Dalcius

Heya folks. Just curious what other people are finding out there.

I've got a verbal agreement from a dealer on the following:

Winning Blue 2004 Mazda RX-8
Built in 8/03 or 9/03 (I don't recall), invoice dated 10/17/03
GT package + appearance package + rotary accent package + navigation + 6 disc CD + spare tire + spoiler.
As equipped, it's $35,039 new on Mazda's website, and with destination charge it's right around $35.5K.
I got a copy of the invoice which shows the dealer paid around $32,450 (including destination and what's labeled as a [CITY NAME] assessment for around $230).

This car was a demo (driven by the comptroller) and had 6650 miles on it when I picked it up. I'm driving it around for a couple days before I sign and haven't noticed any hiccups yet.

We have a verbal agreement for $28,000 + TT&L and we're walking if they try to throw anything else on last minute.

What do you folks think about this? How would you rank the price? Scam, Fair, good, very good or steal? Should we look elsewhere?

Any other recommendations (what to check on the vehicle, etc.) would be appreciated if anything comes to mind, especially given that this is a demo.

Cheers

arattle

a) $230 fee is BS.
b) I had a similar dilemma as the dealer had a 3500 mi car on the lot (Ti, 6MT, GT, Spoiler, Nav), and they were willing to give it to me for 27k. I would walk away, there are too many negatives.

You don't know how hard it was driven, you won't see any effects of the mileage until later. It's an older build. It's just not far enough below invoice to take such a hit. This is a used car for all intents and purposes. It's your call after all, but I wouldn't buy it if I could get a brand new car for around the same (maybe without Nav and all the extra crap).

-arattle

jrknu

I agree with arattle, no way unless you really want NAV and the options

there is a large markup on '8's

check the interent and local dealers, offer them 28k total for a 05 you can pick up when it is delived.

truemagellen

definitely overpriced...

I got my with 4k miles on it and with the identical features (but mine is silver) there wasn't a car in the midwest like mine so I would have had to wait long for one to be shipped in plus I wasn't going to pay that much and I need DSC since I live in minnesota and this is my only car

I got it in june and for 28200...if you saw the car it was virtually untouched...garage kept by a guy who traded it in for a brand new M5

now that the summer is over and the 05s are arriving at west coast dealerships...you are getting a poor price...not a scam but definitely not a good buy

gt1

My suggestion is that if you want the car but you are happy to walk away on the deal (tell them you are not really interested and may just buy a different car or order a 2005) then offer to buy it at an absolutely ridiculous low price (say take $3K or more off their price based on its condition and mileage)... The Dealer may accept it or make a counter offer that is better than this one... As everyone is saying this price seems too high.

VikingDJ

Yes, I agree. 6 months ago, this would not have been that bad of a deal, but due to the huge price drop on the 04 model, this is definitely a top dollar deal for a car with this kind of mileage. You'd be doing them a huge favor by paying 28k for car, so you might want to look elsewhere, or haggle with them to knock 1k off. If you are happy with car, don't let people on here discourage you, because you can drive yourself nuts trying to find better deals. Where I live in Eastern PA, you can get a brand new 04 rx8 msrp'ed at over 35k for about $31k. I observed some prices people said they paid on here, and out of curiosity I got an online quote last month form local dealer on all their gt models with navigation. They were offering 1k below invoice, and that was before even haggling. They are going way below invoice where I live, because there are still so many of the 04 models left on the lots. it depends on where you live, so a deal like that might not be obtianable. If you shop around, you may be able to get a brand new one for about 31k, which to me is well worth the extra 3k to have a brand new car, rather then a car with 6500 miles that you don't know how it was treated. Buying this car will certainly be more of a risk, so keep that in mind before you commit. Best of luck on your decision.

Dalcius

I really appreciate the advice folks. After all's said and done, I'm *very* happy they let me drive it around for a while as I've decided that I just can't get used to the blue. It looks fantastic and the features are nice on the model I'm driving, but it's not me. If I can trade the fluff for something I really want at around the same price, I'll bite.

I hope I am not being redundant and missing a previous thread on this, but does anyone have a feel for how much off of invoice I should expect? Being this late into the year (Sept.) with all of the RX-8s that aren't shipping and the fact that green (what I want) is an "unpopular" color, how much do you think I could get off of invoice?

Specifically, I'm shooting for (ideal car):
New 2004 Mazda RX-8; Nordic Green Mica; GT Package; Appearance package; Rotory Accent package

I called a dealer a few hours out of town and was offered $300 above invoice (his words) first offer, though beforehand I stupidly mentioned what I was offered for the blue one described above. $300 + invoice comes to $29,802 (his quote; matches with the invoice I have a copy of).

I'm planning on pushing for $28k, settling for $28.5 or $29 with some freebies (aluminum kick plates, front sunshield, service manual), but missing the Nav, 6 disc CD, spoiler and spare tire I'm thinking it might be sane to start my offer at $27.

From what I'm reading landing it for $29 with some freebies is a decent deal and I think I can pull that off. Any thoughts?

Thanks Mucho!!

VikingDJ

Apparently your dealer isn't offering anything better then what I got here back in February. I got 100 above invoice, and now here on east coast it's dropped to 1k below invoice. It's all about supply and demand, and location. If you do your homework, you'll figure out what they are willing to sell car for, for the area you live in. It's hard for people who paid invoice or well below to consider location as being a factor. Some of us simply get much better deals then others. You can't really look at what the rx8 goes for In the NY-NJ-PA area, because it's likely the cheapest area in the US to find an rx8. Your best bet is to visit multiple dealers, get them to meet a rock bottom price, and compare it with others. The best deal wins, and you won't have to worry about what people on here pay because you'll know that in your area you got the best possible deal you could. Good luck!!