o_town_racer

I bought mine from the only dealer in Orlando who had any on their lot. The had about 10 back there waiting for a buyer. I had two test drives, both on different visits, and neither on the visit when I bought the car.

I too had a very unhappy first attempt at buying my RX-8. They wanted $3000 over sticker and offered a mere $9500 for my trade (a cherry '97 BMW 328is). I told them that was totally unacceptable. I was informed that they would give me MSRP if I sold my trade myself and that none of the RX-8s they had sold so far had left the lot below sticker.

I got on the Internet.....guess what....they were the only dealer in town who had any RX-8s in stock....and rarer even, they had the color and option combo I wanted. So I got in touch with the Internet sales person. They were willing to sell for MSRP and would give me a better price on the trade without haggling. I ended up buying the RX-8 for sticker and getting $12000 trade....not bad considering I probably wouldn't have gotten much more than $13500 for selling it myself (but then I'd have had much higher sales tax on the RX-8).

So....got the car I wanted and a (in my opinion) fair deal. Why the hassle the first time I went in to buy? They told me it depended on the "sales mgr of the day" and how good a day/week/month they were having.

Anyway....I try not to think about it anymore and just enjoy the car!

Peakster

Guys, this is my first post. I picked up my velocity red 6 speed last night, and I am in heaven. What an amazing car. The dealer--Arlington Mazda Rosenthal in Virginia--was great. They told me the price would be MSRP, and when they didn't have the exact specs I was looking for (base with no options), the sales guy found one in Delaware and drove up there on his day off to bring it to me. Now that is service.
I decided to buy the car on Saturday, and it took until Tuesday to get it. How in the world can anyone stand to wait several months? It was agonizing.
I also ordered the appearance package and rear spoiler, but those will have to be put on next week. Totally different subject, but are those accessories hard to come by on the east coast?

tagS60

As was said above, find another dealer that will allow a test drive and buy your car there. Then, drive your new car back to the original store on a Saturday and ask to see the General Manager. Show him your new car and explain to him exactly why you did not buy it from his dealership.

rotarygod

I don't even own one yet and I got to test drive one. The sales manager even said go out and "spin it around". The salesman in the car with me said go for it so I did. I can verify fuel cut at 10000 rpm, that abs works, and that the car will only do donuts without tcs. The salesman had a blast. It just depends on where you go. Some dealers are ****** and some are really cool.

I have been chatting with Jeff Haas Mazda about buying one. I am going to do it, when and where is up to the dealer. They will not go below msrp and request an additional $300 for the interior and exterior protective coating which they say they will not sell the car without. Basically a $300 wax and scotchgard job. I'm not paying $300 for this. I'll do it myself. I also refuse to pay msrp or even a few hundred less for the car. There are many people that purchased the car and have free service and a debit card from Mazda. I can't get this so why should I pay the same price? I shouldn't and won't. My loyalty is with my money and I will only buy one from the dealer that gives me the best price. If I can't get the price I want then the dealer doesn't need a sale. I still have 3 other cars anyways. It would be nice to have another though.

Squidward

3000 over?? haha what bs..

buyers have power man.. just go elsewhere.. they won't be able to compete with those prices.. they lose in the end.

8_wannabe

I'm a little confused by this story. If you already had a loan from your credit union then why were you even discussion financing terms with the dealer. You should just take the check from the credit union, give it to your dealer for full cash value, and pay back the credit union. Why were you even discussing loan terms with Mazda?

Zio

My dealer has 5 or 6 cars on the lot and he let me test drive it alone :O

ALMOST8IT

The Mazda Dealer is hooked up to my credit union. I didn't have a loan going in, actually I was just in to see the car and take it for a test drive. The dealer said he could make me a great deal right now on the car, I thought I would at least listen. The original deal offered was not a great deal, but a way over sticker deal. I said there was no way I would go over MSRP, he accepted that and we continued to talk and negotiate for quite some time. The final deal, as I understood it, was that I would be getting a 5 year through my credit union, and since they were hooked into the credit union, they would prepare the paperwork. Only when I finally saw the paperwork, as prepared by the dealership, it was for six years at a final figure way in excess of MSRP. Thats when I said hold it and they went into, what I now know, are well tried tag team tactics. Every time I pointed out inconsistencies with their BS, they just got angry and piled on more.

(P.S. I get a letter about once a month from my credit union offering me a 2.9% car loan so I am pretty confident I qualified.)

Sorry for the confusion.

zerohour

I dont know about you all but when i bought my car i didnt care about test driving any other car than the one I was going to buy. I made it a point of the sale and until they did this and i made sure that the car was fine and i was happy did i buy the car.

Also when buying a car through the dealership and they say they are " Hooked up" with your credit union through cuddle or other methods do not go through them its much safer to get a preaproval through your credit union directly and then bring the preaproval to the dealer and have your credit union cut them the check.

So id recommend sure let em haggle on financing and pricing then when you get the price you want and they think they are going to screw you on financing go to your credit union the next day and get a preaproval. This should get rid of at least one box of the four square game.

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BLUE PHI RX-8

That's funny, but it does indeed happen. My local Nissan dealership offered to let me take a spin in the Z in the parking lot and the parking lot only. I laughed at the young kid who told me to come in and agree to some numbers and then they would let me go out on a true test drive. I told him that I don't buy cars that I can't test drive. I wanted to compare the Z to the G35 and RX-8 (which I've test driven 5 times). Dealers must think that we are stupid or something. BTW, I've never gotten pressure to buy the 8 other than the salesman saying "Don't you want to take it home today." I told them initially what my objectives were on my first visit and they only pressured me to test drive it which was hard because now that I've driven it, it's like a drug and keeps calling me back. I've learned that having patience when dealing with first year production cars pays off in the long run because improvements ar forthcoming in the second year. Let's see what Mazda does for improvement. Not withstanding though, I want to buy one now!!!

BillK

FWIW, referring to another reply, I have spent time looking at dealers in the Denver/CO Springs area and have found exactly one willing to sell at sticker; all the rest want MSRP++.

As I said, it all depends on where you live...

saejin

Went to another dealer like most of you have suggested. Pretty much got the some response, but with more bs. They also had 6-7 of them on the lot.

Salesperson went into a ramble about insurance guidelines and how the 8 is an exclusive sports car. Wanted me to agree to an entire deal before I drove. He said he could put a statement in the contract saying if I didn't like it I didn't have to buy. That's alot of paperwork for a test drive.

Made a comment on how I was comparing the 8 to the Evo and he said the evo doesn;t even compare to the 8. In his words the RX-8 is in a class above the Evo. I have to disagree with this.

I think I'm done looking for a reasonable Mazda dealer. I know I have the A4, but really want to test drive the RX-8 since I had one on order. Kinda want to know what I'm missing out on if anything. I guess I'll wait for a used one to pop up somewhere at a dealer other than Mazda.

Thanks for the feedback.

tagS60

This is nothing more than salesman BS to try to sell a car. I'm glad you weren't sucker enough to fall for it.

ZoomRx8

I had the same problem i was test drive rejected also this was at Madza of West Springfield, MA. At first thought was like these bastards are age discriminating. I guess i was wrong if its happening to other people....i would say its hard to sell a car you can't test. Next i will have to go with my father to get some real answers. I was asking questions about the car the salesman didn't give a ****...i prolly knew more about the car then he did. All they did was point me 2 the cars and said go look @ it. Ya this *** is gunna get my money screw him. I will go back another time with older looking people since they hate on me.

saejin

Got my test drive finally. Don't like it as much as I thought I would. Glad I bought my Audi.

Thanks for all the feedback and comments. It's a great car and I hope everyone is happy with their purchase.

renotse

I bought my wife a RX8 with the promise that my son could have it in 6 months if he makes the grade in his freshman year at Texas A&M. We pick the car up in Victoria on Thur. He was not with us when my wife made her test drive, so today he goes over to the Mazda dealer in Bryan and has a good look at the 8s on the lot. The salesman asks him if he wants to take it for a test drive, he says "sure man" and off he and his friend (also a freshman) go on a test drive. He's only 18 and the the Bryan Texas dealer offered him a test drive with no pressure or strings attached. WOW and some of you guys are being denied a test drive.........Move to Texas. gig' em

dvarapala

Some dealers are just ******** (OK, not just some )

When I was shopping for a Corvette, I went into one dealer who refused to allow me to test drive any Corvette. "No test drive, no sale," I told them, and left. I haven't been back to that dealership since.

OTOH, when I stopped by the Mazda dealership to look at the RX-8 up close, the salesman practically begged me to take a test drive.

Bottom line, some dealers are better than others. Just keep looking until you find one that wants your business.

Squidward

yup, that's what it all boils down to... I went to HB Mazda and they were happy to give me a test drive.. but they had high markups.. I then went to browning, and they offered no test drive, but had no markups..

Then I went to SM Mazda, and they gave both a test drive and a reasonable price..

guess who got my business?

Magnesium

IMO the dealership was smart.

Potential buyer arrives on site with a brand new Audi and asks for the test drive. If it was me, I would probably give the flinch test too to see if it was worth my time.

I would also have a sign that says, "Only serious browsers may apply"

tagS60

Families don't have two cars? Just because you own a newer car means your not serious about buying another one? By that logic, someone that drives up in a Pinto would be a quick sale.

Part of any salesman's job is to get the customer excited about the car. Showing them the literature and letting them walk around the outside of the car ain't gonna cut it. You've got to let them drive it.

mikeb

tag you are so right

mngpao

I have some advice for those who find their US dealerships wanting MSRP or more or don't allow test drives.

There are MANY dealers that are discounting the RX8. Some are selling off the lot for as low as invoice + $500. It may take some time to find them but if you can save $1000s it is probably worth a few phone calls and even a plane ticket to get your deal.

There is a dealer in Kellog Idaho (unfortunately not a Mazda dealer) that is now the largest Dodge truck dealer in the WORLD! Why? because he sells them all at invoice - $350 (yes, that's a minus sign).

Do some internet research and make some phone calls and you can find the deal that you want. I found my RX8 in Spokane, WA where they had 22 on the lot in August. They wanted to sell vehicles, not collect them.

saejin

I didn't want to drive it, just to drive it. I was thinking about buying it if it did live up to my expectations.

Six months ago I had a Winning Blue 6MT with sport pkg on order for $800 below MSRP. I even got all the pre-order gifts, which the dealer let me keep just after I canceled just in case i changed my mind later.
I cancelled for a few reasons...it was an unproven vehicle...lots of speculation on hp/tq numbers due to stuck intake ports...delayed production...etc. i couldn't commit myself to a vehicle i hadn't driven yet that seemed to be doomed before it even hit the showrooms.

Fast forward to now. I keep checking back here to see how everyone likes it and for the most part everyone does. Even though I did buy my Audi that doesn't mean i can't get another car. I've already seen quite a few 350Z on the used car lots and expect to see some RX-8's later on. People do change their minds on new car purchases.

Basically i needed to drive it to see if i still wanted it. And now I know that I don't, at least not in its current iteration. Thanks again for all the responses and maybe someday I'll be an RX-8 owner...

Optimus

Test drove it this past Saturday and boy do I love how it feels. The sales associate of the dealer wasn't hesitant to give me a test drive. He was like, "Oh sure----may I have your DL and let me get the keys to the car." That felt so good on the inside to hear that he was willing to let me drive the 8 when in fact there were only 3 of them on the lot available for viewing. It's just sad to hear that other Mazda and non-Mazda dealerships aren't letting others test drive the car. What are you there for----to look at the car? Probably not. Test driving the car is the WHOLE experience, I think. If there is no such thing as test driving then there would be people buying and then later returning because they didn't like how the car felt when they drove off with it.

In any case, I test drove the car, Saturday afternoon. The torque, power, interior, and the smell of a brand new 8 was priceless to me, hehe. What an experience, I thought to myself. I'll definitely test drive it again before the time comes to purchase the car.

rtryrktrx7

Me and my buddy both got invitations from Mazda to go and test drive an 8 and to get a gift too. My buddy and a mutual friend went to this dealership where I had my FD serviced. The serivce department sucked, and he found out today the sales department sucks just as bad. First off they get there and he stands in the show room for at least 5 minutes before being greeted, and then the guy greeting him says Uh Yah...all put out. He explains what he was there for, and the salesman said they were short handed and would have to come back. He told him he didn't drive 20 miles to go right back. So the guy told him to hold on. This older guy that didn't even resemble a sales man ask whos interested in buying an 8. My friend told him no one right now. But he had an invitation to test one, and really wanted to check one out. He sighed and said that they were trying to keep the miles low on them and he couldn't. My friend told him he worked for Mazda, and Mazda NA sent him an invitation to test drive one and he was going to. So the sales guy walks off for twenty minutes and comes back, and says lets go. They get in and the guy is saying a bunch of crap about the 8...you know the mag stats. Then my friend noticed there was 487 miles on it. And they don't test them huh. Anyway, the guy tells him this is the only car that has a red line of 9k. He's telling this to some one who owns a S2000. What an idiot. Then after spitting the quarter mile stats, and the 0-60 stats. Our mutual friend say that's pretty much the same numbers on my Accord Coupe 6 speed. The sales guy immediately starts slamming on his accord saying that family car is know where near in comparison to this sports car. (Did I miss something?) Anyway he let him drive down the service road and back. Upon returning our mutual friends wife is pregnant and is looking for a small sedan, so he mentioned the 6 and how they were talking about looking at them. Our mutual friend thought it would be a great time to check one out. While walking into the show room the sales guy over hears him and turns around and says NO, you guys aren't going to waste my entire day...I'm on straight commission. You know I have several friends in sales, as well as relatives. Since when did salesmen not have to sell something. I've noticed that they expect people just to walk in and give the sales guy MSRP. What a F@ck! Anyway, they left , and my friend is in sales and called the sales manager to let him know what kind of experience he had at his dealership, and thought he'd be concerned. Instead, he tried to defend his actions. So my friend asked, so that's how you want your sales people to treat potential customers, and he said no but you said you weren't buying a car today. So my friend said, oh so you only treat people who aren't buying car today like ****. He again says no every one is treated equally. Them my friend says so you equally treat everyone that walks in like ****... Then he said look, I'm in says and I don't like my time wasted either, but if I send an invitation out to potential customers to test drive a car and this is the response I get, no wonder Mazda is a third rated car company. The sales manager said Mazda is not...And my friend said don't get me wrong, Mazda is working hard to pull back up, but it's dealsehips like yours that cause people like me to never get mazda another look. You even through away a potential sale on a 6, because of your attitude. He then asked for his regional managers number, because he wanted to inform him. They sales manager then starts to back pedal, and asked him what he could do. My friend said nothing I gave you your shot. I was trying to help you, because the attitude of your dealership, gives people the impression you don't what our business.

I had the same f-ing problem with them when I had my FD serviced there. The only reason why I went there was because it was under warranty. I had to file a complaint on the dealership to get them to do what they were suppose to. It's horrible. I don't really care, because I probably won't buy one. There cool, but I'm holding out for the BIG DAWG! If it comes.