any major incentives on a sports car no matter how bad it's selling

VikingDJ

I thought 1k below invoice was absolutely an amazing deal, but now I am reading offers for 2k below invoice. THEW posted that he got his for 6k below invoice. 1k below invoice is a great deal, and depending on where you live, you can get better, but that's not a deal you should pass up assuming car is perfect. Good luck!!

starzen1

The important thing is the actual end price

You should have something like

X$ under invoice for car and options
+destination charge (i think it was 520 for the 8)
+sales tax
+tag
+title

thats it. No other fees such as CITY NAME assessment (there aint no such thing) or a dealer fee or a whatever they call it fee.

For a 2004 you should be able to do about $1K under invoice without too much haggling.

check out

http://www.carbuyingtips.com

for some very good reading some nice spreadsheets for calculations and other stuff.

Mike

ACHYellowRX8

Hey, If you feel good about the price. Go for it. It really doesn't matter what someone else paid. Sounds like you have done very well for yourself.

Rob Tomlin

^ I very much agree.

I mean, we all want to get a good deal, but some of these posts I see are ridiculous....going back and forth from dealer to dealer for more than a week just to try and shave another $150.00 off the price! Sheesh! Is $150.00 really such a big deal in the overall scheme of things?

Rez

I'll add a data point here as a brand new owner.

I just purchased an RX-8 today and got a 2004 6 Speed with the GT package, NAV and spoiler for $29181.

MSRP is $33,555 and invoice is $30626.

Rob Tomlin

Damn!

Congrats Rez!

Dalcius

Congrats, Rez!

I just got back from signing for my car (and taking it for a bit of joyriding :p). It's the one mentioned above:
2004 Nordic Green RX-8
Six speed w/ GT package, Appearance Package, Spoiler and Rotary Accent Package
Kick Plates (door sills) thrown in for free
Build date 6/04; 277 miles upon delivery (had 18, but they had to drive it in from out of town, it was a dealer trade)

Invoice without the kick plates is $30081, I paid (without TTL) just around $28850, total walk-out was just over $30.9 (I opted for tire & rim protection warranty but no other service or warranty plans).

Anyhoo, this car is an absolute blast to drive and it is very much a me car. I am quite happy with my purchase. My only two complaints so far are the poor gas mileage and that it runs so hot (center console and trunk get quite warm -- I'm going to mention this when I'm getting my kick plates installed this weekend).

Oh, and starzen1, I asked a friend of mine at work who did about 7 years of car sales what the [CITY NAME] assessment was; it's the advertising fee and it goes into a pool for the dealer to spend on ads. It is something that you can apparently negotiate, but my friend made it a point that that's not something he would negotiate on if he were making the sale (and he's a pretty straight-up guy, think classic Christian conservative).

Cheers!

starzen1

Dalcius

The ASSessment fee is just another way for dealers to try to get more money. Well known just like the other fees such as dealer prep fee, dealer advertisiing fee, and about a ton of other names out there.

The name already tells it stinks. They make it sound like the city imposes a fee. One dealer actually told me once that it was imposed by the city.

In short dont pay it. Negotiate a number out the door that includes no other things but Tax, tag and title.

You wouldnt buy milk for x$ and then pay an additional fee. Never had any issue with dealers on any of these fees.

Mike

KrazieKave

I got mine for $2000 Under sticker...

bowman

I assume when you mention tax and tag, you mean state sales tax and license plates. If you pay those to the dealer in your state, then those are set. Every other dealer fee is probably negotiable.

Keep in mind that the people in different parts of the country may pay more or less than what you can get the car for. The only person that has to be happy with the deal is you.

superrx8

someone sent me an email saying they just bought an RX8 for $2k under invoice
i had originally told this person to push for a minimum of $1k under invoice when shopping, i hope they'll still have '04s in november as that's when i must buy a new car