To Chicago area S-plan buyers, did the dealer charge you a $300-400 fee called a Chicago assessment?

It shows up as part of the invoice that they print up.

Some people said this is the dealers holdback.

The dealer said it was a special fee for advertising.

I called two dealers and they both charged it. I called a third and they said no but the guess I spoke with probably wasn't too knowledable.

I called the S-plan number and they said that the dealer was allowed to throw fees into the deal. They said to call other dealers in the area and see what they were charging. Apparently, S plan is not as strict as the Ford X plan.

 

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...light=plan+fee

Should be no S-plan fees

 

Read Fordpartners newest sheet. They now have a provision at the end of the "No Fees allowed" statement that pretty much says nobody but...... Mazda can charge you a fee

 

I was charged the fee, and they wouldn't budge, so I made them eat the labor of installing my fender strakes.

 

Next thing you know they'll be adding their electric bill, or cleaning bill to the cost of the car. That's all BS. Don't pay it!! Go to Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan or wherever if you have to and find a dealer that will deal with you.

Better yet, go to the Mazda web site, search for the exact car you want, then call the dealers that have the cars and tell them you want the specific car (give them the VIN) for the S plan price, period. Then ask them to FAX the invoice to you showing the final price details. You can compare those prices with the prices on the S-plan web site. You might have to spend a few bucks for a bus ride, but at least you will stick it to those unscrupulous Chicago dealers and save yourself some bucks in the process.

BTW, I bought my RX-8 here in PA using the S plan and paid no--that's NO--extra fees. Good luck with your purchase.

 

One thing to consider is there's a lot more to be negotiated now - I wouldn't even bother with the S-plan if I had bought in the last 6 months... it's easy to negotiate down to invoice regardless. When I bought 14 months ago, dealers weren't giving many breaks (in fact they just started allowing the S-Plan on the RX8), so invoice pricing sounded great.

 

I believe that's a local Chicago tax. I leased my 8 in the burbs and had to PROVE that I did NOT live in Chicago to avoid paying the assessment.

Classic Daley.